BAMA ON3 SHOW: OL/DL thoughts after one week of spring practice + mailbag
The Bama On3 Show is back for Episode 128, which includes BamaInsider’s Clint Lamb and Jimmy Stein breaking down all the latest happenings surrounding the Alabama football program. Today’s list of topics include the following:
- Alabama trying different things with its OL
- What the DL has been missing the last couple of years
- Nick Saban likes surrounding talent on offense
- And more!
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Links to Podcast
Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3TTA5dP
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3M1Gz8P
Megaphone: https://bit.ly/3G2fQFe
What will look different on Alabama’s defense
We’ve talked about this before, but I think you’ll see a little less of the rabbits package with two defensive linemen and two outside linebackers as Alabama’s defensive front. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you’ll still see plenty of rabbits, but it won’t be the clear-cut, primary front like we saw with Will Anderson Jr. and Turner in 2022.
Some of that’s dependent on the style of offense Alabama is playing against though.
For example, we saw more heavy looks against offenses with a strong rushing attack. Games such as Texas, Auburn and Kansas State are perfect examples. Granted, there were still plenty of rabbit looks in those contests, but we saw more balance. Then in other games (LSU, for example), you saw a much higher percentage of the lighter packages — rabbits, Cheetah, etc.
I’m sure that will continue to be the case in 2023, but it felt like the default fell more on the rabbit looks (two defensive linemen, two outside linebackers) last year. This season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the scripts were flipped with the default falling more on the heavier side of things (three defensive linemen, one outside linebacker).
One thing we saw from Kevin Steele during his time at Auburn were a lot of heavy fronts.
Marlon Davidson was a starter for the Tigers at defensive end, but at 6-3, 280+ pounds, he was built more like an interior lineman than an edge. Only 16% of his 2,469 career snaps came from inside though. As I said, Steele liked him lined up over or outside the tackle. Here’s a look at Auburn’s entire defensive line rotation in 2019:
- Derrick Brown (6-5, 318) — 651 snaps (68.3%)
- Big Kat Bryant (6-5, 247) — 648 (68%)
- Marlon Davidson (6-3, 284) — 596 (62.5%)
- Tyrone Truesdell (6-2, 310) — 513 (53.8%)
- Nick Coe (6-5, 291) — 381 (40%)
- Derrick Hall (6-3, 230) — 198 (20.8%)
- Daquan Newkirk (6-3, 306) –196 (20.6%)
- T.D. Moultry (6-2, 243) — 183 (19.2%)
- Coynis Miller Jr. (6-2, 312) — 145 (15.2%)
As you can see, the only true edge who even cracked 25% of Auburn’s defensive snaps that year was Bryant. You saw other true edges such as Hall and Moultry more situationally, but this was a front built predominantly on size. For the most part, the extra mass helped the Tigers be more effective against the run (top 25).
I don’t think Alabama leans that much on heavier looks though.
Nowadays, college football is a passing league. You still need to be able to pin your ears back and create pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but we also can’t ignore that Alabama struggled to stop the run in 2022. The Crimson Tide ranked No. 35 in the nation, allowing 130.38 yards per game. In the two previous seasons, they checked in at No. 4 (86.00) and No. 17 (113.08).
Yes, I believe there will be more of an emphasis on forcing offenses to be one-dimensional again. I also think the style of Alabama’s new offense will help make the defense more effective in whatever it chooses to do though. In other words, expect to see more complementary styles between the two sides.
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