Alabama Crimson Tide

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Depending on which way you look at it, Alabama's scrimmage on Saturday was either good or bad for the future of the football team. Good because the offense scored 11 touchdowns and didn't cough the ball up once, and bad because the defense failed to make many stops and didn't generate a single turnover.

Ah, the joy of spring football. When you play against yourself no one really wins. The players simply get to hit one another, and that's a pleasant enough experience.

"Defensively, I guess it’s good and bad news," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "We didn’t create any turnovers but the good news is we didn’t turn it over on offense, so that’s probably a good thing. But we practiced a lot of different situations out there, which is great exposure for our players."

Saturday marked the 12th practice and second scrimmage of the spring for the Crimson Tide. The next scrimmage will be the last when the doors to Bryant-Denny Stadium are swung open on April 20 for A-Day.

And even then, the result of the game-like practice will be the same: either the offense will look spectacular and the defense horrendous, or vice versa.

(Read full post)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- AJ McCarron is enjoying himself these days. With so many quarterbacks in camp this spring, he has been able to take a step back and relax. After 40 career games and three national championships, it's a nice change of pace. He's a full-fledged veteran now, and that comes with some perks.

"It helps getting a break," said Alabama's rising senior at quarterback. "It's fun to sit back and watch the younger guys compete, watch them grow. It's going to be a fun spring."

Judging from McCarron's first scrimmage -- he reportedly completed 15 of 28 passes for 291 yards, four touchdowns and one interception Saturday -- his comfort level couldn't be any higher.

But beyond him, the competition at quarterback has been tight. Only five practices remain before A-Day, and the question of who will back up McCarron in 2013 remains unanswered.

Blake Sims won the day at Alabama's first scrimmage this past weekend, coming in second to McCarron in passing yards. Sims, a rising junior, was 13-of-19 for 129 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But it's still far too early to call off the competition for the No. 2 spot at quarterback. Since UA doesn't provide full scrimmage statistics, it's impossible to know how the rest of the crop of young quarterbacks performed. Presumably Phillip Ely, Alec Morris, Cooper Bateman, Parker McLeod and Luke Del Rio took snaps under center. The fact that Sims finished second in passing Saturday simply might have been an indication of the game plan from coaches and not the performance on the field.

"What we’ve tried to do is get everybody an equal opportunity," Saban said after the scrimmage. "But we’ve kind of got to pick who is going to get the reps, trying to pick the four guys who are going to get the reps that particular day -- especially with the ones and the twos.

(Read full post)

Editor's note: From now until the start of spring camp on March 16, TideNation will count down the 12 most intriguing players to watch on the Alabama football roster. Today we look at quarterback Alec Morris.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- When spring practice begins next Saturday and six scholarship quarterbacks trot out to the center of the football field, the competition will officially begin. Only starting quarterback AJ McCarron knows where he'll be Week 1 of the season against Virginia Tech. The rest of the depth chart is a mystery.

Phillip Ely and Blake Sims backed up McCarron during the 2012-13 season, but whatever returns they delivered were mixed at best. Head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier seemed reluctant to turn to the pair. When Alabama led Notre Dame by four touchdowns in the national championship game and the outcome was a virtual lock, McCarron stayed under center rather than yield to his backups and avoid injury.

Ely, a traditional drop-back passer in his second season at Alabama, attempted just four passes in three games. Sims, a threat almost primarily as a runner in the read-option game, threw only 10 times. Experienced, the two are not. And there were many opportunities for them to come on late in games. Alabama averaged a 23.3-point lead after halftime in its 13 victories. The average score by the fourth quarter was Alabama 30, Opponent 7.

On signing day, Saban made it clear the battle to become Alabama's next quarterback after McCarron leaves is already underway. Seniority is no matter, he said. The best indication of who it might be will come this season, when a backup is named.

(Read full post)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- AJ McCarron has turned into a bit of an elusive figure on the University of Alabama campus. He's everywhere to be seen and nowhere to be reached.

"I've seen him around," said early enrollee Parker McLeod, one of three freshman quarterbacks Alabama welcomed in January. "I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to him. He's been busy."

Winning back-to-back national championships and developing into one of college football's best quarterbacks will do that. Publicly dating a supermodel pushes McCarron well into the threshold of celebrity, past the occasional television spot into the realm of obscure media reports on his parking habits.

Cooper Bateman, the former No. 3-ranked passer in the 2013 class, said he hasn't had the opportunity to talk with McCarron much since arriving on campus. When he did, he got a taste of what it was like to be the quarterback at Alabama.

"AJ's on a whole other level," Bateman explained. "He's a celebrity around here.

"But I had the chance during the [championship celebration] parade, we were walking down University and everyone, I mean everyone, is yelling his name over everything. I just asked him if he ever gets used to it. And he said, 'If you have the opportunity you're going to love it. It's the best four or five years of his life.' "

Alabama head coach Nick Saban told Bateman what it would be like to be the quarterback of the Crimson Tide -- on the field.

