Bill from NYC

Payne from Alabama is very, very tough to run against. He can even penetrate and provide some pass rush.

That would be rather amazing but they would really need to sign a qb as well.

I wonder how far he got. The Lincoln Tunnel is pretty long.

Signing a veteran free agent to a one year deal is nowhere near enough to stop the Bills from drafting a first round defensive back.

Good question. I don't remember so much about the case, but I do remember Incog saying something to the effect that he would actually protect Martin from other team's players who would screw around with him. Please don't hold me to an exact quote. The league came down VERY heavily upon RI, this in an industry where time to earn is severely limited. I think that the NFL, with their billions upon billions of dollars, pays some of the brightest minds in the business world to craft it's public image. Incog made slurs about blacks and gays and they stepped on him like an ant. They also seem to care to an extent now about domestic violence. I applaud this because these things are wrong. Still, I do wonder why it is ok for players to take a knee, even though SO many people are hurt and insulted by it. Why can players speak out about hating "cops?" Is hating all police officers really any less bigoted than speaking out against all gays? They had Beyonce dancing up a storm at a super bowl, but she and her criminal husband bailed out the people who rioted in and destroyed the city of Baltimore. Yeah, these PR guys must be brilliant but it isn't easy for me to follow their logic.

Last season, Bama had a huge number of recruits, most of them great. This season, their only glaring need appeared to be the secondary (which Saban actually still coaches), and (imo) finding someone to replace Payne. Historically, Saban seems to have little trouble recruiting and developing DTs. At Alabama, they concentrate on stopping the run before the pass. Coach Saban doesn't seem able to deal with the possibility of a team running on the Tide. The secondary was the focus of this class and they seem to have killed it with Surtain and others. And again, what Saban is great at in addition to recruiting is recognizing and developing talent like no other (imo). Btw, I have been watching Coach Smart forever and he is a great one. He turned down other head coaching job offers before taking UGA. He is a brilliant football man and a great recruiter. I do not doubt that UGA will win big under Smart. What I also am sure of is that it will not be because of the decline of Nick Saban. He is still the man! Sorry if my previous post sounded snide.

Yeah, Alabama looks like they will suck next year. I can only think of about 20 offensive stars spread out across every position. Their defense only has about 7 or 8 standout pass rushers. And we all know that Coach Saban is nothing without his assistants. After all they made him, not the other way around.

I see what you mean and totally agree. My daughter is a Dartmouth Grad. She would fit in just fine intellectually with students from Stanford or ND. Now, she would also probably be in the top 1% of their football teams. Not every college athlete is Ryan Fitzpatrick. I'm not sure what the answer is.

Alabama is far from a "dum dum" school. It has grown academically in leaps and bound since Coach Saban arrived and delivered hundreds of millions of dollars to the school. And please, are you trying to say that all Notre Dame players are Fulbright Scholars? Sure, ok! Notre Dame and Stanford were already rich schools. They have won titles, no? Did they do so with a squad full of intellectuals? I recommend patience. At some point down the road, maybe one of these teams will belong on the same field as Alabama. Perhaps if you combined the best players from these 2 schools they could even keep it somewhat close against the Crimson Tide. This might be possible in the future but not today. Hate as you will but this championship was sweet. Saban runs the best program in the country. This is why our own coach tries to imitate him. I don't blame him. ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The 2018 Crimson Tide Team is almost certain to be better than the current National Champion Crimson Tide Team. It will be hard to replace Payne but Buggs looks very promising. Minkah and Harrison are gone at safety but Coach Saban focused on the secondary in this class. Coming into the season there are no weaknesses that I can see. It's hard to imagine just how good Tua can be with all the talent around him. His receivers will be great, and Najee Harris has Heisman type talent. And, keep an eye on RB Bryan Robinson, who is a star as well. The above is not to say that they are guaranteed another championship. Remember, the 2016 team was considerably better than the current champs. That said, it sure is great to have Coach Saban coming back to dominate yet again. He is the best and it isn't even a little bit close. The haters will have their hands full this season.

I suppose. I was hoping that they acquired Alex Smith AND drafted a 1st round qb.

I never heard that story but it doesn't surprise me.

Hand sat mainly because of the talent on last season's Crimson Tide defense. You see I respectfully disagree and think that last year's defense was far better than this one. Clemson beat them fair and square. I want to make this clear but the Tide had some tremendous defensive players hurt. Ryan Anderson once said that Hand was the fastest lineman on the team. He might be but he doesn't get an especially quick start (which is why I see him as a 4/3 DT). Hey, the kid is a monster. He might have been the top recruit overall, if not he was close. He does, as you say, appear to be boom or bust. I look forward to your projections about the next Alabama class.

