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This was Saban's best coaching job at Alabama
Posted on 1/3/15 at 9:58 am
Posted on 1/3/15 at 9:58 am
I said after the WVU game that if this team won the SECChampionship that it would be Sabans best job yet at Bama.
We had the least talented OL and least talented secondary on any team he has coached other than 2007. We had a athlete ball out for big chunks of the year at QB. The job Saban and Kiffen did with Blake Sims was astonishing.
We did change our philosophy offensively, but if we didn't, the team wouldn't have had the record it did. We went "west coast" or finesse to mask weaknesses on the OL and in the secondary. Saban adapted and changed better than anyone has in a long time this season.
To win the SEC with this team, and make the playoffs was a great coaching and playing performance. To be as good as Bama has been every year since 2008 is an incredibly hard feat. It will just get hard each year that we compete to win the SEC and the playoff from a mental/psychological perspective.
This has been one of the greatest runs in football history and I don't believe it's over, but it will be harder year after year..
We had the least talented OL and least talented secondary on any team he has coached other than 2007. We had a athlete ball out for big chunks of the year at QB. The job Saban and Kiffen did with Blake Sims was astonishing.
We did change our philosophy offensively, but if we didn't, the team wouldn't have had the record it did. We went "west coast" or finesse to mask weaknesses on the OL and in the secondary. Saban adapted and changed better than anyone has in a long time this season.
To win the SEC with this team, and make the playoffs was a great coaching and playing performance. To be as good as Bama has been every year since 2008 is an incredibly hard feat. It will just get hard each year that we compete to win the SEC and the playoff from a mental/psychological perspective.
This has been one of the greatest runs in football history and I don't believe it's over, but it will be harder year after year..
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Posted on 1/3/15 at 10:21 am to northalabamacracker
I have believed that all year but I'm not sure anymore. We were not as talented as prior teams but we were nowhere near as physical. I know the ol was mediocre compared to other ones but we definitely had a strong finesse side to us and it showed.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 10:28 am to CrimsonChin
From a motivational standpoint, yes.
Game to game? Not sure about that. I've seen a LOT of questionable in-game decisions that are very un-Saban like. I'm starting to wonder if he's transitioning into the figurehead role that many other coaches have done after reaching a certain level of success.
The change in philosophy from physical to finesse is starting to show.
Game to game? Not sure about that. I've seen a LOT of questionable in-game decisions that are very un-Saban like. I'm starting to wonder if he's transitioning into the figurehead role that many other coaches have done after reaching a certain level of success.
The change in philosophy from physical to finesse is starting to show.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 10:30 am to northalabamacracker
I completely disagree. I thought the coaches have done a poor job. I've thought all year that the SEC just wasn't that good. When Ole Miss and MSU are in the running for the West, the SEC is down.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 10:32 am to stomp
I think the biggest thing folks aren't acknowledging, is the difference in the O-line compared to what Ingram/Richardson/Lacy ran behind.
We dominated more then, because we had the best O-lines I've seen in a long long time. We've got talent and this one is pretty good.. but it's not as good as those past guys where you could line up and know you were going to get a first down on 3rd and 3 or shorter by handing the ball off.
We dominated more then, because we had the best O-lines I've seen in a long long time. We've got talent and this one is pretty good.. but it's not as good as those past guys where you could line up and know you were going to get a first down on 3rd and 3 or shorter by handing the ball off.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 10:46 am to stomp
Do you not need to be motivated "game to game?"
Is this the point in the Saban era where the fan base starts questioning decisions?
Sigh, I guess so.
The change in philosophy was based on the OL being the weakest since 2007. If we could have just ran over people like 2008-2012, we would not have changed. If the defense could stop teams on 3rd and long the offensive philosophy wouldn't have changed.
That is why it was such a good coaching job.
Is this the point in the Saban era where the fan base starts questioning decisions?
Sigh, I guess so.
The change in philosophy was based on the OL being the weakest since 2007. If we could have just ran over people like 2008-2012, we would not have changed. If the defense could stop teams on 3rd and long the offensive philosophy wouldn't have changed.
That is why it was such a good coaching job.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 10:56 am to northalabamacracker
NACracker, I can understand both viewpoints. The team is a lesser talented team than in years past, so naturally it would take better coaching to get them to play at a high level, but we were much more talented than Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn and LSU.
Part of me feels like we could have gotten more out of our players based on their talent compared to the competition, but we went 12-2 and won the conference in a down year.
My main worry is this becoming a trend. Many are afraid to question the coaching due to their success, and that's dangerous because it encourages complacency.
I dont want us to turn into Penn State where 7-5 becomes acceptable.
Part of me feels like we could have gotten more out of our players based on their talent compared to the competition, but we went 12-2 and won the conference in a down year.
