Alabama starters Deion Belue, Anthony Steen and Kevin Norwood each are nursing injuries coming out of the Crimson Tide's thrilling 49-42 road win over Texas A&M Saturday.
Belue's injury could be the most troublesome of the three. The starting cornerback injured his toe, and Alabama coach Nick Saban said it's possibly a turf toe injury, which can be difficult to treat and, in some cases, limit a player's effectiveness for the balance of a season. Turf toe was a problem for Alabama running back Eddie Lacy throughout the 2011 season, and he had surgery to repair it in January 2012.
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As for the team's need for Belue, a senior, consider that cornerback is perhaps the area of least depth for the Crimson Tide. UA used the inexperienced Cyrus Jones -- a wide receiver himself last season -- in coverage against TAMU star receiver Mike Evans on Saturday.
Belue ranks No. 81 on the Hot 100 Seniors list by NFL.com's Gil Brandt, while Steen ranks No. 56. Steen, an offensive guard who gave some thought to turning pro early last year, is expected to play against Colorado State Saturday. Steen was out of the lineup during Alabama's final touchdown drive against the Aggies.
Saban said Norwood, also a senior, is "questionable" to play against CSU. Norwood is unranked in Brandt's current top 100, but if the wide receiver from D'Iberville, Miss., keeps making grabs like this one at the 0:25 mark of these Bama-A&M highlights, the NFL will take notice in time.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread.
