Alabama Crimson Tide in 2009

August 6th, 2009 by Chris Pendley

The 2008 Season in a Box: Ever get something from Brooks Brothers? I haven’t, but I imagine it comes in a pretty staid and standard box, and whatever you get in it is going to not only look solid at worst, it also cost the person who bought it an arm and a leg, because that place isn’t cheap. Still, given the option between Brooks Brothers and …well, nearly anywhere else, you’d probably choose Brooks Brothers if you cared about anything related to appearance at work. And we know that matters.

Of course, nobody told you that the stuff in there was off-brand and the shirts will rip after you wear them 10 times, but that happens sometimes. I mean, it’s not cheap.

On Offense: Saban hasn’t run a particularly showy offense since he got to Alabama; with the departure of John Parker Wilson to …well, the NFL might be a bit generous, but he’s gone at least. Since Greg McElroy looks like a poor man’s JPW at this point (his haircut isn’t nearly as nice), it’d make sense to expect the same kind of thing. Star Jackson slots in as the backup QB; he was a 2008 recruit but redshirted last season. He’s a dual-threat type QB (meaning at this stage of development, he can run and pass at about a 53% clip), so while he’ll be a useful player – and likely a standout player – a year or two down the road, at this point he’s pretty much strictly a change-of-pace player. McElroy, on the other hand, is strictly a game manager. He’ll be relied on to keep defenses honest and not just throw jump balls to Julio Jones. Neither is worth looking at for this season in all but the deepest leagues.

Speaking of Jones, he absolutely qualifies as one of the few transcendent talents in the SEC, and he’s absolutely the only one who qualifies on this offense. As a true freshman, he was 2^nd team in the SEC, which is a rare enough feat in most cases, but Jones was also the only passing threat on the team. 2^nd WR Mike McCoy didn’t even get to 200 yards on the season, which is an impressive enough feat in its own right. Other than Jones, TE Nick Walker was the only guy that topped 200 yards on the season, and he graduated; TE duties will fall to Colin Peek. While there’s talent of the non-Julio Jones variety at WR, Jones is the only true passing threat and relevant fantasy interest on this team and that’ll likely continue this season.

Mark Ingram, who played all 14 games last season averaging 5.1 ypc (thanks Icon SMI)

Now, because the Tide are going to have to score at some point this season, that means it’ll fall to the running game. Even though Glen Coffee has departed, Mark Ingram had a fantastic season as a redshirt freshman last year, running for 725 yards at a 5.1 ypc clip. He’ll likely slot in as the primary RB. Of the other returning rushers, Roy Upchurch and Terry Grant are the guys everyone’s heard of; Grant is the faster of the two backs, but he struggled with the system last season to the tune of only 2.5 ypc. Still, all three are legitimate backs and they’ll add true freshman Trent Richardson to the rotation. Richardson is the prize of the lot in most leagues – he’s a dynasty dream. In the meantime, Ingram’s worth a look in most leagues of decent size, but he’s far from a guarantee.

On Defense and Special Teams: Last year’s defense returns nearly intact. Even departed DE Bobby Greenwood will get replaced by Lorenzo Washington, who got displaced by Terrence Cody at NT – possibly literally (yes, there’s your requisite fat joke.) With Cody on the line, it’ll be an above-average line at worst; in all likelihood, they’ll be one of the better lines in the SEC. Rolando McClain returns at MLB after a campaign where he finished as a 3^rd-team All-American; this year only Brandon Spikes has a mildly clear edge over McClain for the title of “Best LB in the SEC”. Javier Arenas is unquestionably the best DB of the bunch. This’ll look similar to the unit that Alabama fielded last year; they’ll need to step up the turnovers and sacks to be truly useful from a fantasy perspective, but for now they profile as a pretty average unit with upside.

K Leigh Tiffin returns for his senior season; he’s been a quality enough option but from a fantasy standpoint, Alabama’s offense doesn’t translate well. That in turn makes Tiffin a decent but not great option.

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