COACH AND PROGRAM
Everyone associated with the University of Alabama, from its administration to its fans, knew hiring Nick Saban would put the Crimson Tide football program back in the national spotlight.
Of course, they probably never expected that spotlight to be quite so glaring so soon.
In the month leading up to Saban's hiring, he made repeated denials about his connection to the Alabama job and stated his intention to remain as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, only to take the job and its $4 million annual paycheck, incurring the wrath of national media and the mockery of rival fans.
Over the next few months, Saban managed to alienate both national and in-state media with his restrictive interview policies; LSU fans with his "coon-ass" joke, LSU football coaches with his reminder that LSU was still winning with his recruits; and other SEC coaches with his alleged illegal contacts with recruits in the Miami area. Then he managed to explain away his rules violations by blaming the media, saying "I think it's funny it came from Miami."
In the process, he never really denied breaking rules.
Hey, it could be worse -- at least he didn't have an affair with his secretary or end up in a hotel with a stripper.
With so much controversy swirling around Saban, it was easy to miss the way he put his mark on the program in his first months on the job. More than 100,000 Crimson Tide fans noticed, with more than 93,000 attending A-Day and at least another 10,000 being turned away from a packed stadium.
"Today shows what passion and support we have at The University of Alabama and it certainly makes me feel great about being here as head coach," Saban said about that friendly little gathering, which set a national record for a spring game. "I hope we can channel that positive momentum to get where we want to go."
Where Saban, his coaches, his players and his fans want to go is to the national championship -- a pinnacle Saban reached as LSU's head coach in 2003. How long it will take the Crimson Tide to get there remains to be seen, but the program certainly appears to be back on the right track after Saban's first recruiting season, offseason program and spring practice at Alabama.
While the coaches were out salvaging a declining recruiting season and turning it into a top-10 class, the players were discovering just what Saban meant when he said the Tide would become a more disciplined team -- both mentally and physically. A more intense offseason program, Saban's "Fourth Quarter Conditioning Program," and a more demanding system of accountability put the players on notice that the new sheriff in town would not tolerate anyone unwilling to pay the price.
Saban and the players who were allowed to address the media in the spring said the team responded positively to the changes that came in the wake of a 6-7 finish that led to Mike Shula's fir-ing after four mostly suspect seasons.
The Tide then seemed to confirm its willingness to follow Saban and his staff with a spring that produced more positives than negatives. More important, those first four months of the new year, complete with 15 spring practices, gave the players a chance to better understand something Saban refers to as "the process."
Throughout the winter and spring, Saban talked about being process oriented rather than result oriented. The basic idea is that a team in the process of doing everything it takes to win a cham-pionship will eventually give itself a chance to win that championship. That process, says Saban, requires day-to-day constant discipline, hard work and attention to detail. While the Tide made progress in those areas, it's evident the players still have a lot to learn about the process.
"I think it's a work in progress," Saban said. "We've made a lot of progress. I don't think we are where we want to be. You know, what's the amazing thing to me is how we can have so many people that think about what the result can be, the result that they would like for it to be, and the expectation of that result, and talk about winning championships and all that kind of stuff, when the thing we need to be doing is figuring out what we need to do to do it.
"And we have too many people that think that way and not enough people that think about what do I need to do every day to be as good as I can be so we have the best chance to do that, and we don't quite get that. And there's too many people that are comfortable and satisfied, and not hungry enough to do what they've got to do to do it, because they hear too much about all this stuff all the time around here, and that's got to change and we've got to change it and we're going to change it. You've got to be process oriented. You don't talk about winning championships -- you go do what you've got to do to do it.
"Every time [the media] interview a player what do they talk about? Whether you get them to say it or they say it on their own, I don't know. And my question is, let's quit talking about it and let's go do what we've got to do to do it, because that is what we can control. You can't always control the outcome, but you can control what you do to get ready to do it, and that's what we should be doing as football players. That's what we should be doing as a football program and that's what we should do as an organization."
Eventually, the Tide's progress will be judged by wins and losses. That process will start on Sept. 1 when Saban's first Alabama teams opens its season at home against Western Carolina.
Predicting those wins and losses is a difficult process considering the Tide's strengths and weaknesses. Alabama returns nine starters on offense, including talent and experience at quarterback and receiver, but this is the same group that finished ninth in the SEC in scoring offense with 22.9 points per game, mainly because it couldn't score consistently once it reached the red zone.
The Tide also returns all five starters on the offensive line, but this same line struggled to control the line of scrimmage in the running game and couldn't effectively protect the quarterback. Toss in the lack of a proven SEC tailback and the Tide has as many concerns as it returns starters.
Now new offensive coordinator Major Applewhite must find a way to bring out the best in an offense with some talented elements and potential answers among its many questions. Applewhite will call the plays, but the offense isn't expected to resemble anything close to the wide-open spread attack he employed so effectively at Rice in 2006.
The Tide spent most of the A-Day game operating out of one-back, three-wide sets, but the only thing certain about the offense at this point is that it will be a combination of ideas from Saban, Applewhite and offensive line coach Joe Pendry, a veteran NFL assistant.
"We're not installing anybody else's offense," Applewhite said. "Our offense is going to be Alabama's offense. We're not installing the Rice Owl offense. We're not installing the NC State, the Clemson, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Texans -- wherever we've all been -- we're not installing that offense.
"We're putting together an offense that fits the skills and the talents of our players and the aptitude level of our players so we can go out and be successful. To say that we're going to be like somebody is not a fair statement. We're going to be Alabama."
