8/9 Preseason Offense
Last week I previewed our 2011 defense, and if you got the impression that I’m pumped about what we’re going to see on that side of the ball, you’re absolutely right. Our offense, however, is a different story altogether. Yes, I’ve heard all the arguments. “Sure, Ingram is gone, but Richardson is even better! Woooo!!!” “Sure, Julio’s gone, but now the defenses won’t be able to focus on one receiver! Woooo!!!” “Sure, McElroy is gone, but McCarron and Sims are both better anyway! Woooo!!!” I love the optimism, but seriously, thinking that our offense will improve after losing our starting tailback (and former Heisman trophy winner), our top WR (and Number 6 overall draft pick), and starting quarterback is sheer lunacy. So let me be frank, our offense will not be as good as it was last year. That being said, we do have talent on that side of the ball, and we have potential to be productive. Let’s look at the details.
The top story that everyone is following in the offseason is our QB battle. If you think about it, this is really the first true QB battle we’ve had at Bama since 2001 (Watts vs. Zow). This year, Phillip Sims, redshirt freshman from Virginia, and AJ McCarron, redshirt sophomore, are battling it out. I’ve already made it abundantly clear to everyone who will listen who I think should be the starter, so I won’t go down that path here. Instead, I’ll simply say that I’m pretty sure AJ will get the nod. AJ has a very different game that McElroy. He is much more likely to throw deep. He loves the sideline fly patterns, and he has a knack for dropping the ball exactly where it needs to be. I don’t completely trust his short passing game right now, but hopefully that will come in time. Yes, I do think it’s a drop off from McElroy, but in time, McCarron could be as good as or better than McElroy, just not this year.
Our running backs should be good. Trent Richardson has a ton of talent, and yes, there is not a huge drop-off from Mark Ingram to him. However, there is a big drop-off from the Ingram/Richardson combo to the Richardson/Lacy combo. Don’t get me wrong; Lacy is a good running back. I’m just not convinced that he is special like those other two. He dominated in mop up roles last year, but we really haven’t seen him against top competition in game-defining moments yet. We’ll get that chance this year; let’s hope he can step it up on the big stage. Also, as I’m sure all of you know, we took a huge hit at the RB position when freshman Dee Hart tore an ACL in off-season workouts. Make no mistake about it; Hart was going to play a big role in the offense this year, originally as a third-down back, but probably later in the year in the more traditional Bama back role. Hart is a speedster; let’s hope he can come back from the injury next year without losing a step.
The offensive line should be solid. We’re returning 4 starters from last year; however, we took a big hit when incoming JUCO transfer Aaron Douglas tragically passed away early in the summer. The hope was that he would be able to come in and take over the vacated LT spot for the next two years, and Cyrus K. could take over the position as a redshirt sophomore. However, as of now it looks like Barrett Jones is going to move over from the LG spot to take over LT, and Anthony Steen will be our starting LG. I don’t like that. Jones is an All-American caliber guard, and losing him at that position is a huge hit. Don’t believe me? Jones didn’t play in the Auburn game last year; Steen did. Jones did come back for the Michigan State game. Did you notice any difference in the play of the offensive line in those two games? There is always the possibility that Cyrus K. will take over the LT spot this year as a true freshman, which would free up Jones to move back to LG, but I don’t think that’s very likely. I am hoping though!
Which brings us to the WRs. After three years, we’ll be lining up without Julio, and quite frankly, that makes me sad. But we have to move forward, and hopefully returning starters Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks will make the transition less painful. Maze has NFL level talent, and Hanks has always been consistent. However, I’m not convinced that either of them have the ability to come in a take Julio’s Number One receiver spot. There are other possibilities though. Duron Carter, Chris Carter’s son, is transferring to the Capstone from a JUCO after spending his freshman year at Ohio State. If he can get his act together, he might make a splash. DeAndrew White, redshirt freshman from Texas, has been making a lot of noise (in a good way) all off season. Brandon Gibson could finally have his breakout season, plus Gibson and McCarron seem to have some sort of connection between them. Finally, the two freshmen, Bradley Sylve and “Marvelous” Marvin Shinn, have a ton of talent and could make an early splash. I predict we’ll really enjoy watching DeAndrew White this year and in the future, and Maze will have a breakout season that will get the attention of the NFL scouts. Still, make no mistake about it, we’re going to miss Julio.
So as you can tell, our offense has talent everywhere, and who knows, maybe our newcomers will burst onto the scene and make us forget all about Ingram, McElroy, and Julio. But more realistically, our offense will take a step back this year, and we’ll have to rely on a stalwart defense to win the majority of our games. It’s worked for us before. 1992 and 2009 come to mind immediately. Let’s hope we can add 2011 to that list!
That’s it for now. As always, feel free to send me any questions or comments. Until next time, Roll Tide!
Kenny
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