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re: Bama Football Tidings
Posted on 7/31/19 at 1:14 am to RollTide66
Posted on 7/31/19 at 1:14 am to RollTide66
Alabama Football: Secondary more talented and more experienced by Ronald Evans for BamaHammer
quote:
The Alabama football defense will benefit from a better secondary this season. Better in talent, experience and coaching. The final measurement of the 2018 Alabama football secondary came in a national championship failure. That measurement is not completely fair. An impotent pass rush made the secondary vulnerable against Clemson. At least one player, Josh Jobe, was thrust into a pressure situation in which his playing experience was inadequate. Consider all the above and the results were predictable.
Results should be very different in 2019 (and early 2020) for several reasons. The primary reason is the difference in playing experience going into 2019. At the start of the 2018 season, Alabama football returned three members of the secondary with starting experience. They were Deionte Thompson, Shyheim Carter and Trevon Diggs. Diggs was lost to injury in the sixth game of the season.
While Xavier McKinney had a great season, he was unproven at the start. Saivion Smith joined the team from the JUCO ranks, after a freshman season at LSU. Jared Mayden had mostly special teams experience. Josh Jobe and Patrick Surtain II were freshmen.
Further complicating the championship run was inexplicably inconsistent performance from Deionte Thompson. Those weaknesses in the secondary, coupled with a roster depleted in edge rushers, resulted in an unusually vulnerable Alabama Crimson Tide secondary.
What is different for Alabama football in 2019?
First, it is coaching. Nick Saban has chosen to apply more coaching resources to the Alabama secondary than ever before. Trusted Karl Scott returns but this season, he has the help of more than a graduate assistant. Charles Kelly has been added to coach the safeties while Scott will maintain responsibility for the cornerbacks.
The highest-paid graduate assistant in college football also returns. Nick Saban, of course, will still tutor defensive backs.
In the real Alabama football base defense, the nickel, look for an adjustment in assignments. The Crimson Tide staff has so much confidence in now sophomore Josh Jobe, he is likely to start at cornerback. With Trevon Diggs manning the other cornerback slot, that frees up Patrick Surtain II. Look for Surtain to fill a role similar to what was done with Minkah Fitzpatrick at the Star position.
Surtain is big and welcomes physical confrontations. Having Surtain at Star allows Shyheim Carter to focus on playing safety. No player understands the Nick Saban defense more than Shyheim. At safety, he can help shepherd the entire secondary. Opposite Carter will be the Tide’s most productive defensive back last season. Xavier McKinney was third on the team in tackles. He also had 10 pass breakups, two interceptions, three sacks and two quarterback hurries.
When the Crimson Tide uses its dime defense, Jared Mayden will likely continue as the sixth defensive back. Others who will push for playing time are Daniel Wright, Eddie Smith and Jalyn Armour-Davis. By the second half of the season, summer enrollee, Demarcco Hellams may push his way into the rotation.
A strong pass rush will still be essential. But look for the 2019 secondary to hold up against any passing attack.
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Posted on 7/31/19 at 1:20 am to RollTide66
Alabama Football: Coaching staff performance will define ’19 season by Ronald Evans for BamaHammer
quote:.
Assistant coaching staffs play a major role in championship success or failures. Why Nick Saban believes this season’s Alabama football staff is up to the task.
Recruiting, player development and coaching create game performance. As Alabama football fans know, sometimes there is a little luck involved. Game luck is easy to see, especially when it brings fortune to opposing teams.
Last season Alabama football suffered from the bad luck of injuries to key players. Less easy to see was the bad luck Nick Saban had with some assistant coaches.
Saban said recently, there was lack of focus on the staff after the LSU game. The reason was individual agendas getting in the way of team agendas. Saban took some heat for using exiting assistant coaches as an excuse for the Crimson Tide’s poor performance against Clemson. He responded by accepting full responsibility for the Tide’s weaknesses in the national championship game.
There is no value in pointing fingers at any individual coach who chose to leave after the 2017 or 2018 season. More important is the loss of continuity from the sheer number of attrition. Twelve Alabama Football assistants have exited the staff over the last two seasons. The fact close to half (or more) of them failed to meet Saban’s demanding, championship standard does not diminish the negative impact.
Established relationships with players and recruits were harmed by the turnover. Not even the greatest coach in the history of college football can fill such a void.
We should no go further without mentioning who left for good reasons after the 2017 season. Burton Burns was lost to a deserved retirement from coaching. Jeremy Pruitt delayed being fully engaged in his first head coaching job, to lead the Tide defense to a national championship.
Other assistants were nudged out, sometimes not too gently. A few exits were a surprise to Saban.
Looking back at the 2018 staff, Saban may have erred choosing a coach or two for recruiting prowess rather than coaching skills.
What about the 2019 Alabama football staff?
To the extent Nick made mistakes, he learned from them. This season’s staff has a balance between coaching and recruiting talent. A fair comparison is 2017 since that staff was part of a national championship.
The strength of the 2017 staff came from Burton Burns (Running backs), Derrick Ansley (Defensive backs) and Jeremy Pruitt as Defensive Coordinator. Comparing the 2019 staff, there are four positions: Charles Huff (Running backs); Charles Kelly (Safeties), Karl Scott (Cornerbacks) and Pete Golding as Defensive Coordinator.
Golding is no match for Pruitt yet, but Nick Saban believes his young DC can become every bit as good. Based on numbers and experience, the other three 2019 assistants are at least equal to the 2017 pair – and maybe better.
What should not be discounted is the wealth of defensive staff experience aiding Golding this season. Sal Sunseri, Brian Baker and Charles Kelly have extensive knowledge to help with game-planning.
There is even more experience on the offensive side. Few will debate Sarkisian being more proven than Brian DaBoll. Sark also has strong help from Kyle Flood, Jeff Banks, Holman Wiggins and the aforementioned Charles Huff.
It is easy for Crimson Tide fans to believe the 2019 staff is close to being at least as good as the 2017 staff. If Saban is correct about Golding, the 2019 staff could be better than the Crimson Tide’s last national championship staff
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