Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) I'm sure Alabama will go through the motions of getting the team back in the habit of preparing for a weekly opponent by watching some film on this week's opponent, but who are they really preparing for this week?

Is it really San Jose State or Penn State that is on the minds of the players and coaches this week?

Saban and his players all respect Joe Paterno, and there is no doubt in any players mind that though they are down this year talent wise, that they won't come to Tuscaloosa ready for battle, focused and with upset on their minds.

"Sometimes a team is most dangerous when they think they're being discounted by the press and opposing teams." Nick Saban said once on the subject of such contests. And Penn State plays all their home games in a 100,000 plus seat stadium so they won't be intimidated in the least.

Recently in the ESPN special, "Training Days", Nick Saban was caught yelling to the team that he has already learned that Penn State has a locker room full of Alabama on the walls and told his team if they weren't giving 100 per cent that Penn State sure was.

So you can count on Alabama to not tip their hand with anything but vanilla offensive plays and simple muscle defense on the other side. After all, why give Penn State anything to work on that they may use against them.

Now some players like Dont'a Hightower will watch the San Jose film and look for exploitable weaknesses. He learned the importance of that from his "big brother" Rolando McClain, now in the NFL.

And Greg McElroy is another who has learned to love the films and may be looking for ways to show his arm a bit and give Penn State something else to worry about other than a trio of running backs that are the class act of college football.

But it wouldn't surprise many that the corner backs are studying Penn State's receivers as much this week as San Jose State's, or that the receiving corps are doing much of the same thing.

This is truly a game that Saban could sit out the entire first team if he wanted to and still win, so why go to that much bother on San Jose State?

Much could be said about the third game as well, when Alabama plays Duke just prior to opening the SEC schedule against the Ryan Mallet air show in Arkansas.

But if you listen to Saban, he will say you focus on one game at a time and never overlook an opponent no matter what, even if you are Alabama and they are San Jose State.

And though I'm sure that's what he's selling the players, I'll bet in private he's sneaking a peek at some Penn State films this week.

Unlike most games played in college football, the outcome of this game is never in doubt since first scheduled. That's not to say it's not an important game for both teams.

For San Jose State, it is a measuring stick to gauge their progress in trying to become a competitive team. It will give them a chance to see how they stack up against the best and a chance for them to live through a fight with the nation's best team and learn lessons from a near-certain los.

It will also get them over the shock of ever having to play in another huge stadium with a loud vocal crowd. If they play their cards right, they will come away a better team for having played this game and surviving.

For Alabama, the questions are even more in abundance and the answers won't be as clear.

They won't be as clear because it will be hard to gauge just how well or bad certain aspects truly are given the level of competition.

They can come away with some answers. 

Can the young secondary come away without some serious blown coverages?

Is the pass rush as good as Alabama thinks it is?

How will Mark Barron and the secondary do?

Will this Juggernaut offense score on every possession?

How much playing time will players like A.J. McCarron, the backup QB, and Eddie Lacy, the backup running back, get?

How many defensive backs will Saban let play and will one of them break out of the pack with a great game?

How will the new special team specialists do?

How much mercy will Nick Saban show? Will he even worry about covering the spread? (it's about 39 points)

And the list goes on. National writers have all said the first real test will be the first SEC game against Arkansas, but this game will certainly answer a lot of questions and either calm a lot of nerves or make even more that much more nervous.

With just a week to go before the first game, in typical Nick Saban fashion, he has declared that there is no depth chart.

Only this time, it's not because he doesn't want to disclose it, it's more like he doesn't know himself will wind up with the starting jobs and who will be the backups.

And that's a good thing in this case, because it isn't that some are under-performing, it's that so many are performing so well that it's simply hard to chose. The depth in this years team is simply staggering.

On Defense:

Linebackers:

Only Dont'a Hightower and Upshaw are guaranteed a starting job. There are seven players in the mix right now to fill the other positions.