That said, it's difficult to imagine the Tide not doing everything it can to take advantage of the return of quarterback John Parker Wilson and receivers DJ Hall, Keith Brown, Will Oakley and Nikita Stover. "The fun part about the job is finding out how you're going to get the ball in the end zone," Applewhite said. "Certain teams can line up and run it right down your throat, and some teams have to spread it out. Last year at Rice, we had to spread it out. We weren't going to be able to line up and beat people up front and run the football successfully or consistently. So we had to spread the field.
"Every year is a new challenge. It's about finding out everything in the spring and creating how we're going to move the football."
On the other side of the ball, new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, a former Baylor head coach and assistant at Nebraska and Florida State, will run Saban's version of the 3-4 that Saban describes as an "aggressive style" built on "a lot of pressure, a lot of blitzing, a lot of man-to-man coverage in the secondary."
On paper that might seem like a departure from Alabama's 4-3 base in recent seasons, but former defensive coordinator Joe Kines employed three-man fronts frequently the last two seasons. In addition, the 3-4 is more than a matter of philosophy; a lack of manpower up front and last year's poor pass rush almost necessitates the move.
"We don't have four down linemen to play," Saban said. "It's not a different defense. It's just an implementation based on personnel."
Expect to see a lot of four- and five-man fronts with linebackers involved in an attempt to improve a pass rush that finished last in the SEC with just 13 sacks last year.
While Alabama defensive players admitted they often were confused or overwhelmed by the amount of information they were attempting to process on a daily basis, Saban said, "It's all rela-tive to what you're used to. I'm not doing anything here than we have not done with other college players. We need to challenge everybody. Otherwise, you get lazy mentally."
QUARTERBACKS
Junior John Parker Wilson (6-2, 209) learned a lot of lessons in his first season as Alabama's starting quarterback. Some of those lessons were difficult ones, especially when he threw 10 interceptions or played his part in Alabama's red-zone frustration. Some of those lessons were positive, including 208 passing yards per game and 17 touchdowns.
Wilson also showed an ability to take punishment, scramble when necessary and hold up under pressure -- lessons he had to learn when the offensive line continued to leave him vulnerable.
The result, in theory, should be a quarterback who should be more confident, mature and effective this season. If the comments of Saban and Applewhite and the results of the A-Day game are any indication, Wilson appears to be on the right track.
"He's still feeling his way in the offense a little bit," Saban said. "The big thing has been the pass protection so far, handling the blitz. Those are the most important things to me. You've got to be able to handle the blitz. He's done a good job at times, and at times he hasn't been in sync with what we want to do.
"He's got to continue to practice and work with that so that we can turn that into an advantage for ourselves. He's done a nice job. I think he feels comfortable with what we're doing. He's go-ing to get a better and better understanding [of the offense] as we go."
Wilson seemed particularly comfortable and adept operating some of the shotgun formations he ran at perennial powerhouse Hoover (Ala.) High School.
Red-shirt freshman Greg McElroy (6-2, 216) used the extra practice time to show his physical and mental development, as well as his mobility when Alabama employed the spread offense.
"Greg I think has made a lot of improvement," Saban said. "He is instinctive as a quarterback. He understands very well what he's supposed to do, and he's a very good athlete. There's been times he hasn't been able to make all the throws he needs to make, but he has made progress in that area, and it's going to be important for our team that we continue to develop the back-up quarterback position."
RUNNING BACKS
Kenneth Darby fell far short of expectations last year and now he's gone, leaving the Tide to find a new go-to tailback. Or, considering Saban's history of utilizing more than one tailback on a regular basis and his habit of going with the hot hand, Alabama is trying to find two or three capable backs.
"Most places I've been, if you track history, we've had two guys when we had really good running," Saban said. "Whether it was Sedrick Irvin and Marc Renaud at Michigan State, or whether it was Domanick Davis and [LaBrandon] Toefield at LSU. We would usually do extremely well when we had two backs who shared the load and are effective."
The most experienced candidate is junior Jimmy Johns (6-2, 227), who finished second on the team with 293 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry last season. Johns worked his way into Saban's doghouse last spring because of academic struggles but eventually worked his way out and remains a likely member of the Tide's tailback rotation.
Sophomore Glen Coffee (6-2, 225) showed positive signs in 2005 by rushing for 179 yards as a third-string back, but he missed all of 2006 after suffering a preseason injury. When he's been healthy he's displayed a combination of running and receiving skills that give him a serious shot for some playing time this fall.
Sophomore Ali Sharrief (5-9, 212) carried only six times last season, but like Coffee he's in the mix, even though he did spend some of his spring on defense.
Red-shirt freshmen Roy Upchurch (6-0, 191) and Terry Grant (5-9, 184) both saw their playing time limited by injuries in 2006, with Upchurch enduring his second foot surgery in two years and Grant undergoing shoulder surgery. Upchurch is known as the best raw talent of the bunch, but Grant may be the team's most explosive runner.
Even freshman Jamar Taylor (5-10, 200) did some positive things in his first spring, so there's a lot of talent at one spot, even if most of it is unproven at this point.
"We're still looking for a tandem at running back to get someone else who has consistency that we need," Saban said. "Terry would be a great guy -- we had LeBrandon Toefield and Domanick Davis (at LSU) -- he'd be the Domanick Davis and then have a bigger stronger guy that would be a nice change of pace, and give us the ability to feature both those guys in different ways."
