Players that need to step up

#1
M

mtvols

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#1
Every year there are players that step up and play better than expected or finally live up to their potential. Last year we had Crompton, Hardesty, Dan Williams, Janzen Jackson, and Nick Reviez to name a few.

For us to be as good as we can be who are the players based on needs that need to step up and have a good year?

Here is my list:
QB - of course Simms or Bray. We just need someone to manage the game and not turn the ball over.

OL - J. Schofield and J. James need to not play like Freshmen.

DB - Eric Gordon. We need a lock down corner.

DL - John Brown provided he is eligible. Having him provide quality DT play would be huge.

K - Palardy. Kicking cost us a couple games last year. How big would it be if we could just kick the ball into the endzone?

RB - Tauren Poole. Don't you think he has a chip on his shoulder after sitting the bench for two years? It would be big for us if he could be a 1,000 yard rusher.

Who are your players that need to have a good year for us to be as good as we can be?
 
#7
#7
Chris Walker, I know his back was hurt last year but for all the talk coming out of spring he under performed again, I have given up on Ben Martin living up to expectations.
 
#8
#8
The point is if you had to pick 5 or 6 players that needed to step up and have a good year based on our needs, who would that be? What players that exceeded expectations would make us as a team exceed expectations?
 
#9
#9
5 or 6 players ain't gonna cut it......in order for our team to exceed expectations, everyone will have to step up
 
#10
#10
Any senior that is willing to step up and be a leader on this team would be nice.

Maybe they should all go stare at a river and decide whether or not they "want it".
 
#14
#14
GahLee said:
Chris Walker, I know his back was hurt last year but for all the talk coming out of spring he under performed again, I have given up on Ben Martin living up to expectations.
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Walker does everything really well. When he was healthy, he did great work against the run. Forcing a play back inside isn't something that comes up on stat sheets, but both Martin and Walker are very good vs the run.
 
#15
#15
Janzen Jackson. He's the most experienced returnee in the defensive backfield. The other guys are gonna have to lean on him to cover their mistakes. He's gotta be up to the challenge. Need him to make some game-changing plays as well, be it big hits or turnovers.
 
#16
#16
justingroves said:
Walker does everything really well. When he was healthy, he did great work against the run. Forcing a play back inside isn't something that comes up on stat sheets, but both Martin and Walker are very good vs the run.
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Only thing I would like to see Chris improve on is his sack numbers. Hopefully he can get into the double digits this year.

You're right he is very good against the run. IIRC he was second on the team behind Big Dan in TFL last year.
 
#17
#17
mtvols said:
Every year there are players that step up and play better than expected or finally live up to their potential. Last year we had Crompton, Hardesty, Dan Williams, Janzen Jackson, and Nick Reviez to name a few.

For us to be as good as we can be who are the players based on needs that need to step up and have a good year?

Here is my list:
QB - of course Simms or Bray. We just need someone to manage the game and not turn the ball over.

OL - J. Schofield and J. James need to not play like Freshmen.

DB - Eric Gordon. We need a lock down corner.

DL - John Brown provided he is eligible. Having him provide quality DT play would be huge.

K - Palardy. Kicking cost us a couple games last year. How big would it be if we could just kick the ball into the endzone?

RB - Tauren Poole. Don't you think he has a chip on his shoulder after sitting the bench for two years? It would be big for us if he could be a 1,000 yard rusher.

Who are your players that need to have a good year for us to be as good as we can be?
Click to expand...

For me it's gotta be on the lines:

OL: Jarrod Shaw, Dallas Thomas & gulp....dare I say Cody Pope... basically anyone who can take a leadership role and set an example for some of the younger guys

DL: Chris Walker, Gerald Williams, Marquis Jackson, Ben Martin, Willie Bohannon, Rae Sykes, Corey Miller, Jacques Smith, Stephen Fowlkes, Arthur Jeffrey, Greg Clark....rotate every snap if you have to, but just bring it every down!!!
 
#18
#18
I think most of us r in agreement here. There's truly not 1 star on this team (yet) meaning this will have 2 be a complete team effort all the way around. But isnt that how u build a foundation? Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who's excited 2 play the somewhat underdog role on our way back 2 prominence. Stepping stones fella's, stepping stones. I swear I truly hate 2 post this b/c I vomit with the thought of anything Alabama but with a Nick Saban disciple I cant say this doesnt make me a little excited...
On January 3, 2007, Nick Saban left the NFL's Miami Dolphins and accepted an offer worth US$32 million guaranteed for eight years to be the next Crimson Tide head coach.[19][77] In his first season, Saban led the Crimson Tide to a 7–6 record. A promising 6-2 start gave way to ending the regular season with four straight losses including an upset loss to Louisiana-Monroe.[78] The team rebounded in its final game, defeating Colorado in the Independence Bowl.

Alabama greatly improved in the following season, becoming the first SEC football team in history to post a 12–0 regular season record (followed by both Florida and Alabama in 2009) and climbing to its first #1 ranking in 16 years, before finishing with back-to-back losses in the SEC Championship Game[79] and the Sugar Bowl[80] to finish the year at 12-2.

In 2009, Nick Saban led Alabama to its second consecutive undefeated regular season (12–0), and added an SEC Championship Game victory over #1 ranked Florida Gators to improve to 13-0.[81] On January 7, 2010, Alabama beat Texas 37–21 in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, finishing the season 14-0 and winning Alabama its 13th national championship.[82] Saban's record at Alabama is 28–8 due to the vacation of 5 wins from the 2007 season.

similar scenarios in my opinion...so hey if we struggle a bit in the 1st year theres no reason 2 jump off a building, if we're in good hands then good things will happen. Take care!
 
#22
#22
I'm gonna go with Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore. They're both seniors and they need to be huge leaders and make things happen on the field this year!
 
#24
#24
If I had to pick just one... it would have to be D Thomas. We need someone to keep the QB's from being crushed.
 
#25
#25
O-Line and D-Line. Pretty standard answer, but if they step up then we should be okay.
 
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