"When Saban recruited me from the very start, he said we're looking for someone to come in here, learn the offense, know it inside and out so you can manage the game out there on the field," Bateman said. "When you get out there, you don't even need coaches, because you're so well prepared and knowing what you need to do out there."

Bateman, McLeod and preferred walk-on Luke Del Rio might have to wait a few more weeks to get an audience with McCarron, but the time is coming. Spring practice is right around the corner.

McLeod, a former three-star prospect from Georgia, said he's anxious to begin learning under the All-American and All-SEC quarterback.

"He's an outstanding quarterback, one of the best in the country," McLeod said of McCarron. "So I'm really looking forward to spring practice to pick his mind a little bit."

(Read full post)

 

Backup quarterback Blake Sims talks about Alabama's identity on offense which has the Tide looking for another national title.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- It should come as no surprise AJ McCarron has opted to return to the University of Alabama for his senior season. While the junior quarterback is among the best -- and maybe more appropriately the most efficient -- signal-callers in the country, his play down the stretch has done little to help his NFL draft stock.

As coach Nick Saban is oft to suggest to his players, you don't leave school early unless you are poised to go in the first round of the draft. It would have come as a shock if McCarron were to come off the board that early, leapfrogging the likes of West Virginia's Geno Smith, Southern Cal's Matt Barkley, Florida State's E.J. Manuel, Arkansas' Tyler Wilson and possibly Georgia's Aaron Murray.

"To me, he certainly doesn't look like a first-round pick," ESPN college football and draft analyst Kevin Weidl explained. Weidl said he'd start with the third round for McCarron at this point: "He needs to get stronger, sturdier in the pocket and improve some accuracy issues I saw at times."

McCarron was a non-factor in the last three games he played against ranked teams this season. Weidl said he looked at the film and saw his decision-making "tail off at the end." McCarron threw for a then-season-low 165 yards at LSU on Nov. 3. The next week, he struggled against Texas A&M, breaking his streak of 290-plus pass attempts without an interception by throwing two key picks in a loss to the Aggies. McCarron rebounded nicely against a pair of sub-.500 teams in Western Carolina and Auburn, only to hit the skids again against Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, attempting just 21 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown.

"He showed very good maturity in looking at all of the factors and making an informed decision on his future," Saban said in a released statement. "He has a chance to add to what he has already accomplished here while also better preparing himself for the next level. We’re excited to have him back for his senior season."

By returning for another season, McCarron has the chance to solidify his position as one of the best quarterback prospects in the country. His 173.08 passer rating was tops in college football this season. The only thing remaining for him to prove is consistency and measurables he might face at the NFL combine.

(Read full post)

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- No. 4 Alabama got the relief it needed on Saturday, trouncing Western Carolina 49-0. After back-to-back weeks of bruises and beatings, the Crimson Tide were all smiles at home.

Quarterback AJ McCarron played pitch-and-catch for a quarter and a half before heading to the sidelines. His one touchdown pass was enough to set a school record for the most passing touchdowns in a single season (21). He was a perfect 6-for-6 passing for 133 yards.

Alabama tallied 460 yards on offense, 300 coming on the ground. Starting tailback Eddie Lacy led the team with 99 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries.

The UA defense, coming off allowing a season-high 29 points to Texas A&M a week ago, surrendered only 163 yards of offense.

Game ball goes to: McCarron set a school record on Saturday, but the game ball goes to his backup Blake Sims. The former wide receiver/running back came on midway through the second quarter and ran the offense well. He carried the ball eight times for 70 yards, in addition to completing two passes.

Stat of the game: McCarron only had to throw the ball six times, but his 29-yard touchdown pass to Christion Jones in the second quarter set an Alabama single-season record for touchdown passes in a season with 21. The junior finished a perfect 6-for-6 with 133 yards and the lone score. He has a chance to add to the mark next week against Auburn.

Unsung hero: With the amount of depth Alabama has, it’s not every day the Tide have a player who shows up on the stat sheet for both offense and defense, but Brent Calloway did just that on Saturday. The redshirt freshman rushed seven times for 52 yards, and he also recorded three tackles on special teams.

What it means for Alabama: The romp over Western Carolina was the cupcake the Crimson Tide needed. After back-t0-back games against Texas A&M and LSU, Alabama needed a weekend to get its house back in order. Starters got rest, backups got experience and plenty of points were scored.

What it means for Western Carolina: Coach Mark Speir already got what he wanted out of the matchup against Alabama -- new video editing equipment. It was the Catamounts' only money game of the season and Speir knew just what he wanted to do with the paycheck. The $475,000 payoff was a drop in the bucket for Alabama, but a needed boost for a Western Carolina football program in need of revenue.