Alabama took the practice field again earlier today as it continues its final preseason practices before it turns all eyes to Dallas, and more importantly, Michigan. With no media access to either Coach Saban or the players, here are the headlines from what was seen in practice.
At the running back position, Eddie Lacy is still running as the No. 1 running back, and looking like he is nearing 100 percent with his leg injuries. It’s safe to say he’ll be starting in Dallas. He was followed by Jalston Fowler, with Dee Hart and T.J. Yeldon running in the third- and fourth-team spots, respectively.
Fowler did not work with the H-Backs today as he has done in the past, but that does not mean he won’t in other practices, or that he isn’t when the media is not there. This particular experiment is still up in the air.
Alabama has been working on a way to balance the talents of Michael Williams, Harrison Jones and Brian Vogler for some time now, and today’s practicing order seemed to present a good solution. Williams was running first, with Vogler in second and Jones in third.
Vogler’s flexibility is what makes this move logical. Since he can play both positions well, he can start alongside Williams in the H-Back spot, then move to tight end when Williams needs a break and let Jones take over for him in the H-Back spot. Unfortunately, this situation is much like the Fowler saga and will have to be monitored moving closer to the Michigan game.
Brent Calloway was running just ahead of the scout team today, as he has for quite some time now. Reports have him being accepting of a special teams role for the time being as he works his way around to find what position he needs to play.
One thing that stuck out was the amount of attention Blake Sims was receiving in the quarterback drills. This is most likely because the staff wants to have him ready in case he is needed to take pressure off of Phillip Ely in the case of an injury to AJ McCarron. His playaction pass move went under the microscope of quarterback coach Doug Nussmeier today, both keeping the ball out to sell the fake and his footwork in the move. He’s still a work in progress, but looked to be learning quickly.
For example, the first time he tried this maneuver, the ball was visible for a very short time before he chopped his feet more like a runningback or linebacker in the hole. Nussmeier dragged him aside for roughly 30 seconds, after which Sims looked much more like a natural quarterback in doing the same play again.
Finally, a defensive end position battle raged on today. Quinton Dial ran on the first team with Jesse Williams and Damion Square today, and Ed Stinson was behind him running with the second team. Much like the quarterback situation last season, this battle could move into the regular season if needed.
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