Random Thinking on an off week....

Gotta love the off week, the fans are more bored and in need of stimulation this week than the week before the season.

Midseason Awards/Grades

Most often this is the most argued post of the year because everyone wants to believe in miracles, but not everyone gets A's around here.

Quarterback- B-

If you had asked before the Ole Miss game, I probably say B+ or maybe A-, but the regression and mechanical issues that have McElroy struggling also bring his grade down. The good news is that his play has not put Bama in position to lose the game. Jackson's lone appearance was a nice glimpse in a live scrimmage setting and he did ok. He needs work in some areas, but for a mop up or emergency start, he's going to be fine at that this year. If Greg were injured and out for the year, I don't know how much of the playbook he could fill.

Running Backs- A+

This has been the true bright spot on the offense and given the attention to passing the ball the team came out with, it is kinda surprising. Upchurch made the key plays in the Va Tech game that got the offense going. Trent Richardson did against Arkansas, and Mark Ingram has made the plays in about every other game. The trio have really been the backbone of a green offense that needed that kind of foundation. Even Terry Grant got some carries earlier on to ice a few games, but has been MIA again since conference play started.

Wide Receivers- C

The best thing the unit does is block. Jones has picked his play up over the last few weeks, but the unit as a whole continues to underperform. Maze and Hanks, in particular, make a play or two but run such bad routes at times that it makes it hard for a QB to have faith in throwing to them. That falls on coaching by the way not the players at this point. McCoy had a few good games in Jones's absence, but has gone silent again (his yearly ritual really), and Alexander makes a catch and is never really heard from again. After that nobody really has played or been given a chance.

Offensive Line- C+

I really would give them a C or C- if they were more experienced, but I grade on the curve for this, and after letting Arkansas stone them in the running game before and after Richardson's self willed scamper, they probably deserve that. The unit as a whole has played well at times, and when the offense gears down and goes more run oriented, they look better than when they are trying to stretch the field and pass. They have not given up as many sacks as expected, but TE play and McElroy getting rid of the ball fast have a part in that. Carpenter has played about as expected. He is good when the defender is in front of him, but he lacks the mobility to do much with a speed rusher. Johnson has been good, but you can see the difference in having 2 NFL caliber guys next to him and these two. Vlachos as a blocker is good, probably the best on the team, but the snaps are just inconsistent and cause delays. Jones has been on the learning curve and is probably going to be a good pass blocker before it is over, but he needs work on form and getting under the pads more on run blocks. Davis is like Carpenter, if he can stay in front, he's fine, but he doesn't have the mobility to get around a rush end and head him off on a regular basis. I thought they did better as a whole against Va Tech than they did against UT and Ole Miss, fatigue may have been a factor, but it is noticeable the regression from start to now.

Tight Ends- B

This would have been an A except for two factors- drops and Smelley's slump. Dial has been a big surprise for me. I knew he could be a blocker, but I didn't see him as their H Back this year. He has stepped up and played well in Smelley's absence. Peek has been a good safety outlet for McElroy most of the year and has blocked well when asked. Williams is being used more now on Wildcat formations and was a solid block for the run game vs. UT in Peek's absence. Smelley has been a let down all year. I had high hopes for him to give the offense a real weapon in the passing game, but he's trying to catch with his stomach and chest too much. He seems to have lost confidence at times and the staff has kinda reserved him this year.

Offensive Staff/Overall Offense- B-

Playcalling and overall play are hip to hip right now and as the play calling goes, so does the offense. The desire to be sophisticated and cute at times has hurt the momentum and capacity that the offense has. The running game has kept the offense in the games most of the year and as the competition improves, they are being asked to do more and more. Cignetti is a coach that needs some monitoring because his position is really not improving. I know he's the recruiting guy, but they have to coach what they bring in and not hope for them to all be Julio. As history has shown at Alabama, great players can cover for mediocre coaching efforts.

Defensive Line- A

Dareus and Cody have headlined a group that has played as well as could be asked all year. Washington has played well all year minus one game, and Deaderick has improved as his injury healed. He now looks full speed. Murphy and Chapman have shared backup DT duties and both look to be good. Look for them to rotate based on situation. Dareus's progression has been impressive and he's starting to understand the role the coaches are asking him to have. Cody's presence before UT was a little muted on the stats and highlights, but his play has been better than last year really. He's lost the weight and is more mobile and sliding down the line to the play a lot better now. He still isn't a presence on passing downs, but with Dareus able to fill that gap, he doesn't have to be. The one question mark for me is Luther Davis still. For all the hype and his own talk, he sure has been quiet.

