TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dressed in nondescript sweats topped with a do-rag, Glen Coffee could have passed for a sleepy college student last Wednesday afternoon.
Taking in the Alabama football pro day from the sideline, the former Crimson Tide running back blended in with current team members as they watched teammates workout for pro scouts.
Coffee knows the process well, although this season’s event had less spectacle than 2009. Coming off a rookie season with the San Francisco 49ers, Coffee is looking for a brighter future, although his first pro season was arguably the best of the four ex-Tide players taken in the first three rounds of the 2009 draft.
That includes Andre Smith, the offensive lineman taken sixth overall.
His controversy-plagued year that began with a Sugar Bowl suspension included a long hold out, a broken foot in training camp and a spot on the sideline until late November. In all, Smith played six games with the Bengals while Coffee played in 14.
Rushing 83 times for 226 yards, Coffee was primarily a backup to Frank Gore. The apex of his season came before it officially started. Picking up the honor of being the preseason’s leading rusher, Coffee ran for an NFL-best 249 yards in four exhibition games highlighted by a 129-yard game in 18 carries against the Raiders.
“I had a great preseason, but I didn’t live up to the regular season — the season that counted,” Coffee said. “So I’ve been working this offseason to get bigger and stronger. I’m going to make something happen. I’ve got to.”
A hamstring injury and a concussion limited his effectiveness late in the season. He did have a 74-yard game on 24 carries in Week 4 when Gore was injured, but he only ran the ball nine times after October.
Coming from Alabama where he was the main back as a junior in 2008 and rushing for 1,383 yards, adjustments were necessary.
“As a running back, you want to be the guy that’s starting,” he said. “You want to be the guy that’s getting those touches so you get in a rhythm, but my role is not that. It’s not to be the main guy. But my role is to produce. So I’ve got to be ready mentally to go out there and be ready to perform.”
Playing for a business-oriented coach like Nick Saban in college helped prepare him for working under 49er coach Mike Singletary — easily one of the most intense personalities in football.
“They’re very similar,” Coffee said. “You can respect a guy like that. There’s no gray area, so it makes things easier.”
Antoine Caldwell, drafted three spots after Coffee as the 13th pick in the 2009 third round, was inactive for his first four games with the Houston Texans. He played in 10 games and started three at right guard after an injury to longtime starter Mike Brisiel.
The third Alabama player taken in last season’s third round, safety Rashad Johnson, could get his chance to prove himself this fall after the Arizona Cardinals released Antrel Rolle. Playing in 10 games as a rookie, Johnson made 20 tackles — 11 in the final two games of the season.
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