Tony's Take: Did Alabama receiver have any problems last season?

We have reached a point where it’s hard to get news in the year. Both basketball and football transfer windows are closed violently, and most of Alabama's offseason business has been processed unless several rosters of Nate Oats.

Oatmeal and Kalen Deboer are both on the case file for next week’s “traditional” Pro-Am. Beyond that, if you want to hear from both head coaches in the next few weeks, you need to adjust your podcast and radio appearances.

Most of these interviews did not produce many needle-punched items. Still, the coach may say something from time to time to time to cheer up my ears.

Over the past week, Deboer has cleverly noticed some dissatisfaction with his catchroom performance last season.

The first was on Monday's interview with Seattle Radio 93.3 KJR, when the head coach was asked about his thoughts that quarterback Jalen Milroe struggled for the passer late last season.

Deborer said Milroe's game needs improvement, but he also pointed out something that could "prove" the quarterback's poor performance. One of them was the Receiver Corps, “only a few Receivers were for him week after week.”

I didn't think about a lot of comments until later a week when Deboer was in an interview with CBS Sports Podcaster Josh Pate. In the interview, Pate asked Deboer what field he thinks his team has made the most progress this fall. Without hesitation, the first position that came out of the head coach's mouth was the receiver and the defensive back.

The secondary is given. Alabama had to replace all the starting defensive backs outside the previous year and was forced to throw true freshman Zabien Brown into the first fires at cornerback.

But the recipient? When asked why Alabama missed last season’s college football playoffs, not many fingers pointed in their direction. Instead, most people committed Milroe's pedestrian pass offense, which ranked 56th in the country, improving the 56th offense with just 236.4 yards per game.

I will be the first to admit, and I am one of them.

But is it wrong to blame Miro for most of the blame? Here is a comment from Deboer, which led me to take a second look at this week.

Before I started, this column wasn't a free card for Milroe. Last season, he didn't help much with his accuracy and decision-making. He still has a long way to go before preparing to lead the next level of offense. But maybe he shouldn't be the only one who blames the responsibility.

According to Pro Football Focus, Alabama ranked seventh in the SEC with a score of 75.9. Miss Ole leads with an 85.9 rating, as one might expect. The Rebels were followed by LSU (78.5), Arkansas (78.4), and Texas (78.0). All four programs chose a pass catcher at the end of the second day of this year's NFL draft.

But Alabama also lags behind Florida (76.8) and Vanderbilt (76.0). It's not a good look, especially considering the talent Deboer has produced in a wide range of receivers in two seasons in Washington.

The PFF grading system reward receiver creates large matches by consistently defeating coverage and winning controversial catches. It also punished them for things like falling and poor routes. Like any judgment scale, it is subjective. However, there are some statistics that can illustrate your own field.

According to PFF, Alabama recorded 19 pass attempts last season. That was a 5.63% drop rate, tied for fifth in the conference with Mississippi State.

Despite leading the tide with 865 yards and eight touchdowns in the air, Ryan Williams was the team's most guilty culprit when it was down. According to PFF, the five-star freshman let seven balls slide out of his hand. It's the most players in Alabama since John Metchie III received eight drops of water in 2021.

Germie Bernard led Alabama with a 79.2 record last season. This marks the first time since 2016 that Tides have not recorded a 80.0 rating or above. To be fair, Jahmyr Gibbs is the only Alabama player to reach that goal in 2022, and the companion who ran back to Josh Jacobs was the only tide player to do so in 2017.

Still, maybe Deboer still has a little bit of receiving production last season.

Again, Milroe didn't stand out here. As an AFC director who asked not to be named said before the draft: "His fastball is not very accurate. He doesn't know when he can take the ball away." There will certainly be a longer road when it comes to Alabama's passing ability.

So what did this exercise show me?

While the numbers are incredible at times, they are full of optimism for next season. Whether you blame Milroe or his receiver for lack of production last season, the trend should do better in the air this fall.

The three choices behind Alabama are the first quarterback. Although they may lack Milroe's ability to play in certain areas, they should be better off both in short and in the middle of the game.

This should allow the receiver of the tide to take a step forward as well.

Now that Williams has found his position at the college level, it should be easier for him to find the grip on the ball in the second year. The Tide also returned to Bernard's steady hand while moving to Miami with Isaiah Horton bringing a potential breakthrough star. Coupled with reliable slot options like Cole Adams and freshman Lotzeir Brooks, the receiver’s position seems to be one of Alabama’s strengths.

What about the good news in the summer?