Started By
Message
re: KDB quietly rebuilding a defense centered team
Posted on 7/22/26 at 9:02 am to RolltideYuleTide
Posted on 7/22/26 at 9:02 am to RolltideYuleTide
quote:
I was watching a little bit of the SEC media day and something about our team stats caught my eye but as quiet as kept KDB seems to be going in the right direction defensively and if he can keep it up those rankings will keep climbing, Especially with guys like bray hubbard, dijon lee, zabien brown, Keon sabb, yhonzae pierre, devin thompkins, and many more. Also being 9th overall in total defense as well as stats like 1.1 ints a game and 7 sacks a game. Really pumped to see what's in store for us this season.
My concern about the defense is against high IQ teams like Indiana who seemed to have us figured out in very short order after the game started. Though, overall, I think CKW has done a very good job with the defense, there's still some areas I would like to see him improve upon.
3
Posted on 7/22/26 at 9:10 am to NWLA_Bama
It was 13-0 or so late in the 2nd qtr when we went for it on 4th down, almost in our redzone.
The TD after that broke it open.
The TD after that broke it open.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 9:57 am to RolltideYuleTide
SEVEN sacks a game?! We should be higher than 9th lol
I’m agnostic on the defense until and if we get the OL situation sorted out. Even the best defenses can’t hold out forever.
I’m agnostic on the defense until and if we get the OL situation sorted out. Even the best defenses can’t hold out forever.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:08 am to Bamafig
We will have better QB play than we've had in years. This offense will be night and day.
How DeBoer got Simpson into a first round QB is movie worthy.
How DeBoer got Simpson into a first round QB is movie worthy.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:41 am to Night Vision
Correct, but you could literally see with every possession Indiana making adjustments that progressively started opening up our defense that we had no answer for. Yes, the failed fourth down conversion busted the floodgates open, but Indiana was making successful adjustments before that happened.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:50 am to NWLA_Bama
Zabien looks huge. I fully expect that dude to have a nuts season.
I think Hubbard and Zabien are about to have legendary seasons
I think Hubbard and Zabien are about to have legendary seasons
Posted on 7/22/26 at 12:42 pm to NWLA_Bama
CKD going for it on 4th down against IU inside the -30 with 1:45 left in the half and Bama trailing just 10-3, and of course it failed, and as a result Indiana scored to make it 17-3 at half, effectively ending the game.
The two TD’s allowed in the 4th quarter looked like the defense knew it was hopeless and for the first time I’ve seen under CKW, they basically mailed it in during the final 8 minutes or so of the game.
I know it doesn’t matter, but for the sake of perspective, I wish they wouldve finished with the same intensity they played with all year during when IU was just running out the clock, and the final score ended up 24-3 instead of allowing the two TD’s to the backups at the end and turning it into 38-3.
It is what it is though, and that same Indiana team put 56 points on Oregon in less than 3 quarters the following week.
Still though, that IU game (the final 8-10 minutes especially) overshadowed what the defense accomplished throughout the season (fewest yards allowed in the SEC except for OU, and top10 in scoring for the 2nd year in a row prior to the IU game, and was consistent all year long).
They put a hurting on Pavia and Vandy, beat UGA 24-21 on the road despite the offense getting shutout the second half, forced 3 turnovers and scored 9 points of their own in the comeback win at USCe, the 20-9 win vs LSU and the 20-17 over Mizzou when the offense had started to become lifeless. The destruction of Heupel’s offense was so much fun to watch ( 5 sacks 3 picks), and sparking the comeback in the Playoffs to get the OU monkey off our backs finally.
Even in the SECCG, Georgia had just 260 yards of offense, including the fewest yards per carry they had all season long….with their TD drives starting from the 7 yard line (blocked punt), the 8 yard line (Bama going for it on 4th down with 2 minutes left), and the 41 yard line after a 23 yard punt return.
I just wish so badly they would've finished up the end of the Rose Bowl strong despite the game being completely hopeless, bc it’s the last memory fans have of the defense and it should’ve been 10-3 at halftime if CKD had made the choice to go ahead and punt to end the half. Anyways, without the defense, that would’ve been an 8-4 team at best, instead of 7-1 in the SEC, going to Atlanta, Playoffs, winning a Playoff game and reaching Rose Bowl,
This year’s defense will be even better bc they actually have the bodies to play the 3-4 Under Front that CKW began using as their base defense after transitioned away from a 4-2-5. Also the Secondary allows them to be very aggressive bc of how talented and experienced they are. Not to mention the growth that took place from the Vandy debacle in Year 1 and finishing top10 nationally in scoring defense, then the improvement from year 1 to year 2 vs the run was great to see.
