Quarterbacks

Well let's just get down to the nitty gritty. It's the position that everyone is talking about at Bama these days. It was talked about last year and then fizzled out when Zow seemed to take control of the offense. Everyone knows what it is - it's Tyler vs Zow. Only, they won't say it's a war, but it really is. Both DO want to start. That's the nature of the game. And if one guy is nipping at the heels of the other guy, it will just push the starter that much more, which is a good thing. Because of the different styles of play, it's hard to say who is better. But like most people, Zow is definitely the starter due to experience and how he handled the pressure last year. Watts will get his chance, especially the first three weeks of the season. Watts will get his chance then to show his stuff. If they both produce well, then both might play. But based on past experience with what I've seen, you really need to stick with one guy. Heck, even Spurrier, the offensive genius said he couldn't get it to work very well. Once the offense gets used to one guy making the calls and knows what he will do, everything just seems to click better. It's hard to remember "ok, so-n-so is QB and if he's QB, here's what he likes to do - here are his strengths...etc." There has to be some continuity, and one guy needs to take control. It doesn't matter who though... as long as the job gets done well. This position needs to be solid for Bama to have a shot at the SEC title. I think DuBose knows this and he will try and find a solid #1. #1 means more reps, which is what our #1 really needs at this time due to lack of experience (yes, even Zow). Time will let us know who our future QB will be. Personally, I hope both of them rip up the field... oh, and don't forget Shaun too. Grade: B+

No need to gues who's #1 RB at Bama this year. Shaun Alexander has really made a name for himself since the LSU game of '96. He ran for 291 yards on only 20 carries that day. That's about 15 yards per carry. He broke the single game rushing record at Alabama as a freshman. It was then, when the Kentucky native became a star. Ever since then, everyone says "play Shaun". Well, last year he got his chance and had a great year... and this year SHOULD be even better. He only needs a little over 1200 yards to break the Alabama rushing record set by Bobby Humphery. Shaun will be Shaun... he'll get his yards... I just hope that Virginia Tech's defense doesn't show up or there might be trouble. That was one thing we saw in the bowl game that we hadn't really seen anywhere else - a D that was as tough as anyone we've ever played before. If we can't get the ball to our on the ground, then we'll have to get the ball to them in the air. I have to admit that at first, I thought Shaun's pass-catching ability was pretty bad, but he has improved a great deal since. He just seems to have those stone hands. If he plays like he did last year he should be ok though. Behind Shaun we have Shaun... Bohanon, that is, and Ahmaad Galloway, not to mention the likes of newcomers Santonio Beard and Brandon Miree. I have a feeling that the freshmen will probably get redshirted since there is so much talent at this position. With all of these guys, I don't see why Bama can't return to the days of old when we rushed for over 200 yards/game. If we don't, something is terribly wrong with our offensive schemes. We have a stable of great RB's. I just hope we can utilize them and take advantage of their athleticism. Grade: A+

The fullbacks are still solid with the big blocking Dustin McClintock and Marvin Brown the bulldozer. With either of these guys, our RB's should find some good holes to run through. We could still use a tad more experience here though. Grade: A

What? No Duece? Man, whatever Locke was thinking, I think he made a terrible mistake. He was one of THE main guys that will be getting the ball next year. Instead, he'll sit out a year and then play 3 more years at UT. His choice. As for Bama we still have Mr. Speedy - Freddie Millons. I tell you, he can run like the wind. We also have Buchanan coming back with Mr. A-Day - Jason McAddley. He is starting to impress some people. Could be a go-to guy in the months to come. We also have coming aboard in the freshman class Antonio Carter and Derrick Woods. Actually, at the time, I can't remember who hasn't cleared the NCAA Clearinghouse. Don't know if one of these guys had problems or not. In any case, we are a little short here, mainly due to the loss of Locke and Vaughn (nice choice, Michael - where are you now?) A freshman or 2 will be starting by mid-season possibly at the WR position. We lost a good bit here and will need consistency in catching the football and running good routes, something we haven't had in a while. Quincy Jackson was the go-to man last year... this year it's hard to say who that man is right now. Millons looks to be a good choice though. More than anything, we need some speed at this position. We are lacking in our efforts to catch the deep ball and score on long passes. We must keep the defense honest... this will definitely open up holes for our great RB's to get thru, but our WR's must pose a bigger threat this year. We're gonna need them to or "Air-Bama" will be "Stuffed-Bama". We still need more experience at this position. Grade: B

