2011 Alabama Crimson Tide Football Preview

To the surprise of many, Alabama, which entered the season ranked number one coming off a national championship, struggled to stop opponents through the air en route to a (by its standard) disappointing 9-3 regular season. The Crimson Tide rebounded by giving everyone a glimpse of what their defense will look like in the future by pummeling Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl, 49-7. Nine starters from that defense and seven from the offense return in 2011. This returning experience and yet another loaded recruiting class have many convinced that Alabama will once again contend for a national title in 2011.

Head coach Nick Saban and offensive coordinator Jim McElwain are known for their love of powerful, between the tackles running and a propensity to attack opposing defenses by using the play-action pass. The Tide is ideally built to field just that kind of offense this season. Running back Mark Ingram departed for the NFL, but Trent Richardson will ensure that there’s no drop-off in the running game. In fact, many consider Richardson a better back than Ingram. Opposing defenses will find out as Richardson will run behind an offensive line that returns four of five starters. Left tackle Barrett Jones was All-SEC in 2010 and could be an All-American in 2011. The line took its lumps last season and will want to exact some revenge from opponents. Richardson is a terror running the ball, and his backup, sophomore Eddie Lacy, is a quick change of pace back who won’t give opposing defenses a chance to relax.

The challenge for McElwain and the Tide is in replacing steady quarterback Greg MeElroy and big play wide receiver Julio Jones. The spring did little to settle the quarterback position - neither A.J. McCarron nor Phillip Sims was able to win the starting job. The good news is Alabama doesn’t ask a lot of its quarterbacks, so whoever wins the job need only manage the offense. As for receivers, while neither is Julio Jones, Darius Hanks and Marquis Maze are excellent receivers in their own right and will make the play-action offense go.

Regardless of how well the offense finds replacements, it won’t be asked to do much since the defense might be the most dominant in the Saban era at Alabama. Nine starters return including everyone in the back seven. There is no better collection of back-line defenders than safeties Mark Barron and Robert Lester and corners Dee Milliner and Dre Kirkpatrick. All four are likely NFL-caliber players. Their ability to play suffocating man coverage allows Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart to devise all manner of elaborate blitz packages that stifle opposing offenses. Moving the ball through the air will be difficult for Alabama’s opponents.

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Linebackers Courtney Upshaw and Dont’a Hightower are potential All-Americans and new outside linebacker Jerrell Harris is one of the fastest linebackers in the SEC. Combined with the secondary, they form what is unquestionably the nation’s best back seven and should easily show improvement over some of the struggles they showed in 2010. It doesn’t hurt that the Tide also signed the nation’s best recruiting class, loaded with blue-chip performers even though few of them will be expected to provide a lot this season. Saban will field his best defense yet and it will give opposing offensive coordinators nightmares looking for ways to effectively attack it.

The schedule is already an improvement over last season if for no other reason than seven teams don’t have byes the week before Alabama like they did last season. The Tide travel to Penn State in week two and host Arkansas in week four before heading to Gainesville to play Florida. November features LSU at home, and then trips to Mississippi State and Auburn to finish the season. The slate is manageable for a veteran team looking to make a run at a national championship.