'Bama has some serious problems... 


Let’s have a moment of crimson clarity. Alabama isn’t going to win the National Championship. We have an offensive line that can’t run block or pass block the Three Stooges. We have some glaring problems on defense due to injuries, and despite the best efforts of coaches to bring two freshmen linebackers up to speed, they can’t teach experience. We've won two games by lopsided scores and looked horrible in doing so so. We can all hope that turns things around, but… that likely will be a process and not a singular event.

     What Alabama does have is a quarterback that defies description and four wide-outs who are world-beaters. What happens if Tua gets a season-ending injury? I’ll give you a logical answer - ‘Bama becomes a middle of the pack team for the remainder of the season. We saw what happened last season when his injuries kept him from being the magician he has become. None of this makes me happy to suggest or speculate about the Crimson Tide not being a national player. But this writer viewed a lot of things that will keep the Tide from winning meaningful games until the answers are found and the solution applied.

      On offense, the Tide is a one-trick pony. The running game is just not very good. The Tides breaks some long runs to make the stats look better, but how many long-distance runs do we expect against tough SEC opponents? I’m not holding my breath. Of course, Harris and Robinson seem to have nowhere to run on most plays. Seriously, the offensive line isn’t ready for prime time. Oh yeah, and their pass blocking isn’t very good. That makes Tua hurry his throws, and more seriously, he has to dodge injuries. Can the Tide coaching staff fix this? Will the line better when D. Brown returns? Let’s not joke ourselves. This team has some real problems.