Trent Richardson and 6 Alabama Crimson Tide Players at Risk for a Bad Season
Every college football player is at risk for a bad season. There are countless things to factor in from injuries, bad supporting cast, personal issues and scrutiny, all the way to just plain bad luck.
Last year Mark Ingram's knee injury set him up before the first game to possibly have a bad season. While he still averaged nearly 6 yards per carry his performance was not as breathtaking as it was in 2009.
Marcell Dareus' season was in question before the first game as well due to scrutiny which included an NCAA investigation. Throw in the fact that he hobbled around with a bad ankle for a good portion of the season and he faced a struggle.
Julio Jones also was at risk for a bad season before the season even started. 2009, which was to be his breakout year, was nothing special in the grand scheme as he dealt with nagging injuries throughout the season. Fortunately, he proved us wrong and ran away with—pun intended—with school receiving records in 2010 and solidified himself as a first round draft pick.
There's also heroes that are set up to have a bad season and overcome that adversity. Brandon Deaderick, a defensive end from the 2009 team, is the example that comes to mind most. Five days before the first game of the season, Deaderick was shot through the arm in a robbery attempt and had the bullet lodged in his hip. That had "bad season" written all over it.
Two days later, however, Deaderick was back at practice and he started the game against Virginia Tech and in the other 13 games that year. He played so well he was able to sneak into the 7th round of the NFL Draft, going to the New England Patriots. In his first season he accrued very respectable playing time, including four starts.
So, let's look at some players who are at risk to have a rough time this coming year.
Quarterback: First Year Blues
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The debate rages on as to who will win the starting quarterback position in one of the most curious position battles in recent memory. Regardless, this is a no-brainer when it comes to a possible bad season.
You see it all the time in college football: A very talented, yet raw, young quarterback struggles starting his first year. Redshirt sophomores, redshirt freshmen and especially true freshmen often have a tough time adjusting to the spotlight and the booing crowds at opposing venues.
Even if they go injury-free all year, whoever wins the starting position as the new Alabama quarterback, whether it be redshirt sophomore A.J. McCarron or redshirt freshman Phillip Sims, they will have to really show up to play.
SEC linemen seem more bloodthirsty than usual when a green quarterback steps on the field, all while the defensive backs are chanting in their minds "pick six, pick six."
Will the new starting quarterback take the Greg McElroy route and lead the Crimson Tide to New Orleans in his first year as a starter?
Trent Richardson: Can the Furious Stay Healthy?
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The possibility of Trent Richardson having a bad season is more likely than it may seem. His ability is not in question. He could quite possibly position himself in the history books as the best running back the Crimson Tide, and possibly all of college football, has ever seen. He's just that good.
The chances of him getting in trouble with the law, or facing scrutiny from the NCAA, are as unlikely as the Auburn Tigers repeating as national champions. I will not even include problems caused due to character issues in the equation.
The only thing that could actually hamper Trent's season are injuries. Running backs get hit more than anyone else on the field, often by multiple 300 pound mammoths. He struggled with some minor issues with his knee last year, but if Richardson can stay healthy all year and produce like we know he can, we will certainly see this young man in New York in December.
Eddie Lacy: Fumblitis
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Eddie Lacy is a tough north/south running back that is just as bruising as his two predecessors—Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson—and is nearly identical to Richardson physically. He's expected to easily hold down the No. 2 position at running back, and is likely to get as many carries as Richardson did in his past two seasons.
The big question is, however, will he turn those carries into 700-plus yards like Richardson did, or will he have a case of "fumblitis" two years in a row?
Darius Hanks: Can't Always Be Superman
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Julio Jones is gone, and as much as we like Marquis Maze, he just can't fill shoes as big as the man that threw almost every Alabama receiving record in a bag and took them home.
Though Maze is expected to put on quite a show and you can expect his partner in crime, Darius Hanks, to share the spotlight in equal measure.
While Maze has proven himself to be our deep threat with his blazing speed, Darius Hanks has, in turn, shown to be the team's go-to guy on crossing routes. Since Hanks had his first Crimson Tide reception, he's proven to be an exceptionally tough, sure-handed receiver.
Once again, in 2011, big things will be expected of him and he'll have to make some tough catches in the middle.
Darius Hanks' ability is also not in question; he's a phenomenal football player. His ability to stay healthy, however, while taking hits such as in the video below is in question. He's a tough, dedicated, modest and valued member of the team, so let's all hope the young man has a great season.
