re: Anyone else loving Daboll's playcalling?

He should start getting the jumbo package on like 2nd downs. It would be great

He has definitely hit his stride and found a comfort zone with this offense. My worry is some of it is attributable to him being new to college football and d-coordinators don't yet know how to gameplan for him. They don't know his tendencies. So hopefully he can keep evolving and staying one step ahead of them.

The only time he's faced a talented defense (FSU) people were calling for his head.

Just for some perspective on Daboll and this offense as a whole.

Yes. His play calling style is primarily "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", which tends to be a good plan with superior talent.

Why do people need to "see how we do against a better opponent"? We know how Kiffin was against lesser opponents. Even then we would give up TFLs, stall drives, and penalize ourselves. It was never 59-0 or 66-3.

This kind of dominance was rarely shown with Kiffin because we were still "setting up the big play" against teams we didn't need to do that against.

Daboll's philosophy fits Alabama better. Find a weakness, break your will.

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The guy seems to know how to utilize all of his weapons to attack the defense and keep them off balance.

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Why personnel dictates Alabama's winning strategy | al.com

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Last week, Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick moonlighted as a pass rusher.

On five of the 48 snaps he played against Ole Miss, the talented defensive back was sent to bring down Rebels quarterback Shea Patterson.

As Fitzpatrick was used as an occasional blitzer, two of the Crimson Tide's running backs -- Bo Scarbrough and Josh Jacobs -- were busy running routes. 

According to ProFootballFocus.com, they were on the field for a combined total of 31 plays and went out for a pass on 16 of them. 

The creative use of its best personnel is one of the main reasons why Alabama has been successful year after year under Nick Saban, a coach who has shown a willingness to adapt. He identifies his best players and then expands the scope of their responsibilities so that they can make a greater impact.

"Well, I think that's a big part of it," he said. "You don't ever want to ask players to do things they can't do. You always want to try to feature guys doing things that they're good at, they have confidence in and can make plays doing. So I think that's especially true on offense, but also trying to get the matchups the right way on defense to be able to utilize some of that speed and ability not only to cover but to do other things as probably a multiple that can be an advantage for you on defense."

Against Ole Miss, the Tide predominantly played with at least five defensive backs on the field. That's no surprise. In 2016, Alabama used its nickel and dime packages 85 percent of the time. But in 2016, according to PFF, Fitzpatrick only rushed the passer 14 times. This year, he has already blitzed on 20 occasions. 

"Our coaches do a good job of putting us in the right situation," said linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton. "I believe we have the best coaching staff in the country. They know how to put us in the right situation to make plays."

That's particularly true with regard to Fitzpatrick, the do-everything All-American.

He has helped bolster a diminished front seven that suffered major personnel losses in the offseason and then saw its depth further impinged after outside linebackers Terrell Lewis and Christian Miller were knocked out for the foreseeable future after hurting themselves in the opener against Florida State.

"Obviously with the injuries, they may not be as comfortable rushing just four and trying to playing coverage like they were last year at different times," Alabama radio analyst and former NFL general manager Phil Savage said. "I think the injuries definitely contributed to them feeling like they needed to add an extra rusher to the mix. And I think when you have a rare player like Minkah Fitzpatrick, with his versatility, you really can do a lot of different things."

Experience is a factor, too.

In 2016, the Tide's offense featured a freshman quarterback and a group of running backs that had yet to play extensively.

"One of the strengths on our team, I feel, is the receivers, and we want to continue to try to have an offense that can create explosive plays through those guys," Saban said before the season began.

The Tide then leaned on ArDarius Stewart and Calvin Ridley -- even going so far as to use them as runners. Last season, Ridley and Stewart were given the ball 31 times on jet sweeps, catching the shortest of tosses as they sprinted across the formation.

What happened to Alabama's signature jet sweep play?

This year, that play has all but vanished, in part, because the composition of the team has changed. 

"We feel that we're a little more proficient in other areas that maybe we don't have to depend on that quite as much," Saban said last week.

After all, Alabama now has a stable of veteran running backs.

Scarbrough, Jacobs and Damien Harris have all played on the biggest of stages. Each has proven reliable in the past, which has given the coaching staff the confidence to expand their repertoire. Scarbrough has already caught more passes in 2017 than he did all of last season.

"Experience definitely helps," Savage said. "They can push the envelope a little more with more exotic checks. They can expand their playbook so to speak in different situations."

Saban and his band of assistants can do that because they know their personnel and how to tailor their strategy to maximize their strengths.

"You have to adjust and adapt the scheme so the players can play," he said. "We want to get the best players on the field that we can."

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