By Thursday night, there was an abundance of chatter about the Alabama Crimson Tide's first scrimmage. Kalen DeBoer gave his story about the scrimmage during the afternoon. Invited guests took to phones and message boards to throw in observations during the afternoon and evening. Not all perspectives from observers provide equal value.
As to the quarterback competition, Kalen DeBoer said Thursday's scrimmage did not get him any closer to a QB1 decision. The quarterbacks were somewhat inconsistent, but not unproductive. They were too often under pressure from an Alabama defensive front that got rave reviews. As expected, the Crimson Tide secondary also played well.
With unproven quarterbacks and a rebuilt offensive line, Alabama's defense should be ahead of the offense at this point. That is not a reason to panic. If the situation were reversed, the Crimson Tide would have a bigger problem. The situation may be somewhat troubling, but it is not unexpected.
Alabama defense expected to be improve, may be even be better than expected
Two defenders that stood out were, as expected, Devan Thompkins and Terrance Green. Unexpected but not shocking news was that Luke Metz was ahead of QB Reese as the Crimson Tide's second off-ball linebacker. Metz has been trending throughout fall camp.
The injury to AK Dear came after he scored a touchdown. Before the injury, he performed at an RB1 level. The extent of his injury is not yet known. Hopefully, he will recover quickly. Another 'unexpected' came from one of the Crimson Tide's least-heralded running backs, Trae'shawn Brown. As Brown has been doing since spring, on Thursday he staked a claim to becoming Alabama's best running back.
EJ Crowell and Lotzeir Brooks did not scrimmage. Neither is expected to miss any game action.
Two added observations about the Alabama offense apply to the in-competition left guard and right tackle slots and the to-be-determined QB1 decision. The O-line situation may change before the end of next Thursday's final scrimmage, but it appears the coaches are prepared to accept some growing pains with Mal Waldrep Jr. and Jayvin James. It is impossible to predict how long those growing pains might last. But with even a somewhat leaky offensive line, Keelon Russell's mobility and elusiveness give him an edge over Austin Mack. That difference was evident during the first scrimmage.
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