Dont'a Hightower: A Bum Knee Can Be Tough to Overcome
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This may sound like beating the dead horse, but Dont'a Hightower is in the same position as Richardson and Hanks.
After Hightower shook off the lingering effects of his knee injury, we saw the same Dont'a Hightower that dominated the SEC before playing Arkansas in 2009. After a slow—quite literally—start to the season, he regained almost all the speed he had lost and is just as ferocious a hitter as he was before.
However, a knee injury as severe as a torn ACL is always a risk for a repeat. Through much of the 2010 season Hightower wore a knee brace. While it's not unusual for a player who weighs around 250 lbs or more to wear a knee brace, the only thing that will keep Hightower from having a record season would be an injury.
Demarcus Milliner and Mark Barron: High Expectations and a Torn Pec
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Mark Barron is a great player, and will be the anchor of the 2011 Crimson Tide secondary. If he can recover completely from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered in the 2010 Iron Bowl, we can expect another fine season from this young man.
With Barron aside, we turn our attention to Demarcus Milliner. Milliner is one of the most highly-touted recruits Alabama has landed this decade (2000-2010).
What was expected of Milliner was no easy feat. Nick Saban also started him several games this year for an injured DeQuan Menzie, and even while Menzie was playing Milliner still saw plenty of playing time.
There's one thing Nick Saban knows and that's cornerbacks. Milliner played better than can be expected of a true freshman cornerback in the SEC, but his few blown coverages were at the most inopportune time.
The guy was picked on by quarterbacks and receivers all season long, with the majority of balls being thrown his way. It is because of this trial by fire that Demarcus Milliner is expected to do great things this year.
While I don't think the young man will have a bad season it's certainly possible too much will be expected from him, and even one blown coverage could seem like a huge let down.
He's a very large, very physical cornerback with about the best year of experience you can get and is more than capable of meeting his expectations head on.
D.J. Fluker: Injured Once and Launched Airborne Once
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D.J. Fluker suffered a severe groin injury in 2010 that caused him to miss several games. That aside, expectations were already high for him and will be for next season.
Fluker played right tackle last year and is expected to play there again in 2011, though it's a strong possibility he could be moved to left tackle.
Though we don't know who will win the starting position at quarterback, we do know that neither of them are terribly mobile out of the pocket. As such, the left tackle position is more important to Sim's and McCarron than it would be a scrambling quarterback.
As with Demarcus Milliner, I don't expect Fluker to have a bad season necessarily, but he's definitely at risk to fall short of his lofty goals.
I am certain, however, that Fluker has come a long way from this little embarrassing moment, which is shadowed here.
William Vlachos: Who Am I Kidding?
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Barring injuries, there's not a chance that William Vlachos could have a bad season. I'm throwing him in here at the end to contrast the other players.
In my opinion, Vlachos is the least likely player on the team to have a bad season. As long as he is healthy you can expect the squat battle-dwarf who benches Buicks to anchor the Crimson Tide offensive line all year and deliver a clean snap every time.
Though he's performed admirably the past two seasons, holds a 23-3 record as a starter and 2 bowl victories—including a national championship, I really believe 2011 will be Vlachos' breakout year. I expect him to be a serious candidate for the Rimington Trophy. Even with a bar that high, I wouldn't want anyone else on it.
Can the Tide Take Back What Is Theirs?
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A "bad season" is completely subjective. If you told Tide fans five years ago that they would have a 9-3 record and a bowl win that coming season, they would call it a "great season." With expectations so high after 2009, however, 2010 seemed like a bit of a letdown.
With the talent returning next season on defense, coupled with the much less grueling schedule, a 14th championship is not out of the question. So while the players should all have great seasons, a 9-3 record in 2011 won't meet the standards that Nick Saban, the 2009 team and the rabid fans of the Crimson Nation have set.
If Alabama's star players can stay healthy, meet and exceed their expectations and play with the same fierceness as the 2008 and 2009 teams, they will get their revenge and see Chizik burst a forehead vein in front of all the fans in Jordan-Hare Stadium come November. What happens before then, and after, is entirely up to them.
Every team controls their destiny before the first game is played, but the Crimson Tide will have just a little more control than others this year. Here's to a year of healthy, hungry players.
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