TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Usually there are many stars on the Alabama defense, but there is only one Star.

Last season, that player was cornerback DeQuan Menzie. In 2009, cornerback Javier Arenas was a star as the Star.

Huh?

Alabama calls its standard 3-4 alignment its “regular” defense, but the Crimson Tide regularly lines up with more than three linemen and less than four linebackers.

Earlier this year, coach Nick Saban estimated that the Tide was in the 3-4 base only 20 percent of the time last season.

Most of the time, Alabama attacks an offense with its nickel package (five defensive backs) or dime (six DBs).

The extra defensive back in the nickel is called the “Star.” The sixth DB in the dime plays the “Money” position.

The terms for these important positions originated during Saban's days as the defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns and coach Bill Belichick, from 1991-94.

“In the old days, I called the fifth defensive back nickel back, and we never really played six defensive backs,” he said.

The middle linebacker (Mike) and the weak inside linebacker (Will) stayed in the game, and a defensive back replaced the strong outside linebacker (Sam).

“Well, when I went to Cleveland, everything that Bill Belichick does has some purpose, from what you call blitz to what you call fire-zone front,” Saban said.

“The Star really is the Sam, so he wanted an s-word for that position. When you put six guys in the game, whether it's a sub linebacker or a sixth defensive back, we had nickel, dime, dollar. Different money terms.”

The sixth defensive back takes the place of the weak inside linebacker.

“But when you talk to players, you can say, 'Look, these linebackers on the team are all going to play Money. These DBs on the team are going to learn how to play Money,'” Saban said.

“Because when it comes to the assignments of the defense, the position is the same. It's just they've got four wideouts in there now, so the linebacker can't cover, so we put another DB in there. That make sense?

“So we just started calling that the Money position. It could be nickel, dime or dollar. That was Bill's sort of system, but it made lots of sense to me. Just like everything else we did, we categorized things for the players. I think it made it better for the players.”

Who will be the Star of the 2012 Alabama defense? And who is the money on to play the Money position?

Those roles still are up for grabs. Safety Vinnie Suneri could be a Star. He was a star linebacker at Northridge High School in Tuscaloosa.

"With the nickel and dime packages, we've got guys that rotate in," junior cornerback Dee Milliner said. "You've got a lot of guys. We've got no depth chart. They just put guys in, and in any situation, he might call some guy out and tell somebody else to get in. He's just got a bunch of guys that coach is looking at right now. You're never sure who they will be until the season comes."

The "regular" secondary appears to be safeties Robert Lester and Sunseri and Milliner and Deion Belue at the cornerbacks.

In the nickel, Sunseri has been seen at the Star spot and HaHa Clinton-Dix joins Lester as a safety. Or Milliner has been the Star and John Fulton lines up outside as a cornerback.

In a practice late last week, Alabama appeared to be working on its dime defense. Belue and Fulton were the outside cornerbacks. Milliner and Sunseri were lined up inside. Lester and Clinton-Dix were the deep safeties. C.J. Mosley was the lone linebacker in the middle.

“Vinnie has played Star and Money both,” Saban said. “He played it last year for us. Dee Milliner has been a Star here in the past.”

Freshman cornerback Geno Smith has taken turns at Star. Safety Jarrick Williams was the leading contender at Money until he suffered a season-ended knee injury. Now safety Nick Perry is an option.

“We teach multiple guys how to do these roles and see what mix and matches the best,” Saban said. “But I also think you have to be conscious of how many reps you’re going to get in practice, especially during the season, and if a guy has too many multiple roles, is he going to get enough reps in that role to be effective in the game?”

Saban looks for certain qualities in a Star.

“You can be a really good Star and not have the long speed to be a good corner,” he said. “Long speed being that if a guy runs a takeoff on you, you have to run and not get out run when the ball is in the air.

“If you have really good quickness and cover ability, the slot guy (receiver) has a hard time beating you in that position, because he's closer to the safeties, he's closer to the middle of the field. So a good tackler, a good blitzer, a good cover guy on a slot player, which is different than a good cover guy on an outside player.”

Money is a hybrid linebacker. He has some responsibilities defending against the run.

“It helps that the guy's a little bit bigger and physical, because sometimes he has to cover a tight end, which is a bigger guy,” Saban said. “But he also, unless you change personnel, has to be good enough to do the same things that the Star does.”