Alabama must turn potential into results

By Robert Rousseau  |   Monday, August 18, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Alabama Crimson Tide
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Alabama head coach Nick Saban recently presided over the team’s final scrimmage before the season opener.

“All in all, we're not disappointed with where we are," he said. "We certainly need to continue to make improvement as a football team, especially with a lot of young players.

"The good news is we made some big plays on offense, and [quarterback] John Parker [Wilson] was pretty precise with the ball. We didn't have the consistency that we need to be to be a good offensive team, but we had some guys make some big plays," continued Saban.

Those words bring reasons for optimism and pessimism, particularly with a team as talented as Clemson first on the schedule. On one hand, freshman wide receiver Julio Jones managed five catches for 125 yards and a touchdown during the scrimmage, showing his penchant for big plays. Further, freshman B.J. Scott took in five throws for 56 yards.

But the team only scored twice, despite the big gains. Consistency is usually something that comes with time. Right now the Crimson Tide has some youngsters at receiver as well as a new offensive coordinator. Therefore, Alabama is working against the clock, even if the scrimmage certainly showed that the 'O' has potential -- especially with the way that Wilson (14-of-25 for 255 yards and two touchdowns) threw the ball.

The defense also looked good at times, indicating its potential. However, it would seem important to note that, because of a suspension, the Tide’s depleted linebacking corps won’t have Prince Hall, who led the way with eight tackles in the scrimmage, against Clemson.

With its offensive changes, linebacking issues and youth, one has to think that Bama's opener against the Tigers is critical. The Tide has potential, without question. However, the players need to be able to acclimate to all the changes and turn that potential into real results.

Whether they'll do that is another matter.


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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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