Ladies and gentlemen, we’re only 22 days from kickoff of the first college football game of the season. Even more important, only 24 days are holding us back from the clashing of historical titans, Alabama and Michigan.
To whet your appetite for Alabama football, I’m going to join forces with my BamaHammer.com buddy John Mitchell to bring you our breakdown of every position on the field this year, and give you an idea of who you will see starting for the Crimson Tide this year and what we think about the team at each position.
We have to start this series where the offense – and sometimes the entire team – starts, with the quarterbacks.
If the 2011 campaign did not make this abundantly clear, this is AJ McCarron’s team. The redshirt junior will enter the 2012 season after turning 2,634 passing yards and 16 touchdowns on the way to a 66.8 completion percentage, a 147.3 quarterback rating and a national championship as a first-year starter.
McCarron was also able to show that he can do it when it matters most. In the last two regular season games and the BCS National Championship game, McCarron had a quarterback rating of 174.6, 27 points higher than his season average and had a completion percentage of 73.2, five points higher than his season average.
The No. 1 quarterback spot on the depth chart may be the most set-in-stone in the conference, which is always a positive going into a new season, especially when that season starts off with a team as good as Michigan.
After that, Alabama has a problem. With Phillip Sims having transferred to Virginia in search of an immediate starting job, the Tide doesn’t have the solid No. 2 that every coach wants when the game changes with just one violent hit.
The likely No. 2 man on the depth chart is Phillip Ely, who averaged 202 passing yards per game and threw 26 touchdown passes. In high school. In 2010.
Herein lies the problem. The fallback plan for one of football’s most vulnerable positions is less sturdy than Nick Saban and the coaching staff would like. Behind Ely is true freshman Alec Morris, who the Tide will likely attempt to redshirt for the 2012 season to save a year of eligibility.
Depth Chart Projection
1. AJ McCarron: Starting position is under no threat.
2. Phillip Ely: Nearly the only viable candidate for this job, outside of scout team members.
3. Alec Morris: In a perfect world, will have a redshirt season in 2012.
Analysis
McCarron is rock-solid as the starter in this position, both in job security and expected on-field production. Very much like the last time Alabama defended a national championship in 2010, Alabama is returning an experienced quarterback that does not have to go through the process of winning the locker room in the preseason and have to prove himself early in the regular season.
McCarron also has an advantage coming into 2012 that was a disadvantage when Greg McElroy attempted to this same job in 2010. On the way to a national championship, McElroy earned the reputation of being one of the best game managers out there and being very careful with the ball. McCarron does not have that type of reputation. He can simply walk on the field and be the best quarterback he can be without having to make a concerted effort to do well in one certain area.
Behind McCarron, Alabama may have some concealed concern. Phillip Ely, the favorite for the backup position, has not taken a collegiate snap outside of the A-Day game spring scrimmage. Ely has proven he has the potential to be a big-time collegiate quarterback, but do not be surprised if Saban takes McCarron out of one-sided games a little earlier than he normally would to get Ely more experience. Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky and Western Carolina could see just as much of Ely as they do of McCarron.
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