2010 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Team: An In-Depth Look at The Offense

The 2010 Alabama football team offense promises to be full of excitement with eight returning starters and a bevy of highly recruited backups fighting to become part of the rotation. We do lose All American ORG Mike Johnson, as well as ORT Drew Davis and TE Colin Peek. These losses will be keenly felt, but unlike recent years Alabama now reloads instead of rebuilds. (*denotes returning starter)

Quarterbacks:

*Greg McElroy 6'3" 220 Senior

What else can be said for the man that led Alabama to the BCS Championship win over Texas? He is a winner, pure and simple. Everyone knows that Greg is undefeated in his high school and college career. That will be put to an extreme test in the 2010 season, with a super difficult schedule ahead. 

There are some that think that he will have to fight for his job in 2010 due to a poor four-game stretch in the middle of the '09 season, as well as less than stellar statistics in the BCS championship game. Don't be fooled. Greg is the starter, and will remain so unless a a catastrophe occurs.

A.J. McCarron 6'4" 200 RFR...Star Jackson 6'3" 200 RSO...Phillip Sims 6'2" 215 Fr

It has been well documented that A.J. McCarron passed Star Jackson as primary back up to McElroy. This has led to much speculation that Star will transfer, and that very well may be the case. Until we hear of this happening, I will list Star here.

McCarron is a 'Bama boy, born and raised. He has all of the attributes as a QB that all coaches look for: Size, arm strength, football IQ, vision, pocket presence, and leadership ability.  I think we will see A.J. on the field in 2010 much more than any back up QB saw the field in 2009. 

Star Jackson has all of the talent in the world, but that has yet to translate to success on the field. It has been said that he had problems learning the offense. In limited playing time in 2009, he played well but did look a bit "out-of-sorts." He currently is listed behind McElroy and McCarron.

Phillip Sims is one of the prizes of the 2010 recruiting season, and has already enrolled at the Capstone. He is one of the most highly recruited QB's to ever set foot on campus and his early enrollment will give him a leg up in the spring. Look for this guy to battle A.J. for the starter's spot in 2011. Until then, I think he redshirts in 2010 unless problems arise.

Running Backs

Anytime a team returns a Heisman trophy winner, one would say that team is in great shape. Not only does Alabama return Heisman winner Mark Ingram, but also Trent Richardson. That is 2,400 yards and 25 TDs returning for our running attack. An embarrassment of riches, for it doesn't stop there!

*Mark Ingram 5'10" 220 JR

Mark showed in his freshman year that he would be one to watch, but no one could predict the type of year he would produce in 2009. 1,658 yards and 17 TDs on the ground and Alabama's first Heisman trophy recipient. He may not win the Heisman in 2010, but expect another 1,200-1,400 yards and as many TDs in 2010.

Trent Richardson 5'11" 225 Soph

You could almost pencil in Trent as a co-starter. His freshman year produced 751 yards and eight TDs on the ground. We may see a pair of 1,000 yard backs in 2010 for 'Bama.

Eddie Lacy 6'0" 215 RFR, Terry Grant 5'10" 190 SR, Jeramie Griffin 6'0" 230 Jr, Demetrius Goode 5'10" 200 Jr, Corey Grant 5'9" 190 FR

Any one of these guys could start for an SEC team. As it is, there are only so many carries to go around, so many will get very limited playing time. Lacy is slated to take Roy Upchurch's spot in the rotation. He is super talented, built along the lines of Ingram and Richardson, and if he shows he can block and catch the ball out of the backfield, we will see him more than you think (he is that talented). 

The rest of these guys will provide depth and special teams contributions.

Tight Ends 

We lose one of McElroy's favorite targets in Colin Peek, so someone will have to step up at this position (If you remember, during McElroy's midseason swoon, Peek was injured and played little. Coincidence? I think not).

Preston Dial 6'3" 245 Senior, Brad Smelley 6'3" 235 Junior, Chris Underwood 6'4" 230 Junior, Michael Williams 6'6" 270 Soph, Undra Billingsly 6'3" 275 Soph, Brian Vogler 6'7' 250 Fr, Harrison Jones 6'4" 225 Fr

Dial and Williams played often in 2009, so look for them to be on the field a lot in 2010. Smelley was a surprise contributor in 2008, but didn't see the field as often in 2009. With Peek gone, look for him to get more PT for he is a great route runner with good hands.

