1
Started By
Message
re: Can we have a frank and honest conversation?
Posted on 10/19/26 at 1:14 am to FoTownBam
Posted on 10/19/26 at 1:14 am to FoTownBam
Yes!
They MUST play Crowell, Brown, Morgan, etc even if they lack details.
I know Crowell was banged up, but look at the TD run on the last play of the half vs Georgia compared to Hill on 4th and 1 vs UT.
The good news is that the underclassman are BY FAR the more talented players on the roster.
They MUST play Crowell, Brown, Morgan, etc even if they lack details.
I know Crowell was banged up, but look at the TD run on the last play of the half vs Georgia compared to Hill on 4th and 1 vs UT.
The good news is that the underclassman are BY FAR the more talented players on the roster.
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 1:22 am
Posted on 10/19/26 at 1:21 am to Chad4Bama
quote:
I'd say fire Grubb today and go from there. DeBoer is going nowhere.
This is where I’m at.
CKD produced the Big10’s leading rusher at Indiana (pre-NIL), and showed he was willing to adapt with Milroe by averaging just 19 pass attempts and 14 DESIGNED QB runs (not scrambles).
That means s he is not stuck with Grubbs 4-Verts only/ QB run for your life vs unblocked defenders “Offense”.
He has a competent defense and special teams, and the roster is one of the more talented (especially the younger players).
I just want to see him without Grubb.
Making it to the SECCG and winning in the Playoffs WITH Grubb is hard to believe.
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 1:42 am
Posted on 10/19/26 at 1:29 am to FoTownBam
quote:
So allowing a freshman quarterback who ain’t that good to dink and dunk on us with short throws and wr screens over and over and not move up your corners to press man at any point in the game is a decent job? The players on defense played pretty good the first half, but Womack’s scheme was terrible. The Tennessee quarterback said he knew Bama was going to play soft coverage against them. Bama did exactly what they wanted us to do on defense. That’s not a decent job, that’s giving them the game. You have to make adjustments. Especially when the team is down and Tennessee is burning up clock for most of the 4th quarter.
So, what if he had let Biship run for 311 yards? But held them to 100 yards passing ala Texas and AU?
They sold out to stop Bishop. The guy leading the SEC and was leading the nation in yards per carry.
You can’t play press-man Cover 0 every play to help do that. They mid-pointed the CBs several times to get Hubbard and others in the Box.
When they did play press-man several times on run plays, it never never gets highlighted bc it wasnt on a pass play.
I think defenses should always aim to take away what the opponent does best, and it’s obvious what UT does best.
Regardless of it being passes in the flats, they held them to 2 TDs on 14 possessions and kept it from turning into a 21-0 or 17-0 game in the first 7 minutes of the game.
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 1:52 am
Posted on 10/19/26 at 1:34 am to LagunaTide
Realize you are watching 23 combined 1st round picks on that 2012 roster.
Pruitt is worshipped here, but got 40 points hung on him EIGHT times including 50 twice at UT. Having Reuben Foster, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jonathon Allen, etc etc etc had a lot more to do with it than a Bama tattoo on his back.
Pruitt is worshipped here, but got 40 points hung on him EIGHT times including 50 twice at UT. Having Reuben Foster, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Jonathon Allen, etc etc etc had a lot more to do with it than a Bama tattoo on his back.
This post was edited on 10/19/26 at 1:45 am
Posted on 10/19/26 at 1:55 am to Pastor Mike
quote:
We can't keep dialing up a 30 yard pass plays when we need 4 yards. Waiting for our receiver to get open is why he is holding the ball too long.
That is Grubb’s offense.
Give him the 13th overall pick in Ty Simpson or a 20 year old Peyton Manning and he isn’t going to call anything else besides 30+ yard routes vs defenses seeing the house and elite pass rushes.
Posted on 10/19/26 at 3:09 am to Cover1Key
quote:
Pruitt is worshipped here, but got 40 points hung on him EIGHT times including 50 twice at UT.
Tennessee’s roster situation while Pruitt was the HC was pretty frickin bad. He was not good for them, obviously, but he inherited a disaster of a program from Butch fricking Jones (who went on to take a position at UA where Saban had him washing cars lmao) and was undermined by Fat Phil (probably regularly). Pruitt was a brilliant mind and excellent coach when he was in a DC role.