I expect with the right personnel (Simmons, Thompkins, Beaman, Green, Pierre, Hill, etc) up-front, combined with an elite Secondary for the defense to finish tops in the SEC in scoring AND Total D in the same season.
Just need the vertical passing game and a respectable running game from the offense to be a very good football team.
The two TD’s allowed in the 4th quarter looked like the defense knew it was hopeless and for the first time I’ve seen under CKW, they basically mailed it in during the final 8 minutes or so of the game.
I know it doesn’t matter, but for the sake of perspective, I wish they wouldve finished with the same intensity they played with all year during when IU was just running out the clock, and the final score ended up 24-3 instead of allowing the two TD’s to the backups at the end and turning it into 38-3.
It is what it is though, and that same Indiana team put 56 points on Oregon in less than 3 quarters the following week.
Still though, that IU game (the final 8-10 minutes especially) overshadowed what the defense accomplished throughout the season (fewest yards allowed in the SEC except for OU, and top10 in scoring for the 2nd year in a row prior to the IU game, and was consistent all year long).
They put a hurting on Pavia and Vandy, beat UGA 24-21 on the road despite the offense getting shutout the second half, forced 3 turnovers and scored 9 points of their own in the comeback win at USCe, the 20-9 win vs LSU and the 20-17 over Mizzou when the offense had started to become lifeless. The destruction of Heupel’s offense was so much fun to watch ( 5 sacks 3 picks), and sparking the comeback in the Playoffs to get the OU monkey off our backs finally.
Even in the SECCG, Georgia had just 260 yards of offense, including the fewest yards per carry they had all season long….with their TD drives starting from the 7 yard line (blocked punt), the 8 yard line (Bama going for it on 4th down with 2 minutes left), and the 41 yard line after a 23 yard punt return.
I just wish so badly they would've finished up the end of the Rose Bowl strong despite the game being completely hopeless, bc it’s the last memory fans have of the defense and it should’ve been 10-3 at halftime if CKD had made the choice to go ahead and punt to end the half. Anyways, without the defense, that would’ve been an 8-4 team at best, instead of 7-1 in the SEC, going to Atlanta, Playoffs, winning a Playoff game and reaching Rose Bowl,
This year’s defense will be even better bc they actually have the bodies to play the 3-4 Under Front that CKW began using as their base defense after transitioned away from a 4-2-5. Also the Secondary allows them to be very aggressive bc of how talented and experienced they are. Not to mention the growth that took place from the Vandy debacle in Year 1 and finishing top10 nationally in scoring defense, then the improvement from year 1 to year 2 vs the run was great to see.
I expect with the right personnel (Simmons, Thompkins, Beaman, Green, Pierre, Hill, etc) up-front, combined with an elite Secondary for the defense to finish tops in the SEC in scoring AND Total D in the same season.
Just need the vertical passing game and a respectable running game from the offense to be a very good football team.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 1:55 pm to NWLA_Bama
Indiana would’ve had 10
Points at halftime if CKD had elected to punt and take it to the locker room.
Same Indiana team that dropped 50+ points in 2.5 quarters vs Lanning’s Oregon defense the following week.
Points at halftime if CKD had elected to punt and take it to the locker room.
Same Indiana team that dropped 50+ points in 2.5 quarters vs Lanning’s Oregon defense the following week.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 3:29 pm to tide06
Much higher than Jordan Renaud, Kelby Collins and Keon Keeley…..
Posted on 7/22/26 at 3:47 pm to NWLA_Bama
This is not true. IU runs a very vanilla offense schematically…RPO’s off of inside zone and 2 gap schemes make up more than 50% of their snaps from
scrimmage. The defense played very well the 1st half, but mailed it in after IU pulled Mendoza in the 4th and let them break off a simple Power (gap scheme plus missed tackles) for the two scores in the 4th quarter. After your offense goes 3-and-out eight consecutive times I can somewhat understand the drop in intensity from Hill-Green/Lawson/Jefferson in a 24-3 game. Again, that same Indiana team dropped 56 points in 2.5 quarters on Lanning’s Oregon defense the following week.
scrimmage. The defense played very well the 1st half, but mailed it in after IU pulled Mendoza in the 4th and let them break off a simple Power (gap scheme plus missed tackles) for the two scores in the 4th quarter. After your offense goes 3-and-out eight consecutive times I can somewhat understand the drop in intensity from Hill-Green/Lawson/Jefferson in a 24-3 game. Again, that same Indiana team dropped 56 points in 2.5 quarters on Lanning’s Oregon defense the following week.
