re: CFB Coaching Carousel

Craig Kuligowski announced as LBs coach and Co-DC at Toledo.

Going to elicit the normal level of angst from the fanbase that we aren't seeing a new DC... but I really don't believe Ansley is an upgrade over Golding beyond a new name. If Saban isn't pulling the plug, he clearly sees something there.

Vinnie Sunseri taking a support staff job with New England.

Well Golding wasn’t the DC then. So...

Oh he did, huh?

I have been saying this since early in the season and nothing has changed...except Saban appears to be attempting to do something about it.

Golding is not a great ILB coach but ILB play as not the major issue with the 2019 defense.

ILB's looked like true freshmen often on the field when missing tackles on the edge. That must improve but part of the reason they were tackling like true freshmen is because they were true freshmen.

THE main problem with our 2019 defense was D-line play. Same problem we had in 2018. After the 2018 season Saban replaced the D-line coach - HINT that is where Saban thought he had a problem.

It looks like Saban is again replacing the D-line coach. HINT this is where Saban thinks there is a problem.

The problem is the D-line has been coached the past two years by 4-3 technique coaches and NOT 3-4 technique coaches.

The ILB's are playing 3-4 technique and the D-line is playing 4-3 technique. Q showing out last year after not being the guy 2 years previous - what changed? Q shoots the gap exceptionally well and because of that skill is making a big paycheck now. Q is a 4-3 DT by skill set and technique. Barmore is exceptionally good at shooting the gap and it showed up in his pass rush this year. Barmore sucks at playing 2-gap against the rush. Barmore is a 4-3 DT by skill set and technique.

When the D-line is playing 4-3 technique and the ILB's are playing 3-4 technique there is a huge disconnect. It shows up in where contact is made with the running backs by the ILB's

Technique wise, Lee is a 3-4 Mike LB. If you ask him to play 4-3 technique he will suck. He does not have the speed needed to play 4-3 middle LB. If you ask him to play 3-4 Mike he is a short version of Nico. The boy will light your arse up.

Stop pretending you know what the problems / answers are. Saban is telling you with his actions the last two years what he thinks the problems/answers are. Hell, Saban paid a technique mistake almost $1 million to stay away from his D-linemen this past year.

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Stop pretending you know what the problems / answers are.

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since you have all the answers. explain why cns keeps hiring coaches that dont fit and he knows wont fit?

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The main problem with our 2018 defense was our ILBers. (Wilson and Moses) Hint: They are coached by Golding.

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Coach Kool got fired for not teaching the technique Saban wants on the field. Wilson was a pretty good Mike the year before and is still a pretty good LB in the NFL. The thing that changed was how the D-line in front of him played. Wilson is an instinctive player, he did not forget how to play because Golding did not coach him as well as Pruitt coached him the year before.

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The main problem with our 2019 defense was our ILBers. (Lee, Harris, Benton) Hint: They are still coached by Golding.

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Damn, you better run tell Saban he is firing the wrong guy. With a suggestion from you, I bet Saban will jump right on that.
Same D-line problem we had in 2018 that helped mess op the way Wilson had to play.
Golding is such a bad ILB coach that he took a true freshman (Harris) that had never played the position and got him to grade out at almost the same level as the "All American" (Moses) that played the position the year before

Both Harris and Moses had the speed from the Will spot to overcome some of the difficulties caused by D-line play. Wilson was closer to the carnage so speed could not get him around the screw-ups quickly enough so it appeared Wilson forgot how to play ILB (Mike). Lee learned on the fly well enough from a "bad ILB coach that as a true freshman he managed to not only play Mike but call the defense. Lee had never played or called a defense like Saban runs before he arrived on campus. Golding did a great job bringing him far enough to call the defense in such a short time. However, Like Wilson he was close to the carnage. Unlike Wilson, he did not have the speed to make up for the mistakes of others.

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A great example of a great DC? Hint: He is football savvy enough to scheme formations

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Golding was not hired to scheme up a new way of doing things. He was hired to run and adjust the Saban 3-4 over/under and the Saban 3-4 Nickle and the Saban 4-3 Dime. When part of his team does not teach the proper techniques, there is nothing he can do about it. Saban has to make that correction.

As for making adjustments. Second half against Michigan, Saban and Golding (likely mostly Saban) Took Barmore off the field and started using Musika in his place in run D situations. Musika cannot rush the passer to save his life but the kid knows how to 2-gap to stop the run. Saban went to 4-3 Nickle/Dime so he had only two D-linemen on the field. Both slots were filled by people who knew how to run 2-gap then extend to pass rush. Saban said he went with nickle/dime to get more experience on the field. That experience was addition by subtraction on the front and rotating ILB's to match play with down and distance.

Golding called and executed the defense structure that Saban wanted him to call. Hint it is Saban's D, Golding manages what Saban wants. If Golding is doing whar Saban asked him to do but the D-line coach is not doing what Saban wanted him to do...which do you imagine Saban would get rid of?

If Golding is still DC when spring starts, Saban does not see him as the issue. Same goes for the D-line coach.

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Now if calling plays just helped Lee to tackle in space, chase running backs and TEs over the middle, or keep from overrunning a simple flare pass in the flats.

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I don't know all the intricacies of the defense, but I think Lee is getting a bad rap from you and others in some cases.

Lee was a true freshman asked to manage a defense -- a process he had roughly two weeks to learn. Until Moses went down in mid-August, I'm sure he thought he'd be able to play, just not as a starter, and not as the signal-caller. That is a ton of pressure to put on the guy.

I saw him numerous times get burned by a running back coming over the middle for a pass, or going out in the flat. At the same time, I'm not willing to complain too loudly, because he was having to read and react, not play instinctively.

Saban will get creative with pressure and packages when he's comfortable that everyone on the defense knows what they're supposed to do. I don't know that he was ever really comfortable in 2019, so I'm betting he played more conservatively from a defensive standpoint.

On the flip side, I think he'll be more likely to be aggressive in 2020, because we now have a lot more experience on the defense.

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Then you're not keeping up. I'm knocking Pete Golding. Don't ask players to do things they can't. Just that simple.

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I don't think it is "just that simple." As I said, Lee was the signal-caller on defense. He was thrust into that role with two weeks of prep time, give or take. It's difficult to remove your signal-caller on defense -- the guy who is supposed to know your defense inside-out -- on key downs (such as third and long).

Lee was getting a crash course in SEC defensive adjustments for a variety of offensive looks every week, with almost no solid foundation of knowledge to build from. And he was apparently the best option we had due to injuries, recruiting misses, and early departures.

Golding (and Saban) surely knew Lee was going to be a step or two slow in some cases … but he was also the only guy they trusted for most of the year to get the defense lined up correctly and communicate responsibilities based on offensive alignments and shifts. Take him off the field, and for all we know that third and 10 that got converted could have become a touchdown, because none of the other ILBs had the ability to recognize the offensive set and communicate the appropriate defensive adjustment.