Ad Disclosure
Could Alabama’s secondary prove us all wrong in 2015?
In regards to the Alabama defense, it seems like all the media could talk about this offseason was the way the last year’s secondary got torched, especially late in the year.
The Crimson Tide finished the 2014 regular season giving up 456 passing yards to a Nick Marshall-led Auburn passing attack in a 55-44 win.
Losing All-America safety Landon Collins to the NFL, along with senior starter Nick Perry, seemed to be the cherry on top for the demise of a pass defense that ranked just 11th in the SEC in 2014.
But after giving things a chance to shake out a little under new secondary coach Mel Tucker, there is the possibility things turn out just fine for the traditionally-stingy Crimson Tide pass defense.
Tucker, who spent the previous six seasons as a defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2009-12) and Chicago Bears (2013-14), has brought an NFL approach to the college level, which his players seem to be taking a liking to during camp.
Crimson Tide defensive coordinator Kirby Smart gave Tucker high praise during a recent interview with AL.com’s Matt Zenitz.
“He does a really good job as a teacher with the kids. He’s helped me tremendously from the perspective of, what are new ways to create turnovers? How did we do it everywhere I’ve been? You get somebody with that much experience, with the people he’s coached under and with, it’s very efficient for us as a defense. So we’re able to show, this is how they did it here, this is how they did it here. And when you turn on a clip of an NFL drill, eyes pop open a little more. It’s new. It’s new change for the kids. It’s exciting. It’s good for me. It’s good for us as coaches. It’s been good for me and coach Saban as well.”
In particular, the safety position may be on its way back up under the direction of Tucker after the team replaces its top three players there in 2014.
“We have versatility and I feel good about the safety group,” Tucker told AL.com’s Mike Herndon. “Geno Smith, he’s got experience. We’ve taken Eddie (Jackson) and we put him in there and toward the end of the spring he did a nice job in there for us. Ronnie Harrison came in mid-year and he’s taken some snaps. So we feel like we have a good group. We have very good competition.”
Nick Saban’s decision to move cornerback Eddie Jackson to safety during the spring has brought some game experience to the position, and it sounds as though Jackson has responded to the role change positively.
“It was kind of a surprise, but I put my trust in coach Saban,” Jackson told Zenitz. “Just doing what I have to do for the team. If they need me at safety, I’m going to play safety. If they need me at linebacker, I’ll play linebacker. Wherever they need me at and I can help the team.”
He’s expected to start at strong safety for the Crimson Tide this season, likely lining up alongside free safety Geno Smith.
Smith, now a senior, also made the transition from cornerback to safety in 2013, meaning that the Crimson Tide could have a base set with four players in the secondary that possess the ball skills of a cornerback.
If Smith and Jackson are able to settle in as adequate safeties against the run, they could prove to be an advantage as Alabama looks to improve on its pass defense in 2015.
What do you think? Has the Crimson Tide stretched the limits of shuffling positions for players, or will this alignment prove to be its most productive on the field this season?
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