Whoever wins the job might find himself in the backfield with other tailbacks or working in a lot of one-back sets. With Le'Ron McClain and Tim Castille completing their eligibility, the Tide is low on experience and talent at fullback. Sophomore Baron Huber (6-4, 252) and senior William Denniston (6-3, 216) aren't expected to see regular playing time in the new offense.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
In seniors DJ Hall (6-3, 186) and Keith Brown (6-3, 204), Alabama returns two of the program's most accomplished receivers and arguably the SEC's best receiving duo. After the two combined for 106 receptions, 1,656 yards and eight touchdowns last season, the real question is whether the Tide can find and develop a capable third receiver.
It could be junior Will Oakley (6-1, 192), who broke out with 18 receptions and 12.4 yards per catch in 2006 after two injury-plagued seasons. Or it could be senior Matt Caddell (5-11, 189), who has shown plenty of positive signs but has to become a consistent player. Or, it could be junior Nikita Stover (6-0, 204), who started slow but finished strong in his first season out of junior college.
Even sophomore Mike McCoy (6-2, 217) and redshirt freshman Earl Alexander (6-4, 201) have a chance at this point.
The other question centers on the role of the tight end in the new offense. For all of Shula's talk about getting the tight ends more involved in the passing game, it never really happened and all three returning tight ends, juniors Travis McCall (6-2, 264), Nick Walker (6-5, 270) and Charles Hoke (6-7, 251) once again spent most of last season as glorified tackles.
All three are capable blockers, but it remains to be seen if Applewhite can and will use them as receivers in the new offense. If the Tide wants to get bigger without using a fullback, Walker and redshirt freshman Preston Dial (6-2, 240) are the most likely motion tight ends.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Now that Shula's gone, the offensive line has replaced him as the team's focal point for abuse. Aside from two legitimate NFL prospects in junior center Antoine Caldwell (6-4, 288) and sophomore left tackle Andre Smith (6-4, 335), the offensive line is loaded with more questions than answers.
Nowhere is that more true than at right tackle, where junior Chris Capps (6-7, 338) has become the butt of Alabama criticism and Auburn jokes for matador tendencies in pass protection. Un-fortunately for Capps, or perhaps fortunately, he missed contact drills in the spring. He better get healthy and get ready though, because sophomore Mike Johnson (6-6, 303) stepped up and played well in Capps' absence during the spring and the new coaching staff won't be afraid to toss out the old and move on with the new.
Johnson wasn't the only young lineman to take a step in the right direction in the spring. Junior guards Justin Britt (6-4, 290) and B.J. Stabler (6-4, 307) and sophomore guard Marlon Davis (6-2, 311) all seemed to make considerable progress in the spring, and the Tide might finally be building some depth with the improvement of sophomores Evan Cardwell (6-2, 291) and Drew Davis (6-6, 286) and redshirt freshman David Ross (6-2, 307).
"The offensive line is one of the areas on the team that has been the most impressive in the way they execute and the way they work together," Saban said. "They do have pretty good character and attitude. I think they're making pretty good progress. We've been pleased with that group, and we have maybe seven or eight guys that are doing it that way, so it's not just three or four or five.
"There's the starting group, plus a few other guys, and then there's a few more guys that are younger that look like they have promise, as well."
No single player has more promise than Smith, who came to the Tide as a prep All-American and started every game last year as a true freshman. Smith bought into the offseason program and dropped his weight while improving his endurance and strength. As good as he was last year, Smith expects to be even better this fall.
KICKERS
While his two-year stats don't look all that impressive, with 29 successful field goals on 42 attempts, senior Jamie Christensen (6-0, 183) has spent those two seasons solidifying himself as a clutch kicker. Now he must stay healthy and improve his distance on kickoffs to help Alabama adjust to the new kickoff from the 30-yard line after recording only four touchbacks and sending three kickoffs out of bounds last season.
When Christensen was unable to kick field goals over the first four games last season because of a groin injury, sophomore Leigh Tiffin (5-10, 170) stepped in and kicked relatively well until the fourth game, when his struggles contributed to a 24-23 overtime loss to Arkansas. Still, he has game experience, which is more than most SEC schools can say of their backup kicker.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The decision to go with a three-man front isn't just a matter of numbers. It's also a decision motivated by inexperience.
Aside from the starting defensive ends, senior Wallace Gilberry (6-4, 264) and junior Bobby Greenwood (6-5, 260), the rest of the defensive linemen lack significant experience.
Even Greenwood brings only three starts into the season and spent his spring battling sophomore Brandon Deaderick (6-4, 271) for the starting spot opposite Gilberry. Deaderick helped his cause with his ability to play both end in a three-man front and tackle in a four-man front, giving him a valuable role somewhere in the defense.
Unfortunately for the Tide, no one really stepped up behind Gilberry, and the two most likely nose tackles entering the spring, sophomores Lorenzo Washington (6-4, 269) and Byron Walton (6-3, 306), were limited by injuries. Fortunately for the Tide, previously anonymous redshirt freshman Brian Motley (6-1, 284) moved over from the offensive line early in the spring and made an immediate impact in the middle.
"Bryan Motley has probably been the pleasant surprise of the spring," Saban said. "We hope he can continue to improve. He does a pretty good job on a consistent basis in practice."
Beyond those few names, the Tide will be looking for young linemen and incoming freshman to make an impact in the fall or depth will remain a concern.
LINEBACKERS
The biggest problem with going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 is finding enough linebackers to fill out an adequate two-deep. With talented sophomore Prince Hall (5-11, 255) the only returning starter and the only legitimate all-conference candidate, that left three big openings in the starting lineup and four other openings on the second team.
