|
HAWAI'I |
WON
25-17 |
VANDERBILT |
WON
13-10 |
UL-MONROE |
WON
41-7 |
at
Arkansas |
LOST
23-24 (2OT) |
at
Florida |
LOST
13-28 |
DUKE |
WON
30-14 |
MISSISSIPPI |
WON
26-23 (OT) |
at
Tennessee |
LOST
13-16 |
FIU |
WON
38-3 |
MISSISSIPPI
STATE |
LOST
16-24 |
at
Louisiana State |
LOST
14-28 |
AUBURN |
LOST
15-22 |
INDEPENDENCE
BOWL |
Oklahoma
State |
LOST
31-24 |
|
2006
Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2007
Outlook |
The
hiring of Nick Saban assures Alabama
that they can finally begin the turnaround
so as to soon return to the league’s
and the nation’s elite. Coach
after coach has recently failed to
do this, so this time the avid alumnus
will hopefully give Nick the reigns
and space needed to produce another
winner here. Really, ole Nicky wouldn’t
be here if he wasn’t promised
those things initially. What were
they after in hiring Saban? “Obviously
the goals…for us are to...establish
[those] intangible things: discipline,
effort, toughness, ability to do your
job, be responsible for your own self-determination,
know what’s expected of you
and be able to see it through.”
These are the foundation of Saban
football, and his willingness to build
a team from the ground up without
taking shortcuts past these qualities
for immediate wins will be how/why
Bama eventually ascends the rankings.
Everyone has a legitimate chance to
prove themselves, and no position
is officially closed due to returning
starters having a lock. To that ends,
Saban and his staff are unwilling
to put out any depth charts until
fall – instead, he has issued
“tentative position charts”
to keep the competitions open at ALL
slots so the best players for ’07
can come from anywhere. Saban wants
the sharpest athletes first, and he
can teach them what is needed at a
given position from there. Spring
started slowly, but the end results
have many buzzing in Tuscaloosa. Precise,
focused and mature are monikers for
how the offense looks under Parker
Wilson. And with the defense progressing
even faster, only the run stopping
has to be sorted out for the Tide
D to return to prominence. Coordinators
Applewhite and Steele are rather new
to the levels at which they now find
themselves, but Saban brought them
in for a reason – to give his
devious plans their best chance(s)
for success, and his track record
says there is no reason to doubt these
hirings. The hardest road game of
the year looks like the rivalry ender
with AU, and non-con Florida State
won’t be a pushover (anymore)
in neutral Jacksonville. Still, how
easy can your schedule be when home
games with Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee
and LSU are slated? Bama looks to
be better by at least a few more wins,
but it is what Saban puts in place
for 2008 that should have Crimson
Tide fans really drooling.
Projected
2007 record: 7-5
|
|
ALABAMA
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 4 |
DL
- 3 |
RB
- 2 |
LB
- 3 |
WR
- 4 |
DB
- 3.5 |
OL
- 4 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
John Parker Wilson, 216-379-10, 2707
yds., 17 TD
Rushing: Jimmy Johns, 66 att.,
293 yds., 1 TD
Receiving: DJ Hall, 62 rec., 1056
yds., 5 TD
Scoring: Jamie Christensen, 13-17
FG, 17-18 PAT, 56 pts.
Punting: P.J. Fitzgerald, 57 punts,
38.2 avg.
Kicking: Jamie Christensen, 13-17
FG, 17-18 PAT, 56 pts.
Tackles: Prince Hall, 77 tot.,
46 solo
Sacks: Wallace Gilberry, 3.5
sacks
Interceptions: Simeon Castille,
6 for 71 yds.
