Alabama Football: 5 Key Players Crimson Tide Can't Afford to Lose in 2012

The Alabama Crimson Tide depth chart is stacked with talent, but there are a few key players that the Tide absolutely must have healthy and on the field in 2012. 

Key personnel losses can devastate a team and shatter any postseason hopes they may have. 

Alabama has better fortune than most schools when it comes replacing and substituting players, but heading into 2012 there are five players it cannot afford to lose. 

In reverse order of importance, here they are.

5. CB DeMarcus Milliner

DeMarcus Milliner has had his share of growing pains after his true freshman 2010 season when Nick Saban was forced to play him a lot more than he wanted to. 

Those days are now long gone, and Milliner will enter 2012 as the Tide's most experienced—and possibly most talented—cornerback.

Alabama has a load of new secondary players that just haven't had enough time to learn the defensive schemes. 

Milliner has the perfect combination of experience, talent and fantastic size that no one can match—yet.

That leaves Milliner as the Tide's true No. 1 corner. 

Without him, the Tide's passing defense will experience a significant drop in production. 

4. DT Jesse Williams

In 2011 the Tide had two excellent nose tackles in Josh Chapman and Nick Gentry who performed their roles of run-stuffing and pass-rushing (respectively) perfectly and, in a pinch, could cross over to the other's role. 

That won't be the case in 2012, as only Jesse Williams has the frame, talent and experience to handle nose tackle duties properly. 

The depth chart features some promising young faces behind him, specifically Brandon Ivory, but no one is built as well as Williams. Not by a long shot. 

Alabama's defense revolves around the nose tackle's ability to handle his double-teams and push the offensive line. 

Since no one can do it nearly as well as Williams, the Tide just can't lose him. 

3. RB Eddie Lacy

Alabama has a lot of talent at running back, but Eddie Lacy is the guy the Tide need as the starter.

His value was proven in 2011 when he injured his toe and Trent Richardson ended up carrying the ball over 20 times each game and over 30 carries twice. 

Even as a backup, Eddie Lacy was just so valuable. 

The rest of the guys on the chart either aren't ready or aren't able to perform Lacy's role as the Tide's every down back. 

Jalston Fowler is a big, bruising back, but his lack of agility and lateral movement make him incapable of getting the kind of consistent, tough yardage that Lacy, Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram did in the recent past. He is more of a short-yardage specialist. 

Dee Hart is also a specialist that will be utilized mostly in perimeter runs or the passing game. He's too small to perform every down roles such as running between the tackles constantly or pass-blocking. 

Newcomer T.J. Yeldon is the best suited to be the starting running back if Lacy goes down, but as a true freshman, that's a tough task to handle. 

Learning blocking schemes, both as a rusher and a blocker himself, are things that come with time. 

Former No. 1 running back recruit Isaiah Crowell struggled many times in 2011 with the Georgia Bulldogs because of that learning curve. 

Alabama doesn't have that clear one-two punch combo at running back in 2011 that it has become so accustomed to since Mark Ingram arrived. 

2. C Barrett Jones and LT Cyrus Kouandjio

Barrett Jones and Cyrus Kouandjio are two separate players on the offensive line, but they are directly linked. 

Kouandjio is the clear starter at left tackle, as is Jones at center. If Kouandjio goes down with injury then Barrett Jones would slide back over to left tackle. 

If that happened, then Alabama's new, inexperienced center would have to step up and become a starter before he's ready. 

If Jones goes down, the same situation will occur at center. 

Jones is the team's best offensive lineman, and his Outland Trophy proves that. 

These two will prove to be the two best offensive linemen on the team and likely in the SEC and beyond.

No matter how talented backups are, you just can't replace that kind of talent. 

1. QB A.J. McCarron

A.J. McCarron, a redshirt junior, is entering his fourth season in Nick Saban's system. He is by far the most talented and experienced quarterback on the roster. 

And his backup just transferred. Without Phillip Sims on the bench, the Tide absolutely cannot afford to lose McCarron. 

Sure, there are some young, talented quarterbacks on the bench, specifically Phillip Ely and Blake Sims, but neither are of the same caliber as McCarron and Phillip Sims. 

To put it bluntly, the Tide is screwed if McCarron goes down. 

You just can't replace a national championship MVP quarterback with just any wet-behind-the-ears player.