Everyone knows me as 2 things.... A staunch conservative politically, and as big an Auburn fan as there is....The first I show zero objectivity, but in football I show a ton... so to show that I wanted to give my pre-spring training evaluations on Auburn and Alabama football...(it's silly, but it's football in the south)
ALABAMA
Special teams...
Solid but not great kicking game, but good coverage teams on KO's and punts. B
Arenus is as good a returner in the nation when he holds on the the ball. His occasional inability to safely field a punt is the only reason this isn't A+. A
Overall-- B+
Defense
D-Line will be solid once again with Cody back in the middle though spread teams take him out of the game(i.e. Florida, Utah) Return several solid DE's that rotated to round out a solid unit. B+
Linebackers get an A+ for Rolando McClain alone in my book. This guy is a beast and if he leaves after next year he will most likely be a first round pick. Hightower came on as a very good pass rusher last year. This is by far Bama's deepest unit. A+
Secondary is a concern as it was for Bama last year. Rashad Johnson saved this unit many times last year. I think Barron will be very good there, but until he gets as heady as the Senior was he'll struggle from time to time. The corners return but must improve greatly. C+
Overall B+ Saban will field a very good defense, but must show consistancy when the offense struggles to keep them off the field. Up front they are as good as anyone, but the secondary is a weak link right now.
Offense
Offensive line is a huge toss up. You don't just replace Andre Smith, and Cauldwell is almost as big a loss. Coupled with one other loss there and both TE's there could be a few bumps here. On the unknown alone this unit can't get a good grade, especially after watching their struggles w/o Smith in the Sugar Bowl. C
Recievers will be solid. Jones was very good and used his size very well to get separation last year. With the losses of JPW and both TE's, the receiving unit is another wild card. Jones alone gets this group a B
Backfield is another tossup. We all saw how new QB's struggle in the SEC. That is the primary concern for Bama next season. The loss of Coffee may not be too huge with the return of Ingram, Upchurch and Grant. And if Trent Richardson gives any positive contribution then the RB posistion is solid. The new o-line will have more of an affect on the RBs than the loss of Coffee. Losing the QB is big though. B
Overall B. The offense was a great running team behind a huge line, and the passing game was solid with senior QB and senior TE's. This unit could struggle and will be the linchpin on 10 or 11 wins or 8 or 9 wins.
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