My main worry is this becoming a trend. Many are afraid to question the coaching due to their success, and that's dangerous because it encourages complacency.
I dont want us to turn into Penn State where 7-5 becomes acceptable.
This post was edited on 1/3/15 at 10:58 am
Posted on 1/3/15 at 10:57 am to stomp
quote:
7-5 becomes acceptable
That'll not happen.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 11:05 am to stomp
Going undefeated and winning national titles is hard. We got spoiled early on and there is no way we could have continued to perform at that clip in today's landscape.
- in the end another great coach had our number. And once again we probably shouldn't have been in the game but still had a chance to sneak away with a win.
- in the end another great coach had our number. And once again we probably shouldn't have been in the game but still had a chance to sneak away with a win.
This post was edited on 1/3/15 at 11:06 am
Posted on 1/3/15 at 11:19 am to stomp
If you are worried about Saban becoming complacent, well I don't really know how to respond respectfully to that.
As far the talent comment, the only team we were much more talented than was Arkansas IMO. Ole Miss, Auburn, and certainly LSU are all very very talented in their first 11 on offense and defense. We out depth every team in the SEC so in that sense I agree, but we don't totally outclass these teams starters on starters. LSU has talent, just not at QB.
I think we could have beaten Ole Miss, but we would have probably lost to someone else, either Arkansas or LSU.
I just feel like the OL and secondary were just too weak for us to do better without every bounce going our way. And we turned the ball over and did t get enough turn overs for that to happen. I think we were negative or even in TO's. You need to be positive to win championships. And we were n the SEC anyway.
I just see it as a great coaching job.
As far the talent comment, the only team we were much more talented than was Arkansas IMO. Ole Miss, Auburn, and certainly LSU are all very very talented in their first 11 on offense and defense. We out depth every team in the SEC so in that sense I agree, but we don't totally outclass these teams starters on starters. LSU has talent, just not at QB.
I think we could have beaten Ole Miss, but we would have probably lost to someone else, either Arkansas or LSU.
I just feel like the OL and secondary were just too weak for us to do better without every bounce going our way. And we turned the ball over and did t get enough turn overs for that to happen. I think we were negative or even in TO's. You need to be positive to win championships. And we were n the SEC anyway.
I just see it as a great coaching job.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 11:21 am to northalabamacracker
Overall I do think it was a great coaching job on the season. That said, I feel we were straight up out coached in the Sugar Bowl. Still struggling to figure out why we didn't feed Henry more.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 11:21 am to northalabamacracker
And people want to say we're done. If we can come this far with this team, good things are in store
Posted on 1/3/15 at 12:46 pm to The Silverback
think 2008 was his best job ... very close to beating uf in the seccg and playing for a national title ...
Posted on 1/3/15 at 1:16 pm to northalabamacracker
Nick Saban will go down as one of the best coaches of all time. He has a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of college football. He is the best program builder/manager in the country. When many coaches get out of the building phase of their tenure, things become tough. It happened to Pete Carroll. It happened to Meyer at Florida. It happened to Stoops at OU. It looks like Saban is powering through that wall. But his weak spot will always be in-game coaching.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 2:29 pm to stomp
quote:
I'm starting to wonder if he's transitioning into the figurehead role that many other coaches have done after reaching a certain level of success.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 3:06 pm to jbond
Feed Henry more? There is a reason he was third string. The better defenses could bottle him up. Truly the softest 240 pound rb I have ever seen. Thank God Drake will be back next year and Jones, Scarbrough and Tenpenny will take even more carries away from Henry.
I support the guy and wish him well but he is a 240 pound scatback.
I support the guy and wish him well but he is a 240 pound scatback.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 3:29 pm to jbond
quote:
Still struggling to figure out why we didn't feed Henry more.
The only problem I saw with Henry is you pretty much have to run him around the edge. He can't seem to find a hole up the gut.
I think losing Kenyan Drake was a huge loss to our running game (and pass game for that matter).
If we didn't lose Ryan Kelly during the Ole Miss game I have no doubt we would have ended the season 13-1. I never would have thought this team could have made it that far before the season started.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 3:31 pm to northalabamacracker
No offense to y'all, but I still think '08 was a better job than this. The losses in '08 were more understandable to me than the ones we saw this year, and playcalling hurt a lot more this year than it did then.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 3:33 pm to imjustafatkid
Yeah, Henry's vision and power is in question. He has to drive his legs.
I don't even know which back to start next year. Drake is more of a weapon, but Henry just seems like more of a starter.
I suppose we could start Drake as our Bush and bring in Henry as our White.
I don't even know which back to start next year. Drake is more of a weapon, but Henry just seems like more of a starter.
I suppose we could start Drake as our Bush and bring in Henry as our White.
Posted on 1/3/15 at 3:33 pm to AllBamaDoesIsWin
To me it won't matter if we don't use them the right way.
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