Alabama solved two of those problems by turning two "tweeners" into outside linebackers. Senior Keith Saunders (6-3, 248) started 10 games at defensive end last season but often lacked the size and strength to be an adequate down lineman. Senior Ezekial Knight (6-4, 230), in his first season after moving from wide receiver, faced a similar situation on the line.
In the 3-4, however, Saunders and Knight are much better fits as active outside linebackers, with Saunders at the new "jack" position and Knight on the strong side.
"A guy that has some size, maybe he's not truly linebacker-type athleticism, but has some of those characteristics," Saban said. "A guy that may be a good pass-rusher, but not be a true defen-sive lineman relative to his physical characteristics. So you can kind of co-mingle those things into a guy who is sometimes a linebacker and sometimes a defensive end, sometimes a linebacker who does a lot of rushing."
That still left one more spot at inside linebacker next to Hall. By the end of the spring, senior Darren Mustin (6-3, 237) had secured the starting spot inside while senior Matt Collins (6-1, 245), who started four games at middle linebacker last year, moved back and forth between inside linebacker and end in the spring and never seemed to find the right fit.
Seniors Demarcus Waldrop (5-11, 200) and Marcel Stamps (6-2, 199) bring some game experience but never found their place in the spring.
"We are still searching for guys who can play with any kind of consistency behind those [starters]," Saban said.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The departures of safety Jeffrey Dukes and cornerback Ramzee Robinson would seem to leave the secondary with two major holes to fill, but the situation isn't as bad as it might seem on paper.
For starters, senior cornerback Simeon Castille (6-1, 189) emerged as one of the SEC's most dangerous and productive defensive backs after recording six interceptions and three fumble re-coveries in 2006.
Add junior Lionel Mitchell (6-2, 184), who played a significant role as a fifth defensive back last season and finished with four interceptions and a touchdown, and the Tide owns one of the SEC's best cornerback tandems.
Senior Eric Gray (6-2, 188) also brings extensive game experience, recording 30 or more snaps in seven games last season. When the Tide goes into its nickel package, Mitchell and Gray will often play outside so Castille can either cover the opponent's best receiver or play toward the middle in a zone defense.
"About 50 percent of what we do is some kind of nickel," Saban said.
At free safety the Tide will miss Duke's ability to cover one-on-one like a cornerback, but at least junior Rashad Johnson (6-0, 186) brings experience as well as the ability to stop the run and blitz the passer while sophomore Justin Woodall (6-1, 213) has the potential to be a standout player if he can stay healthy.
At strong safety, senior Marcus Carter (6-0, 200) is a solid run defender who played in all 13 games last season and started nine times. Now he has to become more of a playmaker after playing more than 500 snaps last season without a turnover or a pass breakup.
PUNTERS
Sophomore P.J. Fitzgerald (5-11, 188) averaged only 38.2 yards per punt last season, but 19 of his 57 punts were downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Fitzgerald's handiwork earned him SEC all-freshman honors.
He produced a 53-yard punt in the first quarter of the A-Day scrimmage but must now become more consistent. If not, he could find himself being pushed by freshman Adam Hill (5-10, 180) for the starting job.
SPECIAL TEAMS
While the kicking game produced a few big plays in the Shula era, it rarely provided the kind of consistency a team requires. That should change under Saban, particularly with assistant Ron Middleton coordinating the special teams after successful stints with the Tampa Bay Bucs and Ole Miss. One of his first tasks will be to get the Tide's linebackers and defensive backs to make a more serious commitment to the kicking game.
Middleton inherits a solid holder in Fitzgerald and sophomore Brian Selman (6-0, 200) held up in his first spring as the Tide's No. 1 snapper.
Now Alabama must do a better job of setting up returns for sophomore Javier Arenas (5-8, 176), who returned two punts for touchdowns in 2006 but will need more help from his teammates and make better decisions to improve on his average of 9.2 yards per punt return.
Senior Jonathan Lowe (5-6, 180), who sat out last season after transferring from Mississippi State, brings valuable punt and kickoff return experience. Terry Grant is another player with the speed to make an impact on kickoff returns.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Alabama fans will expect immediate results from Saban, despite a lack of depth and experience in many areas and concerns about the level of talent he inherited in other spots.
Grading the Crimson Tide
Unit Grade
Offense B
Special teams B
Defense B
Intangibles B
A schedule that takes the Tide to Florida State and Auburn and brings Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU to Tuscaloosa won't make the job any easier, but Saban had a pretty good idea of what he was getting into when he left the NFL for the chance to coach college football once again.
"I enjoy making players do right," Saban said. "I enjoy making them do right in school, which is why they come to school, to graduate. That's going to affect them more than anything they do. We're legitimately concerned that when they leave here, they have an opportunity to be successful in a career.
"I like having a program that is helpful to developing players so that they have a better chance of being successful in life. Character, attitude, priorities they develop, discipline they develop, ability to make commitments to things, invest their time in something worthwhile, get some positive self-gratification and confidence, do it with a lot of pride -- those things will help them be successful in anything they do.
"I love to see them develop and improve as football players. I love that part of it. Coaching, teaching, getting after it."
Those qualities are part of the process Saban believes in. If the Tide does all those things, Saban is convinced it's just a matter of time before Alabama is once again playing for a championship.
How much time? Saban isn't into predictions. Just process.
"We're building a program here," Saban said. "We're trying to build every aspect. It's a work in progress."
