Judgement day approaches as first game nears

All the evasive depth chart talk is quickly coming to an end for Nick Saban. With just a week before opening the season against San Jose State, all of the experimenting and tweaking is about to end. And Saban isn’t downplaying how important the decisions are. “I think this is kind of judgment day for us,” he said Thursday. “We have to at least make some kind of determinations now, and we haven’t done that yet, as to who we want to coach, what we want to do. Are we going to play guys? Are we not going to play them? Are they going to get ready to play? Because you can’t get enough reps in practice to get everybody ready to play. “It’s a little bit D-Day — judgment day.” That means a lot for a few players who’ve been shuffled in and out of different jobs this August. “The thing that has been most difficult through this camp is when you have a new group and you have a lot of guys that haven’t played, and really that gets some continuity in practice about guys playing together,” Saban said. “We have continually had two or three guys out and haven’t been able to do that. Saying all that, I’m really pleased with the progress that we’ve made.” [More]

Jordan little bit ahead of the rest

While the UA coaching staff hasn’t yet made clear what its depth chart will look like at the linebacker position, head coach Nick Saban made it clear Thursday that Jordan is part of the plan. “I think we have three linebackers right now that are a little bit ahead of the rest,” Saban said. “He would be one of those three guys. He’s definitely going to have a role on the team.” Nobody is happier about it than Jordan, who didn’t even begin his UA career on the defensive side of the ball. A high school running back who spent his freshman year under running backs coach Burton Burns, Jordan was moved to linebacker and served as Rolando McClain’s backup last season at the middle linebacker position. “My freshman year I got moved late in the season, so I was trying to learn the defense plus the game plan against other teams, so I felt left behind,” Jordan said. “But when I caught up and learned the defense I felt more like a linebacker then. My movements came from being a running back to being a linebacker.” [More]

Mark Barron could be anywhere and everywhere

He might be playing center field, eager to pounce on a ball that floats over the middle. He might be locked up man-to-man on a slot receiver, initiating contact on the line of scrimmage. He might line up on the edge, ready to blitz, or bluff and able to retreat quickly and pick up the hot read. In short, Mark Barron could be anywhere — and everywhere — in Alabama’s defensive scheme this fall. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound junior from Mobile led the SEC with seven interceptions last season at strong safety. He is coach Nick Saban’s most versatile, most physical and most experienced member of the secondary, not to mention that young unit’s leader. “He could play anywhere in the secondary,” Saban said. “He’s played Star, he’s played Money, he’s played both safeties. … He’s the one guy that when we’ve tried to get the best guys on the field in the secondary, he can play multiple spots. “He’s played a lot of different roles and he’s been here a long time. he has a great understanding of the concept.” [More]

Factors point toward Jones having a big season

I’m also looking forward to seeing what Alabama’s Julio Jones does this fall. The hunch here is the junior wide receiver has a bounce-back season. Not that his 2009 campaign was awful. He closed with 43 receptions for 596 yards — solid numbers, but significantly short of his freshman totals of 58 for 924. If you’re wondering, he caught four touchdown passes both years. Several factors point toward Jones bettering his sophomore numbers. Quarterback Greg McElroy is no longer a rookie starter. The senior quarterback should be better after experiencing the grind of an SEC season for the first time last year, and Jones should benefit from McElroy’s improvement. Also, Jones was slowed by a bruised knee early last year, but if the results of last Sunday’s scrimmage are any indication — he caught four passes for 54 yards — he appears to be healthy as the 2010 season approaches. Lastly, Jones will be eligible to enter the NFL draft after this season, a fact that should provide a little extra motivation as he tries to help Alabama claim a second straight national title. [More]

Roll Tide!

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