Jerrell Harris looks like the man who may the starting nod in a nickel package and fill the inside role as top back up. He is so incredibly athletic that he can cover like a corner and in passing situation and has shown the grasp of the cover aspects of that position a little better than Nico Johnson or Chris Jordan for that Will slot.

He has had some time with the ones in practice and when Hightower moves to the outside, he seems comfortable in the middle. Many thought he might lock down the Sam Position, but Chavis Williams worked hard, bulked up even more and continues to impress the coaches with a lot of reps there and may finally live up to the potential he's always had.

So it could be Hightower and Chris Jordan in the middle, Upshaw and Chavis Williams on the outside. That would leave Harris as the "starter" in the nickel package and maybe Ed Stinson in "rabbit rusher" role.

And since Saban has moved them around so much in practice, many players could fill lots of different spots without much of a drop off at all.

Defensive Backs:

It's nice to see DeMarcus Milliner prancing around in practice without a black no contact jersey on again, but his absence for the last week or so dropped him in the depth chart, to possibly playing most in the nickel and dime positions as a backup for now.

With him out, Nick Perry and Jarrick Williams have been working the money position and that battle is still up in the air. Both have looked good. That money position is a combination of corner and safety so both could be great backups at just about any spot.

It looks like Mark Barron and Dre Kirkpatrick have locked down their jobs and safety and corner back respectively, but the rest are up for grabs.

Phelon Jones is looking like the other nickel package man if he doesn't lock down another role as corner.

BJ Scott looks like he might make a claim as the other corner in the base defense, but he's being pushed hard by at least three other players for that job.
For the other safety slot, Robert Lester was thought to have that locked down by now, but Will Lowery has been pushing him hard and getting a lot of time with the first unit as well as Lester.

Once DeQuan Menzie gets healthy, he may try and lock down the star position, but for now, when they go to nickel and dime packages, Barron slides into that role and Lester and Lowery both play the safety roles. 
  
Nose guard:

That position was run by two last year, and by all indications may be this year as well. Both Josh Chapman and Kerry Murphy do a lot of swapping with the first team, but Chapman may very well have the final nod at that spot.

Defensive Ends:

 I believe that Nick Saban knows more than he's telling as Marcell Dareus has had almost all the reps at his end position and that would only indicate to me that NIck Saban must know he's going to be cleared by game time by the NCAA.

At the other end, Damion Square was last year's starter until an injury, and with him at 100 per cent right now, most thought he would nail down the job again this year.

However Luther Davis has been getting a lot of reps with the number ones and that position may not be settled for a while.

The good news is however, that both look great when they get the chance to shine and they may wind up sharing time as the season goes on to keep a fresh end pounding on some poor lineman the whole game.

Offense:

Just about the only position that's still open of offense is the right tackle position.

Though D.J. Fluker has been mowing them down on running plays, he still has some footwork problems on pass blocking and that has caused the coaches to start looking a little more at moving Barett Jones to right tackle.

Again, instead of being a worry, it's a blessing for the Alabama fans that Nick Saban has so much depth that he can put the nation's number one tackle prospect on notice after a red shirt year that he still may not be ready to start.

The rest of the offense is pretty well set for starters, but there are wars still raging for back up players.

With So many players having a legitimate shot at a starting job at this point in the year is a testament to the talent that Nick Saban and his staff have brought to Alabama. The fact that these same wars will rage next year should scare the scheduled opponents.

Even though they are the pre-season number one team in the nation, they are still one of the youngest teams in the top 20, with this talent and level of competition they may be a contender for a while.

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Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) Chris Jones is a competitor. He'll play offense, defense, special teams. He'll take a wicked hit and deliver his own even harder. In his chest beats the heart of a warrior.

When you play safety, you're a man on an island. The decisions you make could make or break your team's fortunes. When you return punts, it's usually you alone hoping to make it back field to your blockers.

He also plays receiver and running back and then only thing he does about the same is pose a danger to the opposing team to be near the football.

But Nick Saban wants him, and maybe needs him even more, as a safety.