Everyone associated with the University of Alabama, from its administration to its fans, knew hiring Nick Saban would put the Crimson Tide football program back in the national spotlight.
Of course, they probably never expected that spotlight to be quite so glaring so soon.
In the month leading up to Saban's hiring, he made repeated denials about his connection to the Alabama job and stated his intention to remain as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, only to take the job and its $4 million annual paycheck, incurring the wrath of national media and the mockery of rival fans.
Over the next few months, Saban managed to alienate both national and in-state media with his restrictive interview policies; LSU fans with his "coon-ass" joke, LSU football coaches with his reminder that LSU was still winning with his recruits; and other SEC coaches with his alleged illegal contacts with recruits in the Miami area. Then he managed to explain away his rules violations by blaming the media, saying "I think it's funny it came from Miami."
In the process, he never really denied breaking rules.
Hey, it could be worse -- at least he didn't have an affair with his secretary or end up in a hotel with a stripper.
With so much controversy swirling around Saban, it was easy to miss the way he put his mark on the program in his first months on the job. More than 100,000 Crimson Tide fans noticed, with more than 93,000 attending A-Day and at least another 10,000 being turned away from a packed stadium.
"Today shows what passion and support we have at The University of Alabama and it certainly makes me feel great about being here as head coach," Saban said about that friendly little gathering, which set a national record for a spring game. "I hope we can channel that positive momentum to get where we want to go."
Where Saban, his coaches, his players and his fans want to go is to the national championship -- a pinnacle Saban reached as LSU's head coach in 2003. How long it will take the Crimson Tide to get there remains to be seen, but the program certainly appears to be back on the right track after Saban's first recruiting season, offseason program and spring practice at Alabama.
While the coaches were out salvaging a declining recruiting season and turning it into a top-10 class, the players were discovering just what Saban meant when he said the Tide would become a more disciplined team -- both mentally and physically. A more intense offseason program, Saban's "Fourth Quarter Conditioning Program," and a more demanding system of accountability put the players on notice that the new sheriff in town would not tolerate anyone unwilling to pay the price.
Saban and the players who were allowed to address the media in the spring said the team responded positively to the changes that came in the wake of a 6-7 finish that led to Mike Shula's fir-ing after four mostly suspect seasons.
The Tide then seemed to confirm its willingness to follow Saban and his staff with a spring that produced more positives than negatives. More important, those first four months of the new year, complete with 15 spring practices, gave the players a chance to better understand something Saban refers to as "the process."
Throughout the winter and spring, Saban talked about being process oriented rather than result oriented. The basic idea is that a team in the process of doing everything it takes to win a cham-pionship will eventually give itself a chance to win that championship. That process, says Saban, requires day-to-day constant discipline, hard work and attention to detail. While the Tide made progress in those areas, it's evident the players still have a lot to learn about the process.
"I think it's a work in progress," Saban said. "We've made a lot of progress. I don't think we are where we want to be. You know, what's the amazing thing to me is how we can have so many people that think about what the result can be, the result that they would like for it to be, and the expectation of that result, and talk about winning championships and all that kind of stuff, when the thing we need to be doing is figuring out what we need to do to do it.
"And we have too many people that think that way and not enough people that think about what do I need to do every day to be as good as I can be so we have the best chance to do that, and we don't quite get that. And there's too many people that are comfortable and satisfied, and not hungry enough to do what they've got to do to do it, because they hear too much about all this stuff all the time around here, and that's got to change and we've got to change it and we're going to change it. You've got to be process oriented. You don't talk about winning championships -- you go do what you've got to do to do it.
"Every time [the media] interview a player what do they talk about? Whether you get them to say it or they say it on their own, I don't know. And my question is, let's quit talking about it and let's go do what we've got to do to do it, because that is what we can control. You can't always control the outcome, but you can control what you do to get ready to do it, and that's what we should be doing as football players. That's what we should be doing as a football program and that's what we should do as an organization."
Eventually, the Tide's progress will be judged by wins and losses. That process will start on Sept. 1 when Saban's first Alabama teams opens its season at home against Western Carolina.
Predicting those wins and losses is a difficult process considering the Tide's strengths and weaknesses. Alabama returns nine starters on offense, including talent and experience at quarterback and receiver, but this is the same group that finished ninth in the SEC in scoring offense with 22.9 points per game, mainly because it couldn't score consistently once it reached the red zone.
The Tide also returns all five starters on the offensive line, but this same line struggled to control the line of scrimmage in the running game and couldn't effectively protect the quarterback. Toss in the lack of a proven SEC tailback and the Tide has as many concerns as it returns starters.
Now new offensive coordinator Major Applewhite must find a way to bring out the best in an offense with some talented elements and potential answers among its many questions. Applewhite will call the plays, but the offense isn't expected to resemble anything close to the wide-open spread attack he employed so effectively at Rice in 2006.
The Tide spent most of the A-Day game operating out of one-back, three-wide sets, but the only thing certain about the offense at this point is that it will be a combination of ideas from Saban, Applewhite and offensive line coach Joe Pendry, a veteran NFL assistant.
"We're not installing anybody else's offense," Applewhite said. "Our offense is going to be Alabama's offense. We're not installing the Rice Owl offense. We're not installing the NC State, the Clemson, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Houston Texans -- wherever we've all been -- we're not installing that offense.
"We're putting together an offense that fits the skills and the talents of our players and the aptitude level of our players so we can go out and be successful. To say that we're going to be like somebody is not a fair statement. We're going to be Alabama."
