Alabama could not beat a NFL team: Chiefs would kick their you know what

South Carolina ball coach Steve Spurrier’s comments last week sparked a national debate over Alabama. Can the No. 1 team in the nation beat the worst NFL team, say the Kansas City Chiefs? Let’s look at a few things.

Alabama is currently 9-0. They are the best defensive team in the BCS. They have given 82 total points this season. They score an average of 38 points per game. And let’s point out that in the most recent draft class, 15 players in the NFL come out of the Crimson Tide program.

The Chiefs are the worst team in football, having never held a lead in regulation this season. They are 1-7. Their only win came in overtime against the New Orleans Saints, which statistically has the worst defense in the entire NFL. The only bright spot for them is their running game, which is ranked third in the league.

Numbers are great but only a few that matter for this argument. A game between these two teams would be won on the line. The battle between lineman is the real issue for this.

Kansas City and Alabama have near identical defensive lines. Both teams run a 3-4 scheme with their front seven. The defensive ends are bigger for Kansas City, but Alabama’s linebackers are bigger.

The offensive lines are similarly matched. Both teams have lineman that average (6-5, 305). This means we can assume that both teams will be able to make good running lanes and provide a good, consistent pocket.

Alabama has one major matchup problem;  Eric Winston. Winston is  right tackle (6-7, 317), too big for Alabama’s line to push past. Kansas City could feel free to run to the strong side as many times as they want. Winston would seal in the defensive ends and leave a wide open space for Jamal Charles to run through.

Offensively the game comes down to the run. Neither team is a even ranked in the top 50 percent for passing. So let’s look at the running backs.

Jamal Charles vs. Eddie Lacy. Who wins that matchup? Charles. Charles is faster than Lacy, who can’t quite outrun a linebacker. Charles hits the edge and is gone, which shows why Eric Winston is a nightmare for Alabama. Lacy is more of a smash mouth runner. He runs through defenders instead of around them. That strategy won’t work too well against an NFL defensive line.

AJ McCarron and Matt Cassel is an interesting comparison. Statwise, McCarron crushes Cassel, but playing against Western Kentucky can make that easy for any passer. Cassel is the third worst passer in the league. So we can take the aerial attack of the table.

The Chiefs are a running team. Alabama is a running team. The Chiefs are one of the best rushing team in the NFL. Alabama isn’t even in the top ten in rushing in the BCS. Jamal Charles against a college defensive line, even if it is Alabama, might break all kinds of rushing records.

Here’s one more interesting statistic. The Chicago College All-Star Game was the last time college all stars and pros played each other. It ran from 1934 to 1976. Out of the 33 times the game was played, the college all stars won nine times. The last time it happened was 1963. A college team hasn’t beaten a professional football team in more than 50 years, and that won’t change any time soon.

It wouldn’t be close –  Chiefs in a laugher by 40 or more points.

College All-Star games: Check it out.

Cullen Oliff

Cullen Oliff is pursuing a degree in English with a concentration in Communication and Technology at UMBC. He spends most of his time either in a classroom or in a car driving along I-97. He plans to move closer to the Baltimore area soon.Whenever he isn’t writing for the Baltimore Post-Examiner or for school, Cullen enjoys reading bad science fiction novels and watching sports. He also is a fan of literature and poetry, occasionally writing some himself.