Bama pulls redshirt off of Chris Black?

Nick Saban considers the status of Chris Black...

Does Bama need Chris to better the odds of beating the 'Dawgs?

     In the wake of Kenny Bell breaking his leg in the Auburn game the discussion of what to do in his absence has been constant. Most of the talk has been whether Chris Black will play the last two games or whether he stays redshirted. Saban added to the fervor of the discussion by saying that Black had been cleared medically to play if needed. I'd like to stress the "if needed" part of his statement. On Monday Chris was taking snaps with the first group and his black no touch jersey was absent. Hmm... That sure sounds like he will play. The  question in my mind is why? There are three schools of thought.

1. Bama wants to make sure their best players are on the field against Georgia and hopefully Notre Dame. Black was on a head on collision for first team status before he injured his shoulder before the first game. This included another freshman, Amari Cooper. If Black is better than Cooper I have to see it first hand. It seems hard to believe that a freshman who has been hurt and hasn't seen any game time could come into the lineup and have a real impact.

2. The second school of thought is that Bama can make it without Black. We all remember how Kevin Norwood stepped up in the National Championship game. The Tide has a lot of talented receivers. They have now lost three good ones. So how deep is the recieiving corp  in reality. It would be a shame to waste a player for essentially one and hopefully two games. If Georgia beats Alabama with Black on the field that is a double whammy.

3. The third and by far the most important school of thought is what does Nick Saban think?  He's weighed all the options and has made a decision by now. It is certainly possible  that Black wouldn't be at Alabama past his junior year if he is as good as advertised.  I bet if you ask Black he wants to play. That will not play a role in Saban's decsion.

     One thing seems pretty certain - Saban isn't hinting he might use Black to cause Georgia to have to prepare for the player. No one knows how good he is. I suppose you could  argue that because no one has seen him play that makes him an unknown.  With Cooper and Black in the lineup the Tide would have speed to burn so to speak.  I'll just throw this in as my own opinion - Christian Jones is a pretty darn good player. How much better does Black need to be to break into that starting line up. Cooper, Jones, and Norwood are pretty intimidating.  In the photo by this paragraph you can clearly see that Black is without the no contact/injury status jersey. All this makes me believe he may play. Surely, the wisest course of action is to wait and see if he is needed.  It is entirely possible that Bell may be back by the National Championship game. The coaches understand how the surgery will effect an early return or not. A re-break is never good. Okay, here is an absolute spineless prediction. I think that Black will dress, he will be ready to play, and if needed, really needed, he will play.

I suspect the question that Saban has already answered is this:  Do we need Black to win the national championship. If Saban thinks Bama needs him,  the young man will play. Otherwise, all this has been fun to speculate over.


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