That said, it's difficult to imagine the Tide not doing everything it can to take advantage of the return of quarterback John Parker Wilson and receivers DJ Hall, Keith Brown, Will Oakley and Nikita Stover. "The fun part about the job is finding out how you're going to get the ball in the end zone," Applewhite said. "Certain teams can line up and run it right down your throat, and some teams have to spread it out. Last year at Rice, we had to spread it out. We weren't going to be able to line up and beat people up front and run the football successfully or consistently. So we had to spread the field.
"Every year is a new challenge. It's about finding out everything in the spring and creating how we're going to move the football."
On the other side of the ball, new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, a former Baylor head coach and assistant at Nebraska and Florida State, will run Saban's version of the 3-4 that Saban describes as an "aggressive style" built on "a lot of pressure, a lot of blitzing, a lot of man-to-man coverage in the secondary."
On paper that might seem like a departure from Alabama's 4-3 base in recent seasons, but former defensive coordinator Joe Kines employed three-man fronts frequently the last two seasons. In addition, the 3-4 is more than a matter of philosophy; a lack of manpower up front and last year's poor pass rush almost necessitates the move.
"We don't have four down linemen to play," Saban said. "It's not a different defense. It's just an implementation based on personnel."
Expect to see a lot of four- and five-man fronts with linebackers involved in an attempt to improve a pass rush that finished last in the SEC with just 13 sacks last year.
While Alabama defensive players admitted they often were confused or overwhelmed by the amount of information they were attempting to process on a daily basis, Saban said, "It's all rela-tive to what you're used to. I'm not doing anything here than we have not done with other college players. We need to challenge everybody. Otherwise, you get lazy mentally."
QUARTERBACKS
Junior John Parker Wilson (6-2, 209) learned a lot of lessons in his first season as Alabama's starting quarterback. Some of those lessons were difficult ones, especially when he threw 10 interceptions or played his part in Alabama's red-zone frustration. Some of those lessons were positive, including 208 passing yards per game and 17 touchdowns.
Wilson also showed an ability to take punishment, scramble when necessary and hold up under pressure -- lessons he had to learn when the offensive line continued to leave him vulnerable.
The result, in theory, should be a quarterback who should be more confident, mature and effective this season. If the comments of Saban and Applewhite and the results of the A-Day game are any indication, Wilson appears to be on the right track.
"He's still feeling his way in the offense a little bit," Saban said. "The big thing has been the pass protection so far, handling the blitz. Those are the most important things to me. You've got to be able to handle the blitz. He's done a good job at times, and at times he hasn't been in sync with what we want to do.
"He's got to continue to practice and work with that so that we can turn that into an advantage for ourselves. He's done a nice job. I think he feels comfortable with what we're doing. He's go-ing to get a better and better understanding [of the offense] as we go."
Wilson seemed particularly comfortable and adept operating some of the shotgun formations he ran at perennial powerhouse Hoover (Ala.) High School.
Red-shirt freshman Greg McElroy (6-2, 216) used the extra practice time to show his physical and mental development, as well as his mobility when Alabama employed the spread offense.
"Greg I think has made a lot of improvement," Saban said. "He is instinctive as a quarterback. He understands very well what he's supposed to do, and he's a very good athlete. There's been times he hasn't been able to make all the throws he needs to make, but he has made progress in that area, and it's going to be important for our team that we continue to develop the back-up quarterback position."
RUNNING BACKS
Kenneth Darby fell far short of expectations last year and now he's gone, leaving the Tide to find a new go-to tailback. Or, considering Saban's history of utilizing more than one tailback on a regular basis and his habit of going with the hot hand, Alabama is trying to find two or three capable backs.
"Most places I've been, if you track history, we've had two guys when we had really good running," Saban said. "Whether it was Sedrick Irvin and Marc Renaud at Michigan State, or whether it was Domanick Davis and [LaBrandon] Toefield at LSU. We would usually do extremely well when we had two backs who shared the load and are effective."
The most experienced candidate is junior Jimmy Johns (6-2, 227), who finished second on the team with 293 rushing yards and 4.4 yards per carry last season. Johns worked his way into Saban's doghouse last spring because of academic struggles but eventually worked his way out and remains a likely member of the Tide's tailback rotation.
Sophomore Glen Coffee (6-2, 225) showed positive signs in 2005 by rushing for 179 yards as a third-string back, but he missed all of 2006 after suffering a preseason injury. When he's been healthy he's displayed a combination of running and receiving skills that give him a serious shot for some playing time this fall.
Sophomore Ali Sharrief (5-9, 212) carried only six times last season, but like Coffee he's in the mix, even though he did spend some of his spring on defense.
Red-shirt freshmen Roy Upchurch (6-0, 191) and Terry Grant (5-9, 184) both saw their playing time limited by injuries in 2006, with Upchurch enduring his second foot surgery in two years and Grant undergoing shoulder surgery. Upchurch is known as the best raw talent of the bunch, but Grant may be the team's most explosive runner.
Even freshman Jamar Taylor (5-10, 200) did some positive things in his first spring, so there's a lot of talent at one spot, even if most of it is unproven at this point.
"We're still looking for a tandem at running back to get someone else who has consistency that we need," Saban said. "Terry would be a great guy -- we had LeBrandon Toefield and Domanick Davis (at LSU) -- he'd be the Domanick Davis and then have a bigger stronger guy that would be a nice change of pace, and give us the ability to feature both those guys in different ways."