The only problem is a couple of dozen other teams would love to have him as well. And like a few other players Saban would love to land, Alabama is only one of Jones' top three teams.

So how good is Jones?

Think of him as a Javier Arenas replacement on bigger, stronger and scarier player. Though Javvy played corner and Jones is being looked at as a safety, Jones may be a blitz man like Arenas, return punts with the same ferocity and snag passes intended for the other team's receiver.

Starting his senior season in high school at Hueytown, Alabama, he's six foot and 187 pounds and still growing. He bench presses 330 pounds and has been said to squat as much as 415 pounds ten times in a row.

That allows him to use his 4.5 40 yard speed to deliver either a freight train hit to to shove off or stiff arm a potential tackler if he chooses not to simply run over him.

Because he plays just about all skilled positions, he knows just what they're thinking when he's playing against them.  That allows him to use his speed and his instincts together with fantastic results.

One such example was during one of the final games of last season. His team, the Minor Tigers, had a small lead over Hueytown in a game mired in mud that made moving the ball a nightmare.

Playing safety, Jones groaned as he saw the Hueytown QB try and surprise Minor with a quick kick. It was a good one with the ball landing in the quagmire at about the six yard line. Apparently Hueytown had flipped the filed.

Running to the ball, the smart play would be to down it or leave it alone and not attempt to scoop up a wet, muddy ball on the run, but that was not the choice Jones made.

After bobbling the ball twice, with opposing players closing in, he made a cut to the sideline to see nothing but trouble coming. He then reversed his field, giving up precious yardage to sprint as well as he could to other side.

His legs ached. It was like running in quicksand, but he knew it was just as difficult for his pursuers. As he broke in to the open and started down the far sideline he thought he might pass out.

He had already run down the ball, reversed across the entire width and was about to complete a 97 yard run. Had he run over 170 yards that play? He didn't know or care. He just knew his team needed a spark and was going to delver it.

He provided that spark numerous times last year with his interceptions, tackles behind the line, kick and punt returns as well as his rushing and receiving touchdowns. He was a threat to score by just touching the ball.

Though Saban has a bumper class of top talent already committed and a sure-fire overall top class, he needs defensive backs and Jones is just the guy he's looking for. He's a four star pick by Rivals and one of the top rated safeties in the South.

However, Jones has only narrowed his choices to three schools: Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. He is not expected to make a decision until at least the fall.

This is one Jones that Alabama doesn't want to have to keep up with, this is one they want to catch.

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) ESPN says that Isaiah Crowell from Georgia is the best running back prospect in the nation; Rivals says that it is Malcolm Brown of Texas who is the best running back prospect. The only thing that all major services agree on is that both have the Crimson Tide high on their list of schools. In fact, they have them in the top two.

And that in itself creates a problem.

Could one be waiting out the other to see what school they pick? Would both pick Alabama and go head-to-head for playing time? If one picks Alabama first publicly, will that alter the decision of the other? Do both have the guts to fight it out at the same school?

Such things are at this stage of recruiting impossible to determine.

Most experts say that Brown is a 50-50 shot for Alabama over Texas at this point and that Crowell may be a slight lean to Alabama over Georgia, who led early.

Alabama signing either one of these backs would assure it a top position in the final drafting wars; landing both would clearly make them No. 1.

And if you look at Alabama's commitment list, you'll notice that they haven't yet sewn up a big name running back yet, so landing one or both of these commitments would be important to them.

Rivals says Malcolm Brown is the nation's best high school running back

Espn says Crowell is the best high school running back prospect in America.

Though both are great backs, they are different in their style of playing.

Crowell is a smallish brute of a back capable of getting the same kind of yards after contact for which Alabama's Ingram is so famous. At 5'11" and around 212 pounds, he sort of resembles Ingram as well.

He can hit full steam by hi

s forth step and can take any play to the house with a good second gear. He runs through gaps low and is hard to get a hit on. In high school he platooned and never had to carry the offense on his back, so his stamina at this point is questionable.

