Tide Tidbits – August 22, 2009

Tide has options galore in backfield
Even now, tailback Mark Ingram’s debut season at Alabama shouts about the promise of his future. But so does this season’s preseason award lists, last week’s scrimmage statistics, Ingram’s number of reps with the first team and all those recurring practice drill lines, where he typically goes first. Even Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban has hinted at it a few times. One of the only people unwilling to concede that Ingram will be “the guy” among Alabama’s running backs in 2009 is Ingram himself — at least not yet. “Coach Saban has always been known for playing two or three backs,” Ingram said. “I’m not too sure what the rotation is going to be like.”

Alabama players battle for starting jobs
Today may be the last good chance for Alabama’s players to earn a starting position for the Sept. 5 opener with Virginia Tech. The fifth-ranked Crimson Tide will hold its final preseason scrimmage today at Bryant-Denny Stadium before turning its focus to the Hokies and the 2009 season. Head coach Nick Saban said the Tide will working on polishing up a few things in its final five preseason scrimmages and concentrate on the oddities of each opponent, leaving today as the final “preseason” workout to resolve starting positions at right guard, defensive end, outside linebacker and free safety. “We’ll have a little bit more move-the-field stuff, but we don’t scrimmage a lot different, ever,” Saban said. “The staff organization and communication will probably be a little bit more game specific in this particular scrimmage, just so that we’re all used to what our assignments and roles are.

Alabama’s defense trying to strengthen pass rush
Most opposing offenses struggled to run through Alabama’s wall of All-Americans last season. Now, the Crimson Tide longs to give quarterbacks similar treatment. “Probably the one thing we needed was a good pass rush coach on our team,” coach Nick Saban said. With that in mind, Saban made two attention-getting hires — James Willis from Auburn and Sal Sunseri, a former Carolina Panthers defensive line coach who tutored Julius Peppers and Kris Jenkins. “Coach Sal (has) brought a lot of new ideas, a lot of new energy,” defensive coordinator Kirby Smart said. “It’s a big emphasis for the guys up front that we’ve got to do a better job of getting to the quarterback.

Fall Practice Shows Results of Summer Work for Alabama’s Crimson Tide
I’ll be the first to admit that when Nick Saban came to Alabama I thought he would work some magic spell and turn the team from soft to rock hard over night. What did happen; however, was Nick Saban made them better football players. What he was preaching when he arrived was running, running, running. He said players in some cases were too heavy. He wanted his team in shape to play four quarters and then some. The results began to show in year one as the team managed a thrilling 4th quarter win over Arkansas, something unseen in the Shula Era. I’m no personal trainer but its obvious Nick Saban and his strength and conditioning staff know what they are doing and finally in the third year of the Saban era we will see the old fashioned kind of Alabama team.

Roll Tide!

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