It was a Jekyll and Hyde kind of a season for Nick Saban and the 2021 Alabam football team. There were moments when it looked like a vintage Alabama team, but there were also moments that left you scratching your head in disbelief.
A lot of the inconsistency is understandable. The 2021 version of the Tide was not only full of youth and inexperience, but they also battled several key injuries throughout the entire season. In fact, you could make the argument that Nick Saban and his bunch squeezed about as much out the season as anyone could have hoped for.
Most programs would be incredibly happy with Alabama’s “down season” if that meant making it to the CFP national championship game. But as most of you know, Alabama isn’t most schools. The standard is high, therefore fan expectations are even higher.
Now that the season has ended and we have had a couple of days to reflect on the season, let’s take a look at the final report card for this 2021 Alabama football team.
First …the offense…
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The 2021 Alabama offense produced a Heisman winner in Bryce Young at quarterback, two 1,000-yard receivers in Jameson Williams and John Metchie, and a 1,000-yard rusher in Brian Robinson.
On the surface that looks incredible, and truth be told it really is. But unfortunately, there were also some issues with the Alabama offense.
Drops were an issue throughout the entire season, the offensive line was average by ‘Bama standards, and there were a handful of games where the offense simply couldn’t get out of its own way.
If we are being honest, it never really felt like offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien got comfortable calling plays for the Tide either.
Final Offensive Grade: A-
Next …the defense…
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Much like the offensive, the Alabama defense had…
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