Kickoff Returns: Javier Arenas,
18 ret., 19.1 avg., 0 TD
Punt Returns: Javier Arenas,
31 ret., 9.2 avg., 2 TD
|
|
|
CB
Simeon Castille |
|
|
|
ALABAMA |
|
|
OFFENSE
- 9 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 5 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Le'Ron McClain-FB, Tim Castille-FB,
Kenneth Darby-RB |
DEFENSE:
Dominic
Lee-DT, Jeremy Clark-DT, Juwan Simpson-OLB,
Terrence Jones-OLB, Ramzee Robinson-CB,
Jeffrey Dukes-SS |
|
|
2007
OFFENSE |
Toughest
to call is going to be the offense, where
Saban and coordinator Major Applewhite are
keeping mum about the Tide’s look
here. But some things are predictable, like
Alabama’s Gatorade Player of the Year
(2003) and prep record holder John Parker
Wilson getting the start at QB. As a soph
last campaign, the Birmingham native showed
he has the wares at this level to take Bama
far, with either his arm or his feet. Timing,
precision and perseverance are what Saban
demands, and JPW embodies them all. Applewhite
will coach him up even more and will prove
why Saban grabbed him from Rice so confidently.
Something will give after the line allowed
28 sacks, and that means Freshman All-American
left tackle Andre Smith will need to continue
his strong efforts. Center Antoine Caldwell,
like Smith, had a great showing this spring,
making Saban confident his line will improve
its overall effort from last year’s
marginal effort. Marlon Davis appears to
have the inside track to be the new right
guard after B.J. Stabler has been bumped
with Mike Johnson into competition for right
tackle. With everyone being reevaluated
and all positions open to possible change,
the line could be reshuffled three times
(weekly) before opening day…seeing
Saban’s pension for abrupt changes.
The running game will be reborn after finishing
ninth in the SEC and 77th in I-A. Saban
has been pretty high on soph Terry Grant
so far, but heir-apparent Jimmy Johns and
Glen Coffee are sure to see the rock plenty
as Bama rotates backs for maximum effect.
Whether the vacated fullback slot plays
an important role in this year’s scheme
remains to be seen, but if Saban’s
past at LSU is any indication, poignant
carries by some sort of bigman will benefit
production. TE Travis McCall is likely worth
more than one catch per game, as is Nick
Walker. D.J. Hall has supplied much leadership
throughout spring and into summer, something
Saban has noted, along with his sure hands
in inclement weather and his All-SEC tag.
Fellow-senior Keith Brown also grasps the
new offense well, and his precision rout-running
especially fits. Add in a handful of four-star
recruits over the past two incoming classes
and see how deep this corps can go. This
offense will start slowly, but that doesn’t
mean they will struggle, either. Look for
more lateral movement (often prior to the
snap) to distract defenders as Bama employs
multi-receiver sets and then zone reads
to exploit their foes’ soft spots.
This will guarantee ground production. Parker
Wilson and Applewhite will do the rest.
backfield that will allow for such, or else
he will just do it himself.
|
|
C
Antoine Caldwell
|
|
|
ALABAMA
2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
John
Parker Wilson-Jr (6-2, 209) |
Greg
McElroy-Fr (6-2, 216)
Jimmy Barnes-So (6-5, 239) |
FB |
Baron
Huber-So (6-4, 252) |
Patrick
Hanrahan-Fr (6-0, 245) |
RB |
Terry
Grant-Fr (5-9, 184) |
Jimmy
Johns-Jr (6-2, 227) |
WR |
Keith
Brown-Sr (6-3, 204) |
Matt
Caddell-Sr (5-11, 189)
Will Oakley-Jr (6-1, 192) |
WR |
DJ
Hall-Sr (6-3, 186) |
Nikita
Stover-Jr (6-0, 204) |
TE |
Travis
McCall-Jr (6-2, 264) |
Nick
Walker-Jr (6-5, 270) |
OT |
Andre
Smith-So (6-4, 348) |
Drew
Davis-So (6-6, 268) |
OG |
Justin
Britt-Sr (6-4, 290) |
David
Ross-Fr (6-2, 307) |
C |
Antoine
Caldwell-Jr (6-4, 288) |
Evan
Cardwell-So (6-2, 291) |
OG |
Marlon
Davis-Jr (6-2, 311) |
Taylor
Pharr-Fr (6-5, 265) |
OT |
Mike
Johnson-So (6-6, 303) |
B.J.
