Sometime during last week’s victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers, Alabama defensive back Jarrick Williams picked up a foot injury. He finished the game, recording three tackles and affording some organization to a secondary desperately in need of structure. Post-game X-rays showed a Jones Fracture in Williams’ foot, an injury that will leave the Crimson Tide without the starter at one of its most vital positions.
To explain the position Williams’ plays, we should start with the front of Alabama’s defense: the defensive line and linebackers.
Alabama’s base defense is the 3-to-4 alignment: three defensive linemen (two ends and a nose tackle) and four linebackers. The linebackers are divided into two groups, inside linebackers and outside linebackers, which are then given names based on which side of the offense they attack – the “strong” side for the side of the offensive line with more players, or the opposite, appropriately called the “weak” side. The strong side, inside linebacker is called the Mike linebacker, while the weak side is called the Will. The outside linebacker most likely to rush the passer, usually on the weakside, is called the Jack. The other outside linebacker, usually over the strong side is called the Sam.
Behind the front seven is the standard secondary: two cornerbacks and two safeties. That’s 11 players, filling out the defensive personnel.
Jarrick Williams doesn’t play any of these positions. Hold on, let me explain.
Williams plays a position called “star,” a position that only exists when Alabama is in a defensive package called “nickel.” The nickel draws its name from its defining feature: a fifth defensive back. To avoid too many men on the field, Alabama would obviously need to substitute one of its basic positions. In most defenses that use a star position, the typical replacement would be the Sam linebacker, played by Denzel Devall for Alabama, and Williams does sometimes replace Devall. Frequently, however, Alabama chooses to forgo its primary pass rusher, the Jack linebacker, played by a number of people – notably Xzavier Dickson.
The star, as a fifth defensive back, is also called the “slot” cornerback, because he functions like a cornerback in the interior of the field. He is well-suited to cover disguised passing routes and can be called upon to stop play-option runs. He plays a shallow zone coverage to pass protect, but can also be called on to contain mobile quarterbacks and running backs. His role is more ambiguously defined than some, but no less vital.
The nickel package is used more and more commonly as a solution for the spread offense because it offers additional and versatile pass coverage. The star is the lynchpin of the secondary that enables defenses to neutralize the many-faceted offenses of today’s football. With the prevalence of the spread from teams like Auburn and Ole Miss, the sooner Alabama gets its star defender back, the better for the Crimson Tide.
