Sunday, August 31, 2014

Blake Sims shines as Alabama defeats West Virginia

Football, as in life, is essentially a mixed bag of breaks and opportunities. When it came to the Alabama/West Virginia contest, Blake Sims made the most of a well-earned opportunity and West Virginia received a plethora of bad breaks. When the contents were mixed together in a four quarter blender, the Crimson Tide held off the pesky Mountaineers by the score of 33-23.

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High Tide and low Tide

On the Alabama side of the equation, the two stories of note were the 250 yard passing performance by Blake Sims and UA's lackluster pass defense. While Sims, in his first collegiate start, played as solid as anyone could have dreamed, the Crimson Tide defense, especially the secondary, picked up where it left off against Oklahoma. If Sims had a dream debut, the Crimson Tide defense had a nightmare. Allowing 393 total yards, 365 through the air, Alabama's secondary is still one of the biggest question marks entering the second week of the season.


Four quarter Sims

In respect to the aforementioned Sims and the Alabama quarterback situation in general, Saturday's contest at the Georgia Dome belonged to the fifth-year senior. While Jake Coker did warm up on one occasion, the Florida State transfer was a spectator against West Virginia. Although Sims, especially early, missed a couple of open throws, he was calm and collected against the Mountaineers and appeared to feed off Lane Kiffin's stoic demeanor. In total, Alabama garnered 538 yards of total offense.


 Super Cooooooooooper

As noted in the prior embedded tweet which included the outstanding ground efforts of Derrick Henry and T.J Yeldon, wide receiver Amari Cooper proved to be Blake Sims' primary target against WVU. In what looked like an audition for the Atlanta Falcons, Cooper grabbed essentially every pass thrown in his direction and concluded the game with statistics worthy of the Alabama record book.


 West Virginia butterfingers

In respect to West Virginia, the Mountaineers probably deserved better. Perhaps even a victory. While the Alabama secondary seemed to allow big play after big play, WVU had several dropped balls that could have easily changed the complexion of the game. Granted, Blake Sims had a few missed opportunities as well, but West Virginia seemed to encounter a self-inflicted pitfall every other drive. When the day was done, quarterback Clint Trickett had thrown for 365 yards and one touchdown, but his numbers should have been better. For a bulk of the contest Alabama's best defense in the secondary came in the form of WVU wide receivers dropping catchable passes. Those speaking with an objective voice would likely agree.


Nick Saban's postgame presser

Coach Saban shares his overall thoughts on Alabama's hard-fought victory against West Virginia and provides an injury update in respect to wide receiver DeAndrew White.



Looking ahead

Nick Saban is a teacher, and with Alabama's mixed bag in terms of overall performance against West Virginia, Saban and his entire coaching staff now have a laundry list of things to improve upon as the Crimson Tide move forward.

It shouldn't take much film evaluation to notice that 'Bama's weakest link is found in the secondary in respect to pass coverage. Alabama, for whatever the reason(s), still look like deer in headlights when it comes to facing an uptempo air raid system. Too many times West Virginia receivers were essentially wide open. That fact alone makes the aforementioned point about WVU's dropped passes even more critical. Who knows how things would have played out had Trickett received some help.


After week one, Alabama is a good team. Perhaps a very good team, but certainly not a great team. Over the course of the next two weeks, against much inferior competition, the Crimson Tide should be able to work out the kinks before rejoining the fold in respect to clashing with formidable oppositions.

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Posted by The Crimson Elephant at 11:15 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Game Preview: Alabama - West Virginia

The 2014 college football season has arrived and for the Alabama Crimson Tide, like so many times since 2008, that means a trip to the Georgia Dome to participate in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

Having clashed with Clemson in 2008, Virginia Tech in 2009, and Virginia Tech once again in 2013, the Crimson Tide will now tangle with Dana Holgorsen's West Virginia Mountaineers.

Betting Line: Alabama -26 (as of 8/27)

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West Virginia Mountaineers

While the No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will enter the Georgia Dome this Saturday with confidence and the expectations of yet another special season, the West Virginia Mountaineers are likely just searching for the right ingredients to guarantee a winning season.

