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Good, bad, and the ugly (ECU Edition)
Posted on 9/5/26 at 3:16 pm
Posted on 9/5/26 at 3:16 pm
The Good
1. Though none of the backs had big days, I think we are better there than a year ago.
2. Russell is every bit the playmaker he was advertised to be. Going to be a big part of the offense it seems.
The Bad
1. Russell clearly struggles with zone defense. Most young QBs do but given our inability to run the ball consistently in the DeBoer era, you've got to be concerned for our offense if there isn't a marked improvement in the run game.
2. Offensive line looked bad early, had a good 2nd quarter, and was up and down in the second half. The 2nd quarter was encouraging because it is the first time in awhile where I've seen Alabama actually create positive movement from the LOS. If we don't have that game 1 to 2 improvement then I'm concerned the 2026 OL is not going to cut it.
The Ugly
1. Russell takes too much contact for me to be confident he makes it to the end of the season as the starter. He's got to learn when the extra 4-5 yards isn't worth the contact.
2. My God the number of issues that seem to come down to coaching are frustrating for a 3rd year program. Bad sideline operations leading to burning time outs in bad situations. General sloppiness and penalties from the players. I am not impressed with this staff. I just think this is kind of ball they are going to put on the field at this point. I've seen it for 2 seasons and a game at this juncture.
1. Though none of the backs had big days, I think we are better there than a year ago.
2. Russell is every bit the playmaker he was advertised to be. Going to be a big part of the offense it seems.
The Bad
1. Russell clearly struggles with zone defense. Most young QBs do but given our inability to run the ball consistently in the DeBoer era, you've got to be concerned for our offense if there isn't a marked improvement in the run game.
2. Offensive line looked bad early, had a good 2nd quarter, and was up and down in the second half. The 2nd quarter was encouraging because it is the first time in awhile where I've seen Alabama actually create positive movement from the LOS. If we don't have that game 1 to 2 improvement then I'm concerned the 2026 OL is not going to cut it.
The Ugly
1. Russell takes too much contact for me to be confident he makes it to the end of the season as the starter. He's got to learn when the extra 4-5 yards isn't worth the contact.
2. My God the number of issues that seem to come down to coaching are frustrating for a 3rd year program. Bad sideline operations leading to burning time outs in bad situations. General sloppiness and penalties from the players. I am not impressed with this staff. I just think this is kind of ball they are going to put on the field at this point. I've seen it for 2 seasons and a game at this juncture.
14
Posted on 9/5/26 at 3:25 pm to Diego Ricardo
My God the penalties. Nearly every damn one was procedural too.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 3:46 pm to Diego Ricardo
I haven’t been able to watch the full game yet. What mistakes did Keelon make that made you think he struggles with a zone defense?
Posted on 9/5/26 at 3:53 pm to Diego Ricardo
Keelon addressed the sliding issue post game but there's saying you'll do it and actually doing it.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 3:53 pm to SPennington
quote:
I haven’t been able to watch the full game yet. What mistakes did Keelon make that made you think he struggles with a zone defense?
There were several times where he was clearly unsure where to go but he did do a good job of realizing he was flummoxed and scrambled or checked it down. There were some other situations where I think he didn't go where the coverage dictated.
Long and short: if we can run the ball well enough to create man coverage situations then I bet we'll be fine. We can't be like 2025 where it is all on the QB to throw it into windows every single down.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 3:54 pm to SPennington
This guy was saying we suck all game thread
This thread is a good bit too critical
This thread is a good bit too critical
Posted on 9/5/26 at 4:02 pm to SPennington
quote:
What mistakes did Keelon make that made you think he struggles with a zone defense?
I’m n the really bad sop by RCW, he had either 3 or 7 breaking wide open for a TD. Would’ve been a walk in.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 4:07 pm to ReauxlTide222
I don't think we looked good today.
ECU was a 4-loss team that was pretty decent last year but the tampering portal fricked their roster up pretty good.
We really struggled with blitz pickup and too often on run plays white jerseys were deep in the backfield but the backs were able to make individual efforts.
There is no way Russell can have that much contact in 9 SEC games and survive the season.
HOWEVER
Game 1 => 2 improvement is one of those college football tropes that is often true.
The positive spin is that the OL did demonstrate the ability to move the LOS some in this game but not consistently. If the consistency improves, I think we have a few backs that can make explosives unlike the last few seasons.
ECU was a 4-loss team that was pretty decent last year but the tampering portal fricked their roster up pretty good.
We really struggled with blitz pickup and too often on run plays white jerseys were deep in the backfield but the backs were able to make individual efforts.
There is no way Russell can have that much contact in 9 SEC games and survive the season.
HOWEVER
Game 1 => 2 improvement is one of those college football tropes that is often true.
