Best article in the series deserves the best picture in the series. And I believe this is Elisha Dushku from that cheerleading movie (another pic here, you're welcome), but does it really matter? And are you even reading this?
Hey.
HEY!!!!
Ah fuggit, I'll just start writing. So you may or may not know that defensive backs are my pride and joy. I initially began this site as a scouting site, running down *every single play* certain DBs were in from week to week, and believe me, it was hard work. Long story short, I think cornerbacks are the best athletes on the team, I think they are the quickest, the fastest, have the toughest job, and they don't get enough credit from the average fan...especially if they don't have enough "statistical evidence" to prove they're doing a good job. There is soooo much more to playing DB than interceptions, and I'm going to blindly assume the majority of my readers understand this.
Let's play that typical message board game of "If you were an NFL GM, who would you draft first?" Many clever people would choose a dominant left tackle, like Orlando Pace. Others would opt for the quarterback, such as Peyton Manning, no questions asked. Some would grab an immovable run stopper like Albert Haynesworth and never look back. I would grab Charles Woodson or Champ Bailey or Nnamdi Asomugha, or all damn three, and I would dominate.
Ya see, top notch corners can literally cover half the field. Who else can do that? You may think C-Wood is manning up on Roy Williams, but he's a crafty veteran with better instincts than any corner in the game (bet), and he'll make you pay. Tony Romo thinks that quick out to Jason Witten is good for at least 15, until Wood creeps up on a bitch and takes it to the house. From that point on, Roy is pissed, Jason is pissed, and Romo is nervous, influencing the rest of the offense's decisions until the game is thru. That's just one example of how important a cornerback is to his team.
Okay, enough with the soapbox, let's talk Bama. Coach Saban just happens to covet defensive backs as much as I do, and maybe he even knows more than I do about the position. Maybe :) So it comes as no surprise that as relentless as he is on the recruiting trail, he's getting his fair share of money DBs each offseason. But the fact that he's defense-centric means he still has the ability to "coach up" the guys already in place. Shall we begin?
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CORNERBACK - Kareem Jackson. Now, let's just get this out of the way from the start. Yes I KNOW KJ has had some difficulties at this position, especially last season. Let's just call it a sophomore slump. I honestly think he's letting too much advice cloud his natural skill---a MAJOR factor that influences lots of players at corner. There's a reason cornerbacks get near or THE lowest scores on the NFL's wonderlich test...and that's all I'm gonna say.
Kareem's biggest problem is pretty much his only problem---he must have a crick in his neck. The kid simply can't turn his head to look for the ball. He is almost always stride for stride with his man, he never face-guards, he's good at deflecting the ball, good closing speed, he's 5'11, 192 which is perfect for the college game...but his timing to look for the ball is on par with Pacman Jones's treatment of women. As Charles Barkley would say, "It's just turrble."
I'm not done. I mean, if you're running with the guy, and you SEE him turn HIS head, and you see his arms going up to catch the ball, and you see his body get a little stiff and eyes go wide from excitement, then he's most likely about to CATCH THE GODDAMN BALL. When he turns, YOU turn. It's not that difficult. Kareem---you are a REALLY GOOD defender. You have the chance to be great. Listen to what Coach tells you, but let it float around your brain while you do your own thing; don't let it dominate your thought process so much that it negatively influences your talent (watch at 1:30):
So my point is, if the kid keeps his head on straight, he'll be the best corner we have in 2009. I know a lot of people have given up on him, but it's easy for people to do that when you're a SUCK ASS FAN.
Opposite him WON'T be Marquis Johnson. And if Coach somehow finds a way to start Johnson like he did Lionel Mitchell in 2007, then I'm going to have ruptured blood cells around my eye sockets (from screaming so hard), broken wrists (from punching walls), and shattered glass (from YOUR FACE). I know Saban prefers Javier Arenas at nickelback, or "star", and I would hope he has enough confidence to start the #1-voted cornerback in the Coaches All SEC team I posted earlier.
However, the problem with starting Javier is simple---he's only 5'9". And that's a big assumption. He may be 5'7" when it all comes down to it. I don't care how athletic you are, how quickly you can turn on a dime, or how high you can jump---if you're covering someone like Julio (think AJ Green), then you lose. Especially if it's a fade, especially if it's a jump ball, and especially if it's a tossup just to move the chains.
Which means I'm personally looking for somebody to step up. It's not going to be Chris Rogers (he's turned into a killer special teamer though); it won't be Alonzo Lawrence (whispers and eventual truth that he'll be moving on from wearing Crimson); it won't be CB-turned-WR-turned-CB Chris Jackson (as he's leaving, too); I don't think Tyrone King is the answer here, either (though he's a valuable depth/breather man); so that leaves two people.
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Two five-star recruits.
One has a year under his belt, the other plays with the confidence of such.
Both have the natural ability, athleticism, and speed to play this position---and play it well.
Of course I'm talking about 2008 blue chipper BJ Scott and 2009 big dog Dre Kirkpatrick. Up to this point, though, there isn't much to go on (hence the "way too early" part of my series title), other than what my eyes have told me. I have seen Dre's high school highlights and how BJ looks in practice. My thoughts:
I've heard rumors of Dre looking the part (and even showing out) in summer pick-up games, but as I said, I only have one source---rivals.com video. And what I see on that video is a cocky, tall, lanky kid who has range and speed; it just takes a while for that speed to top out. In other words, his legs are so long, his quickness and first step suffers. Against bigger receivers, this won't be a problem. Against the smaller Peter Warrick types, Coach is going to have to make a choice---put Arenas on him, or give Scott a chance.
BJ has disgusting athleticism. I will always remember watching a practice drill when he was working at receiver. Everyone was running a stop-catch-turn-go type of route, and it was boring. And then BJ came up, and showed crazy quickness, but his turn is what caught my attention. It was like he was parallel with the ground. His ankle flexion is such that he'll be able to stop faster, squat lower, and accelerate quicker than whoever is trying to escape him. The proof in this also reflects in a quick blurb I heard on Bama Online when Julio and BJ were involved in back to back to back jump ball battles, with there being no clear winner. That should impress you enough right there.
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So assuming Dre can come along quickly this fall, and BJ starts to understand the terminology and what's being asked of him at this new position, then I think Coach Saban will have "match-up" cornerbacks as opposed to regular starters. Kareem will take the number one, unless he's simply too big, and then he can plug Dre in his face. Scott can take the #2 WR, and Arenas can play the slot receiver, giving Javier a rest outside of nickel so he can keep enough stamina to excel on special teams.
So basically, it's my opinion that the #1 is KJ, the #2 is dependent on the WR's skill set and size, and the #3 is Arenas. And if you have a problem with that...
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I was going to put all the defensive backs into one article, but as you can tell, (most of) the jokes subside and I really start to talk football when it involves my boys. And there's more to come---next, SAFETIES.
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