Sunday Reads on Alabama

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2012/08/alabama_defense_101_... [Alabama defense 101: nickel = Star, dime = Money, DBs = LBs]

That's an article from last year, but it does a very good job of explaining how Alabama substitutes in its defensive backs for linebackers, and how interchangeable their "Star" position is. I found this to be interesting too, "Nick Saban estimated that the Tide was in the 3-4 base only 20 percent of the time last season." Logan Thomas will probably end up seeing a variety of fronts and personnel packages on 8/31.

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2013/08/live_reports_nick_sa... [Quick hits: Nick Saban's press conference after Alabama's second scrimmage] and http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2013/08/alabama_2nd_scrimmag... [Nick Saban provides mixed review of Alabama's scrimmage as Tide enters 2-day break]

Rebuilding an offensive line is tough, for any team.

"Too many times we had a soft pocket, we got pressure in the pocket, made some mental errors up front, had a couple false starts – things that our offensive line typically has not done," Saban said. "So hopefully this will be something they can learn from and improve on and we'll get better and continue to progress."

Two of Alabama's nose guards are dealing with injuries up: Brandon Ivory (projected starter) and Wilson Love.