Alabama Crimson Tide Backfield Report
Greg McElroy faces the final four games of his career.
Currently his completion percentage and yards per attempt are better than last year, but his difficulty with deep throws continues. At this point, one has to wonder if that problem is solely a lack of consistent blocking from the offensive line since GMac rarely has time to stand in the pocket.
AJ McCarron Waiting For His Chance
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Backup Quarterback AJ McCarron has looked like an NFL quarterback every time he has gotten into the game, but time has been limited to mostly mop-up duty when the apposing defense was tired.
Early in the season he did get a few drives in the first half and his success was equally as impressive. McCarron will face a challenge from Phillip Sims this spring, but it's going to be tough to overtake McCarron.
What we don't know for 2011 is how durable AJ will be, and how he will react when things go badly.
Mark Ingram Takes Over
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With fellow running back Trent Richardson injured, Mark Ingram will finally take over as the leading rusher for the Tide. Ingram has gotten more chances, but Richardson is averaging a yard more per carry.
Ingram is as healthy as he has been all year, so his draft possibilities may hinge on how he performs for the next three weeks.
Richardson Will Have to Watch For Now
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Though Ingram remains the starter, Richardson has more rushing yards and receiving yards. From the cheap seats it looks like Richardson should be the starter. Any chance of that is over now with a knee injury that will likely keep him mostly on the shelf until the Auburn game.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Can Eddie Lacy Finally Make a Difference
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No scout team player got more press in 2009 than Eddie Lacy.
In 2010 fans have seen both flashes of ability, and a terrible fumbling habit. To make matters worse, his fumbles came in the red zone—a capital offense in football. Then, he was injured and has been out for weeks. He is apparently now ready to go, and with Richardson hurt, this might be his chance for real game snaps.
Jalston Fowler May End Up Where He Started.
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True freshman Jalston Fowler played running back in high school. He switched quickly to linebacker when he arrived on campus and competed there all spring. When Mike Marrow transferred out to get closer to home, Alabama needed a big back and Fowler passed the eye test.
In some early playing time it was hard to ignore his runaway freight train style of play. Since then, he has settled in as a goal-line fullback and has averaged 6.5 yards per carry with the ball in his hands. Fowler may not figure in much this year but if Ingram goes pro after this season all bets are off as to how the rotation looks next year. Alabama has not had a big back in the regular rotation in a very long time.
Finally, Meet Mr X
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Blake Sims played quarterback in high school. He was amazingly athletic although not rated that highly as a quarterback, but he had a better senior season throwing the ball than was expected.
He originally signed with Alabama with the understanding that he would be a defensive back. Grade issues prevented him from getting to campus until the fall, where he spent all of one day at defensive back.
Since that time his actual position has been a mystery. He has spent much of the 2010 season on the scout team imitating the many dual threat quarterbacks Alabama has faced. How Blake Sims will be used is a complete mystery, but by all accounts, he is a very hard man to catch. Something tells me they will find a way.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
