I feel alone... but

I agree with you. I hate every bit of this offense and have a feeling it will be a very big wakeup call this weekend. Or, a pleasant surprise if LSU's offense reverts. I like our D and if Synder sticks around and gets some real depth, look out. But Im counting down the days until the FCS class spread offense we run now is chased out of town. It works against lesser talent. But a disciplined D with talent and depth will molest it.

I mean. I'm not excited about it, it isn't the way I want to see a team built. It is a one man show in a one dimensional offense that stalls in the red zone(more option please Johnny seemed to pitch it really well, that was a dirty dirty dirty option and better than anything McGee ever did, we HAVE to do that more in the red zone imo). I liked the West Coast offense. You could run the ball at will, and ride a Cyrus Grey type back when they were on to a win. The air raid is one of my least favorite offenses. I also think it doesn't attract enough talent. What 5 star running back comes here instead of LSU? It isn't the "blue print" I think wins a MNC, but I might as enjoy the ride while it lasts. If we are going to do this and I don't think Sumlin or KK are going anywhere, I'm glad we have four years of Johnny pulling the trigger. He is fun as frick to watch.

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What 5 star running back comes here instead of LSU?

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Dude, I had a post in the Chronicle about RSJ out of Sealy today that said the same thing. Here it is from this morning:

Aggies definitely going to be throwing the ball. .. LSU, not so much under Les. As a receiver you want opportunities and the more the better. A&M fits the bill. If I was a running back, LSU would be my preference, not A&M.

GIGEM

I think it's a little unfair to say we should beat Bama, at Bama, in year one in order to prove this team can be worth something. Johnny has been incredibly impressive, in fact I say this is the exact type of player A&M has needed. You want media attention and casual fans? Have a player like this.

However, Alabama as a squad is just crazy good. We don't have the size and depth at defense to stop those big boys from scoring.

However, if Johnny and the Ags did beat LSU and Bama, he wins the Heisman this year hands down.

It's not that Bama's offense is anything that'll blow you away schematically....it's that the defense just outschemes opposing offenses and keeps them off the field while the Bama offense eats away at the clock with long sustained drives. Opposing defense wears down while 1 of 2 things usually occur: 1) gaps begin forming on the opposing DLine creating running lanes a Mack track can run through or 2) opposing defense sells out to stop the run and allow AJ (who really doesn't get enough credit for the skills he has, hell even I overlook it most of the time) to hit open WR's. Alabama's offense is nothing special really, and can be downright boring at times. They're just so proficient at basic, fundamental football that they're lack of mistakes forces opponents to take chances...which Bama usually exposes at one point or another.

The Alabama defense though....that's an entirely different beast. Saban and the staff have got it down to a science, it's scary to think that there's been little to no dropoff (and actually some improvement) compared to last year's defense, which was the best I had seen in my years of watching college football. They have so many packages that they truly can match up well with any offense out there right now; people said Tebow and the UF offense in 09 were unstoppable...everyone knows how that turned out.

Having said all of that, A&M will present the biggest challenge all year to Bama's defense? JFF should have success if he can break loose on the edges, but should avoid the middle. He can't force the ball down the field, just take what they give up on the short routes and go from there. Malena (who I really think doesn't get enough credit) needs to avg at least a minimum of 5 yards a carry for the Aggies to keep some momentum going on offense. If they can not commit any turnovers and keep stupid penalties from popping up, I think they'll surprise a lot of Bama fans.

As a fan of defensive football, I can honestly say it brings me great joy to watch the way the Tide play D. When I hear Aggies pine for the Wrecking Crew days, I tell them those days are never coming back until we successfully emulate what's going on in Tuscaloosa.

As the OP for this thread, I was NOT complaining that we wouldn't beat Bama. At the state that program is in, that's a ridiculous expectation for our team. I was complaining that:

1. We have no secondary

2. We can't tackle

3. Rather than going through his checkdowns, JFF seems to look at his primary guy and then run, something that will get him killed against the likes of an LSU or Bama (or Mississippi State?) defense

4. Despite a highly acclaimed, veteran O-Line, we can't run the ball with any reliability

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1. We have no secondary

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Scares me, but not against LSU or Bama

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2. We can't tackle

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Will get better--our guys always seem to be in position to make plays, so the schemes are working for the most part

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3. Rather than going through his checkdowns, JFF seems to look at his primary guy and then run, something that will get him killed against the likes of an LSU or Bama (or Mississippi State?) defense

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He's a tough SOB, and has already taken a few man-sized licks already. Just because said licks weren't delivered by guys in a Bama or LSU uniform doesn't diminish his toughness. Plus, he's quick enough that he rarely takes direct hits.