The positive spin is that the OL did demonstrate the ability to move the LOS some in this game but not consistently. If the consistency improves, I think we have a few backs that can make explosives unlike the last few seasons.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 4:18 pm to Diego Ricardo
The Good
1. Defense. Overall our defense just looks stout - especially up front. Xavier Griffin is a gahdamn beast. I hope he can become a starter soon in place of Metz (nothing against Metz, Griffin is just special). Though man-to-man needs some work, overall this defense is special.
2. RBs - this is the best stable of RBs we've had at Alabama since Najee Harris. EJ looks as advertised - special. Daniel Hill looks great and runs with power.
3. Keelon Russell - for a first start, he looked damn good. He needs to stop relying on his legs so much, and stop being so jittery in the pocket. He also needs to work on adding some touch on his passes - not everything needs to be a bullet. However, he looks really good so far.
The Bad
1. O-Line. Still a lot of glaring issues against lowly ECU. Getting blown off the ball on run plays against a G5 school is never a good sign, and it happened too many times today. Obviously they're going to get better, but this is definitely a work in progress.
2. Overall game operation from the sidelines still looks sloppy. No sense of urgency. Not a good look in year 3 with all of the staff continuity.
The Ugly
1. Ryan Williams dropping passes. Good lord
Hopefully this improves
1. Defense. Overall our defense just looks stout - especially up front. Xavier Griffin is a gahdamn beast. I hope he can become a starter soon in place of Metz (nothing against Metz, Griffin is just special). Though man-to-man needs some work, overall this defense is special.
2. RBs - this is the best stable of RBs we've had at Alabama since Najee Harris. EJ looks as advertised - special. Daniel Hill looks great and runs with power.
3. Keelon Russell - for a first start, he looked damn good. He needs to stop relying on his legs so much, and stop being so jittery in the pocket. He also needs to work on adding some touch on his passes - not everything needs to be a bullet. However, he looks really good so far.
The Bad
1. O-Line. Still a lot of glaring issues against lowly ECU. Getting blown off the ball on run plays against a G5 school is never a good sign, and it happened too many times today. Obviously they're going to get better, but this is definitely a work in progress.
2. Overall game operation from the sidelines still looks sloppy. No sense of urgency. Not a good look in year 3 with all of the staff continuity.
The Ugly
1. Ryan Williams dropping passes. Good lord
Hopefully this improvesThis post was edited on 9/5/26 at 4:21 pm
Posted on 9/5/26 at 4:19 pm to Diego Ricardo
Good
1. Defense was fantastic. Great energy throughout the whole game and shut down ECU. Pierre is a monster. ECU was 0 for 9 on 3rd downs.
2. Daniel Hill was impressive running the ball. As was Crowell. When they feed the rock, both guys seem to know how to push the pile.
3. Keelon Russell was good when he settled in. Had some 50/50 balls that went our way, but chalk it up as first game woes.
Meh
1. Grubb's play calling can be maddening at times. It's not that he is a bad OC. And I understand the grey area as an OC that you have to develop your QB. But why does this man hate running the ball so much? Hill gets a couple of carries that goes for 5+ each. Perfect opportunity to bleed the clock, work on the run game a bit, and start the 2nd half strong (a huge issue from last season). Instead it's cute plays, followed by slow developing pass plays with Russell running for his life. The rushing stats are a bit skewed because Russell ran so much.
2. Continuing with Grubb - why not try a few screens or quick passes to get Brooks involved? Seems like there was one play to him today, and he made two defenders miss (despite horrible blocking from the WRs) and got a big 1st.
Bad
1. What the frick was that holding call? There was literally nothing there. Same old shite from Autrey's retarded arse crew.
1. Defense was fantastic. Great energy throughout the whole game and shut down ECU. Pierre is a monster. ECU was 0 for 9 on 3rd downs.
2. Daniel Hill was impressive running the ball. As was Crowell. When they feed the rock, both guys seem to know how to push the pile.
3. Keelon Russell was good when he settled in. Had some 50/50 balls that went our way, but chalk it up as first game woes.
Meh
1. Grubb's play calling can be maddening at times. It's not that he is a bad OC. And I understand the grey area as an OC that you have to develop your QB. But why does this man hate running the ball so much? Hill gets a couple of carries that goes for 5+ each. Perfect opportunity to bleed the clock, work on the run game a bit, and start the 2nd half strong (a huge issue from last season). Instead it's cute plays, followed by slow developing pass plays with Russell running for his life. The rushing stats are a bit skewed because Russell ran so much.
2. Continuing with Grubb - why not try a few screens or quick passes to get Brooks involved? Seems like there was one play to him today, and he made two defenders miss (despite horrible blocking from the WRs) and got a big 1st.
Bad
1. What the frick was that holding call? There was literally nothing there. Same old shite from Autrey's retarded arse crew.
This post was edited on 9/5/26 at 4:22 pm
Posted on 9/5/26 at 4:49 pm to Diego Ricardo
Russell is a great athlete but he’s going to throw a lot of picks against any good defenses we play. Our O line is picking up where it left off or worse. D looked good I think they will be our strength this year.