I agree with the overwhelming majority of what you post, but the stats do not tell the whole story about our defense and KW (both the good and bad). A big issue I have with him is that he does not try and make teams one dimensional and then methodically exploit that. He will run some good stuff that works, and then on 3rd and long or 4th down, we inexplicably give up an explosive or TD when we should be going to the sideline after a stop. It’s very Golding-esque. Poor blitz designs, ill-timed play calls. Inconsistent in adjusting game plan in live fire action. Horrible rush concepts/ strategy at multiple points in any given game.
While it’s more nuanced than that, generally, it feels like this job is a little too big for CKW. I think he’s severely handcuffed by the position coaches and player personnel to a degree.
Posted on 10/19/26 at 7:24 am to LagunaTide
quote:
Go and watch the highlights from the 2012 SECCG as I did last night.
Saban didnt have 2012 his last 3 yrs of coaching.
Its a copy cat league, UGA gave the rest of the teams the blueprint and a good defense will best our offense every saturday.
Grubbs is 100 percent to blame and CKD is culpable because he allowed this to happen.
This is not a knee jerk reaction many of us saw this a mile away last year.
Do you guys remember when CKD said they would call plays to suit our strengths his first year.. Him and Sheridan did that.
TY made Grubbs look competent last year , but we all saw the extra work TY had to do every week to make up for Grubbs.
Get rid of Grubbs today, CKD, Nix, whoever else can call the plays rest of the way.
This is a business, the same business where CKD needed Grubbs to come with him here but he chose Seattle instead of helping his friend who needed him the most.
Posted on 10/19/26 at 9:54 am to bamarep
I think Alabama is a poorly coached team in general. Grubb’s game plans and playcalling suck. Neither Grubb nor Wommack have the ability to make adjustments in game. We still aren’t very good at the line of scrimmage. We lack basic physicality and toughness (I put a lot of the blame for this on the strength and conditioning staff). Much of this is coaching.
Posted on 10/19/26 at 9:59 am to Cover1Key
quote:
The defense kept the game from getting out of hand in the first 7 minutes of the game.
The defense did but everyone is forgetting that they allowed Tennessee to march down the field on the opening drive setting the tone for the game. They were giving up 3 or 4 yards per rush early which I knew then if our offense can’t sustain some drives, those runs will into 7 or 8 yards or more in the second half. And they did. Throw in ZB going out, DJ is a head case and you have both corners 8 to 10 yards off the LOS. It’s over!
The offense, and Grub, are a huge issue; however let’s not pretend this defense, a few players, scheme, coaching- no adjustments, are good. They aren’t.
Posted on 10/19/26 at 5:46 pm to Cover1Key
I hesitate to disagree on some of your “details” because I agree with the essence of what you’re saying, your overarching points, but I can’t help it since you butchered the 2016 vs 2026 D comparison. Now you’re doing it again on a smaller scale. To wit: UT had 12 offensive possessions, not counting the final 3 play “kneel-down drive” to run out the clock. They didn’t have 14, like you said.
In the 2016 season Clemson game “comparison” to the 2026 UT defensive comparison, you said Clemson had 1 more possession than UT. The fact is they have 5
more possessions 17 for Clemson, 12 for UT.
Clemson did not gain 565 yards and 45 points like you said, but 511 yards and 35 points. In fact after 12 possessions Clemson had 274 yards and 14 points. The rest came on the last 5 possessions. And UT’s O with MacIntire doesn’t compare to Clemson’s with Watson.
I try to refrain from nitpicking but many of your “detail”errors are not small and everyone I’ve seen is skewed in favor of your argument. Again, I mostly agree with the gist of what you are saying and want you to be taken seriously. It cripples your credibility when your details are off in that way and to that degree. I’m pulling for you ??.
(Btw, when you first appeared on the board, I publicly solicited your input and even applauded your long posts. I still do.)
In the 2016 season Clemson game “comparison” to the 2026 UT defensive comparison, you said Clemson had 1 more possession than UT. The fact is they have 5
more possessions 17 for Clemson, 12 for UT.
Clemson did not gain 565 yards and 45 points like you said, but 511 yards and 35 points. In fact after 12 possessions Clemson had 274 yards and 14 points. The rest came on the last 5 possessions. And UT’s O with MacIntire doesn’t compare to Clemson’s with Watson.
I try to refrain from nitpicking but many of your “detail”errors are not small and everyone I’ve seen is skewed in favor of your argument. Again, I mostly agree with the gist of what you are saying and want you to be taken seriously. It cripples your credibility when your details are off in that way and to that degree. I’m pulling for you ??.