Brown is 6'0" and about 210 lbs as well. Brown is a more physical type of runner who can carry the ball 25-30 times a game and get all those tough yards. He is a North-South running back, best suited to the type of offense that Alabama runs.

While not the breakaway threat that Crowell is, Brown is strong and not easy to bring down. He can drag tacklers that extra yard or two for critical first downs.

The fact that these two are arguably the best two backs in America for next year's college teams, and that both are considering Alabama, says much about the program at Alabama and the success of Saban and company in outside-the-state recruiting.

Should Alabama land these two running backs, the debate in future years will not be which school has the best running backs, but which Alabama back will contend for a Heisman?

I am often asked how the replacements on defense are doing and how deep are we at varying positions. The quick answer would be we are fine with the replacements and we are two and three deep now with quality talent.

The better answer would be that Alabama's second string, if a separate team, may be the second best team in the SEC and one of the top 10 teams in the country.

A.J. McCararron would soon be a household name throwing balls to Kevin Norwood and Darius Hanks, Brandon Gibson would also snag several. Trent Richardson might be in the running for a Heisman himself without sharing the load with Mark Ingram.

David Ross would be a good center and Tyler Love and Anthony Steen could hold down the left of the offensive line while John Boswell and Alfred McCullough and Brad Smelly has shown he can handle the tight end spot.

It would be a solid and high scoring offense to be sure and they would need to be to let the defensive backs learn without too much pressure on them.

On the defensive side, we would have some solid down linemen with Kerry Murphy at nose and Undra Billingsley and Damien Square at ends.

At linebacker, only Alabama's first team defense could be much better. Having linebackers Chavis Williams, Alex Watkins, Chris Jordan and Tana Patrick, this defense line and linebacker corp would be among the league's best.

In the defensive backfield, DeMarcus Milliner and Phelon Jones would be solid and John Fulton could maybe move to safety or either Kendall Kelley would be forced to start as a true freshman.

They would give the the first team about as good as run for the money as they did in the A Day game, where the second team offensive team actually won with the help of the first team defense.

The fact that all these players on just one team almost makes Alabama a sort of All Star team. They do lead the SEC in players on the All SEC team, and last year had more All Americans as well.

So next year, when people ask you how the replacements will affect Alabama's chances, you'll be safe in saying, "We'll be fine."

Larry Burton (Syndicated Writer) When you research Cyrus Kouandjio, three things become apparent immediately. One, he's not just Arie's little brother, (who signed with Alabama last year), it's easy to see why he may be the best offensive lineman recruit in the nation and lastly, that he's taking his time and studying hard his choices of what college to attend.

If you think just because Nick Saban plucked his brother from Maryland and little brother is sure to follow, you don't know Cyrus.

As he's often said, just because his brother is at Alabama, that doesn't mean that's who he will pick and he has his choice of almost any school in the nation.

While he maintains he learned a lot watching his brother go through this process, this is very much his own decision and everyone in the family goes along with that decision.

Cyrus says he respects his brother letting him sort this all out for himself without pressuring him to come to Alabama, although he does say that Alabama is most definitely on his short list.

He recently told ESPN, "Alabama definitely has my early attention. How could they not? I love coach Sal [Sunseri, assistant head coach/linebackers]. I really feel like I can trust him. I know he'll take care of me. And Coach Saban is really down-to-earth. They have been staying in contact pretty consistently. My brother believes that Coach [Joe] Pendry is the best offensive line coach in the country. That's a pretty big compliment right there."

And what does his brother have to say on the subject of recruiting?

"Me and Cyrus don't really talk about football in the house. I'm real proud of him; he's got a lot of attention and it's really great to see that happen for my younger brother. He's very athletic, which is why coaches really like him. I can still take him on one-v.-ones, though. My advice for him would be to look around and listen, keep an open mind. But definitely, Roll Tide." Said Arie.