This post was edited on 7/22/26 at 8:24 pm
Posted on 7/22/26 at 3:56 pm to NWLA_Bama
What areas specifically?
CKW is essentially the HC of the defense bc CKD is an offensive guy and gives CKW full autonomy.
What other offensive-minded HC has a DC that has allowed less points and yards than Georgia over the past 2 seasons (his first 2 seasons on top of that), and finished top10 in scoring year 1, then 2nd in the SEC behind only OU in total D in year 2???
Venables and Kirby are defensive head coaches, and yet CKW has fielded better units both seasons. The run defense improved a lot this past season, and ever since converting primarily to a 3-4 Under Front, they have been as consistent as any defense in the SEC (statistically the very best).
I’m not trying to compare them to 2016-2017 or 2011 defenses, but especially factoring in scheme change from CNS retiring, having sub-par talent compared to previous Bama defenses…..I would say allowing 17.6ppg and 19.1 ppg respectively, then just 290ypg in year 2 (both lowest scoring and total D since 2017 for a Bama defense) is about as much as anyone could have hoped for. Not to mention the crazy number of turnovers they have forced.
Again, Bama is 18-0 under CKD when the offense has mustered 23 points.
CKW is essentially the HC of the defense bc CKD is an offensive guy and gives CKW full autonomy.
What other offensive-minded HC has a DC that has allowed less points and yards than Georgia over the past 2 seasons (his first 2 seasons on top of that), and finished top10 in scoring year 1, then 2nd in the SEC behind only OU in total D in year 2???
Venables and Kirby are defensive head coaches, and yet CKW has fielded better units both seasons. The run defense improved a lot this past season, and ever since converting primarily to a 3-4 Under Front, they have been as consistent as any defense in the SEC (statistically the very best).
I’m not trying to compare them to 2016-2017 or 2011 defenses, but especially factoring in scheme change from CNS retiring, having sub-par talent compared to previous Bama defenses…..I would say allowing 17.6ppg and 19.1 ppg respectively, then just 290ypg in year 2 (both lowest scoring and total D since 2017 for a Bama defense) is about as much as anyone could have hoped for. Not to mention the crazy number of turnovers they have forced.
Again, Bama is 18-0 under CKD when the offense has mustered 23 points.
This post was edited on 7/22/26 at 10:06 pm
Posted on 7/22/26 at 4:27 pm to Cover1Key
quote:
Much higher than Jordan Renaud, Kelby Collins and Keon Keeley…..
OUs OL made Keeley a lot of money, I’ll be watching what he does in South Bend closely.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 7:18 pm to Cover1Key
I am not a football guy. I don’t keep up with the Ins and outs of technical stuff. So, I appreciate your insights.
Even I could see that we were weak up front on defense. Physical teams would run right at us and have their way. I was thrilled to see us get size on the line. That to me is the missing piece.
Even I could see that we were weak up front on defense. Physical teams would run right at us and have their way. I was thrilled to see us get size on the line. That to me is the missing piece.
This post was edited on 7/22/26 at 8:36 pm
Posted on 7/22/26 at 7:44 pm to LovetheLord
They actually were pretty stout vs the run. They allowed fewer yards on the ground than the 2023 defense under CNS.
Look at the difference vs Georgia (their lowest ypc all season), Pavia and Vandy, and OU’s option concepts and the shovel passes, the outside zone concepts Drink runs with Mizzou, and the stuffing Heupel into the ground…..all those teams caused them problems on the ground in year 1 (granted CKW switched to a 3-4 Under and got away from a 4-2-5 vs 11 personnel and higher) after the Vandy debacle in year 1).
Outside of FSU (most of that was the QB scrambling on a very wet field and the two long reverses) and the 4th quarter of Indiana game, they were stout against all season.
When you play a 15 game season against OU twice, UGA twice, 9 ranked opponents, and the eventual national champions, and the only bad performances you can point to are the 1st half of the 1st game of the season and the final quarter of the final game, then that’s pretty dang good. I’m sure Pavia and the OC for Vandy realized pretty quickly that Bama’s run defense was much improved from year 1.
Look at the difference vs Georgia (their lowest ypc all season), Pavia and Vandy, and OU’s option concepts and the shovel passes, the outside zone concepts Drink runs with Mizzou, and the stuffing Heupel into the ground…..all those teams caused them problems on the ground in year 1 (granted CKW switched to a 3-4 Under and got away from a 4-2-5 vs 11 personnel and higher) after the Vandy debacle in year 1).
Outside of FSU (most of that was the QB scrambling on a very wet field and the two long reverses) and the 4th quarter of Indiana game, they were stout against all season.
