Alabama football fans want better offensive line play. Many Tide fans are convinced better play will require personnel changes. More than a few Alabama football fans lay most of the blame on a combination of Bill O’Brien and Doug Marrone.
On Wednesday, Nick Saban implied juggling the roster might be an option. After an ankle injury, Darrian Dalcourt is day-to-day for Saturday’s game against New Mexico State (NMSU). Chris Owens filled in for Dalcourt against LSU as he did last year after Landon Dickerson went down. When Owens moved to center, Damieon George Jr. took over the right tackle spot.
Owens and George don’t deserve all the blame for the offensive line unit failures against LSU. Other Tide O-linemen also struggled at times. Whether it is play-calling weaknesses or poor schemes, both O’Brien and Marrone are ultimately responsible for the problems against LSU.
Pointing fingers at assistant coaches may be fair game. Pointing fingers at one or two offensive line players is not. The position group, along with blocking tight ends, must work together. It is easy to criticize players when they are physically dominated or miss blocks, but blown assignments are more often to blame. One blown assignment from a blocker can destroy a well-conceived play call.
Nick Saban has mostly defended his players and coaches, but it is clear Saban is demanding improvement. Changing personnel may not be the answer, but the New Mexico State game is a perfect opportunity to test other options.
What about highly-touted Alabama Football signees?
Many Alabama football fans want one of the Tide’s former 5-Star or 4-Star, offensive line recruits to get a chance. Some Alabama football insiders believe freshmen, 5-Stars, JC Latham and Tommy Brockermeyer are either not physically ready or need more time to refine skills. At times during the spring, positive reports were made about Tommy Brown and Amari Kight. Brown has filled in some at guard. Pierce Quick has long been touted to have considerable potential at guard. For much of the offseason, Kendall Randolph looked to be the starting right tackle in the fall. Randolph settled back in at his blocking tight end role, at least in part because he is undersized for an SEC tackle. The end result is Crimson Tide coaches see the best right tackle option to be Owens or George.
This week’s buzz has been former 3-Star Seth McLaughlin might get a chance at center, if Dalcourt cannot go on Saturday. Even if Dalcourt plays, McLaughlin is expected to see extra snaps against NMSU. If the sophomore has worked himself into the two-deep, it means Chris Owens likely goes back to right tackle.
Crimson Tide fans are right to be frustrated. November is no time to be unsure about who are the five best Crimson Tide offensive linemen.