UA fans, a question about Saban's future direction for program.

brilliant

And lack of speed on the DL that we have addressed.

Stopping the speed ball stuff has a lot to do with push up front. Alabama needs a NT to make an impact. Timmy Jernigan type

I think you're seeing his defense change before your eyes. He's started recruiting more fast twitch guys at linebacker and end this year as opposed to the thumpers he's signed in the past.

Now, we're still going to have 250-260 pound linebackers, but we're going to have some 220-240 pounders that can run too.

Guys like Keith Holcombe, Ronnie Clark, and Christian Miller are 210-220 pounders recruited to play linebacker.

In the past, he didn't take a guy that size at linebacker unless they stood out as a special football player (Mosley)

McClain, Hightower Ragland, Hubbard, Dickson, Upshaw etc. These are all huge, powerful guys. There is always going to be a place for guys like that on this defense, but in the past there was only a place for guys like that on this defense. Saban is starting to adapt to some of the offenses that are springing up in this league.

No one evaluates a recruit like saban, and most of us know that he has set measurables that a kid has to meet to be recruited at his position. I think some of those measurables ranges are starting to change

Instead of looking for 4 linebackers that wil lplay at 250 one day, he's looking for 2 that will play at 250 and 2 that will play at 230. That's what it looks like to me with the way this class is shaping up anyway.

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this because UA's issue isn't scoring points. UA's issue is Bama can't defend a legitimate dual threat QB worth squat

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I don't think Bama has any real issues. You can't win them all.

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UA's issue is Bama can't defend a legitimate dual threat QB worth squat.

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This is ultimately due to our inability to create pressure with 4 down linemen.

If you look at our key games the past 2 years even in our championship season we struggled converting 3rd downs. That is another reason why we have struggled against some of these teams because we haven't had these long clock killing drives.

OJ Howard only getting 17 receptions seems unacceptable. He should be such a deadly weapon, but he was never really unitized.

Our screen game also disappeared for some reason.

ummm....look at his sig, consider the source...it'll be his nap time soon.

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Now this makes sense. This might hurt stopping the run a bit, but pressure on the QB, and being able to run down the QB, is a much bigger plus.

So the Nuss move is unrelated?

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Well had we wanted to keep Nussmeier I mean we would have paid for him but I don't think its a situation where he got fired. If anything Saban may be pissed over the game plan for the Sugar Bowl. Nuss/AJ/Napier put together the game plan to let AJ throw it often and deep because to them it was a meaningless game. AJ threw for 387 and the two interceptions were simply a bad look off and a shortarmed throw. They wanted to show he could complete deep passes (a problem since his Labrum was repaired over a year ago).

But we had over 500 yards Total offense with 31 points (despite 5 turnovers and a missed field goal). Our offense is about efficiency and execution. We execute even 50 percent better and convert 3 of those drives we are at 48 points minimum.

A&M getting 600+ yards and AU's read option wasn't a wake up call?