Despite a disappointing end to last season, tensions are relatively low in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Alabama enters the season ranked No. 1 in both preseason polls and is the betting favorite to win the national title. The Crimson Tide brings back the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in quarterback Bryce Young as well as the nation’s top defender in Will Anderson Jr. Those two also return as team captains from last year and will lead a locker room fully focused on gaining redemption from last season’s national championship game defeat to Georgia.

While it’s easy to look through crimson-colored glasses at the moment, Alabama still has a few areas to clean up before its season opener against Utah State on Sept. 3 inside Bryant-Denny Stadium.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the Crimson Tide’s biggest lingering problems and how they are being addressed so far in preseason camp.

Following last weekend’s scrimmage, Nick Saban spoke about the inconsistency in his receiving corps, stating the unit suffered a few drops during the workout. That’s becoming a familiar issue for the Crimson Tide as its receivers struggled to hold onto the ball this spring after a season plagued with mishandled passes.

According to Pro Football Focus, Alabama recorded 32 drops over 15 games last season. For perspective, that’s the team’s highest total since the service started tracking the statistic in 2014, nearly doubling the 17 drops the Crimson Tide recorded over 13 games during its title-winning season in 2020. It’s also worth noting that PFF doesn’t count drops that are provoked by a defender, meaning that there were even more mishandled passes that should have been caught by receivers last year.