Being that I live in the beasts backyard (Tuscaloosa), it pains me to bring this to light but this is one of UA's many sororities and they all represent quite well.
By the time you reach the college level, you should know how to tackle. By the time you reach the college level, a DB should know how to cover a WR and know when to turn and look for the ball. By the time you reach the college level and you are on scholarship, there is no way a walk on should be playing ahead of you. I dont care if they have earned a scholly. They should never start ahead of sophomore and junior 3* and above athletes in the same position.
Here's the deal, fans of every team are rabid about information from pressers. If the team is performing at a level where there is hope of a conference championship, the front man can be evasive but with the product Hoke is putting out, it's difficult, at best, to excuse his tone and shear inability to give an answer that isn't complete nonsense. In today's market, feed the fans or don't, but do so at your own peril. We want answers and if his beloved tradition is so important, he should know that fan support and in turn his job is dependent on the product not the intent.
No! Be respectable speed bumps? Uh, Yeah! Fall camp and 8 games later and we cant consistently slow down equivalently rated players with a year or two worth of experience and be serviceable.
I dont think you can blame the play calling on DG. I dont even really blame the fact that he is so afraid of both getting drilled and throwing an interception that he reads the play after the snap so slow he is missing windows and can't seem to hit a receiver unless he is standing alone with a 5 yard radius around him. The OC could put him in better situations, call better plays or appeal to whatever fighting spirit DG has left by sitting him for a series or a qtr by putting Morris in the game. Something has to get DGs fight back. Its the OCs job is to make his players look good. Malzahn did it at Arkansas and Auburn during both tenures.
The D line, coached by Hoke and Mattison, cant get pressure. The linebackers tackle inconsistently and dont drop well into pass routes. The DBs cant anticipate and leave receivers open by 5 - 10 yards on 3rd down consistently. Either the talent isnt there (I personally believe it is) or the coaches on both sides of the ball need a gut check or get the hell out.
The skill players have shown at times that they can be good. The issue is after fall camp and 8 games, why isnt the play more consistent. That is due to the coaches. I'm not sure if we should be getting rid of all 3 (Hoke, Borges & Mattison) or some combination of Borges, Funk and Mallory etc. I do give Mattison some blame when its 4th and 2 and our DBs are 6 - 8 off the ball. I also give Hoke and Mattison some blame for having a D line that cant get any penetration with 4. By now, you should be able to have coached a skilled but raw athlete how to get some pressure on a consistent basis.
What you see of Nick Saban is not what happens when the cameras are off. I live in Tuscaloosa and I am friends with quite a few of the players over the last 7 - 8 years. You see calm, cool and collected. I can tell you only what I have heard but not only does Coach Saban kick butt, he takes names and so does his staff.
Especially in the first few years, he gave his players very little rope to hang themselves and after the mass house cleaning he did in his 1st 2 years, if you're lazy or sloppy or anything other than perfect, you pay for it. Did he use the medical hardship to set an example? That is speculation but it is assumed that was one of the ways he sent the message. The other methods he used involved the S&C coach and early morning sweat sessions. From what I've been told, he's not Bobby Knight but he's is not bashful about getting in your face either.
ND's defense allowed 360+ vs Temple, 460 vs UM, ~ 300 vs Purdue and were out gained by Little Brother's offense. That's considered good in your book? Well that's just your opinion, man!
And to your point of this being a young team, I believe the coaches themselves have said numerous times that the expectation is for the position. If one player isn't getting it done then the next guy needs to step up but I'm not seeing them give anyone else a chance except on the D Line and DBs. The D line is being swapped too much in game. They have to be given a chance to get in rhythm. The opposing teams O Line doesn't swap out, so our guys need to suck it up and increase their cardio. I haven't seen anyone in the country swap out their front 7 as much as we do. Not to say it doesn't happen but I haven't seen it. What you don't see is our O line swapping and it needs to. You haven't seen our running backs swap out. I understand they need to practice well to play but you have to take a chance on some guys in the game and we've blown our chances at handling cupcakes so we can see if some guys actually play better than they practice. And yes, there are guys that don't practice well but play much better.
I think at best that is a questionable assessment of their defense. Yesterday they quoted Nix and he even said this defense isn't close to the one last year.
...between getting pissed off and showing your ass vs benching a player. I don't think anyone wants a coach that loses his cool and looks like a fool on the sideline but you have to ask yourself, what is it going to take to push Hoke or Borges to the point that they make a change before we have another situation like Nebraska last year with an untested back up?
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By the time you reach the college level, you should know how to tackle. By the time you reach the college level, a DB should know how to cover a WR and know when to turn and look for the ball. By the time you reach the college level and you are on scholarship, there is no way a walk on should be playing ahead of you. I dont care if they have earned a scholly. They should never start ahead of sophomore and junior 3* and above athletes in the same position.
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No! Be respectable speed bumps? Uh, Yeah! Fall camp and 8 games later and we cant consistently slow down equivalently rated players with a year or two worth of experience and be serviceable.
I dont think you can blame the play calling on DG. I dont even really blame the fact that he is so afraid of both getting drilled and throwing an interception that he reads the play after the snap so slow he is missing windows and can't seem to hit a receiver unless he is standing alone with a 5 yard radius around him. The OC could put him in better situations, call better plays or appeal to whatever fighting spirit DG has left by sitting him for a series or a qtr by putting Morris in the game. Something has to get DGs fight back. Its the OCs job is to make his players look good. Malzahn did it at Arkansas and Auburn during both tenures.
The D line, coached by Hoke and Mattison, cant get pressure. The linebackers tackle inconsistently and dont drop well into pass routes. The DBs cant anticipate and leave receivers open by 5 - 10 yards on 3rd down consistently. Either the talent isnt there (I personally believe it is) or the coaches on both sides of the ball need a gut check or get the hell out.
No! Unless we are preparing them to lose.
The skill players have shown at times that they can be good. The issue is after fall camp and 8 games, why isnt the play more consistent. That is due to the coaches. I'm not sure if we should be getting rid of all 3 (Hoke, Borges & Mattison) or some combination of Borges, Funk and Mallory etc. I do give Mattison some blame when its 4th and 2 and our DBs are 6 - 8 off the ball. I also give Hoke and Mattison some blame for having a D line that cant get any penetration with 4. By now, you should be able to have coached a skilled but raw athlete how to get some pressure on a consistent basis.
Have you ever seen Chance Warmack, DJ Fluker, etc?
What you see of Nick Saban is not what happens when the cameras are off. I live in Tuscaloosa and I am friends with quite a few of the players over the last 7 - 8 years. You see calm, cool and collected. I can tell you only what I have heard but not only does Coach Saban kick butt, he takes names and so does his staff.
Especially in the first few years, he gave his players very little rope to hang themselves and after the mass house cleaning he did in his 1st 2 years, if you're lazy or sloppy or anything other than perfect, you pay for it. Did he use the medical hardship to set an example? That is speculation but it is assumed that was one of the ways he sent the message. The other methods he used involved the S&C coach and early morning sweat sessions. From what I've been told, he's not Bobby Knight but he's is not bashful about getting in your face either.