(Btw, when you first appeared on the board, I publicly solicited your input and even applauded your long posts. I still do.)
Posted on 10/20/26 at 10:25 am to tattoo
I appreciate that, and I don’t want you to interpret it as arguing, rudeness, etc.
I know everyone here all wants to just see Bama be as successful as possible.
As far as the post goes, the point I was trying to make was in no way a comparison to the 2016 defense.
I chose that year bc (imo) that’s the best college defense of the past 25 years, and I was pointing out that even that group, the best group ever, can struggle and give up more points than what they “deserved” to allow bc the offense kept sending them out there to defend 15+ possessions and 100 total plays.
I’m not saying that 2026 Bama had to defend 15+ possessions or 100 plays, just using that as an example of even the best defense ever giving up points after they had been worn down.
Hope this helps explain what I was referring to.
I know everyone here all wants to just see Bama be as successful as possible.
As far as the post goes, the point I was trying to make was in no way a comparison to the 2016 defense.
I chose that year bc (imo) that’s the best college defense of the past 25 years, and I was pointing out that even that group, the best group ever, can struggle and give up more points than what they “deserved” to allow bc the offense kept sending them out there to defend 15+ possessions and 100 total plays.
I’m not saying that 2026 Bama had to defend 15+ possessions or 100 plays, just using that as an example of even the best defense ever giving up points after they had been worn down.
Hope this helps explain what I was referring to.
Posted on 10/20/26 at 10:30 am to Cover1Key
quote:
I’m always defending the defense bc holding opponents to 20 points should ALWAYS be enough to win a football game.
It usually should. That being said, sometimes they've got to get off the field better. Every long drive they give up even if it only results in a fg keeps the offense off of the field. I guess you could say against UT that was a good thing. We would have faired better in that game if we just punted on first down every possession in the first quarter and pinned them back; then maybe the Defense would have scored a TD
Posted on 10/20/26 at 2:32 pm to bamarep
I really appreciate this post.. its well thought out and it also gives me a chance to release some of the frustrations and thoughts as to what's going on with Bama football and can it be fixed ?!
The frustration is understandable. Bama looked flat, uninspired and out of sorts against a physical Tennessee team that exposed longstanding issues rather than inventing new ones. When a program of this pedigree gets pushed around in the trenches, struggles to sustain drives and fails to make in-game adjustments, the criticism writes itself.
The offensive line’s inability to generate consistent movement remains the clearest structural problem. Without a reliable run game, the entire offense becomes one-dimensional. Abandoning the run early only compounds the issue: it allows the defense to tee off on the quarterback, shortens the field for the secondary and turns every series into a high-variance passing down. Russell holding the ball too long is real, but it is also a symptom—when the pocket collapses and receivers do not work back to the ball or create separation at the sticks, the clock becomes the enemy. Misdirection that has not evolved and jet sweeps that have long since lost their novelty are secondary symptoms of the same core problem: the offense is not imposing its will or dictating terms.
On defense, the tackling and pad-level issues are equally familiar. Yards after contact and soft coverage on obvious passing downs are not new complaints; they are the predictable result of technique that has not been corrected and scheme that has not adapted. When the same problems surface week after week with little visible adjustment, the coaching staff owns the majority share of the responsibility.
That said, wholesale house-cleaning seems like the next step.. but even this seems highly unlikely, and the list of available alternatives is very thin. Every high-profile program has endured uneven seasons; the difference is how quickly the staff diagnoses and corrects the failures rather than doing the same thing over and over that doesn't work
The constructive path is less dramatic: restore a functional run game so the offense can stay on schedule, demand better technique and leverage from the front seven, force the secondary to play with tighter discipline on critical downs, and make the obvious personnel and situational adjustments that were missing on Saturday. Those are coaching and development problems, not existential ones. Alabama still possesses the talent and resources to fix them. Whether the current staff does so with urgency will determine how long the present frustrations of Bama fans have to endure and also the longevity of the entire staff.
The frustration is understandable. Bama looked flat, uninspired and out of sorts against a physical Tennessee team that exposed longstanding issues rather than inventing new ones. When a program of this pedigree gets pushed around in the trenches, struggles to sustain drives and fails to make in-game adjustments, the criticism writes itself.
