BOL Round Table

Mett played FAR better than any LSU qb has in years against us. His WR's were well covered. Looked just like the 08 UF game. Where all if those amazingly talented players you mentioned go Tebowed..
Prior to last week this defense was just as impressive as last years, with more turnovers.
Lets see if we get back to the norm, of if we were exposed. My bet is on option 1.

LSu watched our tape. They spread us out and it left Vinnie on an island and they picked on him all night. The kid has more heart than anyone and is very talented at Safety roaming and stopping the run. But covering a WR is his handicap. I can assure you Saban saw that and will adjust our Defense accordingly. I hope A&M prepared the same way as LSu bc we are already ready for it..

Mettenberger would not have played like that against last years D. Believe what you want but last years D was better. This years D is better than anyone else but not as good as last year.

To be honest, I don't believe it's really much of a criticism to say this D is the least talented Bama D in the past 4 years. It's still the best (or one of the best D's) in the nation. Pollack could be right and yet we still have a great defense. Also, the 2012 defense may or may not be as *talented* as the 2010 defense, but I think the 2012 defense has outperformed the 2010 defense so far.

Nice analogy. It puts Pollack's comments in perspective.

A case can be made for what he said, it isn't like he is that far off.

We are a spoiled bunch. Another year, another highly ranked defense, ranked first in most statistical categories, that has has been dominant in most games, but we are concerned about what David Pollack says about our talent. Also, by most counts, we have three first rounders on this defense and five more late rounders and could possibly have more guys drafted than last year. So, we may not have as much "star power" but we have a lot more quality NFL caliber depth. But, still the best defense in the country.

David Pollack is a talking head that knows he gets more attention but pointing out flaws in Alabama's team. Even with all of the talk they are doing, they still can not deny that we have the best defense in the country even with a "suspect secondary". Vinnie has some issue in coverage. Perry has some issues in the secondary as well. Belue has been beat but he is generally always in position. Despite those issues, no one has been able to exploit them effectively. Everyone has seen the tape but no one has been all to consistently exploit those issues enough to beat us. Hell, honestly, no one has been able to exploit those issues enough to keep the game close. LSU had to have the best game of the season and they still lost!

Bottom line, we still have the best defense in the country, as usual.

This list won't be 100% accurate or complete as I'm doing this off the top of my head. However, the following is the gist of our starting players (base Defense) from both 2011 and 2012. It is important to remember that all those stars from 2011 were the same guys that got beat in 2010.
When looking purely at recruiting rankings, the talent is extremely close. It is not an exact science. A great example of this is Nico Johnson. He is the highest ranked LB that Saban has brought to Alabama. We all know that while he is great, there is a long list of LB's that Saban has brought in that are better players than Nico. Mcclain, Hightower and Moseley are three Inside guys that have produced more in their careers (This is not a knock on Nico. He is fantastic and is one of my favorites. Just reality).
Based solely on this list, our starters are as talented as they were last year. They are not as experienced. When you start looking down the depth chart at guys like Jeoffrey Pagan, DJ Pettway, Denzel Devall, Reggie Ragland, Landon Collins, Geno Smith, Lamichael Fanning, Darren Lake, Ryan Anderson, Bradley Sylve, Eddie Williams, etc. (and I could go on for a while) it becomes abundantly clear that this team has more talented depth than any Nick Saban coached college team ever. There is really no doubt about it.
I predict that next years defense will be one of the greatest in the history of college football (much like 2011). I base this on the fact that our 2010 Defense, loaded with all that talent that produced a historic 2011 season, could not hold a candle to this years D. The 2010 D was extremely talented but inexperienced, much like the 2012 version. The difference? 2012's group is shutting people down and are a big reason that we are still undefeated as opposed to being the reason we have lost 3 games (I'm looking at you, 2010 D).

All of this to say. David Pollack is so wrong it is absurd. This years D might be Saban's most talented yet. It is certainly more talented than the 2008 and 2009 Defenses were. No doubt about it. He's wrong.

2011 Starters:

NG: Josh Chapman - 3 star - draft pick
DE: Damian Square - 3 star
DE: Jesse Williams - 4 star - top 50
Sam - Jerrell Harris - 4 star - top 50
Mike - Hightower - 4 star - top 250 eventual first rounder
Will - Nico/Moseley - 5 star/4 star - both top 100 players
Jack - Upshaw - 4 star - top 250 - eventual 2nd rounder
CB - Dre - 5 star - eventual first rounder
CB - Menzie - 4 star - draft pick
SS - Barron - 4 star - top 50 - eventual top ten pick
FS - Lester - 4 star - outside of top 250

2012 Starters:

NG - Jesse Williams - 4 star - top 50
DE - Square - 3 star
DE - Stinson - 4 star - top 250
Sam - Adrian Hubbard - 4 star - top 250
Mike - Nico Johnson/Trey Depriest - 5 star/4 star - top 50 players
Will - CJ Moseley - 4 star - top 100
Jack - X. Dickson - 4 star - top 50
CB - Milliner - 5 star
CB - Belue - 4 star - Juco top 10
FS - Haha - 5 star
SS - Lester - 4 star - outside of top 250

How many games has Menzie played? He must be hurt this year...I don't remember seeing him.

The talent discrepancy between this year's D and the 2009 is almost laughable. This year's D is way more talented. This year's D is also putting up numbers that are statistically superior that 2009.

Do you think Mett would have had 300 yards against our 09' team? 11'? or last few games of 10'?