Hope you're right. But everything points to the drop off after 2012, different blocking schemes and different OL coach. I trust Coach Saban will handle everything if we have the same issues this year that we had last year.
Question: O-line opinion from people that have seen them live
- Thread starter bigjue24
- Start date
Something to consider when pointing the "lackluster" performance of the 2013 OL (Can we really say it was bad? The 2012 OL was so great, most any OL would seem bad.) - Bama got a new OL and DB coach in 2013. Both coaches were handed an inexperienced group. One remains on staff. The other is coaching at Louisville.
My biggest complaint of the offensive line last year was not being able to get the 3rd and short and 4 and short yards. Like others have mentioned that 2012 group was one of the best I have ever seen. I didn't think we would be that good again on the line but was disappointed in the toughness and effort on those short yardage situations. Those plays to me are more about effort and toughness than skill and technique. Now we could have also been less predictable in the plays that were called in those situations. That would have helped also.
IF Bama and CNS have it rolling and we go into Death Valley and beat CLM convincingly this year, the locals will start calling for his head. He's one bad season from his butt being on fire.
I just can't wrap my head around this 'logic' - Bama lost two first round draft pics from the OL, along with a four year starter that won virtually every award a lineman can win, and people still think it's coaching?
They looked confused very often. How many times did we see a DL go unblocked and be in our running backs face about the time he got the handoff?
If you are confused, you'll be timid. If you are timid, even if you fulfill the correct blocking assignment, you'll probably get beat.
I do agree that at times they looked confused, but that could be an result of inexperience not coaching. Some guys have to be in the trenches for a year to put it all together. Great coaching doesn't always make for good players. It sometimes needs to be coaching, talent, and experience combined to produce good consistent play.
Changing the scheme may have contributed some as it was a transition for line that coupled with the loss of the veterans that led to a drop off in performance.
I will say to the point of not getting the 3rd and 4th down short yardage that I saw some stacked lines of scrimmage. Defenses knew what was coming. Heck everyone on the planet knew what was coming. They sometimes just had more coming than could be blocked or just so many that creases were hard to come by. More variety and willingness to spread them out and throw or spread them out and run it might have helped. Nussmeier didn't get creative very often, and I also kept asking myself why Fowler wasn't in the game to lead the way some from a FB position. That could have helped the line pick up a guy at the point of attack.
I agree and didn't mean to imply I thought is was just coaching. I was simply making a reference to how we didn't always blow off the LOS in short yardage situations.
You can't do anything well in sports if you are overthinking it while you are trying to do it.
Hopefully that was what was wrong with AK last year and he'll be more decisive and, as a result, dominant this year.
I like our chances this year and expect the o-line to be much improved. Let's not forget, not too long ago, we hoped we would win not thought we would win like now.
I agree that scheme change, chemistry, and inexperience may have made them all over think instead of naturally and instinctively react to the situation. I hope that it is a little like what we have seen with DB's at Bama. They tend to make big strides in performance in their second year of play. This would be true of Kelly, AK, and Sheppard.
my major concern has been the off line before spring practice. it affects the whole offense, not just the run game. I don't blame coaching. it is just a drop off in recruiting the off line. we may have to count on two jr college transfers to bolster the line. one has been the norm for the left tackle position. I really like the freshmen this year, but only one will start. I think the new group will be physical next years team. maybe Jackson or brown can get it done, with cam.
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