The offensive line’s inability to generate consistent movement remains the clearest structural problem. Without a reliable run game, the entire offense becomes one-dimensional. Abandoning the run early only compounds the issue: it allows the defense to tee off on the quarterback, shortens the field for the secondary and turns every series into a high-variance passing down. Russell holding the ball too long is real, but it is also a symptom—when the pocket collapses and receivers do not work back to the ball or create separation at the sticks, the clock becomes the enemy. Misdirection that has not evolved and jet sweeps that have long since lost their novelty are secondary symptoms of the same core problem: the offense is not imposing its will or dictating terms.
On defense, the tackling and pad-level issues are equally familiar. Yards after contact and soft coverage on obvious passing downs are not new complaints; they are the predictable result of technique that has not been corrected and scheme that has not adapted. When the same problems surface week after week with little visible adjustment, the coaching staff owns the majority share of the responsibility.
That said, wholesale house-cleaning seems like the next step.. but even this seems highly unlikely, and the list of available alternatives is very thin. Every high-profile program has endured uneven seasons; the difference is how quickly the staff diagnoses and corrects the failures rather than doing the same thing over and over that doesn't work
The constructive path is less dramatic: restore a functional run game so the offense can stay on schedule, demand better technique and leverage from the front seven, force the secondary to play with tighter discipline on critical downs, and make the obvious personnel and situational adjustments that were missing on Saturday. Those are coaching and development problems, not existential ones. Alabama still possesses the talent and resources to fix them. Whether the current staff does so with urgency will determine how long the present frustrations of Bama fans have to endure and also the longevity of the entire staff.
Posted on 10/20/26 at 10:06 pm to jchamil
Haha, yes, punting on 1st down on the first 4 possessions would’ve saved them 9 points.
Prior to the UGA game they were 7th in the country on 3rd down defense and Georgia was only 7/13. Not great defensively, but good enough to win (20 points allowed and 7 were once again gifted by the offense).
UT had 12 or 13 possessions, so that means study got off the field a good bit to only give up two TDs.
Scoring twice on 12 possessions is a terrible %.
They also get ZERO rest. The final 7’plays of the long TD drive at the end of the game only had 4 starters left on the field.
I’ve NEVER seen a “dominant” defense that didn’t a complimentary offense that controlled (or at least was competitive) in TOP and could put a few time consuming drives together to keep the opposing offense off the field and the defense rested (while also pinning them back so they have to drive 70+ yards the majority of the time to score).
I think this is vastly overlooked by critics of the defense.
The 2015 Bama defense only had to face 10 possessions or more on 2 occasions:
Ole Miss (43-37 loss)
Clemson (45-40 win)
Prior to the UGA game they were 7th in the country on 3rd down defense and Georgia was only 7/13. Not great defensively, but good enough to win (20 points allowed and 7 were once again gifted by the offense).
UT had 12 or 13 possessions, so that means study got off the field a good bit to only give up two TDs.
Scoring twice on 12 possessions is a terrible %.
They also get ZERO rest. The final 7’plays of the long TD drive at the end of the game only had 4 starters left on the field.
I’ve NEVER seen a “dominant” defense that didn’t a complimentary offense that controlled (or at least was competitive) in TOP and could put a few time consuming drives together to keep the opposing offense off the field and the defense rested (while also pinning them back so they have to drive 70+ yards the majority of the time to score).
I think this is vastly overlooked by critics of the defense.
The 2015 Bama defense only had to face 10 possessions or more on 2 occasions:
Ole Miss (43-37 loss)
Clemson (45-40 win)
Posted on 10/20/26 at 10:15 pm to Hawaiian Punch
But how can allowing the fewest points, 3rd fewest yards and creating the most takeaways in the SEC, while not a having 1st round picks to do it with (Z Brown and Pierre are the only players he’s ever had that would’ve started for CNS).
Along with having an offense that is hell-bent on consuming the least Time of Possession I’ve ever seen.
Wommack has allowed 30 points just 5 times in 35 games.
What game has the defense ever lost for this Bama under CKD?
How have they surrendered fewer yards AND points than Georgia (who has a ball control offense too) since Wommack’s tenure here, but he’s “in over his head”?
Along with having an offense that is hell-bent on consuming the least Time of Possession I’ve ever seen.
Wommack has allowed 30 points just 5 times in 35 games.
What game has the defense ever lost for this Bama under CKD?
How have they surrendered fewer yards AND points than Georgia (who has a ball control offense too) since Wommack’s tenure here, but he’s “in over his head”?