You say OL at Bama and you automatically think of Chris Samuels. Why? Possibly because he is/will-be the best OL ever to play at Bama. That says a lot when you consider the "mack-daddy" John Hannah. He's as consistent as they come and he has obtained All-American status. Others on the line will be last year's starters and possibly a few others. Paul Hogan, Griff Redmill, Sam Matthews, and Will Cuthbert round out last year's starters along with Jason McDonald. Guys to help them out or take the starting jobs away from them will be Kenric Lott, Lanix Baxley, Bart Raulston, Dante Ellington, Matt Lomax, and Alonzo Ephraim. Lot of talent here, and that will only push the starters even more. Last year there just was no competition at this position. Now they will have to work hard, or lose the job. Look for the freshmen to make contributions on the OL this year. Can we create bigger holes for Alexander this year? We need those holes, man!! Grade: B

The TE position will still mainly be used as a blocking position. Terry Jones Jr. didn't catch a pass at all last year. Look for him to catch at most 5 this year. Coaches always say they want to get the TE the ball more, but it just doesn't happen, especially when you have Alexander in the backfield and a slew of receievers. I love the Cowboys approach when Novacek was there. He caught pass after pass after pass. It's so easy to get them the ball... ya just have to put it in the gameplan. Look for more of the same in 1999 - block Terry, Block! And catch a couple along the way. :) Grade: B+

Defensive Line

At the DL position, we'll have the deepest part of the team. We hope to produce some of the likes of Copeland and Curry in the years to come with this bunch. We definitely have playmakers on the DL... these include Cornelius Griffin, Kenny Smith, Reggie Grimes, Jamie Carter, and Kendal Moorehead. These are guys that have already contributed and will only get better with time. For Griffin, Grimes, and Carter, this will be their last year to play in the Crimson and White. They will set the tone for the rest of the DL. Smith came alive last year and was awesome. The 2 things we still need improvement on from last year is maturity at the line - JUMPING OFF-SIDES. Smith was guilty of this more than anyone. If we can just be patient and wait for the ball to snap, that'll solve that problem easily. The other thing we need to do more is get more presure on the QB. We just weren't in the backfield enough last year. We were aggressive, but we didn't seem to get to the QB much. More QB sacks will really help our team get back the way it used to be. Others that could contribute this year include Kenny King, David Paine (if NCAA clears him), and possibly a couple of others. This looks to be a good bunch. As long as we are smart and stop lining up in the neutral zone, we'll have the DL of times' past. Grade: A

For the last couple of years, it's hard to say who even plays LB at the Capstone... well, everyone knows Travis Carroll, but now, he is gone to play for Florida more than likely. A couple of years ago, Ralph Staten and Dwayne Rudd were the big men making play after play. Now we have new guys who could make a real name for themselves this year. These guys include Canary Knight, Marvin Constant, Darius Gilbert, and espeically newcomer Saleem Rasheed. He will probably be the next really great Bama Linebacker. He should be in the starting lineup by season's end. This group was slightly erratic last year, especially with Carroll in and out of the lineup. No more need to worry about Carroll since he is gone. Look for Rasheed to step it up and become a real leader in the upcoming years. LB's just need to learn to swarm to the ball a lot better than last year. We seemed to get run over quite a bit and had a lot of trouble with coverages last year. Coaches will fix this problem and the D will be pretty solid up the middle this year. Look for a much improved year at the LB position, but still around par. Grade: B-

