14 Till 2014: Alabama’s Lucky 13

We’re now 13 days away until Alabama’s season opener against West Virginia. In the spirit of the “unlucky number 13,” we’re going to take a look at 13 ways to get this season going right for the Crimson Tide.

1. Alabama Stays Healthy

The key for every team is staying healthy. The injury bug has bitten the Tide as of late. If Alabama is going to make a push for another national championship, then some key players have to stay on the field. A’Shawn Robinson is a gamechanger on the defensive line, and we should see an All-American type performance from him this season. Eddie Jackson is having a remarkable comeback from his torn ACL, but even if he makes it back in time for the opener, his knee is still something to watch throughout the year. With the limited depth Alabama has at cornerback (despite some very talented freshmen) this could be the major flaw on Alabama’s roster this season.

2. Jacob Coker is a Success

I know that I talked about Coker yesterday, but if Alabama is going to make it to the playoffs then the starting quartrback can’t be a weakness. Alabama has typically been able to mask past weaknesses from their starting QBs, but this isn’t the 2011 Alabama defense and the projected starter hasn’t had that much time in the system. Blake Sims is a heck of a player, but it’s going to be Coker’s arm that leads Alabama to the post season.

3. Did I Mention Staying Healthy Yet?

Oh I did? Okay, well for emphasis, let’s all say a short prayer to the football gods about Amari Cooper. He may be the best wide receiver in college football when healthy, but his nagging injuries last year severely limited him. Alabama is known for their run game, but after Julio Jones and now Amari Cooper, the receiver position isn’t looking that bad either.

4. Let’s Talk About Ole Miss

The Ole Miss game is being pegged as the “trap game” for Alabama this season and rightfully so. Bo Wallace is the kinda guy to play the game of his life against the Tide (I’m still not convinced that was actually Stephen Garcia in 2010) and Laquon Treadwell and Evan Engram will give our questionable secondary some trouble.

5. Get the Ball to O.J. Howard

Okay maybe I swayed a little bit from the point here, because Lane Kiffin should have a separate playbook just for the second year tight end. With his size, speed and athleticism, he’s a match up nightmare for opposing defenses and is basically the college version of Jimmy Graham. Alabama may be in more shoot outs this season, so it’s probably a good idea to give the ball to this guy a few times.

6. Speaking of Lane Kiffin

Somehow the offensive coordinator at Alabama has become one of the more high-pressure jobs in the country. You wouldn’t think that, but when you have top recruits sitting at third string and All-American type players hardly getting the ball [cough look above cough] then you get a little stressed out when your offense has another three-and-out. Kiffin did a good job finding the talent at USC and he should have no problem here.

7. Stop Turning the Ball Over

We’re not going to talk about the Oklahoma game or probably even the Iron Bowl – because I mentally blocked them out – but if I did talk about them I would mention how frustrating it is to see fumble after fumble. After being spoiled by Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson not coughing it up very often, I now have a slight panic every time Kenyan Drake gets a hand off. If the Alabama RB trio can hold onto the ball this year and our starting QB helps more than hurts us, then the offense should be okay.

8. Tony Brown Steps Up

Outside of my man crush on Eddie Jackson I’m not too confident in the rest of our cornerbacks. Bradley Sylve definitely has the speed to match up with any receiver, and Cyrus Jones is getting many positive remarks in camp. But when it comes to game time, the Alabama defensive backs could be seriously exploited. Since Tony Brown has been with Alabama since the spring he’s had a bit of a head start even though he’s only a freshman. The talented track star could be the difference between a New Year’s Day bowl game and a playoff bid.

9. Alabama Doesn’t Hit the Snooze Button

Surely you guys know what I’m talking about. Alabama has been bad about taking the foot off the gas in the second half, and even though Alabama still escapes most of the time, we’ve also seen how it can go so terribly wrong. Alabama will have to play a full four-quarter game in every game this season, instead of leaning on the defense to finish games out.

10. Leadership

C.J. Mosley? Kevin Norwood? Anyone? Alabama is going to need a new identity and players are going to have to step up in the locker room. I’m looking at you Trey DePriest and Ryan Kelly.

11. Going Into Death Valley

Auburn may be Alabama’s biggest rival, and Ole Miss may be considered the trap game, but don’t let that fool you. Going into Death Valley, no matter how good or bad, LSU is will always be a challenge. The Alabama/LSU match up has often decided not just the division, but national championships over the past few years. This year could very well be the same. Even the 2012 team that embarrassed Notre Dame needed a historic screen pass to win the game last time in Baton Rouge.

12. Worries on the Offensive Line (that’s weird to say)

I’m sure Cam Robinson is a very talented player, but when you’re depending on a freshman at left tackle, there will be some worries. This isn’t the most talented cast Alabama has had, and the Oklahoma game is still fresh in my mind (oh wait I blocked it out), so it’ll be very interesting to see who steps up this season.

13. Revenge

Iron Bowl. I’ve already put over a 1,000 words into some fears for the upcoming season, and I hope you’re all still with me instead of crying in the shower and shouting Kiffin’s name. That may have gotten too graphic, but just to calm us all down, remember Alabama is still on a historic run and is truly a dynasty. When an 11 win season is a disappointment, you know history is continuing to be made. Nick Saban has only lost to a team in back-to-back seasons at Alabama once, and that was against LSU in 2010-2011. The Iron Bowl is in Tuscaloosa this season, and I’m sure Alabama will have revenge on their minds.