Capps attemps to fill void on offensive line
Ken Rogers/Dothan Eagle
TUSCALOOSA — A year ago, Chris Capps all but became the poster boy for what was wrong with Alabama.
The right tackle had started every game in his junior year on a line that grew more shaky as the year went on. He was often matched up against the opponent’s best rush end or blitzing linebacker.
It was a matchup that Auburn’s Quentin Groves exploited for two big sacks that caused fumbles in the final regular-season game.
Capps’ big problem? He wasn’t Andre Smith. He lost his job in the spring, but went through every workout and every practice since his demotion with the same effort he gave as a starter.
It impressed head coach Nick Saban enough to make him an honorary game captain three times this season, even though Capps has only started since the ongoing textbook investigation sidelined two offensive linemen.
“We have a group of players that we feel are doing the right stuff. We don’t want the leadership to be limited to two or three guys that get elected captain, so we rotate the seniors and even at that don’t limit the leadership to just the seniors,” Saban said.
“We just kind of enforce positive performance in what guys have been doing to make a positive effect with their teammates.”
Capps said he’s kept doing his job despite a very good chance that he’d see limited action, at best, this season.
“You got to prepare like you’re the starter, even if you’re not,” the senior said. “That’s kind of a goal for everybody anyway. Prepare like you’re starting, then be ready, ‘cause somebody could get hurt on the first play; somebody could get hurt on the last play. You’ve got to be ready each time.”
Capps has been the third tackle, behind Smith on the left side and Mike Johnson on the right. But when center Antoine Caldwell and guard Marlon Davis were suspended, the continuity of the offensive front — one of the strengths of the team — disintegrated.
“Because we lost so many interior guys we had to make a switch to try to get our best five guys on the field,” Saban said. “Chris is one of those guys right now and he did a good job in the (Mississippi State) game.”
Saban said Capps’ attitude and work ethic earned the opportunity to return to the lineup.
“He is a smart player and he is one of the guys that, even though he has been a starter around here, he has never not worked hard to continue to improve and get better throughout this season,” Saban said. “I always tell players, and players have a tough time with this, ‘You can’t always create your opportunities in life, but you always can be ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it comes by working and preparing all along.’
“Just because you do that doesn’t mean you are going to get an opportunity, but it does mean you will be able to take advantage of it when it comes. I think Chris has done that all year long. He made improvement, has good understanding and he played fairly well in the game because of it.”
Capps sees his role as the guy who doesn’t let his teammates down when he’s called on.
“If you just sit there like, ‘Oh, I’m not a starter, I’m not the guy,’ what happens when that guy goes down and the whole team is counting on you to step up?” he asked. “Everybody’s looking at you, and you’re, like, ‘Oh, well, I didn’t practice this week that hard, or as hard as I could have; I wasn’t paying attention in meetings because I didn’t think I was going to be playing.’ You don’t want to let anybody down.”
So there he was, matched against one of the SEC’s most regarded pass rushers, MSU’s Titus Brown. Capps thought it was ironic.
“That was the third year in a row I lined up against Titus Brown,” he laughed. “He’s a good competitor. He always gives me a hard time. It felt good, though.”
Brown’s only sack came on the game’s final play. And his big rush that forced John Parker Wilson’s game-changing 100-yard interception didn’t come through Capps.
Still, he was part of the offensive line that couldn’t punch the ball in from the 3. And that couldn’t get anything going for most of the second half.
The changes up front have upset the continuity of the line, but the players aren’t using that as an excuse.
“We mixed it up pretty good throughout the season in practice,” he said when asked about the position changes. “We’re all good friends, everybody gets in there, communicates really well. Mike Johnson did a great job on Saturday, moved from tackle to guard. We communicated really well, we did a good job. And that’s what it’s about.”
Smith, the sophomore tackle, said the late-season shuffle up front “hasn’t really affected us.”
“Mike (Johnson) is a great athlete. He’s able to play guard and tackle,” Smith said. “Chris Capps stepped in and did a great job against (MSU defensive end) Titus Brown and Evan (Cardwell), what can you say about him? He’s smart, he knows the offense from front to back, and he’s a student of the game.”
“He played a great game Saturday,” running back Terry Grant said of Capps. “He did a great job stepping in there at the right time. He showed a lot of heart.”
No, this season hasn’t gone the way Capps once dreamed his senior year would go.
“Yeah, things have been a little different,” Capps said. “It can be discouraging sometimes, but you got to be ready. That’s your job. ... You prepare to be a starter. Then even if you’re not, you’re trying to practice as hard as you can, maybe you will be the next week.”
