re: Saban's comments on the defense post-South Carolina

If you want to panick and blame Golding's and Saban's defensive acumen and schemes as being poor, ineffective or obsolete and throw Golding under the bus that's your perogative. But it's also my perogative to not worry excessively about things I can't control or influence. I'm content to watch, wait and see how Bama's defense performs and progresses over the course of the season. So, I won't waste any more time and energy trying to talk you off the ledge.

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Here is the deal with me and these HUNH RPO teams, We can get walked down vs Arkansas and then go into Baton Rouge and completely shut them down. An LSU that curb-stomped an outstanding Georgia team and a QB, Joe Burrows who threw for 400 yards vs UCF. How did we do it? Talent, but it can't just be talent or we wouldn't be discussing all this leakage.

It's because when we go against pro-set teams we have the defensive scheme to let our talent eat. When we play pro-set teams we are like Barnacles on a pirate ship. We are glue and they are in trouble. Same team, same players, same talent, just put in a defensive scheme that works.

Golding just has not got this thing figured out.

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Who do you think has it figured out?

There is a reason we switched to it. There is a reason LSU switched to it. It's because it's hard AF to stop.

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Who do you think has it figured out?

There is a reason we switched to it. There is a reason LSU switched to it. It's because it's hard AF to stop.

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And why we switched to the RPO's as well. It's all relative. You don't shut it out, you also don't allow teams to keep hammering you with the redundancy we are seeing from less talented SEC teams. What's worked for us in the past so much, the boa constrictor, surrounding the QB and hope for the best ain't working against these boys.

In that, it's all relative and everyone will leak, we still have to get off the field. Start there. Get off the field. So, here's what you don't do. You don't allow QBs to sit in the pocket and throw redundant passes 7 or 8 yards down the field as we fall back and retreat. And before anyone says otherwise, this has been the strategy for far too long last season as well. You invest in a pressure defense. You spend your time making it hard to feel comfortable in the pocket. You run blitz, you get exotic with your pass blitz. You get aggressive and get off the field. Start there.

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Golding came from UTSA, where he worked miracles with their defense in a very short time. Anybody know what type of offense most of the Conference USA teams run? I don't; it's a serious question. I'd bet it's a lot of RPO stuff, but I don't know for sure.

Saban is considered a defensive genius. Golding, by all accounts, seriously impressed him on first glance, and has continued to do so.

Now, I'll admit the Clemson game was beyond frustrating. I know very little about the Xs and Os of football, but even I was stunned to see us run a line stunt on the goal line in that game. (STILL don't understand that call.) But it seems to me Golding has been coaching with one hand tied behind his back for his entire tenure here -- either essentially doing his boss's job part of the time when Lupoi was DC, or by having the entire middle of his defense gutted by injuries / inexperience.

I'm in the cautiously optimistic camp, although I agree our defense hasn't been stellar to date.

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I think Golding knows Xs and Os. I'm sure he was more than impressive when he and Saban got together for their big Q and A. I also don't think Golding is aggressive.

So far, he's been a lot like Kirby in his conservative approach. Smart would often rush 4 and drop 7 and blitzed about 19% of the time. Jeremy Pruitt had us ramped up to about 50% and often in 3rd and long would go at those QBs in biltz packages often at over 70% of the time. The dude was an aggressive DC. In this new age world of spead-em out and giddy-up spread, let's get off the freakin' field.

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maybe Muschamp keeps tanking at SC and we grab him up as DC.

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Hopefully Tennessee fires Pruitt and we can get him back.

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If you're not worried about it, why address it with me?

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I'm in agreement with you that an agressive stunting & blitzing approach is the best formula for stopping drives by modern HUNH offenses. My only point was that Saban had a reason for not doing it much yet, that I do expect it to be implemented as the new young D-Front players get settled in, and therefore think it's premature to conclude that Golding is clueless and inept.

Here's the deal, I'm not sure how much freedom Golding has. Saban is more conservative in his defensive philosophy which is why he and Kirby meshed well for so long. I think Pruitt came in with the understanding that he's the play caller and Saban actually let him loose. I don't think Golding has that clout, so we are seeing a more Kirby-esk defense because that's what Saban prefers.

That said, we do blitz some and we did blitz against Clemson last year. Problem is almost every time we blitzed they hit a big play. Go back and watch the game. I did and was surprised by how aggressive our D actually was at times that game. And guess what? I didn't work. At the end of the day, it appears to me most of these teams are doing super quick reads and passes. Meaning, that even if we do bring the house, we are very unlikely to get there before the ball is out. So why leave guys uncovered down the field if we know our blitz isn't going to have time to get home? It is a real dilemma and not nearly as simple as some of you are making it. Blitzing every play isn't going to kill the HUNH. If that was the key, our defense and every other defense would be doing exactly that.

If only there was a Defensive Coordinator out there who seemed to have figured out how to slow down and disrupt the HUNH offense... and we played against him last year, and he trots out a new young aggressive defense with a gutted D-line and runs 3 safeties and brings pressure and continues to have success.

A lot of excuses going on in this thread and no accountability. Not hearing any excuses out of Venebles. We've had injuries but we have comparable or better talent to Clemson and watch what they do to Carolina this year and watch what the Aggies do to us.

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Golding said he was going to get more players in the game this year for depth. Would put them in packages they knew, so they didn't have to know it all before they got on the field and could play fast. So, let's see.

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Well, it's not a perfect comparison, but here's the freshman participation report for 2018 Ole Miss (opening conference game on the road) vs. 2019 South Carolina (opening conference game on the road):

2018 Ole Miss
Participating freshmen on defense
Surtain
Anoma
Jobe
Wynn
Kaho
Moody

2019 South Carolina
Participating freshmen on defense
Dale
Lee
Harris
Battle
Hellams
Young
Banks
Mwikuta

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Golding just has not got this thing figured out

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Here is what you have not figured out, it should be, "Saban and Golding do not have this thing figured out". I'm sure you know what you are saying but just don't want to sound stupid by including CNS. CNS is all over this defense. First of all it is not as bad as you are saying, secondly, Bama does not have the personnel & experience of pre-2018. E.g., Bama will possibly have 5 true freshmen starting on D this week. May be a first in NCAA history, certainly in Bama history.

Again, it's not just "Golding" but "Saban and Golding" - if there is indeed the problems you suggest.