Stabler-Jr (6-4, 307)
Chris Capps-Sr (6-7, 283) |
K |
Jamie
Christensen-Sr (6-0, 183) |
Leigh
Tiffin-So (5-10, 170) |
|
|
2007
DEFENSE |
Inconsistencies
that existed here before the coaching changes
are meticulously being worked on. And all
indications show that the recent load-up
of recruits on defense will coincide perfectly
with the new schemes (3-4) and efforts being
introduced. But with only four upperclassmen
on the line’s two-deep, 2007 might
be a learning year. The Tide won’t
again finish in the league’s bottom
half for run stopping with senior end Wallace
Gilberry returning. New starter Bobby Greenwood
is solid on the other side, but he needs
to produce more big plays to remain on the
field. RS frosh Brian Motley will continue
the tradition of Saban-led teams having
a monster tackle clogging the middle. Still,
youth at tackle would be the first thing
that keeps this line from fulfilling its
potential. The JACK position, a hybrid end/OLB,
looks to be Keith Saunders’s, though
Brandon Fanney had a great spring and shows
the versatility to excel there. Soph MLB
Prince Hall also etched his name into the
new staff’s minds this spring, though
his Freshman All-American showing leaves
little for him to have to prove. OLB Darrin
Mustin seems strongest at run stuffing,
while ex-WR Ezekial Knight should drop into
coverage successfully. Size issues behind
the corps’ starters could impact Bama’s
ability to stop (SEC) opponent’s ground
attacks. Senior corner Simeon Castille has
been touted by Saban’s staff as someone
who can buoy the entire defense with both
his vocal and by-example leadership skills.
Junior Lionel Mitchell, also over six-feet,
will have another huge campaign as foes
avoid Castille. Rashad Johnson will likely
be the man at strong safety after earning
the nod as the starter in ’06 at the
free slot, and starter Marcus Carter grounds
the DB efforts but needs to show more to
keep rotations from biting into his playing
time. Eric Gray as a senior nickel back
also brings experience to the new schemes.
Kevin Steele arrives from Florida State
to be the coordinator here (also ILBs),
and we know this is a good fit all around
to produce the results needed to make Bama
feared again on this side of things. Saban
has classically had great secondaries, so
look for that dimension to get better first,
especially with the returning talent there.
|
|
DE
Wallace Gilberry
|
|
|
ALABAMA
2007 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Wallace
Gilberry-Sr (6-4, 264) |
Milton
Talbert-Fr (6-2, 233) |
DT |
Brian
Motley-Fr (6-1, 284) |
Lorenzo
Washington-So (6-4, 285) |
DT |
Ezekial
Knight-Jr (6-4, 238) |
Zach
Schreiber-So (6-1, 211) |
DE |
Bobby
Greenwood-Jr (6-5, 260) |
Brandon
Deaderick-So (6-4, 271) |
OLB |
Keith
Saunders-Sr (6-3, 248) |
Brandon
Fanney-So (6-5, 253) |
MLB |
Prince
Hall-So (5-11, 255) |
Charlie
Higgenbotham-Fr (5-10, 225)
Demarcus Waldrip-Sr (5-11, 200) |
OLB |
Darren
Mustin-Sr (6-2, 237) |
Eryk
Anders-So (6-2, 221) |
CB |
Simeon
Castille-Sr (6-1, 189) |
Kareem
Jackson-Fr (5-11, 185) |
CB |
Lionel
Mitchell-Jr (6-2, 184) |
Eric
Gray-Sr (6-2, 188) |
SS |
Rashad
Johnson-Jr (6-0, 186) |
Justin
Woodall-So (6-1, 213) |
FS |
Marcus
Carter-Sr (6-0, 200) |
Ali
Sharrief-So (5-9, 212) |
P |
P.J.
Fitzgerald-So (5-11, 188) |
Adam
Hill-Fr (5-10, 188) |
|
|
|
2007
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Kicker
Jamie Christensen is gold inside the 40, but was
only 1-for-4 from beyond. Punter P.J. Fitzgerald
kicks ‘em higher than he does long, but
his keen control is vital for winning field position
battles. Backup DB Javier Arenas was Freshman
All-SEC exclusively as a punt/kick returner, and
his seven returns for TD as a prep senior show
why this ex-track star likely gets the nod over
D.J. Hall.
|
|