After going 4-8 in 2013, 2-7 in the Big 12, and losing six of their final seven contests, the Mountaineers can only get better in 2014. While West Virginia does return starting quarterback Clint Trickett, the Mountaineers are still searching for a significant remedy on the defensive side of the ball. Giving up an average of 33.3 points per contest, West Virginia ranked 100th in the nation in respect to scoring defense in 2013.

On the positive side of life in respect to Saturday, West Virginia runs a high octane/air raid offense, the type of offense that has been known to give Alabama fits in recent years. Catching the Crimson Tide off guard will likely be a way for the Mountaineers to combat the fact they're simply not as talented, one-on-one, as Alabama.


Alabama Crimson Tide

The biggest talk around the Alabama program is the quarterback situation and rightfully so. Nick Saban, at least at the time of publication, has yet to confirm that Blake Sims will get the starting nod against West Virginia, but several reputable media outlets seem to think Sims is the man.

As was the case in the 2011 season opener when AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims juggled time, expect both Blake Sims and Jacob Coker to be utilized in a similar fashion against the Mountaineers.

In respect to the other aspects of the Crimson Tide when it comes to week one, Alabama's offensive line, though shaken up a tad due to injuries in preseason camp, should be quite formidable against WVU. However, chances do exist that UA's line could be in for a minor makeover during the first month of the season.

As was the case in 2013, the Tide secondary is once again a question mark, most notably the cornerbacks. Cyrus Jones and Bradley Sylve will get the start against West Virginia, and like most things, the proof will be in the pudding as to how long they're able to maintain those starting roles in the weeks to come. Alabama hasn't had a true lockdown corner since Dee Milliner in 2012.


 Game nuggets

-West Virginia starting cornerback Ishmael "Ickey" Banks will miss the contest against Alabama due to suspension. Banks had 32 tackles and two interceptions last season.

-Per Nick Saban, linebacker Trey DePriest has been suspended for the contest against West Virginia due to a minor NCAA infraction. DePriest's suspension is only for one game.


-Per Nick Saban, offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will coach from the field.


-Jacob Coker stands between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6, while Blake Sims is only 6-feet tall. While many differences between Coker and Sims have been discussed, the issue of height, especially while standing in the pocket looking over the offensive line, is something that hasn't been discussed very much in the media, if at all. Will Sims have issues seeing downfield while standing in the pocket? It is certainly worthy of conversation and observation. As a point of reference, Johnny Manziel is also listed at 6-feet tall.


Prediction

While Alabama does have some questions, they're the type of questions that 99% of all teams in major college football would love to have.

Although West Virginia is a respectable opponent, and they should have a better season than the 4-8 campaign of 2013, the Mountaineers are simply light years away from Alabama when it comes to individual talent.

The Tide is almost a four touchdown favorite and that seems about right.

--- Alabama 38 West Virginia 10 ---
Posted by The Crimson Elephant at 6:38 PM 0 comments

Friday, August 22, 2014

Alabama Analysis: New faces highlight Tide special teams

With the departure of kicker Cade Foster and punter Cody Mandell, the Alabama special teams unit will undergo an extreme makeover this season.

Prominent players

H - Cooper Bateman or Alec Morris
K - Adam Griffith
LS - Cole Mazza
P - JK Scott
KR/PR - Christion Jones

Potential kick/punt returners (In addition to C. Jones)

Chris Black
Tony Brown
Marlon Humphrey
Cyrus Jones
ArDarius Stewart
DeAndrew White

Departures from 2013

K - Cade Foster
KR/PR - Dee Hart (Transferred)
P - Cody Mandell
H - AJ McCarron

-New holder
-New kicker
-New punter

Does that qualify as an extreme makeover? Well, in the world of special teams play, it certainly does.

For the time being, which is obviously subject to change, it appears that either Cooper Bateman or Alec Morris, both backup quarterbacks on the Tide roster, will replace AJ McCarron as the holder on field goal and extra point attempts.

In respect to kicker, Cade Foster has graduated, which means Adam Griffith will take the wheel in 2014. Kicking in spot duty last season, and most noted for his "Hail Mary" against Auburn which was returned 109-yards for the game-winning touchdown, the job is Griffith's to lose.