He's driven down from his Maryland home to Tuscaloosa before with his brother and says that 12 hour trip is long, but he also recently paid his own money for an "unofficial" visit to New Mexico. Therefore you may assume that distance is not a factor in his decision.

Cyrus is six foot seven inches tall and a chiseled 300 pounds and very strong, he benches 310 & squats 510 lbs, and he's still hasn't played his senior season in high school. His hobbies include pancaking defensive players.

With the current bevy of talent already committed, the addition of Kouandijio could mean yet another top class for Saban and Alabama. It would also ensure that offensive line would keep having whatever running backs they use to gain national attention.

Could a commitment like Cyrus also influence a young man like Malcolm Brown from Texas to run behind such a line? Time will tell.

It's time to be to be silent no more. It's time to set the record straight, and once again hope that the media and fans of all teams will have the facts in hand before they simply read that the NCAA is investigating something at Alabama and instantly start the "Cheating" talk.

First of all, Alabama has done nothing wrong in the Marcell Dareus situation and has zero, and I repeat zero chance of anything ever happening to the school because of it.

Why?

They self reported themselves, and turned the matter over to the NCAA to come and see for themselves the facts of the case.

Since Marcell hasn't played a down since "Partygate" that has involved so many players, and since he won't until cleared by the NCAA, there is once again zero chance of any penalties to the team.

Now, let's turn to Marcell.

Marcell Dareus would only be in trouble if he took anything of value from an agent, booster or some other person the NCAA deems a problem. In this case, that would be transportation to from or at the site, lodging while there, food, drinks, money or any other item or service that has value.

Let's deal with them one by one.

Transportation: The ticket he flew down on was allegedly purchased by his friend Marvin Austin, a senior defensive lineman from North Carolina who is also being investigated.

The two met when Marcell made his official visit to North Carolina, and Austin served as his host. Though Marcell chose Alabama, the two remained good friends.

Austin thought a nice weekend in South Florida would be both payback for a personal promise of a nice trip should Alabama win the the championship that Austin promised Dareus, but also to take his mind of his mother for a few days.

Marcell did not want even the hint of this ticket being anything wrong, so when his buddy met him in South Florida, Dareus repaid him and all but demanded a receipt. He has one,and it was shown to the NCAA.

Marcell is not only drilled by the Alabama coaching staff and fellow players to always watch yourself and do the right thing, but also by his legal guardian Lester Reasor.

Reasor certainly works hard to keep Marcell on the straight and narrow. Lester, and his wonderful wife Juanita are like guardian angels.

Lester Reasor was a fine military man and helped spearhead the purchase of of the new home of the American Legion, post 347 in Fairfield, Alabama. It was the first building ever owned by the post.

Despite what most people think, Marcell has not lived with his mother for a while now. Mr. Reasor has guardianship of Dareus and his other siblings except for the oldest. He is a retired Huffman High School's ROTC program and he has instilled that kind of military thinking into Dareus—Duty, Honor, instead of country and school.

Marcell had been being looked after by Huffman High School assistant coach Scott Livingston until he was killed in a car crash, and in stepped Reasor. He could not see Dareus, and his siblings fall by the wayside.

Just like he took care of men in the military and, helped shape young people's lives by steering them into the ROTC and giving them a better chance at life, he did it for the Dareus family.

Part of the deal with moving in the Reasor's a few years back was that he would attend church with them every Sunday , and when Dareus came to Alabama without a car, Mr. Reasor drove from Birmingham every Sunday to pick him up to  make sure he kept his word.

Dareus' life could be another great movie along the lines of "Blindside", and the details are both personal and emotional, but they need to be told at this point so everyone knows the mindset and ties to South Florida that make his story more believable.

His father was a Haitian immigrant who died when he was young. His mother remarried, but her new  husband developed congestive heart failure, and then she became ill as well.

During his early life, he lived in South Florida for a great portion of his life, and has relatives in the Miami area especially around the "Little Hatti" area.

This part of the story is important later.