The Bills do not seem to need a safety, let alone a 1st rounder. I don't want a first round corner either. As always, I want QBs, OL, Pass Rushing DEs and LBs. I do however think that Harrison will get drafted by a team that picks late and make some huge plays. John, he reminds me of Atwater.

Listen, this post was absolutely outstanding. Tell me, are you a closet Alabama Fan? I see that you have Payne graded in the top 10. Imo this was a daring yet accurate projection. After the title game, people now know how athletic he is. He is also lightening fast in close quarters and as strong as an ox. I hope he lasts long enough for the Bills to draft. All of the mocks love Minkah, but most omit Ronnie Harrison from the 1st round. I have been watching football even before Ronnie Lott and I'm telling you that Harrison hits as hard as any safety has in decades. He can cover, blitz, and is great against the run. Trust me, I loathe drafting 1st round defensive backs as a rule, but RH is going to win football games for his NFL team. Good call! A quick word about Bama LBs: Coach Saban says that many of the LBs who now excel on the Tide might not have made the team several years ago because they would have been thought of as too small. This group they have now will leave school pro-ready because they excel at coverage. I hope that Shaun Dion-Hamilton does last until round 4, even if we had to wait for him to return to 100%. And, you properly list Da'Shaun Hand as a DE and he might be a great one. He is huge, and he sure has fresh legs whereas he sat a lot on Bama, but I have a hunch that he would be a standout DT in a 4/3. Just a hunch. Once again, thanks for a great, well thought post.

If you watch the Senior Bowl, you might want to take a look at Da'Shaun Hand. He played DE at Bama but he interests me as a 4-3 DT. He's 6'4'/290 and fast. He was a 5 star recruit but didn't see all that much playing time. But, he is as strong as an ox and very fast. He might last until Round 3 or 4. It's hard to say.

Somewhere around Round 4, but I want to see what he does with the 225 at the combines. Imo, the bench numbers tend to be meaningful for offensive linemen (although it didn't help Mike Williams )

I am going to add Bradley Bozeman into the mix from the Crimson Tide due to the horrible news about Wood.

Fantastic avatar!!!

I think you mean Raekwon Davis, #99. He was only a sophomore this year. He's listed at 6'7" / 305. He is very quick and has exceptionally long and strong arms. I don't remember him at all as a freshman. The kid is still learning. Also, Anfernee Jennings is sort of a tweener. He's 6'2" / 262 and lightning fast. Saban gave him the highest grade for 1 game (Sugar Bowl) of any Tide player this season. He was hurt for the title game.

He does need more time and I'm sure he will see lots of it if he stays healthy. In fact, I suspect that Hurts will transfer. I hope not but I do expect this. I first saw Tua in a televised summer practice game. Imo the kid is a very special player. I liken him (for the sake of early conversation) to a more talented Russell Wilson, and I'm serious. He is mobile, an agile power runner, has a cannon arm, and is VERY accurate. Not enough? He is smart and a serious, deeply religious kid. Will Fromm turn out to be better? I think not but we both know that I am extremely partial.

Alabama Crimson Tide: Da'Ron Payne is a great DT. Last season, Ryan Anderson said that he was the 2nd fastest defensive lineman on the team. Da'Ron penetrates on virtually every play and the Bills need a DT. He is a quiet kid and to my knowledge has never been in trouble. Ronnie Harrison has the potential to be a great safety. He is listed at 6'3/215 and is a human missile who can cover all day, blitz, and is great against the run. Is he as good as Minkah Fitzpatrick? No, but Minkah is going to be a top 10, maybe even top 5 selection.

Early, yes but at some point we are going to have to include Tua in this conversation. Hey, let's not forget who beat who.

Absolutely. Clemson really sucked on defense.

Sorry if it seems like I am ducking the question, but I have seen him run all of the above. He was also good at utilizing a running qb but we shouldn't read much into that. Remember, Coach Saban likes to keep opponents at 3rd and long, and then force mistakes and pounce on them and again, I believe he put heavy pressure on Daboll to keep things conservative. He even got angry at him in the Clemson game for 2 incomplete passes in the 4th quarter when he thought that Daboll should be killing the clock. In the Championship Game, Coach Saban had no choice and had to turn Daboll loose. He (imo) put on a coaching clinic. At one point there were 6 freshmen on the field on offense. 6 FRESHMEN, and look what happened!!!! Daboll was schooled by the best and will be superb, or so I say.