This is the part that kind of irritates me. A lot of people just throw up their hands and go why can't Alabama's defense stop these offenses! It's all been explained, at length.
A: Alabama doesn't practice against those type of offenses.
B: Alabama and the staff doesn't have that much experience against them (this includes players, seeing it 5 years ago or something doesn't really count).
C: The complexities of Alabama's defense can become a weakness at high tempo.
D: This is magnified by player inexperience.
The fact is defenses are not supposed to maintain the level of play Alabama has. It's not natural. I'll give an example. Alabama was in the top 5 in total defense in the past three seasons. There's only one team that even made the list twice in a row in that period and that was FSU, who both won a title and happen to be coached by a Saban disciple. This is during a period in which people are asking questions about Alabama's defense mind you, when it still seems to be the standard for all of college football.
Nick Saban has opined about the impact it would have if he changed the pace during practice. He said it would be harder to coach defensive players. We've discussed how a run stopper like Cody would fit in now. It's not that Nick can't stop HUNH defenses, despite the chronic inexperience. The question is how much he's willing to sacrifice to do it.
