Sal Sunseri busy molding Bama’s next wave of pass rushers

First-year assistant coach Sal Sunseri is supposed to resurrect Alabama’s dormant pass rush.

So how exactly is he doing it?

If the 10 minutes the media was allowed to view Alabama’s full-pads practice Tuesday morning was any indication, he’s doing it with lots of teaching and lots of butt-chewing. Make that a whole lot of butt-chewing.

The players in Sunseri’s group early in practice Tuesday included Jonathan Atchison, Eryk Anders, Corey Reamer, Courtney Upshaw, Ed Stinson, Glenn Harbin, Alex Watkins, Chavis Williams, Drew Bullard and Milton Talbert, whose experimental move from the defensive line to Jack linebacker is looking more and more permanent.

“Run through!” Sunseri yelled at Talbert as he went through a drill. “No wasted motion!”

A few minutes later, Sunseri was working one-on-one with Anders, showing him the proper technique for exploding from the hips and lifting an opponent off the ground. He did the same with Watkins. Upshaw and Talbert were two guys who impressed the coach with their technique.

In another drill in which the players used their hands first and then the rest of their bodies to attack a tackling dummy, Sunseri got on to Atchison and Upshaw.

“Come off your toes!” he yelled.

Moments later, the teaching turned more cerebral as Sunseri explained scheme to his pupils, including how to line up against ‘trips.’ After telling Upshaw where he needed to be in a certain situation, he told him to “have faith in your ability.”

Sunseri quizzed Talbert on one occasion regarding where he needed to be in a certain situation, and Talbert provided a dead-on answer. Sunseri, who isn’t pleased easily, was pleased.

FLUKER STILL ON THE RIGHT: Freshman D.J. Fluker continues to see practice time at right tackle with last year’s starting right tackle, Drew Davis, seeing time at both right tackle and right guard.

MURPHY BACK: Freshman defensive lineman Kerry Murphy, who’s been absent during fall camp thus far because of the murder of his brother last week, was spotted at practice for the first time Tuesday morning.

FORMER TIDERS CHECK IN: In attendance at practice Tuesday morning was former Alabama lineman Thomas Rayam. Older Tide fans who remember the 1989 season know Rayam for his last-second block of a Penn State field go to keep Alabama undefeated. Kareem McNeal, who played for the Tide in the mid-1990s before being paralyzed in an accident, was seen at Monday’s practice.

NEXT PRACTICE: The team practices again tonight and then has one afternoon workout on Wednesday.

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