Crimson Red Sports

Talk about Landon Collins leaving early has had me thinking about the great safeties that Bama has had in the past and how Bama has used them compared to other teams. My question is this: is it time for Saban to alter his philosophy regarding safeties? Saban has always liked to play big hard-hitting safeties who play close to the line in run support. Mark Barron, Robert Lester, HaHa Clinton-Dix, Landon Collins; they all fit this mold. But they also had average cover skills. They were usually out-classed when they had to cover a tall fast WR in one on one situations. With so many teams (ie Auburn, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, etc) spreading defenses out with 3 and 4 WRs, is it time Saban started recruiting safeties who have better than average cover skills? Don't get me wrong: they still need to be able to lay the wood. But I am thinking that safeties need to be primarily cover guys and run-stuffers second. What do you think? Is this a difficult skill set to find? Hard-hitting and great cover skills? It just seems to me that in the last 3 years Alabama's defense has struggled to stop the deep ball in part because our safeties were often out of position. It's just something I have thought about lately.

Mark Barron was big, fast, could lay the wood, and was good in coverage. Probably the best we've had under Saban. Those are few and far between. Would be great if we could find another one like him.

Hopefully the off season will improve the secondary.

I do not think it is the safety's we have had are not good cover guys as much as it is scheme. CNS defense puts the CB in a lot of single coverage. Safety's play the run and cover backs out of the backfield. We do play some zone but by design zone has soft spots that are easily found if there is not a good pass rush. We rarely if ever put a safety over a CB for double coverage like most teams do.

I do not think we need to go away from recruiting and playing big, fast and hard hitting safety's with NFL talent. JMHO

The NFL certainly has appreciated Bama's safety talent lately...

I don't think the problem has been the safeties.  It has been the CBs the past two years, who are talented by most standards, but not shut-down first-round draft pick material to complement the D scheme that places the CBs in one-on-one coverage on big WRs.  That is a very tough challenge, with a larger WR and the option of a back shoulder throw.  Without help over the top, that puts the CB on an island, with the disadvantage of not knowing the pass route. 

It takes a very special player to manage that task -- something only Saban can recruit, as it is his specialty.  Bama has some hugely talented CBs in the pipeline, hopefully they can develop into the type of players necessary to implement Saban's defensive scheme. 

Also, keep in mind that Bama operates different schemes depending on the offense they are facing.  There are more DBs in the game versus pass-happy spread offenses.

One thing I notice here also is experience. We usually lose a good CB in 2 or no more than 3 years and we have to start over with young people who have to learn all over again. I would step forth and say if our CB' made a 4 year commitment what kind of Pass defense would we have then. We have talent but to me it is just that they don't have time to really develop before poof they are gone. JMHO. RTR!