Underwood played little in 2009 after a good freshman year. Billingsly should contribute as a sound blocker but his receiving skills are unproven. Vogler is a Peek clone with better speed. If any of the guys in front of him falter, look for him to see the field. Jones will probably redshirt.

Wide Receivers

All three (in some of our offensive packages) starters return here, and all but one of the backups. This is the deepest and most talented receiving group in Alabama history. But, as a whole this group needs to run better routes and separate from the defender better. The neglect of these abilities often hindered the passing game and bogged down drives. This must be improved upon in order for our offense to be truly special.

*Julio Jones 6'4" 215 Junior

Statistically, Julio did not have a "great" year. He was injured for part of the season, which accounted for some of the decline. BUT, statistics aren't all that should be looked at. His was called on to block much more, and did this with great success and unselfishness. He was called on to be a decoy more.

Most of all, the passing game evolved during his injury to include many other targets and was much more successful for it. Julio is a future NFL first round draft choice, and will continue to be a primary weapon in the Tide's arsenal'

*Marquis Maze 5'9" 170 Junior

Maze lived up to his billing, averaging almost 17 yards a catch on his 31 receptions. His speed and amazing ability to catch difficult passes are a treat to watch. Look for him to continue to stretch the field.

*Darius Hanks 6'0" 190 Senior

Hanks is Mr. Dependable. He catches almost everything thrown his way. Not flashy, but if we need a first down he will get it for you.

Earl Alexander 6'5" 210 Sr, Kenny Bell 6'1" 170 RFR, Michael Bowman 6'4" 210 Soph, Brandon Gibson 6'1" 195 Jr, Kendall Kelly 6'3" 215 RFR, Kevin Norwood 6'2" 185 RFR, Keiwone Malone 6'0" 170 Fr, Ronald Carswell 6'0" 170 Fr, DeAndrew White 6'0" 170 Fr, Blake Sims 6'0" 190 Fr (Possibly Keenan Allen-we'll know in a few days).

Can anyone again say "an embarrassment of riches?" Look for most, if not all, of the true freshmen to redshirt (unless special teams duty calls). Gibson and Alexander are experienced and will see some PT. All of us are anxious to see what Bowman, Bell, Kelly, and Norwood can do. All are former four to five star recruits, and with a year in the system should be terrorizing opponent's secondaries for years to come.

Offensive Line

In 2008, we lost two All-Americans and another solid starter off of the OL. Going into 2009, the OL was a huge question mark. By the end of the year, the OL had turned into a huge asset.

We lose another All American in LG Mike Johnson, and a solid starter in RT Drew Davis. Will there be a drop-off? I think not.

*OLT-James Carpenter 6'5" 305 Senior

The former JUCO standout had an outstanding first year at LT. He was better than advertised at run blocking, and a solid pass protector. With another year under Coach Pendry, look for Carpenter to vie for some All-SEC and All-American teams.

*OC-William Vlachos 6'1" 305 Senior

Had a very solid 2009 campaign, and has become a leader on the OL.

*ORG-Barrett Jones 6'5" 290 Sophomore

Made freshman All American. Was a surprise starter, and improved greatly as the year progressed.

OG-John Michael Boswell 6'5" 305 Jr, OT-D.J. Fluker 6'6" 340 RFR (possible move to DL), OT-Tyler Love 6'6" 305 Jr, OT-Alfred McCullough 6'2" 320 Jr, OT-Brandon Moore 6'5" 310 RFR (possible move from DL), OG-Brian Motley 6'1" 285 Sr, Taylor Pharr 6'5" 270 Sr, C/G-David Ross 6'2" 310 Sr, OG-Anthony Steen 6'3" 305 RFR, OG-Chance Warmack 6'3" 325 RFR, OG-Austin Shepherd 6'4" 310 Fr, OG-Chad Lindsey 6'3" 310 Fr, (possibly OT Shon Coleman 6'7" 285 Fr)

Look for Boswell and Warmack to battle it out for the vacant LG position. At RT, look for McCullough, Love, Fluker (if he doesn't move to the DL), and Moore (if he moves from the DL) to try and win the starters role. 

This will be the deepest and most talented offensive team that Alabama has possibly ever fielded. Look for the running game to continue to be dominant, and the passing game to improve with another year in the system. 

The biggest news for the offense in the offseason was no news. Offensive coordinator Jim McElwain did not leave to take a head coaching position. 

Next: 2010 Defense