Coach Saban called it a "mid-term." For him and the Alabama staff, it is an opportunity to see where the team is at this point in time, to identify the things that need correction, and to implement a plan of improvement. For your humble blogger, it is a time to knock off the cobwebs and see if The Commissioners Blog still has an audience.
Statistics for the final spring scrimmage are of limited value, and letter grades are meaningless. Still in all, the A-Day game does lend itself to evaluation on a pass-fail basis.
This time last year, the Tide offense could barely get out of the huddle, and the kicking game was a disaster. The progress made after A-Day is part of the reason I think that the 2014 season may well have been Saban's best coaching job.
Unlike the challenge it faced in 2014, Alabama is not trying to replace seven valuable contributors leaving for the NFL with a year of eligibility remaining. Twelve months ago, the quarterback competition was between an uncertain converted running back and a player who wasn't even enrolled in school. Fast forward to this spring, the roster is deeper with experienced players and the eventual quarterback will be someone who has been Processed.
So, what does the A-Day game tell us about the state of the 2015 Crimson Tide? Here is how I grade the A-Day Game:
Offense: Pass At least that was the chapter in the playbook Lane Kiffen was stuck on. Jake made some fine throws, mostly to Ardarius Stewart and Robert Foster. He also threw a really bad interception; but so did Cooper Bateman, Blake Barnett, David Cornwell and Hootie Jones.......yes, Hootie Jones....don't look at me like that, it's what the official stat sheet says.
Jake completed 14 of 28 attempts for 183 yards, a TD and a pick. David Cornwell completed 12 of 24 for 110 yards a TD and 2 interceptions. Stewart and Foster combined for 243 yards and 2 TD's on 14 receptions.
When Alabama ran the ball, Derrick Henry delivered. He is a tough and determined ball carrier. Kenyan Drake wore a black (no contact) jersey, and Kiffin took advantage of that status to pick up some yards that might have been tougher to come by in a game of tackle rather than touch. This produced two funny moments. The first was Marc Torrence's tweet that his MVP vote was going to Drake's black jersey.....the second was Saban's reaction when Kiffin called for Drake to run the ball into the end zone on first and goal from the 2. Saban took the points off the board, had the refs spot the ball at the 3 and made the White team get points the hard way.
Overall, it looked to me as if Coker separated himself from the rest of the QB pack, even with an uneven performance. At the same time, however, I think that most of the problems encountered by the offensive teams was the result of playing against a really good .......
Defense: Pass The offense ran its plays at a rather uptempo pace.....it had to.... the Alabama defensive line spent so much time in the offensive backfield the players ought to file change of address forms with the post office. The secondary played its best since the 2014 LSU game.
Marlon Humphrey and Tony Brown saw significant playing time and Reuben Foster was a devastating force at linebacker. And what's even better, Foster's technique was much improved; he did not lead with his head.
Marlon was the Red team's leading tackler with 8 stops. Bradley Silvey led all White team defenders with 7 tackles.
Tide defenders accounted for 19 tackles for lost yardage, 6 interceptions, 7 pass breakups and 7 QB hurries.
Special Teams: Pass JK Scott picked up where he left off at the end of the 2014 season. He punted 5 times for an average of 53.8 yards. Adrian Lamothe punted 6 times for an average of 43.8 yards.
Adam Griffith also picked up where he left off. He attempted 4 field goals and was successful from 49 and 28 yards. He missed from 53 when his plant foot slipped. He also missed from 37. Griff was limited for a good portion of 2014 by a stress fracture, which has now resolved. That's good news for him.....and the team.
Coaching: Pass Saban's priority list for this team starts with returning to a more competitive identity. In his words, playing "relentlessly;" being a team that others do not want to play. Alabama has not consistently demonstrated that relentless attitude the last two seasons. There are reasons why this is so, early departures to the NFL chief among them. The number of players opting to play on Sunday this year rather than return for their senior season declined by more than half the 2014 total. This is a good thing.
From the looks of A-Day 2015, Alabama's defense is formidable and, in the secondary, much improved. The running game is in good hands, but there is a serious depth issue that places a high premium on good injury luck. The Tide has two capable big-play receivers and the tight ends are solid. The first team offensive line is good but not great, and the drop off in the rotation is noticeable. The Tide is deep, albeit unproven, at quarterback. Saban and Kiffin ought not wait too much longer to settle on a starter and a primary backup.
Alabama will be favored by pundits to win the West this season. But living up to those predictions will not be easy. Every other team in the Western Division appears to be improved over 2014......but that has become a perennial problem.
Get ready, y'all. The most important game of the year....so far....is only four and a half months off.
Roll Tide......Beat the Badgers!
The Commissioner