Team is young and may come together late in the year. Just got to hope they can find a way to win the close ones because they will be in a fight for their lives more weeks than not.
Team is young and may come together late in the year. Just got to hope they can find a way to win the close ones because they will be in a fight for their lives more weeks than not.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 6:01 pm to LucedaleTider
Good: defense
Bad: offensive line is mediocre.
Ugly: Grubb just can't help himself... Play calling just has no flow and bad situational awareness.
Bad: offensive line is mediocre.
Ugly: Grubb just can't help himself... Play calling just has no flow and bad situational awareness.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 6:03 pm to LucedaleTider
With this schedule? I'm not optimistic.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 6:04 pm to bamabonners
quote:
offensive line is mediocre.
That’d still be an improvement over last year’s OL
Posted on 9/5/26 at 6:46 pm to LucedaleTider
quote:
Team is young and may come together late in the year. Just got to hope they can find a way to win the close ones because they will be in a fight for their lives more weeks than not.
Defense is very veteran but the front will need some time to gel because it has a bunch of transfers. I like the increased size of the down three. Caleb Woodson and Luke Metz seem much more stout than our front line inside backers last year. Hopeful that we can stop the run more consistently against quality competition this year. It really is just about confidence in the scheme, we have the bodies (both starters and depth look good).
We are going to need that defense to lead the team through this early stretch and hope that we can get healthy at the skill positions. Crowell seemed like he was on a pitch count and Brooks too. Rogers and Dear aren't even available yet. Not only do we need the OL and QB to get experience together but we aren't really playing with the full complement at WR or RB yet. Dear was having a camp - before his injury - that was putting him in position to start. Rogers was getting positive buzz before his Spring camp injury too.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 6:51 pm to antibarner
quote:
With this schedule? I'm not optimistic.
I’m no sunshine pumper but y’all are ridiculous with your expectations of perfection each and every play.
We replaced so much on offense and defense and just crushed an experienced ECU team.
Saban’s teams frequently didn’t come out of the gate firing on all cylinders. None of his teams outside of 2020 bludgeoned every single team on the schedule.
95% of yall just look for something to complain about
Posted on 9/5/26 at 6:55 pm to Diego Ricardo
I’ve held my tongue today, I just wanted a W which we got so I’m happy, but you pretty much summed up my thoughts Diego.
Does it make sense to say that this staff is good but just doesn’t seem to be sharp sometimes?
The people bitching about “run the damn ball,” that’s simply a philosophical difference with this staff and this OC that will never be resolved as long as they have the keys to this car.
I do think that someone nailed it when they questioned Grubb’s situational awareness. It’s like he’s gonna call what he wants to call regardless of the situation on the field.
Does it make sense to say that this staff is good but just doesn’t seem to be sharp sometimes?
The people bitching about “run the damn ball,” that’s simply a philosophical difference with this staff and this OC that will never be resolved as long as they have the keys to this car.
I do think that someone nailed it when they questioned Grubb’s situational awareness. It’s like he’s gonna call what he wants to call regardless of the situation on the field.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 7:19 pm to Diego Ricardo
There was some stuff to work on for sure, but it was the first game and 100 degrees. They will get it cleaned up. You can look around the rest of the countries and pretty much every team is having the same problems and worse. Looking forward to the season.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 7:43 pm to InkStainedWretch
quote:
I’ve held my tongue today, I just wanted a W which we got so I’m happy, but you pretty much summed up my thoughts Diego.
Does it make sense to say that this staff is good but just doesn’t seem to be sharp sometimes?
The people bitching about “run the damn ball,” that’s simply a philosophical difference with this staff and this OC that will never be resolved as long as they have the keys to this car.
I do think that someone nailed it when they questioned Grubb’s situational awareness. It’s like he’s gonna call what he wants to call regardless of the situation on the field.
People would complain about Saban not taking advantage of his first half timeouts but I prefer that to seeing a bunch of timeouts immediately out of a TV timeout. Like how do you not have the operation together to have a play in under that circumstance?
The administrative operations between the plays just is not that sharp. I realize we are somewhat biased by years of having one of the most dialed in coaches at that aspect of the game. However, it feels like Alabama is a bit worse in this respect than the average power conference football team.
Posted on 9/5/26 at 9:33 pm to LagunaTide
quote:
The Ugly 1. Ryan Williams dropping passes. Good lord Hopefully this improves
This guy could be on the good and the ugly. Led team in receiving yards with 130. That was over half of our total receiving yards. Also had a nice punt return and had a 9 yard run. But the drops were ugly. The defense looks like a top 5 defense nationally this season. I don’t see any weaknesses on that side of the ball. Hubbard got caught a little out of position and got burned. That was nearly half of their total yardage. How about holding them to 2 rushing yards. That’s the highlight of the day. We had mostly 2nd team defense in the middle of 3rd quarter and you couldn’t tell any difference. This defense could be 2016 type good
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