Whoever wins the job might find himself in the backfield with other tailbacks or working in a lot of one-back sets. With Le'Ron McClain and Tim Castille completing their eligibility, the Tide is low on experience and talent at fullback. Sophomore Baron Huber (6-4, 252) and senior William Denniston (6-3, 216) aren't expected to see regular playing time in the new offense.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
In seniors DJ Hall (6-3, 186) and Keith Brown (6-3, 204), Alabama returns two of the program's most accomplished receivers and arguably the SEC's best receiving duo. After the two combined for 106 receptions, 1,656 yards and eight touchdowns last season, the real question is whether the Tide can find and develop a capable third receiver.
It could be junior Will Oakley (6-1, 192), who broke out with 18 receptions and 12.4 yards per catch in 2006 after two injury-plagued seasons. Or it could be senior Matt Caddell (5-11, 189), who has shown plenty of positive signs but has to become a consistent player. Or, it could be junior Nikita Stover (6-0, 204), who started slow but finished strong in his first season out of junior college.
Even sophomore Mike McCoy (6-2, 217) and redshirt freshman Earl Alexander (6-4, 201) have a chance at this point.
The other question centers on the role of the tight end in the new offense. For all of Shula's talk about getting the tight ends more involved in the passing game, it never really happened and all three returning tight ends, juniors Travis McCall (6-2, 264), Nick Walker (6-5, 270) and Charles Hoke (6-7, 251) once again spent most of last season as glorified tackles.
All three are capable blockers, but it remains to be seen if Applewhite can and will use them as receivers in the new offense. If the Tide wants to get bigger without using a fullback, Walker and redshirt freshman Preston Dial (6-2, 240) are the most likely motion tight ends.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Now that Shula's gone, the offensive line has replaced him as the team's focal point for abuse. Aside from two legitimate NFL prospects in junior center Antoine Caldwell (6-4, 288) and sophomore left tackle Andre Smith (6-4, 335), the offensive line is loaded with more questions than answers.
Nowhere is that more true than at right tackle, where junior Chris Capps (6-7, 338) has become the butt of Alabama criticism and Auburn jokes for matador tendencies in pass protection. Un-fortunately for Capps, or perhaps fortunately, he missed contact drills in the spring. He better get healthy and get ready though, because sophomore Mike Johnson (6-6, 303) stepped up and played well in Capps' absence during the spring and the new coaching staff won't be afraid to toss out the old and move on with the new.
Johnson wasn't the only young lineman to take a step in the right direction in the spring. Junior guards Justin Britt (6-4, 290) and B.J. Stabler (6-4, 307) and sophomore guard Marlon Davis (6-2, 311) all seemed to make considerable progress in the spring, and the Tide might finally be building some depth with the improvement of sophomores Evan Cardwell (6-2, 291) and Drew Davis (6-6, 286) and redshirt freshman David Ross (6-2, 307).
"The offensive line is one of the areas on the team that has been the most impressive in the way they execute and the way they work together," Saban said. "They do have pretty good character and attitude. I think they're making pretty good progress. We've been pleased with that group, and we have maybe seven or eight guys that are doing it that way, so it's not just three or four or five.
"There's the starting group, plus a few other guys, and then there's a few more guys that are younger that look like they have promise, as well."
No single player has more promise than Smith, who came to the Tide as a prep All-American and started every game last year as a true freshman. Smith bought into the offseason program and dropped his weight while improving his endurance and strength. As good as he was last year, Smith expects to be even better this fall.
KICKERS
While his two-year stats don't look all that impressive, with 29 successful field goals on 42 attempts, senior Jamie Christensen (6-0, 183) has spent those two seasons solidifying himself as a clutch kicker. Now he must stay healthy and improve his distance on kickoffs to help Alabama adjust to the new kickoff from the 30-yard line after recording only four touchbacks and sending three kickoffs out of bounds last season.
When Christensen was unable to kick field goals over the first four games last season because of a groin injury, sophomore Leigh Tiffin (5-10, 170) stepped in and kicked relatively well until the fourth game, when his struggles contributed to a 24-23 overtime loss to Arkansas. Still, he has game experience, which is more than most SEC schools can say of their backup kicker.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The decision to go with a three-man front isn't just a matter of numbers. It's also a decision motivated by inexperience.
Aside from the starting defensive ends, senior Wallace Gilberry (6-4, 264) and junior Bobby Greenwood (6-5, 260), the rest of the defensive linemen lack significant experience.
Even Greenwood brings only three starts into the season and spent his spring battling sophomore Brandon Deaderick (6-4, 271) for the starting spot opposite Gilberry. Deaderick helped his cause with his ability to play both end in a three-man front and tackle in a four-man front, giving him a valuable role somewhere in the defense.
Unfortunately for the Tide, no one really stepped up behind Gilberry, and the two most likely nose tackles entering the spring, sophomores Lorenzo Washington (6-4, 269) and Byron Walton (6-3, 306), were limited by injuries. Fortunately for the Tide, previously anonymous redshirt freshman Brian Motley (6-1, 284) moved over from the offensive line early in the spring and made an immediate impact in the middle.
"Bryan Motley has probably been the pleasant surprise of the spring," Saban said. "We hope he can continue to improve. He does a pretty good job on a consistent basis in practice."
Beyond those few names, the Tide will be looking for young linemen and incoming freshman to make an impact in the fall or depth will remain a concern.
LINEBACKERS
The biggest problem with going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 is finding enough linebackers to fill out an adequate two-deep. With talented sophomore Prince Hall (5-11, 255) the only returning starter and the only legitimate all-conference candidate, that left three big openings in the starting lineup and four other openings on the second team.
