Alabama Football: 5 Post-Spring Questions Facing the Crimson Tide

The spring is officially over for college football's national champions, and we won't see them again until August when they begin preparing to defend their title. The Crimson Tide return 12 starters from a year ago, including seven on offense, and are one of the favorites to win it all again.

But just because they are national champions, that does not mean that this team is perfect and doesn't have things to work on. That, of course, is what the spring is for, as it gives teams a chance to work on weaknesses and gives players the opportunity to move up the depth chart.

But some questions need a little bit more time to develop an answer. Here are five questions the Crimson Tide still have to answer.

Can They Avoid Another 2010?

Alabama went undefeated and won the national championship in 2009, and the very next season, they finished 10-3 and had to settle for the Capitol One Bowl. Now that they've won the national championship last season, the goal is to avoid another letdown this year.

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"That wasn't a good year," Alabama senior linebacker Nico Johnson said. "We lost to South Carolina, LSU, Auburn. It was different. We don't want that to ever happen again. What we do year in and year out is try to get to a national championship. If we don't get there, it's kind of depressing. We're trying to prevent that from happening."

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The first step in preventing that from happening is getting over the past. This year has nothing to do with last season, and it's going to take that same effort last year to get there again this season. It'll be interesting to see if Alabama can avoid another letdown.

Could T.J. Yeldon Earn a Starting Role?

While Trent Richardson is preparing for the NFL draft, true freshman running back T.J. Yeldon has shot himself towards the top of the depth chart. The former 4-star recruit had 88 rushing yards and 91 receiving yards in the spring game and was by far the most talked-about player when the game ended. Projected starting running back Eddie Lacy didn't play due to an injury, but there may be a battle for the starting spot when he recovers.

Head coach Nick Saban told the Associated Press:

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TJ did a good job in all the scrimmages. He made the difference for his team. He made a lot of good plays today and had a lot of production. I think that's important for us because we needed someone like that. He has a really good opportunity. Eddie will hopefully be able to come back, Jalston [Fowler] can do certain things, Dee Hart can do certain things. T.J. is one of those guys who can do everything.

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If Yeldon is somebody who can do everything, why not have him receive the most playing time? This may be very unlikely due to the lack of experience, and he'll likely be No. 2 behind Lacy, but this is something to think about. It's also a competition that may be a lot closer than it was a week ago.

Will AJ McCarron Take That Next Step?

AJ McCarron was more of a game manger last season, as he never threw the ball over 30 times a game until the national championship came and he surprised all of us. McCarron wasn't a bad quarterback at all last season, but he never struck me as somebody who could carry a team offensively. Of course, he showed that he could in the national championship, but can he do that for an entire season?

In the spring game he played well, despite the three interceptions he threw. With Trent Richardson no longer in the backfield and many of the receivers gone, including Marquis Maze, McCarron must take that next step in his career if Alabama would like to repeat.

If So, Who Does He Throw the Ball To?

If McCarron does take that next step in his career and becomes a more polished quarterback, who's he going to throw the ball to? Alabama lost their top four receivers from a year ago in Darius Hanks, Trent Richardson, Brad Smelley and Marquis Maze.

Kenny Bell will likely become the No. 1 option considering that he has experience and caught 17 passes and two touchdowns. But that's not nearly enough weapons for a quarterback to have at the receiver position.

Players like Kevin Norwood or Christion Jones will also have to step up to the plate for the Tide. And they have true freshmen such as Chris Black and Amari Cooper who could make an impact as well. Former 5-Star recruit Cyrus Jones could also see the field when he enrolls in the fall. 

There is a lot of inexperience on the offense, and some of those names will have to separate themselves from the pack in order for Alabama to have a balanced offense.

Defense?

There's no question that the talent  to replace six starters on the defensive side of the ball is on the roster, but it's the fact that they have to replace several starters. That's never an easy task, and it will take some time to get used to, as there will be several new faces all over the field.

The Crimson Tides defense was one of the main reasons they were able to win the national title, and it will take similar efforts to get back there in 2012. Can this defense come together in time or will there be hiccups that will take time to overcome?

It's not like Alabama has a couple of cupcake games to figure things out; they play the Michigan Wolverines the first week of the regular season.