Another Back to scare the NFL

Another year, another running back coming out of the university of Alabama that has a ton of questions about their ability. It is almost becoming a tradition for alabama to produce these great college athletes at running back but not have them all translate well to the NFL. You will see names like Shaun Alexander, Mark Ingram and even as recent as TJ Yeldon have success at the next level. However, you also have to remember it took Ingram years to adapt and Trent Richardson has been considered one of the biggest bust in recent memory. So who is the next big college star that could light up the pros or be out by age 26? Derrick Henry. This kid has monster physical attributes from size alone but what about the intangibles? Can he hit the right whole? Can he avoid people in open field? The simple answer is no. Derrick Henry best reminds me of Richardson but a less agile version. He is not going to make people miss in the open field and he isn't going to hit a juke or spin move against a safety, although I won't back that completely. Derrick Henry is a Mike Tolbert coming out of college. What that means is that he is going straight head and moving a pile, that's it. Derrick Henry, like most Alabama running backs, is a product of a successful offensive line and the stature to strike fear into individuals souls. Can you do that in college? Yes. Will it work in the pros? No. Ask Tim Tebow about that one. 

Saban's traditional style the reason for success

Well it is set in the history books and it looks like a carbon copy of previous years, Nick Saban and Alabama on top of the college football world again. Just like in previous years they do it with average at best quarterback play but dominate defense and running games. So what is it that makes Nick Saban's traditional form of football so unstoppable? Exactly that, it is traditional. We can talk all day about how boring his style can be but that's what it takes to overcome people these days. With so many people going to uptempo offenses, defenses are looking to get lean and athletic. That becomes a problem when you line up against the brute, unstoppable force that is the Alabama offense. They do not want to spread you out and play sideline to sideline, they want to line up and pound you in the jaw time after time. It is rare you find a team these days who even line up under center or play at a slower pace but it is getting to a point where those teams are hurting themselves. Yes no huddle offenses gas a defense quickly but so does 4-5 minute drives where they are constantly having to maul with lineman shoving them down the field and wearing on their bodies. The formula to Nick Saban's success isn't flashy, he sticks to what works. By going against the trend in college football he is becoming a match up nightmare defenses. Speed can win you 9 or 10 games but it will not win you all of them when you are playing Alabama.