re: How the hell did Bama not win the West last year?

quote:

---

Very good analysis. Bama fans aren’t going like it.

---

I didn't state that to troll; I really think it's begun to happen.

I remember Saban at LSU, and I remember what a Saban team used to be like. Elite defense (with great individual technique), limited mistakes on offense, raging intensity and focus on the sidelines from the big (little) guy. Game would get tight, one of his defenders would make a play (that the announcers would dissect and state "look at how advanced his actions are, he played that perfectly"), Saban would then praise that guy as they came off the field, because he taught them how to do that. Even later at Alabama, you could see the chessmatch on the field. He'd have the perfect lineup and plays called.

We saw the cracks a few years ago, someone would go no-huddle and he couldn't make in-drive adjustments, and suddenly they were mortal. Defense went from shutting teams out, to giving up 30 pts.

He gave up the offense and just allowed aggressive calls with elite talent, and won by scoring 40 in those games.
He now allows the defense to swim out there, hoping to win with talent alone.

But with UGA, Tennessee and LSU catching back up with talent, you have to coach again; and I don't think he's still as motivated to keep doing it.