Does Alabama have a feature RB?

[Pulled(PP)pork]

Just doesn't seem so this year, Jalen Hurts seems to be getting all the publicity.  I can't remember the last time this happened and if it's to our advantage or not.


Pulled

[Wild Bill Hog]

Does Alabama need a feature  RB?

[AugustaHog]

Damien Harris is starting to take over a bit more.  Scarborough got all the hype because he's a "bigger, faster Derrick Henry" or at least that was the line of BS coming from the Tide faithful.  Bo has failed to do much of anything with the time he has gotten.  Harris looked the part vs. OM.  We will have to sell out to stop the run.  Stewart, Ridley, Howard, etc. will be a handful for our DB's, but we have to keep Hurts in the pocket and Harris bottled up.  If we leave the holes that we did against TAMU, Hurts will absolutely run wild. 

[Maximus Tusk]

Just doesn't seem so this year, Jalen Hurts seems to be getting all the publicity.  I can't remember the last time this happened and if it's to our advantage or not.


Pulled

Alabama has feature running backs, feature qb, feature linemen, feature tight ends and feature wide receivers. Oh, and they have franchise players (more than one) as well.  We have no advantage...

[010HogFan]

Alabama has feature running backs, feature qb, feature linemen, feature tight ends and feature wide receivers. Oh, and they have franchise players (more than one) as well.  We have no advantage...

stop it.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

Does Alabama need a feature  RB?

it's their calling card....and yes, they do.


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[bphi11ips]

Jalen Hurts

[hawginbigd1]

it's their calling card....and yes, they do.


Pulled

What I have seen they look more like A&M and TCU than they do Bama. I agree with above it's looking like Harris, Scarborough almost seems to be playing a Kody Walker role.

[TheRazorback500]

Damien Harris is starting to take over a bit more.  Scarborough got all the hype because he's a "bigger, faster Derrick Henry" or at least that was the line of BS coming from the Tide faithful.  Bo has failed to do much of anything with the time he has gotten.  Harris looked the part vs. OM.  We will have to sell out to stop the run.  Stewart, Ridley, Howard, etc. will be a handful for our DB's, but we have to keep Hurts in the pocket and Harris bottled up.  If we leave the holes that we did against TAMU, Hurts will absolutely run wild. 

Are Harris and Stewart going to be back for our game? I thought they were injured.

[Razorback de Nosferatu]

it's their calling card....and yes, they do.


Pulled

It was most certainly their calling card pre-Kiffin.  Now, I don't think they have a calling card on offense.

Whether or not this hurts them down the road or somehow leads to an Arkansas win, who knows.  Much like the curse that the "Southwest Classic" has become, this Bama game has become a mental issue as much as one based on talent or scheme.

[HiggiePiggy]

Alabamas featured RB is whoever causes a turnover and takes it in for 6. 

[12247]

No need to leave holes for BAMA, they just knock holes where they want them.  Rumor is that because its BAMA and the Flagship team in our conference, we are going to print up gold trimmed invitations, clearly showing exactly which hole between the tight ends we plan to run each play so they can stack the line even deeper than A&M did.  Reason being we don't won't BAMA players to strain themselves and save themselves for the playoffs.

Let me be one of the first to say it, "BAMA just ain't that good."

[carolinahogger]

Just doesn't seem so this year, Jalen Hurts seems to be getting all the publicity.  I can't remember the last time this happened and if it's to our advantage or not.

A team doesn't need a calling card or a feature RB.  They need to win games.  Alabama does that.

Fans love buzz terms which fit their pet narratives.  "Signature win", "identity" and "featured back" are examples of this.

[Pulled(PP)pork]

It was most certainly their calling card pre-Kiffin.  Now, I don't think they have a calling card on offense.

Whether or not this hurts them down the road or somehow leads to an Arkansas win, who knows.  Much like the curse that the "Southwest Classic" has become, this Bama game has become a mental issue as much as one based on talent or scheme.

Pre-Kiffin?  Did you forget Derrick Henry for the past 3 years??


PP

[Oklahawg]

Here's how Bama RBs work: they can take any middling 3-star RB and make them look like a Heisman candidate. The #2 RB is Jacobs, from Tulsa, who didn't have a D1 offer until December. Bama sniffed around late trying to find a candidate who was cool with being the back-up should the Tide whiff late. They did, and Jacobs went from un-offered to offered by UA AND Bama, getting serious interest from OU and OSU but the first offer was from Bama. He visited Bama only and committed shortly there after. He looks like a difference maker.

And, the secondary lesson - loads of great talent out there, just waiting to be discovered.

[Razorback de Nosferatu]

Pre-Kiffin?  Did you forget Derrick Henry for the past 3 years??


PP

No. It's just my opinion that Bama has, since Kiffin's arrival, been slowly but steadily losing the bruising identity they'd had on offense.  This season looks like the end product. 

[razorbackkid]

Here's how Bama RBs work: they can take any middling 3-star RB and make them look like a Heisman candidate. The #2 RB is Jacobs, from Tulsa, who didn't have a D1 offer until December. Bama sniffed around late trying to find a candidate who was cool with being the back-up should the Tide whiff late. They did, and Jacobs went from un-offered to offered by UA AND Bama, getting serious interest from OU and OSU but the first offer was from Bama. He visited Bama only and committed shortly there after. He looks like a difference maker.

And, the secondary lesson - loads of great talent out there, just waiting to be discovered.

Jacobs in really good.  And he's gonna get better, lots of upside to this young man.

[bennyl08]

A team doesn't need a calling card or a feature RB.  They need to win games.  Alabama does that.

Fans love buzz terms which fit their pet narratives.  "Signature win", "identity" and "featured back" are examples of this.

Difference b/w "need" and something that is useful.

For example, using the three things you mention.

Signature win: This is what separates out the Boise St's from the Ohio St's. If you only beat crappy teams, undefeated won't mean too much. If you have beaten some highly regarded teams, i.e. collected some signature wins, then that will help your SoS.

Identity: Ideally a team could run a wishbone one week, HUNH air raid offense another, pro style the next, then a HUNH run heavy offense, and then finish with a power spread type of offense based on whatever the opponent's defense is weakest at. However, that is very difficult to pull off. For most teams, it is best to do a few things, and do them well as there is limited time to learn all those offenses well and your players are going to be best at certain things rather than others. Every offense  has some flexibility obviously, but most teams have their bread and butter than they become good at and dare the other team to stop.

Feature back: If you are playing 3 backs, it probably means you don't have 1. Wiscy was the only team where they were able to have three backs that were all a key feature of the offense. Most teams struggle to have 2 feature backs. A feature back is the guy you trust to do it all and is an integral part of your offense. This is somebody who can run to the outside and inside, who can run through you and by you. Typically, a feature back is in contrast to a committee situation. For example, we don't use a committee situation much at Arkansas. 09, 11, and 12 were rb by committee years and only 1 of them was very successful. We haven't used a committee since Bielema has been here. 23-14 we rotated two feature backs. 15-16 to date we have had a single feature back. Sure, other players rotate in, but a committee implies 3 or more backs getting appx equal shares. Right now, RW3 sits with 88 carries and Whaley and Walker only have 24. That is not remotely a committee. Another great example of the importance of a feature back is LSU. Look at the years they've had a feature back such as Ridley, Hill, and Fournette vs years where they were nearly equally rotating in several guys. Further, look at the teams in the NFL. Those with the best running games have a single feature back. Even when stats would suggest a committee, you will typically see the different backs each being the feature for a subset of games due to injuries of the other backs.

[TNRazorbacker]

Whoever is next on the depth chart. They are stacked 3 deep with blue chips at most every position after all.