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4. Despite a highly acclaimed, veteran O-Line, we can't run the ball with any reliability

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This scares the frick outta me. Was counting on this at least, but without a reliable run game, every projection becomes that much darker.

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Ags can run the ball from a 2 point stance against a lot of teams.

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Clearly not as well as we would all like. Hell, even the o-linemen have said they have a hard time driving people back. It wouldn't surprise me if we all of sudden had more three point pistol/diamond formations.

A lot of cliff jumping and selective memory on this thread. Not saying some points aren't valid, they are, but some of the logic is just lost on me. I don't think it is fair to change expectations as the year goes, especially drastically. This was a 7-5 team, maybe 8-4 to the optimists starting the year. If they achieve that I don't see how we should be unhappy. I think we have a great shot at 9-3 right now and if somehow we win Saturday there is no telling what could happen. That doesn't mean we should be unhappy though with the clear improvements we have seen.

Why we are even mentioning an ability to beat Bama is just crazy to me. Bear Bryant could be our coach right now and we would likely still lose to Bama. Bama has several years worth of "Jimmy's and Joe's" that they have hand picked from anywhere they wanted them, especially on D. It's going to take time to build up anything close to that level of talent. We have some nice offensive talent for sure but we have a ways to go before we have the kind of defensive talent and depth as Bama and LSU. I would also like to know of any sane human being that thought we had better than a 1% chance of walking in to Tuscaloosa and beating Bama in Year 1 or much better in Year 2. That place is a machine right now and personally I am amazed that at this point we may have at least a puncher's chance.

I don't care what defensive scheme we are running, we just don't have that level of defensive talent. We have a few quality guys but we have a ways to go. I do like some of the talent coming in though and I think we are on the right track. At least we have a serious S&C program now and that was half our problem.

We looked really bad defensively at times against La Tech, no doubt. That game was also not exactly conventional. You had 4 defensive contributors out in a game that lasted 5 hours and finished after midnight. You had an extremely well run Spread offense that is unlike what we will see in the SEC. We also had some very questionable officiating that extended a lot of drives and got La Tech back in that game. Honestly I think without the PI call on Jacobs in the 2nd Quarter that led to their first TD it's a very different ballgame.

I don't agree that the Spread/Air Raid won't work in the SEC. Essentially our goal is to likely look like Oregon or last year's OSU offensively and with the athletes in Texas and our coaches I see that as very possible. There is some weakness on getting "the tough yard" with that offense but I think that is being overstated as well. The change in blocking schemes is significant and it's going to take time to master. I still think the jury is still out there though.

I don't agree at all that A&M won't be able to attract top RB's. We got TW last year as well as Brandon Williams and Tra Carson to transfer. James White is an absolute beast as well. We will have multiple power runners to go with speed. In this system you may not get to be the feature back who the offense centers around but you will get carries and honestly build a better pro resume. You have to block and catch in this system.

That brings us to Johnny Football. What do you do with a kid like that? He's a freak talent but he is so unconventional. You can only control him so much without losing his playmaking ability. A&M's history is littered with great QB's that were forced into systems that didn't work to their talents. You have to build it around a guy like him, especially since he is a Freshman. That means you have to take the good with the bad. Honestly this is a learning year for him. It's nice people are going so crazy for him and I have to admit I get caught up as well but still the kid is a Freshman and has played 6 games. He's going to screw up like he did on the Pick 6 last game. Fortunately he still makes a lot more plays than screw ups. I also seem to recall our 1st Round Draft Pick QB last year throwing Pick 6's all too often in the West Coast offense as well. It is unfair to expect perfection out of Manziel. He's growing and getting better but honestly I think we are playing more for next year in regards to him.

One last point on recruiting. The key to recruiting is winning and hype. There is more buzz around A&M right now than I have seen in a very long time. We are breaking a lot of molds and changing a lot of opinions about us. We still have a ways to go but a lot of folks that either forgot about A&M or never knew it to be what it was in the Jackie/early RC era are starting to see just how special a place we are. Add in our most dynamic coach since Jackie and the SEC move with a dash of Johnny Football and A&M is looking awfully sexy. I really don't think it can be overstated how huge a win would be this weekend btw. It is a true program defining moment if we can pull it off.

Call me a kool aid drinker if you wish, I will admit to being an optimist. Still I see our flaws. I also see our STRENGTHS though. Don't ever let anyone convince you that A&M can't become a truly elite football program once again.