When you play a 15 game season against OU twice, UGA twice, 9 ranked opponents, and the eventual national champions, and the only bad performances you can point to are the 1st half of the 1st game of the season and the final quarter of the final game, then that’s pretty dang good. I’m sure Pavia and the OC for Vandy realized pretty quickly that Bama’s run defense was much improved from year 1.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 7:46 pm to Night Vision
Yeah you are right….I was thinking 10-3 for some reason. But yes, that decision effectively ended the game. Was very frustrating not just taking it to half down just 13-0 when you are getting the ball to start the 2nd half. Defense was put in some very difficult situations vs Georgia, OU and Indiana in the postseason.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 8:06 pm to Cover1Key
My hope is that Pierre doesnt have a drop-off. His production was huge last year.
Keenan will be hard to replace. Green is gonna have to be the real deal. Are we gonna play him as a 1-tech? Im not up to speed on what base defense we will run and where these new guys will play. Overton is another one that will be hard to replace. That dude was a difference maker more than his stats showed. I guess Thompkins is the replacement there.
At LB I just want to see some guys that tackle well. Griffin seems too good to keep off the field. Kinda think we see Hubbard playing in the box a lot more this year. Secondary is loaded. Still need a thumper at MLB. Reese might be that guy. Is Hill strictly an OLB?
Keenan will be hard to replace. Green is gonna have to be the real deal. Are we gonna play him as a 1-tech? Im not up to speed on what base defense we will run and where these new guys will play. Overton is another one that will be hard to replace. That dude was a difference maker more than his stats showed. I guess Thompkins is the replacement there.
At LB I just want to see some guys that tackle well. Griffin seems too good to keep off the field. Kinda think we see Hubbard playing in the box a lot more this year. Secondary is loaded. Still need a thumper at MLB. Reese might be that guy. Is Hill strictly an OLB?
Posted on 7/22/26 at 9:37 pm to SECSolomonGrundy
I think the DL will have better stats because of a better secondary. The coverage this season should be as good as its ever been at Bama.
If Pierre comes in hungry and Thompkins has a little more quickness then youre looking at a scary defense.
If Pierre comes in hungry and Thompkins has a little more quickness then youre looking at a scary defense.
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:07 pm to NWLA_Bama
They literally run one of the most vanilla schemes in CFB. Look up Cignetti’s philosophy on offense
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:13 pm to tide06
The guy does not fit anything inside (or head-up the Tackles). He also is not physical which was the frustration CNS had with him. He’s also not explosive enough to rush off the Edge. He SHOULD be a helluva a 4-tech (head-up the Tackle) on the 3-4 Under and as a 5-tech in their Even Front, but he simply isn’t physical, lacks explosiveness and doesn’t have the “ball get off”’ to affect the passer from outside the Tackle box. He was a bust…plain and simple. I believe 100% he was ushered out orbit was mutual at the least. Thompkins was brought in to what Keeley looked like he could do. Plus Edrik Hill was far more consistent/playable than Keeley as well.
This post was edited on 7/22/26 at 10:28 pm
Posted on 7/22/26 at 10:24 pm to SECSolomonGrundy
Simmons plays the Nose/shade/2i, Terrance Greene does not. Simmons was the most impactful interior DL Bama has had in awhile. He actually had more snaps than Keenan beginning with the LSU game and continuing through the end of the season.
Green will play a 3-tech/4i and a 2i at times. He is replacing James Smith essentially.
Starting lineup in 3-4 Under:
Shade: London Simmons
4i: Terrance Green
5-tech: Thompkins
Edge: Yhonzae Pierre
LB: Woodson
LB: QB Reese
(Xavier Griffin will push for PT early)
Nickel: Red Morgan
F/S: Sabb (Ivan Taylor reported to be passing him up)
S/S: Bray Hubbard (Jireh Edwards will play a lot situationally; best Safety/Nickel since Minkah/X. McKinney)
CB: Z Brown
CB: D Lee
Green will play a 3-tech/4i and a 2i at times. He is replacing James Smith essentially.
Starting lineup in 3-4 Under:
Shade: London Simmons
4i: Terrance Green
5-tech: Thompkins
Edge: Yhonzae Pierre
LB: Woodson
LB: QB Reese
(Xavier Griffin will push for PT early)
Nickel: Red Morgan
F/S: Sabb (Ivan Taylor reported to be passing him up)
S/S: Bray Hubbard (Jireh Edwards will play a lot situationally; best Safety/Nickel since Minkah/X. McKinney)
CB: Z Brown
CB: D Lee
This post was edited on 7/22/26 at 10:40 pm
Page 2 of 3
Latest Alabama News
Popular
Back to top
Follow SECRant for SEC Football News