Ezoic Alabama’s defense was always strong under Nick Saban, particularly the defensive backfield, which was Saban’s area of strength. Every week, you could count on the Crimson Tide to have an outstanding defensive effort, giving them a chance to win every game. When you look up and down NFL rosters, you will see that many players spent their Saturdays on the defensive side of the ball in Alabama. Roman Harper, a former Crimson Tide defensive back, never got to play for head coach Nick Saban during his collegiate football career from 2003 to 2005, simply missing the coach. Nonetheless, he understands the importance of strong defense and is concerned about Tuscaloosa’s defense this season.
In a post from Touchdown Alabama, they show a quote from Roman Harper, who stated,” I have a little bit of concern with the whole defense as a whole just because it’s all such a brand new system… I like some of the things that they will be doing. It’s going to look a lot different than what Alabama did for so many years under Nick Saban. A little bit off-man coverage.”
New head coach Kalen DeBoer hired South Alabama’s head coach, Kane Wommack, as his defensive coordinator. While many people have wanted to focus on the Crimson Tide’s new offense under DeBoer and how it could take off, they are forgetting that the defense will also have many changes.
The Crimson Tide did not lose Saban, who was an excellent defensive thinker. They also lost their defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, who turned the unit around late last season and made it one of the best in the league.
All eyes are going to be on what is going on in Tuscaloosa this fall and whether they will resemble the same team we have seen since 2007. It will be exciting to see what kind of Crimson Tide football team we get this season. Will it be a high-flying offense, a great defense, or a little bit of both?