Now the lodging:

Marcell was supposed to stay with his friend Marvin Austin, but upon learning that the party was hosted by an agent, Marcell decided to play it safe, and simply stay with family in the area instead.

With family in that area, that would have been a logical thing to do. That is what he's told Alabama and the NCAA, and though I personally do not have proof that's what happened, I'm sure it could be verified.

The matters left that I haven't uncovered is any transportation at Miami, any food or other gifts, but in the eyes of the NCAA, such things are minor.

In every case where such things have taken place of minor things, the NCAA has re-instated their right to play once they have made repayment of any of those costs.

In other words, Dareus would not be suspended from any play this fall, f reparations were made for any thing or service he did receive.

The good news: Is that Dareus is already suspended by the NCAA.

Why is that good news?

First you are reported, then they investigate, and once they have sufficient material they suspend the player until a final ruling is made. The first suspended is the first unsuspended.

Everyone who is investigated, even if they are 100% innocent of any wrongdoing is suspended until cleared. To not be suspended is even worse. This means they are still in the gathering stage, and not ready to rule.

Some of the other players who attended, and received "benefits" have not been officially suspended yet by the NCAA. This means the school must do it themselves, because if they actually play and are found guilty later, then not only the player, but the school could face penalties.

So some players are wishing that they too were ready to be suspended so that the NCAA could make a determination soon. After all, we are getting really close to the first of the season, and the first game will be upon us shortly.

Every player on every team has a story, but few have the twists and turns that Marcell Dareus' does. Because of the adversity that Marcell has faced, and the strong men who came to aid him in those struggles, I find it hard to believe that such a man would let himself, his team and the people who had faith in him down.

So when you hear people you know call this man, this school, and these men who help him cheaters—you should give them all the facts first.

Now you can.

Ohio State fans said it wouldn't happen. No way would Trey DePriest leave an offer from Ohio State to go to Alabama. It was too far from home, he wouldn't see playing time as soon, and so many other reasons.

Yet yesterday, citing that when it came down to it, Alabama just felt more comfortable, more like the way he wanted his next home to feel—he did.

So said the player from California they signed, so said the other Texan, so said so many more.

What other fan bases are forgetting to realize is the importance that Nick Saban and this Alabama team places on "family" and personal relationships.

A great example would be Mark Ingram (from Michigan) and his remarks recently for the SEC Media Day audience.

When asked if he had a "best friend" on the team that he hung around with, he remarked that this team didn't have groups, but was unique in having all his teammates as one big family.

"I think one thing with our team is we're not really...it's not really cliqued up. It's not really you have a group of guys here, a group of guys here, a group of guys here. I think everybody involves themselves with each other. Everybody gets along well. That leads to the field where we just all click because we all hang out off the field and all get along with each other.

"We think of each other as family. That's how our organization is. We think we're a family. That leads to how we play on the field. We all have each other's back. We all going to go to war with the guy next to us, fight with the guy next to us. When we step on the field, we got to play the football game, you know, the next person has our back because we're with them all the time.

"My closest friends on the team...I have several. I'm close with Robby Green, Julio Jones, Trent Richardson, just a lot of the guys. We're all real good friends. I just can't name a whole bunch of 'em because we're all really close," Ingram told the packed room.

And therein lies the reason that Texas fans should be shaking in their boots. Not only would Malcolm Brown get early playing time here as well, but he would be part of a family that takes in everyone and makes them part of a family that other teams just don't have.

In his last public quote, Brown said, "Alabama's tradition was big to me, and the people there are crazy about their football; and I was very comfortable with their coaches."

The same word that DePriest used, "comfortable," the same word that so many recruits have used when citing reasons to come to Alabama.

For all the opposing fans who think Saban gets recruits only because of the glory he could lead them to on the field, they are missing the point. While that does have a strong measure in the decision making process, who doesn't want the chance to play for a championship, the most talked about reasons are comfort, the family atmosphere and the quality relationships there.

And while many think that Brown's decision is too close to call, Texas fans who read DePriest's reason may worry just a little bit more.