If there's one weak link in the whole Bama team this year, it is in the secondary. With Fernando Bryant gone this year, there is no all-star to get the main offensive threat on the other team. Time will be split on the corners between Kecalf Bailey (he reminds me of Feagin more and more... please don't go there), Reggie Myles, Milo Lewis, and possibly a freshman or two. Shontua Ray was also being considered for the secondary, but I don't think anything panned out there. Lewis will have one corner and Myles (in my opinion) will be the other. Myles showed promise, but still has more to learn about the college game. The gap between these 2 and the others is quite big. A loss of one of these guys could pose a real threat for opposing offenses to throw deep and score quickly. Safeties should be solid with Tony Dixon leading the group and Marcus Spencer at the other spot. Dixon has improved his play quite a bit since he came to the Capstone. Look for him to make some big hits this fall. Others may include Gerald Dixon, Charles Jones, and Roberto McBride (if he qualified - I can't remember how hasn't been cleared). It'll be decent year for the secondary... we definitely can't afford an injury at any of these positions. See Kelvin Sigler last year and you'll knowutimean. Grade: B-

Punt/Punt-Return

No more Daniel Pope to launch rockets this year. He was probably the best punter in the league last year. He will be sorely missed this year. Because of him, we got out of jams when we were deep in our own territory last year. Who will the man be this year? Well, look for a slip in punt average and uncertainty of the "hands factor" (will he catch the ball on the hike?). Look for Patrick Morgan to get a chance here, or possibly Jason Kellen. I'm not really sure of other guys getting a shot... possibly a walk-on could even fill this spot. Grade: ?

Deuce would have had his chance returning punts possibly, but he opted to go to UT instead. What a shame. Arvin Richard might be the guy again, but look for Millons to possibly get a shot at the punt return game. As long as we can catch the ball and not give the game away here, I'll be happy. Can we also come up with some better blocking schemes for our punt returners? Oh, and no Vandy Punter needs to score up the middle - make sure the ball is kicked before you turn around... it just comes down to being smart on the field. Grade: B

Wisniewski should still be the kickoff man this year. Diaz is gone, and the only other competition might be a walkon with a boomer of a leg. Kick Return will be handled by the best this year. Look for Millons to return some kicks and possibly McAddley or a running back. We could have different combinations here, but look for Millons to get the majority of the returns this year. His speed will be an asset for sure. And moreso here than the punt return team, we need good returns so we don't have to start in our own end zone. See Peerless Price last year for UT against Bama - these types of plays can really kill the other team, and that's what we need - we need a quick strike threat on special teams. Who will it be this year? Grade: B+

The starter right now is probably Ryan Pflugner, but look for the new guy, Haynes, to make some noise. This is guy who has a physical defenciency with his arms, but against all odds, he has made quite the name for himself. He will compete for the FG kicking job. If Pflug can only make 50% or less of his kicks again this year, the Hayne-a-rama might slip in and become the next Phillip Doyle or Michael Proctor. Wouldn't that be nice after having a few years of such erratic FG kicking? Seems like every game there are new FG kicker tryouts. This year, that shouldn't be a problem, at least we hope not. Grade: B-

Coaching & Other Thoughts...

This year really marks the first year that our coaching staff has stayed intact for a while. This is what will really help Bama in the close games this fall. We implemented a system last year and we have stuck with it... and it will only get better. With DuBose in his 3rd year, he knows what he's done right and wrong on the field and should make better decisions in helping Bama win games in tight situations. It looks like we off on the right track as we've had more guys in the weight room than recent years. Guys are getting stronger and with this new class coming in, it just goes to show you Bama knows how to recruit. Kudos to the coaching staff for getting 2 straight top 5 recruiting classes. Now coach, it's time to BEAT Tennessee, and it's time to Win one against the Gators... and for Pete's Sake - we HAVE to beat Awbun in Jordan-Hare this year. There's no excuses this year. Awbun is down and it's time to cook that goose, man. Also, Arkansas and Mississippi State have beaten the Tide the last 3 years. It's time for revenge on all these teams, my friend. If we lose, it should be against one team, not regularly losing to all the good teams. That's what teams like Kentucky do... and Bama isn't UK by any means. Look for an improved coaching staff this year with better decisions and better play calling. Let's see what we can do about scoring in the 30s-40s this year - THAT's how you win games - scoring scoring scoring. The D will play well enough to keep us from losing if we can just put the ball in the end zone.

And last but not definitely not least, TELL THEM BOYS ON D HOW TO TACKLE!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

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