CECIL HURT: Tide fans will get an education at today's A-Day

One thing about A-Day: It’s always worth the cost of admission. But even at the usual ticket price — free to all — the 2008 version of A-Day might be a bargain.

That might sound like nonsense, but here’s the point.

All intra-squad scrimmages, by their very nature, have certain limitations. If the offense looks good, for example, then the defense is bound to look bad. But such scrimmages also have value, and Alabama’s might provide more bang for the buck — or, in this case, the non-buck — than most.

Take a look at Georgia’s annual Red-Black Game, for example. The Bulldogs, who’ll top most media prognostications as the Southeastern Conference favorite for the 2008 season, needed some spring work, as all college teams do.

On the other hand, the Bulldogs didn’t go into G-Day looking to answer a lot of questions. Matthew Stafford is going to be the quarterback, and he played for about a quarter, throwing 10 passes in a cocoon of non-contact safety. Running back Knowshon Moreno is a known quantity. He carried the ball three times. When a team is loaded at a lot of positions, that’s the way these things go.

Things are different at Alabama. The Crimson Tide has all sorts of questions to be answered, and problems that have to be addressed at every opportunity. A-Day will still have some of the intrinsic limitations of every scrimmage — but it will also be a rare glimpse for fans, a chance to evaluate some areas that need serious evaluation.

That doesn’t mean that senior quarterback John Parker Wilson won’t be shielded from contact today. He will be. It doesn’t mean that he’s competing for his starting job, except in the sense that all players have to hold on to a spot with hard work. Wilson is safe.

But the Crimson Tide quarterback is also working under a new offensive coordinator for the third time in three years. That means he might get more work in today’s game simulation simply because he needs the reps.

That’s just the quarterback spot. With a handful of exceptions, every other spot on the team is up for grabs. That doesn’t mean that the Crimson Tide is overflowing with talent at those spots.

At some, frankly, it is making the best of what’s around and hanging on for reinforcements. But it does mean that there are some players for whom an A-Day performance could end up being very important indeed.

Some of those battles are at positions that even a casual fan can watch and evaluate. At running back, for instance, Roy Upchurch is coming off a solid Saturday scrimmage — but it is way too early to say that Upchuch will be the Crimson Tide’s primary ball carrier in the fall. He is currently the healthiest, though, and might see a lot of work today.

Things are even more competitive at wide receiver. Last year’s core group of seniors — DJ Hall, Keith Brown, Matt Caddell — is gone. At this point, it’s possible to speculate on who will replace them but too early to guess who Wilson’s primary targets will be.

Mike McCoy and Earl Alexander have the edge in experience (along with Nikita Stover and Will Oakley, although neither of those two has been injury-free this spring).

If there is a rising star, it might be sophomore Darius Hanks, so it’s worth watching to see if A-Day will be his coming-out party.

Then, of course, there is the old law of supply and demand at work. For decades, literally, Alabama fans have had a consistent offensive mantra: throw more to the tight end. If what has happened so far this spring is any indication, today’s crowd should be elated.

It’s entirely possible that the top two receivers in A-Day will be Nick Walker and Colin Peek, the Georgia Tech transfer who is well worth watching.

Of course, there is one more perk to attending A-Day. In addition to watching the players on the field, the crowd has the added benefit of being able to watch itself.

With all the emphasis placed on A-Day — and I have no idea whether 92,000, or half that many, will be on hand — it’s a chance for fans to see if they can pack the stadium once again. If, this time around, there are a few empty seats, it won’t be the end of the world or a waning of interest in the football program.

But, no matter how many thousands are in attendance today, A-Day could be a real bargain — because they might actually learn something on a lovely spring day.

Cecil Hurt is sports editor of the Tuscaloosa News. Reach him at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0225.