Recruiting May Not help this Year's National Championship run, read below....

[kyallie]

Though I agree with the general thrust of your post (the kicking game is important), you lost me with "Cal had the third best defense in the nation". And another thing: If I had a chance to walk on at Bama, I'd have scraped together the tuition. I'd have found a way, brother!

As you've been watching college for 35 years,that must put you in the mid to early 70s, whe Bear was coaching. You passed up a chance to walk on for the Bear? Like PacadermaTideUs said "I'd have found a way brother".

 

[rammerjammer69]

I think Saban has done about as well you could recruiting the kicking game. Corey Smith looked like a great pickup, it just didn't work out - but you can't say it wasn't a good choice at the time given his pedigree.

I think Cade Foster was the best available choice we could have made. I have no idea if he will make it, but he has a couple of things going for him that other kickers don't. He has a strong leg and could potentially put the vast majority of kickoffs in the endzone. This could be a huge advantage for several years. The other thing is he is a true LB, so instead of having 10 real players on coverage + a kicker who gets run over, you have an 11th player who can legitimately handle an assignment and tackle. I've heard what pk's need is lots of practice and good technique, so hopefully he gets that and is a good one for us.

As for punting, Williams is potentially an upgrade, but time will tell. If he can consistently kick 40+ yds from our end of the field, we should be ok.

What worries me is that we could potentially be a better team this year, but still lose one or more games because our punter and pk are freshmen. I think kick coverage will improve with all the talent redshirted last year playing on the kickoff and punting teams. But we have some tough games and lots of opponents have byes before us. This means it's likely some games will come down to the wire. What happens when we are down by 2 and need a 49 yd field goal to win @Arky or @USCe? What happens when we are up by 6 with 2 minutes to go and we are punting out of the back our of end zone @LSU? I don't know, but I think Williams and Foster are going to have to make a couple clutch kicks like this if we are going to be undefeated this year.

 

[CHATTBRIT]

It is erroneous to think Coach Saban has not addressed the kicker and punter positions. It is unfortunate that the kicker he planned to take over from Tiffen ran back to the hills of WV.

I am sure that Cade Foster and hopefully Williams will work their hinies off and have nerves of steel. Controlling the nerves is the biggest thing. Good luck to them. I know one thing, it certainly won't be for lack of preparation.

 

[45longcolt]

Well, the threadstarter is speaking from experience, which in itself makes his post worthwhile.

The glass is as half full as it is half empty. You could just as well predict that because we have two high first round running backs, a quarterback who has never lost a game since junior high school, a receiver who is a high first round draft pick, and a high first round defensive lineman, there is no way under the sun anybody can beat us.


I sure hope you are right HAL!!:BigA::BigA::BigA:

 

[time_4_the_TIDE]

Why not just play the numbers game here on the kickers and punters? I was always taught to keep a full funnel, if you want to succeed. Is there a limit to how many people they can get to walk on? I would think there is, otherwise why aren't they doing this.

Then why the OP??? I'm confused...why all the Debbie Downer talk then? I mean really, I played sports at a high level my entire life up until my accident. There are 11 men out there on the field, I understand your concern, yet as a former player I reject the idea that one man (kicker in this case) is the game, the win, or the only one on the team. While kickers very often win games in the closing seconds, they never would have gotten that chance if it wasn't for the efforts of the other 21 players out there spitting and bleeding and hurting; as they themselves have to reach down inside and find that resiliency that's part of all great players and 'Champions' that I have ever known.

The way I see the glass as more than 1/2 full is this...our front 7 is nasty this year allowing for some of the bought and paid for lessons the secondary will get this year to be null and void. Watching the A-day game the kicking was bad in the 1st half but in the 2nd it was fine. No we don't have a seasoned SEC kicker(our record holding kicker), but we have on top of a great D, a very seasoned offense returning pretty much everyone and adding some very dangerous weapons to the fray. Win or lose this season, by 1 point or 2, by a missed game winning field goal or not...I believe we have a more complete team overall. A team with even more Terrence Cody's taking the field saying, "It's ok Ingram, I got this...I'll just block another one..." It is still the same team that went down the field at the BaRn last November and proved they were not going to be denied.

I guess what I am getting at is...ROLL TIDE!!!! This is my team, this is Alabama football....And I just can't think of anything better than all my new Championship stickers, shirts, and Crimson Tide that is bringing the rain on every down and the last thing any opponent wants to see on the opposite side of the ball. Even the kicker...I for one can't wait for to mess one up and clean some guy's clock because he used to kickers titty tackling and hanging on for dear life. Highlight reel here we come....

 

[BamaFan in Germantown]

Then why the OP??? I'm confused...why all the Debbie Downer talk then? I mean really, I played sports at a high level my entire life up until my accident. There are 11 men out there on the field, I understand your concern, yet as a former player I reject the idea that one man (kicker in this case) is the game, the win, or the only one on the team. While kickers very often win games in the closing seconds, they never would have gotten that chance if it wasn't for the efforts of the other 21 players out there spitting and bleeding and hurting; as they themselves have to reach down inside and find that resiliency that's part of all great players and 'Champions' that I have ever known.

The way I see the glass as more than 1/2 full is this...our front 7 is nasty this year allowing for some of the bought and paid for lessons the secondary will get this year to be null and void. Watching the A-day game the kicking was bad in the 1st half but in the 2nd it was fine. No we don't have a seasoned SEC kicker(our record holding kicker), but we have on top of a great D, a very seasoned offense returning pretty much everyone and adding some very dangerous weapons to the fray. Win or lose this season, by 1 point or 2, by a missed game winning field goal or not...I believe we have a more complete team overall. A team with even more Terrence Cody's taking the field saying, "It's ok Ingram, I got this...I'll just block another one..." It is still the same team that went down the field at the BaRn last November and proved they were not going to be denied.

I guess what I am getting at is...ROLL TIDE!!!! This is my team, this is Alabama football....And I just can't think of anything better than all my new Championship stickers, shirts, and Crimson Tide that is bringing the rain on every down and the last thing any opponent wants to see on the opposite side of the ball. Even the kicker...I for one can't wait for to mess one up and clean some guy's clock because he used to kickers titty tackling and hanging on for dear life. Highlight reel here we come....

This thread reminds me of the movie:"The Hunt for Red October,." When the Carrier Admiral,Fred Thompson, says," the russkies always have have a plan." Coach Saban always has a plan. When we beat Penn St, our season is off and running......RTR

 

[Tidal Surge]

Cody Mandell