With nearly the first half of spring practice in their rear-view mirror, the Alabama Crimson Tide have begun to identify the areas that need to be polished up before the season rolls around.
One of the more interesting sub-plots revolves around the offense and, specifically, how, if any, the offense would change under new offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
Nussmeier replaces Jim McElwain, who left to be the head coach at Colorado State after directing the offense for Nick Saban the last four seasons.
This situation is hardly unfamiliar territory for Nussmeier, who replaced McElwain as the offensive coordinator at Fresno State after he left to take over the role as Alabama’s play-caller in 2008.
From the limited information that has leaked out regarding spring practices, the faces may have changed, but the ideas for players and coaches remain the same.
In fact, quarterback A.J. McCarron has already taken a liking to his new quarterback coach.
"Same as always," McCarron said to al.com’s Don Kausler Jr. "Nothing different. Just some new faces around there. Other than that, everything seems to be clicking so far. Hopefully we can keep progressing."
A closer look at Nussmeier’s last four seasons as an offensive coordinator—the last three at Washington and at Fresno State in 2008—reveals that the biggest difference between his offense and that of McElwain's is that the latter ran the ball more effectively.
That difference is hardly a surprise, considering the talented running backs and offensive linemen to come through Alabama in the last four seasons.
Now that Nussmeier has access to top-notch prospects at those respective positions, it’s not unreasonable to expect his tendency of passing more to subside.
Another aspect that links Nussmeier to his predecessor is their respective work as quarterback coaches.
Perhaps his best work was last season at Washington, when the Huskies had to replace NFL first-rounder Jake Locker and yet thrived with new starter Keith Price, jumping from 76th nationally in total offense in 2010 to 38th a year later.
That tidbit should serve as an important reference for Tide fans who expect McCarron to raise his game to another level despite losing nearly all of his main skill weapons from last season.
Despite new faces on the sidelines and on the field, fans and opponents alike should not expect many differences from the steady and methodical units Alabama has fielded since Saban’s arrival.
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