This post was edited on 10/20/26 at 10:56 pm
Posted on 10/20/26 at 10:23 pm to Cover1Key
quote:
I’ve NEVER seen a “dominant” defense that didn’t a complimentary offense that controlled (or at least was competitive) in TOP and could put a few time consuming drives together to keep the opposing offense off the field and the defense rested (while also pinning them back so they have to drive 70+ yards the majority of the time to score). I think this is vastly overlooked by critics of the defense.
True. An effective running game would really help the Defense out here.
Posted on 10/20/26 at 10:50 pm to jchamil
quote:
True. An effective running game would really help the Defense out here.
I don’t see how fans can ALL acknowledge that Grubb is the worst thing in all of CFB (he truly is) and then turn around and say the defense that suffers from his constant 3-n-outs and turnovers, but still manage to keep opponents at 20.1ppg since 2024 while forcing the 2nd most turnovers in the nation is so terrible?
If he was STILL allowing Georgia, Kentucky, and UT to average 19 points this year while only forcing 7 turnovers in those games with the offense actually sustaining drives and splitting the time of possession then I would want him fired too.
19 points to those 3 offenses is FAR too many and only forcing 7 turnovers in those 3 games and only 2 defensive TDs is NOT acceptable. PERIOD
Posted on 10/20/26 at 10:54 pm to TS1926
UT leads the SEC in rushing and Bishop leads the nation.
If you knew Bama would turn it over DEEP in their own territory on 3 of the games first 4 possessions, you really would’ve been “disgusted with how they started defensively?
Heupel was the one disgusted, bc he knew he could’ve put the game away in the first 7 minutes.
If you knew Bama would turn it over DEEP in their own territory on 3 of the games first 4 possessions, you really would’ve been “disgusted with how they started defensively?
Heupel was the one disgusted, bc he knew he could’ve put the game away in the first 7 minutes.
Posted on 10/20/26 at 11:03 pm to Cover1Key
What game did the offense win the game for Bama last year?
The defense DRUG this team to Atlanta/Playoffs and a Playoff win. Every week was a 20-17 or 24-20 win.
They shutout UGA in Athens in the 2nd half to hold onto that game.
People say Wommack doesn’t adjust, but the man literally scrapped his 4-2-5 defense after the Vandy loss in only his 2nd SEC game ever, and went to a 3-4 Under and finished 9th in the nation and NUMBER ONE in the SEC in points allowed (9th nationally).
Then they play Pavia and Vandy the following season and held him to his lowest point total in his entire career at Vandy.
If Bama had a ball control offense like 2015 Bama offense and still we’re allowing Georgia to score 20 points, Kentucky 15 and UT 26 (9 were gifted by the offense in the first 7 minutes), and ONLY forced 7 turnovers and 2 defensive TDs then yes, I would want him fired.
You CANNOT allow Georgia/UK/UT or any other top15 opponent to average 19 points regardless of the number of possessions and field position.
That is atrocious.
The defense DRUG this team to Atlanta/Playoffs and a Playoff win. Every week was a 20-17 or 24-20 win.
They shutout UGA in Athens in the 2nd half to hold onto that game.
People say Wommack doesn’t adjust, but the man literally scrapped his 4-2-5 defense after the Vandy loss in only his 2nd SEC game ever, and went to a 3-4 Under and finished 9th in the nation and NUMBER ONE in the SEC in points allowed (9th nationally).
Then they play Pavia and Vandy the following season and held him to his lowest point total in his entire career at Vandy.
If Bama had a ball control offense like 2015 Bama offense and still we’re allowing Georgia to score 20 points, Kentucky 15 and UT 26 (9 were gifted by the offense in the first 7 minutes), and ONLY forced 7 turnovers and 2 defensive TDs then yes, I would want him fired.
You CANNOT allow Georgia/UK/UT or any other top15 opponent to average 19 points regardless of the number of possessions and field position.
That is atrocious.
Posted on 10/20/26 at 11:06 pm to Hawaiian Punch
But is t the job of the defense to stop the opponent from gaining yards, scoring points and creating turnovers?
Only OU has done better in 2 of those categories since CKW has been here and he’s had to deal with offenses that go 3-n-out and then the ball over like it’s their goal.
I mean what if CKW had given up more points than Georgia over the past 2.5 seasons combined?
Could you imagine the criticism
Only OU has done better in 2 of those categories since CKW has been here and he’s had to deal with offenses that go 3-n-out and then the ball over like it’s their goal.
I mean what if CKW had given up more points than Georgia over the past 2.5 seasons combined?
Could you imagine the criticism
Page 3 of 4
Latest Alabama News
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News