The University of Alabama football team practiced on Monday in preparation for Saturday's game at Florida. The Tide practiced in shorts in the muggy Tuscaloosa afternoon - perfect weather for prepping the team for a game that will be played in "The Swamp".
Here's what you need to know:
C.J. Mosley was not in black. He was limited during individual drills, but was cleared for contact. He injured his elbow in the first half of Saturday's domination of Arkansas, and the initial thought was that he had possibly dislocated the elbow. He certainly won't be 100% on Saturday, but it looks like he will be available.
Eddie Lacy sprained a toe in Saturday's game, but managed to play after that without any obvious limitation. As expected, he was also cleared for contact. He wasn't pushing it during the media viewing period, but with the team in shorts, that's not too surprising.
A.J. McCarron practiced without limitation, which is how he played on Saturday after a slight shoulder injury. The fact that he suffered the injury on Bama's first drive and went on to throw 20 passes, including a beautifully thrown touchdown on the next play should serve as an indication as to his health.
Chris Jordan was in black for much of last week, but as Coach Saban indicated on Saturday, he was cleared for practice today. Jordan hasn't played this year, suffering from "being banged up". That's the only word we've gotten so far, and is likely the only word we'll get. With Mosley possibly limited, we could see Jordan get some playing time.
With Mosley's injury a consideration, as well as the matchups that Florida's offense presents, Bama had a safety practicing at linebacker during the media viewing period. No, it was not All-American candidates Mark Barron or Robert Lester. It wasn't veteran walk-on Will Lowery. It wasn't returning reserves Nick Perry or Jarrick Williams. It also wasn't the nation's top high school safety from a year ago. Instead it was a guy that many folks nationally ignored, claiming that his 3-star ranking was the result of an Alabama scholarship - a scholarship offered only because his dad was on the Bama staff.
That's right, Vinnie Sunseri was working at linebacker. Presumably this would be with the mindset of using him to match up with the speedy duo of Rainey and Demps, though Vinnie isn't quite that fast. The Gators don't have a traditional rushing offense, so playing with a regular group of linebackers in the nickel defense isn't the obvious way to defend them. Vinnie has played safety in three games so far, and in all three of those games, he's been the "up" safety, which has placed him right alongside the mike linebacker. If you don't know Bama's personnel groupings, then you might assume that he was playing linebacker. It looks like he's getting some practice reps with that in mind.
Bama will practice again on Tuesday, and we'll have our normal report.
