Alabama Football: 10 Things to Work on over the Summer

The defending national champions have so much talent remaining on their roster that they'll enter the 2012 season as one of the favorites once again.

While Alabama does have loads of talent on both sides of the ball, and a stacked recruiting class coming in, there are still issues that must be addressed. Spring ball only provides so much time, which is why fall camp is so desperately needed. 

The Crimson Tide will take the next couple of months off before hitting the field and preparing for the regular season. Here are 10 things that must be worked on before the big Week 1 matchup against the Michigan Wolverines.

Backup QB

We know the Tide's starting quarterback is AJ McCarron, but with Phillip Sims transferring to Virginia, it leaves a spot open for the backup.

“There’s no question about the fact that we don’t have a backup quarterback right now that has any significant experience,” head coach Nick Saban said. “We need for some young players to really develop and grow, and maybe get an opportunity to play early on.” (Via ESPN)

The quarterbacks that will be competing for the backup role include Blake Sims, Phillip Ely and Alec Morris. None have much experience, but it's Sims that is really intriguing to Saban.

“Last year we actually had a plan for Blake Sims to play quarterback, who played quarterback in high school and is a different style of quarterback then what we have,” Saban explained. “But we also have the flexibility on offense maybe to utilize him at that position as well.”

Eddie Lacy

Running back Eddie Lacy is talented enough to replace Trent Richardson. He's a big, physical back who has averaged over seven yards a touch in his first two seasons in a backup role. But the injuries have to be an issue of concern for Alabama coaches. He suffered a turf toe injury all of last year and ended up missing the spring due to a leg injury.

We know he can be a productive runner for this offense, but can he remain healthy as his touches are expected to increase?

How T.J. Yeldon Will Be Used

Speaking of running backs, Alabama has something special in freshman T.J. Yeldon. Thanks to the injury to Lacy, Yeldon made a name for himself in the spring game, racking up 179 total yards and a touchdown.

Yeldon is a bigger body at 6'1", 215 pounds, with an incredible combination of speed and power. He'll likely be a change of pace guy with the powerful runner Lacy; but with his playmaking ability, you may also see him at wide receiver.

The true freshman has made such an early impact that ESPN is asking who should be the starter to replace Richardson. Just a few months ago, there was no question on who that guy was going to be.

Linebacker

In the SEC you need to have a great defense to succeed, and Alabama will be tested as they lost several great players all at once. No area was hit harder than the linebacker position as they lost Courtney Upshaw, Jerrell Harris and Dont'a Hightower.

Hightower and Upshaw were the best defensive players on the field, as they were the only two players to put up double-digit tackles for a loss and were two of the top three sack leaders last season. Now Alabama is left trying to find pass-rushers and leaders on the defensive side of the ball.

We know Nico Johnson will have his starting position locked down. C.J. Mosley should also earn a starting spot if he's completely recovered from a dislocated hip he suffered last season.

The other linebacker position will likely be up for grabs, and there are several in the mix. Trey DePriest, Tana Patrick, Adrian Hubbard and new recruit Reggie Ragland will all be fighting for the spot.

Hubbard was one of the players that really stood out in the spring game.

Wide Receivers?

Last season Alabama showed they had somewhat of a passing game, but weren't always consistent as Trent Richardson was the workhorse for this team. Now they lost their top four receivers from a year ago in Darius Hanks, Richardson, Brad Smelley and Marquis Maze.

Who's going to step up and takeover?

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

Players like Kevin Norwood or Christion Jones will have to step up for the Tide. The team also has true freshmen Chris Black and Amari Cooper who could make an impact as well. Former 5-star recruit Cyrus Jones should also see a lot of action when he enrolls during the fall.

A balanced offense is needed in order to succeed in the SEC. Some of those names will have to separate themselves this summer.

Kicking

Last season Alabama was ranked 85th in the country, making only 63 percent of its field goals. It prevented the school from going undefeated and almost cost them a chance to appear in the BCS National Championship Game.

Jeremy Shelley returns as the starting kicker, along with Cade Foster. They both had better performances in the spring, but true freshman Adam Griffith will have something to say about that this summer. He was ranked as one of the top kickers in this year's class and has a very strong leg.

Kicking is never a position talked about much, but a reliable one is needed if you expect to win close games in the SEC.

Defense as a Unit

The Crimson Tide's 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, or will there be hiccups that will take time to overcome?

Alabama is replacing seven starters on the defensive side of the ball which—regardless of the amount of talent—is not going to be easy.

This team must gel as quickly as possible in the next few months because they'll be facing some athletic quarterback named Denard Robinson in their first game.

AJ McCarron

AJ McCarron struggled early on as the starting quarterback last season, and many wondered if he had what it took to lead this team. He continued to get better as the weeks went on, and in the national championship game, he surprised us all by throwing for 234 yards and completing 67 percent of his passes against a top-notch defense. It was also only the second time all year he threw over 20 passes.

But now that he enters his junior year, it's going to be interesting to see if he's able to take that next step in his career. With running back Trent Richardson now in the NFL, can he be the quarterback that Alabama believes in to get them back to the promised land?

It's something we should find out sooner rather than later.

Putting Last Year in the Past

Alabama celebrated winning the national championship last season, but now it's time to move on. It's a different year, with many different players. In 2009, the Crimson Tide won the national championship as well, only to finish 10-3 the very next year and have to settle for the Capital One Bowl.

Putting the past behind them is something players and coaches are working on during the offseason. (Via The Gadsden Times)

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"That wasn't a good year," Alabama senior linebacker Nico Johnson said. "We lost to South Carolina, LSU, and 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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Alabama players must get that through their heads if they would like to repeat. Winning last year's national championship doesn't carry over to this year. It's time to refocus on a new season.

Prepare for Michigan

Part of putting last season in the past is focusing on the big Week 1 matchup against Michigan.

When other Top 25 teams open up the season against San Jose State or UAB, Alabama will have a true test against the Michigan Wolverines. While oddsmakers aren't really giving the Wolverines a chance in this matchup, they're still a talented team that won 11 games and a BCS bowl last year.

It's important that Nick Saban gathers his troops and begins preparing them for the big contest right away. There are no cupcakes to warm up against early on. This game could either make or break the Crimson Tide's season.