Alabama Fans Are About to Hear What They Hoped For About Bryce Young

With the University of Alabama football team set to hold its first fall scrimmage on Saturday, get ready to hear about three things in particular, none of which should be a surprise:

1] The defense looks good, with lots of talent, depth and even versatility.

2] There's a lot of impressive young talent on the team, especially with the signing Class of 2021. But it's going to take some time for a lot of them to develop.

3) Quarterback Bryce Young is the real deal.

When trusted sources say he's everything Alabama hoped for and more, and has the confidence and ability to have a big season, you listen.

The expectation here is that by Saturday late afternoon there's going to be a lot of talk leaking out of the closed scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium about how the offense may not regress too much statistically from last year's incredible unit.

Consider the percentages.

• Receiving: DeVonta Smith set all sorts of records with his 117 catches for 1,856 yards, but that was just 36.1 percent, and 39.9 percent, of Alabama's totals, respectively. Also, four of the six top receiving leaders from 2020 are no longer on the roster.

• Rushing: Najee Harris had 61.5 percent of the Crimson Tide's production on the ground, and 70 percent of the rushing touchdowns.

• Passing: Mac Jones accounted for 96.6 percent of Alabama's passing yards in 2020.

Wide receiver John Metchie III may be the only player who has a chance to match the performance percentage of his specific predecessor, yet that's about where the comparisons with last year's offense will, and should, end. There are simply too many changes on the roster and with the coaching staff.

Consequently, the key word for Alabama this season is potential.

The better the defense, the less pressure there will be on the offense. That might be huge during the first few weeks, when Alabama will face Miami, Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M while still trying to carve out its identity.

A lot of that will depend on Young, who has yet to make his first career start. However, if the Crimson Tide gets through those first challenging games, and is still on an upswing, fans can then start thinking about the possibilities because the offense should only get better.

But that's still two months down the road.

The Rise and Fall in the NFL

A story that hasn't gotten enough attention in the NFL ranks is the move former Crimson Tide defensive lineman Jarran Reed made, leaving money on the table in Seattle to play with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Although the Seahawks reportedly offered a restructured contract that would have paid Reed more than $8 million per year with void years added to the deal to spread the cap hit over multiple seasons, it was even better than it looked. By lowering his $13.9 million salary cap hit, it would have turned his base salary into a guaranteed signing bonus.

But Reed, frustrated that that the Seahawks wouldn't offer a contract spanning at least three seasons, opted for a fresh start. The former Crimson Tide stalwart left via free agency and a one-year deal for $5 million with the potential to earn an additional $2 million in incentives with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Don't look now, but that move might have serious ramifications this season. Reed is off to a great start playing alongside All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, with the interior tandem already helping the pass-rush and making the defense as a whole better.

If the Chiefs can find a way to go back and win another Super Bowl, Reed's addition will be widely hailed as maybe being the biggest move of the offseason.

On the flip side, there's growing concern about St. Louis Rams linebacker Terrell Lewis, and talk about limiting his snaps.

“Terrell’s knee is kind of acting up again,” head coach Sean McVay said on Monday.

Lewis still has a ton of potential, but it only goes so far if they can't count on him. Plus, the Rams have some talented linebackers who are working their way up the depth chart.

When Alabama is preseason No. 1

You know the Crimson Tide is in its own college football universe when this note comes up each and every season.

With Alabama topping the preseason coaches' rankings, the Crimson Tide has been ranked No. 1 in a major poll at some point of every season since 2008. Not only is it the longest streak in college football history, but it covers every season of the Nick Saban era minus 2007.

Even though Alabama has had a lot of turnover since winning the 2020 national title, the ranking was not a surprise. The Crimson Tide landed all but two first-place votes from the coaches, and the AP Top 25 is expected to follow suit when its preseason poll is released next week.

However, being No. 1 at this point has not worked to Alabama's advantage. The Crimson Tide had been atop the preseason AP poll five times during the Saban era, and out of them only once did it manage to finish there. The 2017 team pulled it off despite taking a loss.

When it won the national championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2020, it started out, respectively, at No. 5, 2, 2, 3 and 3.

Since 2010, the lowest Alabama has been in the preseason AP Top 25 is third.

Did You Notice?

• Patriots Can't Rule Out Mac Jones as Opening Day Starter After Solid Preseason Debut

• Ryan Fitzpatrick Was ‘Floored’ by Dolphins Benching in Favor of Tua Tagovailoa

• The Year the NFL Banned Two of its Biggest Stars for Gambling

• The Last of the Southern Charmers: Bobby Bowden's Legacy at Florida State And In College Football

And finally, because sometimes we still get things right ...

Is this Heaven? 🥺

(via @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/mIxNxHjHix
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) August 12, 2021

Christopher Walsh's notes column All Things CW appears weekly on BamaCentral.