Alabama solved two of those problems by turning two "tweeners" into outside linebackers. Senior Keith Saunders (6-3, 248) started 10 games at defensive end last season but often lacked the size and strength to be an adequate down lineman. Senior Ezekial Knight (6-4, 230), in his first season after moving from wide receiver, faced a similar situation on the line.
In the 3-4, however, Saunders and Knight are much better fits as active outside linebackers, with Saunders at the new "jack" position and Knight on the strong side.
"A guy that has some size, maybe he's not truly linebacker-type athleticism, but has some of those characteristics," Saban said. "A guy that may be a good pass-rusher, but not be a true defen-sive lineman relative to his physical characteristics. So you can kind of co-mingle those things into a guy who is sometimes a linebacker and sometimes a defensive end, sometimes a linebacker who does a lot of rushing."
That still left one more spot at inside linebacker next to Hall. By the end of the spring, senior Darren Mustin (6-3, 237) had secured the starting spot inside while senior Matt Collins (6-1, 245), who started four games at middle linebacker last year, moved back and forth between inside linebacker and end in the spring and never seemed to find the right fit.
Seniors Demarcus Waldrop (5-11, 200) and Marcel Stamps (6-2, 199) bring some game experience but never found their place in the spring.
"We are still searching for guys who can play with any kind of consistency behind those [starters]," Saban said.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
The departures of safety Jeffrey Dukes and cornerback Ramzee Robinson would seem to leave the secondary with two major holes to fill, but the situation isn't as bad as it might seem on paper.
For starters, senior cornerback Simeon Castille (6-1, 189) emerged as one of the SEC's most dangerous and productive defensive backs after recording six interceptions and three fumble re-coveries in 2006.
Add junior Lionel Mitchell (6-2, 184), who played a significant role as a fifth defensive back last season and finished with four interceptions and a touchdown, and the Tide owns one of the SEC's best cornerback tandems.
Senior Eric Gray (6-2, 188) also brings extensive game experience, recording 30 or more snaps in seven games last season. When the Tide goes into its nickel package, Mitchell and Gray will often play outside so Castille can either cover the opponent's best receiver or play toward the middle in a zone defense.
"About 50 percent of what we do is some kind of nickel," Saban said.
At free safety the Tide will miss Duke's ability to cover one-on-one like a cornerback, but at least junior Rashad Johnson (6-0, 186) brings experience as well as the ability to stop the run and blitz the passer while sophomore Justin Woodall (6-1, 213) has the potential to be a standout player if he can stay healthy.
At strong safety, senior Marcus Carter (6-0, 200) is a solid run defender who played in all 13 games last season and started nine times. Now he has to become more of a playmaker after playing more than 500 snaps last season without a turnover or a pass breakup.
PUNTERS
Sophomore P.J. Fitzgerald (5-11, 188) averaged only 38.2 yards per punt last season, but 19 of his 57 punts were downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Fitzgerald's handiwork earned him SEC all-freshman honors.
He produced a 53-yard punt in the first quarter of the A-Day scrimmage but must now become more consistent. If not, he could find himself being pushed by freshman Adam Hill (5-10, 180) for the starting job.
SPECIAL TEAMS
While the kicking game produced a few big plays in the Shula era, it rarely provided the kind of consistency a team requires. That should change under Saban, particularly with assistant Ron Middleton coordinating the special teams after successful stints with the Tampa Bay Bucs and Ole Miss. One of his first tasks will be to get the Tide's linebackers and defensive backs to make a more serious commitment to the kicking game.
Middleton inherits a solid holder in Fitzgerald and sophomore Brian Selman (6-0, 200) held up in his first spring as the Tide's No. 1 snapper.
Now Alabama must do a better job of setting up returns for sophomore Javier Arenas (5-8, 176), who returned two punts for touchdowns in 2006 but will need more help from his teammates and make better decisions to improve on his average of 9.2 yards per punt return.
Senior Jonathan Lowe (5-6, 180), who sat out last season after transferring from Mississippi State, brings valuable punt and kickoff return experience. Terry Grant is another player with the speed to make an impact on kickoff returns.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Alabama fans will expect immediate results from Saban, despite a lack of depth and experience in many areas and concerns about the level of talent he inherited in other spots.
Grading the Crimson Tide
Unit Grade
Offense B
Special teams B
Defense B
Intangibles B
A schedule that takes the Tide to Florida State and Auburn and brings Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and LSU to Tuscaloosa won't make the job any easier, but Saban had a pretty good idea of what he was getting into when he left the NFL for the chance to coach college football once again.
"I enjoy making players do right," Saban said. "I enjoy making them do right in school, which is why they come to school, to graduate. That's going to affect them more than anything they do. We're legitimately concerned that when they leave here, they have an opportunity to be successful in a career.
"I like having a program that is helpful to developing players so that they have a better chance of being successful in life. Character, attitude, priorities they develop, discipline they develop, ability to make commitments to things, invest their time in something worthwhile, get some positive self-gratification and confidence, do it with a lot of pride -- those things will help them be successful in anything they do.
"I love to see them develop and improve as football players. I love that part of it. Coaching, teaching, getting after it."
Those qualities are part of the process Saban believes in. If the Tide does all those things, Saban is convinced it's just a matter of time before Alabama is once again playing for a championship.
How much time? Saban isn't into predictions. Just process.
"We're building a program here," Saban said. "We're trying to build every aspect. It's a work in progress."