The Alabama punting department will meet the same fate as the field goal unit. Due to the graduation of Cody Mandell, freshman JK Scott will take over the skyscraping duties. Scott, per reports, has garnered high praise from head coach Nick Saban, and like Griffith in respect to field goal duties, the job at punter is Scott's to lose. Prior to Scott's arrival, backup quarterback Alec Morris did the punting during Alabama's spring game.


When it comes to the return game, Christion Jones is the man, but don't assume it will stay that way. This unit always has a chance to be shuffled simply based on in-game production. If (big if) Jones were to have various issues in regards to catching the ball and/or fielding/returning treacherous punts or kickoffs, a change would certainly be made. Wide receivers Chris Black and DeAndrew White are the most viable options in the return game to complement Jones, as well as freshman defensive back Tony Brown.


Many times in college football, the special teams unit is essentially invisible until a costly mistake is made. Lack of fundamentals within the group always has the potential to change the complexion of a game.

Speaking in general terms, as well as for Alabama, not every kickoff or punt has to be returned for a touchdown, and not every 50-yard field goal has to split the posts. Take care of the basics and “routine” plays, and let the offense/defense take care of the rest.

Don’t be a hero, just execute the fundamentals.

Unit rating: 8/10

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Posted by The Crimson Elephant at 6:23 PM 0 comments

Alabama Analysis: CB play will decide fate of 'Bama secondary

While Crimson Tide fans and media pundits continue to talk about Alabama's quarterback controversy, and rightfully so, arguably the biggest concern for the 2014 Alabama squad is the secondary.

For yet another season, most notably at the cornerback position, justified cause for concern is still warranted. As was the case in 2013, Alabama won't enter the season with a proven lockdown corner.

Expect the Crimson Tide to utilize a host of players in the secondary this season, especially if the core group is not as productive as the coaching staff would like.


Prominent players

Landon Collins
Eddie Jackson
Cyrus Jones
Nick Perry
Geno Smith
Maurice Smith
Bradley Sylve
Jarrick Williams

Emerging talent 

Anthony Averett
Jonathan Cook
Jabriel Washington

Tony Brown (True Freshman)
Ronnie Clark (True Freshman)
Marlon Humphrey (True Freshman)
Laurence "Hootie" Jones (True Freshman)

Departures from 2013

Deion Belue
HaHa Clinton-Dix
John Fulton
Jai Miller (Left the team)
Vinnie Sunseri

While losing HaHa Clinton-Dix and Vinnie Sunseri is a substantial blow to the Crimson Tide secondary, the bright spot is found in the positions they held. Safety...

Fortunately for Alabama, the safety position, both free and strong, will likely be the strongest point of the secondary for yet another season. With players like Landon Collins, Nick Perry, Geno Smith, and Jarrick Williams, UA is in solid hands.


In respect to the cornerback position, as noted earlier, when fans and pundits talk about the Tide secondary, they're really just talking about the lack of proven leadership and success at cornerback.

While Deion Belue and John Fulton are the two departures from the 2013 squad, with all due respect and honesty, both players struggled. To say that Belue and Fulton will be missed will likely not be the case, considering that neither player, at least in 2013, proved to be irreplaceable assets at corner.

As of right now, it would appear that Cyrus Jones and Bradley Sylve will get the starting nod at the corner spots (base defense) entering the season, but as mentioned, expect the Tide to use a heavy rotation, especially if the named starters prove to be ineffective. Look for Eddie Jackson and Maurice Smith, who both saw respectable action last season, to play a significant role for the Tide this fall. In respect to freshmen, one certainly can't eliminate the possibility of Tony Brown and/or Marlon Humphrey getting an opportunity, especially if the upperclassmen fail to get the job done.


From top-to-bottom, the Crimson Tide secondary, most notably the safeties, will be solid, but as mentioned ad nauseam, the real areas of concern are the corners. At least for the time being, the days of a lockdown cover man such as Dre Kirkpatrick or Dee Milliner, seem to be over. Someone, whether it be an upperclassman like Bradley Sylve, or a youngster like Eddie Jackson, will have to prove they have what it takes to stay on the field.

Guarantee, without a shadow of a doubt, 'Bama oppositions will test the edges until the Tide defensive backs can prove they're able to make plays on a consistent basis.

Unit rating: 7.5/10

Posted by The Crimson Elephant at 2:30 PM 0 comments
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