The Tide nation was caught off guard by the news of Mark Ingram’s injury today. Ingram underwent arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday morning. The usual recovery time on an surgery like this is a couple of weeks, depending on the individual and the rehab done to the knee. He is likely being held out until he is 100% with no rush to get back into the depth chart. “It was a situation where everyone involved thought it would be better to take care of now, so he would not have any issues with it later in the season.” Coach Nick Saban said in his release.
Obviously losing a Heisman trophy winning running back with a knee injury isn’t the best start to the 2010 Alabama Crimson Tide’s football season. The 5’10 215 pound bowling ball of a running back named Mark Ingram was a key point to the Crimson Tide’s offense from 2009. Rushing for 1,658 yards and 17 touchdowns and catching 3 more touchdowns in the passing game on the road to receiving Alabama’s first Heisman trophy.
Below are my top 5 reasons why the Tide Nation shouldn’t worry too much about this injury:
Reason One: Trent Richardson
The 5’11 220 pound former 5 star recruit, Richardson was a bright spot for the great recruiting class from last year. He showed early in his career he is a hard man to tackle, and he is not scared of anyone or anything (ask Arkansas). He was the lone bright spot in Alabama’s rushing attack against Auburn last year, and a great back up to Mark Ingram. Rushing for 741 yards and 8 touchdowns on only 145 carries last season. It’s nice to have this type of Ace in the hole, and many believe he is as good or better than the reigning Heisman trophy winner. We will see how he reacts to getting most of the load come September 4th.
Reason Two: Eddie Lacy
Not a name your familiar with at the moment, but a name you will know after week 1 or 2. At 6’0 212 pounds, he is a bigger back than Ingram or Richardson while still playing the same style, quickness and not shying away from contact. The former 4 star running back will get his first chance to show the SEC what he can do with the ball in his hands after redshirting last season. High praise for this guy while in spring camp the last two years, time to back it up on the field.
Reason Three: Julio Jones
The 6’4 220 pound Wide Receiver is one of the most dominate receivers in the nation. Constantly demanding double teams is the name of the game when it comes to slowing him down. Hampered last year with an injury most of the year, a healthy Julio Jones this year could mean trouble for opposing defenses, and highlight reels for the Crimson Tide offense. If healthy, he makes it harder to key in on the running game and creates mismatches all over the field.
Reason Four: Demetrius Goode
The 5’9 220 pound running back from Virginia saw limited action in 2009. Coming from a big time prep program like Hargrave Military Academy he is no stranger to strict rules and a winning mentality. He has spent the last two years in Saban’s program learning from the other backs, he is more than capable to hold down the offense when needed. Another former 4 star (this should show you the depth at running back). Showed flashes during A-Day this year, should be interesting to see how they use him this year when he quickly becomes needed to give the other guys a rest.
Reason Five: Schedule
A favorable schedule to start the season should help ease the minds of Alabama fans while Mr. Heisman Trophy heals.
Sept 4th, San Jose St comes rolling into Bryant Denny Stadium having not beaten a ranked opponent on the road since the 80s. Should be a great time to see the second and third string get a good bit of reps.
Sept. 11th, Penn St. comes to Bryant Denny for a historical match of old vs new. Joe Paterno vs Nick Saban. An old rivalry alive and kicking again. Penn St always fields a good defense but the lack of a proven Quarterback may end up biting them in this one. One of the good tests of the season for a Tide team trying to be the first team in the BCS era to repeat as back to back champions.
Sept. 18th, Alabama goes on the road to an improving Duke team. Primarily known as a basketball school, the Blue Devils are working towards building a sturdy football team. This game could be close at the end of the 1st quarter but Alabama’s offense should be able to put points on the board, and the defense should be starting to hit their stride against an overmatched Duke team.
Sept. 25th, another road game for the Crimson Tide. Going to Fayetteville to take on the high powered Arkansas Razorbacks. This game could be interesting. If the Crimson Tide’s secondary hasn’t gelled this could be high scoring affair. Arkansas doesn’t have much of a defense returning which could allow Alabama to score and score often. If the defense can step up this game could be much like last year. Also, this game is projected as Mark Ingram’s first game of the season. Fresh legs, experienced running backs on the sideline, and a relentless offense could do the Razorbacks in if they can’t find a defense.
I am not saying that Alabama won’t miss Ingram, they will. But to really stress about this is not the answer. As you can see we have a couple of great players who are on the sidelines, ready to step up. And that’s without including the rest of the offense that could be the most explosive and powerful in Alabama history. We aren’t far away. Enjoy the season.
