The Good...
Getting to the backups earlier.
Any time you can get your starters out, healthy, and play the reserves early and often, that is a good day. FAU wasn't going to stress anyone, but they were a better game for the backups to grow on than they were the starters to fine tune things. Bama won't find a worse D Line this year, nor will they find a team with as slow a team speed as they saw this week, so what do the starters get from that? Not much just more reps. It also was good for the newer faces to see themselves get scored upon. They perhaps were getting a little cocky and thought that they could coast. They learned that every team wants to score. Good lesson that will carry in film and practice.
The more Drake plays the more I like
I preface this by saying that I would like to see him in early to see how he does against fresh defenses. With that said, what he does when given the chance is pretty good. He is a little more physical than Yeldon, but he has a better burst than Hart does. He probably is about 2 weeks from being the 3rd back. It isn't that Hart is playing bad, he's just playing better.
Hart for return man
I'm RLB002 and I endorse this message. Jones is ok. However, he's starting that familiar bad habit of trying to catch in traffic without fair catching. Remember, before he got hurt, Hart was getting a long look as a return man. His size and moves fit that kind of role well. It is more or less will he forget his knee and play the game he can.
The Bad...
Redzone zip
Like many, I grumbled a bit about how the redzone play calling is getting a little bland and a lot like the last few years where they roll it up if they don't get in on second down. That really falls on one person, Saban. The problem he's going to have is that you cannot undo what you have done for weeks. His reluctance to attack once in there has been a familiar theme. It isn't an issue if you keep the other side from scoring like they have been, but we all said that wasn't a problem last year until LSU came to town. It only takes one game to screw things up, and Bama won't get that lucky second chance this year if they stumble to someone. If they do stumble, it will be a redzone issue that costs them.
The Ugly...
none
Random Thoughts....
Four Weeks in and it is clear....
The BCS is going to have a down year. When you look at the field, and you scan the top 15 preseason teams who are usually in the real hunt for the title, what folks thought was there isn't. When you look at them, this is what you see:
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1
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USC (25) Nope. Kiffin undercoaches this time.
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2
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Alabama (17) Haven't been tested yet, but they look the part.
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3
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LSU (16) Got a little test from Auburn, but offensively they are vulnerable again.
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4
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Oklahoma (1) Not just no, but hell no. Stoops is running out of faithful voters.
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5
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Oregon Maybe but they didn't really blowout Arizona if you watched it.
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6
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Georgia Any team that needs phony motivation to win runs out eventually....
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7
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Florida State Got a test and passed, but it wasn't with an A. They have not improved on D.
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8
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Michigan (1) I bet that 1 guy wishes he could blame it on drugs right now.
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9
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South Carolina Schedule is too tough and their OL is too weak.
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10
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Arkansas John L Smith could tear up a steel ball
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11
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West Virginia I will be honest, I have liked what I have seen of them. Lots of vets and a mission to win now.
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12
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Wisconsin Losing their OC has unraveled the mystery of the Wis
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13
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Michigan State Survey says X
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14
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Clemson Same ol Clempsun....lots of talk, lots of hype, and lots of points given up in the 2nd half.
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15
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Texas Blistered Ole Miss but who hasn't? Nothing to say they are really that strong yet.
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This is who the nation by in large thought was the best of the best before the year. Does that mean voters are that wrong? No. It just means that there are that many teams that underperformed thus far. It is a down year because nobody outside of Alabama has separated itself from the pack or even presented itself as a legitimate contender. To be honest, LSU has the defense to go far. Their problem is October- FLA, USCar, aTm, and then in November Bama. Oregon has a rough November with USCal, Stanford, and Oregon St. UGA book ends October with USCar and Florida. If they find a way through that, they get Bama or LSU and they have yet to show they have the defense for Bama's power game or the offense to handle either team's defense. So the pack is ripe for an underdog this time, but it isn't like there is a greatest of all time lurking.
All this time later, some fans still Aubsess
I get why fans who live in Alabama have a case of Aubsession. They hear it 365. However, you really shouldn't care. Yes they won a title in the last 3 years. Yes, they won once in 3 years against Bama. Yes, they still play football....well they wear the uniforms at least. However, the amount of time chortling about their "demise" is silly. To me, it is more worthwhile to watch them, and smile but spend my time thinking what Bama is doing. Some still talk about Cam.... that dog won't hunt nor will he get off the porch. SI has yet to deliver that story that all have waited on. The whole Aubsession ranks up there with Linus waiting for The Great Pumpkin. The mere fact that some sites have to dedicate a thread to their message boards for Auburn discussion on ALABAMA sites says the base does not have the eye on the prize.
Is Dee Hart really a better running back than Kenyan Drake?
Depth Charts are a tricky thing, especially when Saban is holding the pen. Hart has practiced and been in the program longer. He has rehabbed and is back in the flow as a 3rd string. Does that make him better? No. Means he knows the plays better. He also is probably a slightly better pass blocker than Drake is. Keep in mind, you haven't seen him have to do that enough yet to know. Hart has done a little more work in that area. It isn't about stopping the rush, as much as it is slowing it and diverting it. With that said, in about 2 weeks, Drake probably gets ahead of Hart because he's playing better and needs more snaps. Hart is better suited in a different offense really, but he can be a return specialist. I don't know what we would say had Hart not gotten hurt last year or how he would have done. I do know that I would have liked that conversation and situation better.
Is TJ Yeldon really a better running back than Kenyan Drake?
This is a trickier question on the grounds that they aren't the same type of runners. Yeldon is probably the more complete player. Drake is a more dynamic player. His spark is different than Yeldon's because he changes the tone of the game with his style of play. That's why you notice him so much. Why is Yeldon catching your eye against Michigan but kinda drifting since? Eddie Lacy has taken his carries. Give Yeldon 20 carries, you are calling him the next chosen one. Give him 8, not so much.
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