Shula noted “There are some drills we couldn’t do until we put on shoulder pads. We call them ‘compete drills.’” Shula said such drills include offensive linemen going one-on-one against defensive linemen, running backs taking on a blitz technique by a linebacker, and wide receivers and defensive backs going head-to-head. “This is not a finesse drill,” Shula said. “There was a lot of hitting going on.”
The Bama head coach noted that battles between the lines of pre-season All-America offensive guard Justin Smiley (6-4, 293) against nose tackle Anthony Bryant (6-3, 336 and perhaps the strongest man on the team) and pre-season All-America tackle Wesley Britt (6-8, 313) against defensive end Antwan Odom (6-5, 277) were interesting.
But perhaps most interesting was Shula’s praise for freshman defensive tackle Dominic Lee, a 6-2, 302-pound defensive tackle from Birmingham Huffman. Although the drill was designed for first team offensive players to go against first team defensive players, second teamers against seconds, and so on, Shula said, “Dominic Lee got in there with the older guys and held his own.”
Shula said Lee had impressed Tide coaches on Wednesday with his speed and agility before showing his hitting ability Thursday.
He said Lee was one of several young players who did “a little better” than expected. Although he didn’t name them, he noted that wide receiver Tyrone Prothro continues to do well. “The young receivers are having a lot come at them right now,” Shula said.
The Tide head coach said that Thursday’s practice was an improvement over Wednesday’s even though the team is continuing to get new schemes on offense, defense and in the kicking game. And while Shula said, “It was better today from a mistakes standpoint, we put the ball on the ground a little too much. Any time that happens it takes away from a lot of good things.”
Shula said he has hopes that those players who look good in shorts will look good when the team is in full gear. While he had noted that the players wouldn’t do much more in full gear than they are now, he said there would be some tackling once the team is in full gear. “You don’t do a lot of tackling, but you have to do more in college than you would in the NFL because you have to teach it,” he said.
And, he said, the team would continue to add to its “inventory” of offensive, defensive and special team schemes.
He said decisions on a number of players would be made after two scrimmages. “You sometimes see a guy have a good scrimmage, but then you want it confirmed in a second scrimmage,” he said. “You need to see it consistently.”
Shula said he spent a good deal of time watching special teams Thursday, and particularly the punters. He said he thought Jeremy Schatz, a sophomore from Homewood who missed spring drills, was the most consistent. “He did some good things,” Shula said.
He also said that Special Teams Coach Dave Ungerer told him the kickoff men were doing well.
Shula didn’t rule out the possibility of one of Alabama’s freshmen being involved as a kick return man (Tyrone Prothro and Matt Caddell were outstanding return men in high school), but said, “They’ll have to be a cut above. And have to have a lot of poise. In the NFL it’s rare for a rookie to get that job, and they are four or five years older than a college freshman.”
On the subject of freshmen player, Shula said, “It’s probably toughest for a quarterback. Then offensive and defensive linemen because it is so physical. A freshman defensive lineman is going to see double teams unlike anything he’s ever seen before.”
The offensive line has come in for praise every day. Shula said it seems to be a unit that will have a big leadership role this year. “They have the attitude that they are going to get it done, and that they aren’t going to make mistakes. Or if they do make a mistake, they won’t make it again.” He said that coaches who had been here in the spring said that center J.B. Closner has made great strides. The center is critical to communications in calling blocking schemes, but Shula said that Closner would get some help from three-year starter Smiley and from senior Dennis Alexander, who is expected to start at the other guard spot.
Alexander, a 6-4, 334-pounder, was a starter as a freshman, but then lost his job and was little-used the last two years. Shula said, “I think he’s done well and expect him to do even better as he gets experience and gains confidence.”
Bama will continue in shoulder pads and helmets Friday, then go into full gear Saturday. The first of three scrimmages is expected to be held Monday. Two-a-day sessions will begin Sunday and be held on alternate days, August 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18, while one-a-day practices will be conducted on August 11,13, 15, 17 and 19 before classes begin on August 20.
Alabama will begin the 2003 season on August 30 against South Florida at Birmingham's Legion Field. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN, with kickoff scheduled at 2 p.m. CDT.