Linebackers- A+

Before the injury to Hightower, the unit played well. After the injury, I think they improved because they rallied together. Anders and Reamer have really grown in their roles and are really a big reason the team is undefeated. Rolando has been Rolando. He's a solid tackler, he does a good job of getting everyone in position, he communicates well with Reamer and Barron, and he's doing everything on every play to the T. Johnson has progressed, but still looks shaky on his role at times, but he really wasn't supposed to be there yet. Really, a redshirt would have been ideal, but they are going to ride him the rest of the way. Harris's suspension hasn't hurt the team, but with them moving him back to Sam this week indicates they are wanting to use him some, but he's still got a long way to go. Upshaw has played more as a result of Hightower's injury, and he's played ok. Upshaw lacks a lot of coaching before he got to Bama and has had to learn his role a little bit and it shows at times. Kentucky ran at him without hesitation because he commits inside every time. He needs the time on the field to get the film off the field to study and learn.

Secondary- A-

The unit as a whole has had some really good games, and they've had some where there have been gaps and mistakes, but nothing that just killed them. They had a good game, not great, vs. Tech, and a really good game vs. ARK and Ole Miss, but didn't look their best vs. UT or UK. Woodall has done well in splitting roles in the scheme of things and has done a better job of being in position without assistance (last year RJ told him where to be a lot). Barron has been a nice project to watch blossom. He is good in deep cover situations and he does well in short man coverage/zone situations. His tackling and ability to follow the ball is ahead of his RSFr level. He needs a little work on communication with the others, but that comes with time. Green is another pleasant surprise. If you read this blog much, you know he's a guy I'm high on. Green plays hard and stays in position a good deal of the time, but he like Barron needs to communicate better at times. Jackson has improved his game, but he needs to keep looking for the ball. He takes lapses where he face guards too much and that's when he ends up in trouble. When he does hunt the ball, he seems to find it much better. Arenas plays his best in the Star because he can do the two things he likes best, press and blitz. He's good in short yardage needs, but gets in trouble on longer plays because he doesn't hunt the ball. He's the best tackling corner I think I've seen in ages. Marquis Johnson started out with a clunker, but he has improved on a weekly basis and had his best game of his career vs. USCar. The light that has come on since Va Tech is that he's playing with confidence and he's looking for the ball more. In the past, he would bite on every fake, juke, or stutter step a WR threw at him.

Defensive Staff/Overall Defense- A

No real shocker here. From 1 to 11 on the starting rotation, there aren't many weak links, just fatigue from playing a lot of minutes. They are well conditioned and well coached for the most part.

Special Teams- C-

This isn't a surprise either. Minus Cody's miracle, there haven't been a lot of high points in this area. Sporadic play and continued failure to contain return units have made this a weekly source of concern with LSU and UF possessing 2 great return threats. Tiffin had some shaky moments, but has rebounded strong from an early slow start. PJ can flex, but he can't kick with any control. He has a big leg, at times, but shows it when they need just a placement kick. When the ball leaves his foot it reminds me of my tee shot, neither of us could tell you where the ball will go once it goes airborne. Arenas has been a solid player for the return team, and he's shown a lot more patience in the returns and not trying to force a play as much, as a result the drops and errors have been down a lot. The coverage and onside kick fiasco overwhelms the positives though when it gets down to it. The poor coverage has allowed teams to play on shorter fields all year, if they haven't housed it, and the onside kick was just bad all the way around. I don't care about the debate on who can touch who when, an onside kick is the closest thing to a Rugby scrum I can imagine, and most anything goes once the ball makes it 10 yards.

MVP

Offense- Mark Ingram. Any reason not to make it him? I can't see one.

Defense- Rolando McClain. Really, any reason to nominate anyone else?

Most Improved

Offense- Preston Dial. His contribution hasn't gone unnoticed.

Defense- Cory Reamer & Eryk Anders. They are no longer just situational players and they are playing really good football right now.

Best Plays of the Year

The Block pt 1 and 2- However much kidding yourself about how the kick would have gone left or whatever, be thankful Cody makes it just Internet fodder and not a world we live in.

Richardson vs. The Arkansas 6- The blocking wasn't great, the tackling was worse, and Richardson trucked a 54 yard TD.

The A-Maze-ing leap- The full on dive catch by Maze changed the course of the season early on.

Ingram's cut back vs. KY- If you wanted proof that he's grown as a player, see that play.

Barron's pick 6 vs. USCar- He single handedly won the game. Good thing because the Offense wasn't going to.