Why are we where we are?

shottistyeti said:

I agree, but a question asked previously that has me wondering too: why isn't Cooper Bateman even being mentioned?

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I'd start by asking why isn't Coker, our #2 qb, being mentioned. Then Morris is #3, followed by Bateman at #4.

Why would anyone think he ought to play unless there as been a serious shakeup in the depth chart?

Sims right now reminds me a lot of Shula once the defenses figured out he couldn't throw the ball over 30 yards...

Snuffy Smith said:

Sims right now reminds me a lot of Shula once the defenses figured out he couldn't throw the ball over 30 yards...

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Something that hasn't been discussed as much, but Blake Sims is barely 6 feet tall. Most of our lineman are 6' 4" - 6' 6". When he's in the pocket he's not tall enough to survey the field. Can't coach height, but this certainly is not helping him see the field.

BamaMoon said:

... Why would anyone think he ought to play unless there as been a serious shakeup in the depth chart?

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Good point. My answer is that something needs to open the field up. That would help the running game too. And with the ridiculously talented set of receivers we have, a real long ball threat might do it.

92tide said:

i think the thing i am finding most frustrating about this week and last (and to an extent the fla game) is the ball security problems and "boneheaded" mistakes being made by our experienced players.

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It's the same problems we have had all year and even some of last year. I thought last year we were starting to have discipline issues that affect the number of turnovers and penalties that we commit. However, we also had a very solid team that got used to winning by a bunch so the mistakes didn't get as much attention. We have a lot of talent and very good coaching, but I think our players are very much like our fans- spoiled. I was happy last night that we seemed to show some heart at the end, and I loved seeing our guys jumping around and high-fiving. I hope we can figure out the things we do well on offense and get really good at those things because right now we have no identity or sense of direction. At least, that is how I see it. We're 5-1 and moving on to A&M and thankfully a home game.

I hope I'm right about this but the more I think about it I just think that our team wasn't amped up to play against Arky. I know that sounds like a lame excuse but think about it. We just lost a heart breaker of a game to OM that we could have won on that last pass in the end zone. To go from that to playing on the road against Arkansas in the rain probably didn't get a lot of our players excited about playing. Have you ever been interviewed for a promotion at work or a new job and didn't get it? Did you go in to work the next day all gung ho and ready to be the best employee that you can be? Maybe I'm just grasping at straws here but I just think we were still hungover from the loss. I guess I should be more afraid if this wasn't the cause for the lack of focus and intensity and that this is just who we are this year. I just never remember us not being able to run the ball. What did we have like 60 yards rushing? Eh, I don't want to go back into the details of the game. I'm just hoping that we were still emotionally drained and that we will be juiced back up this Saturday..

92tide said:

good, i am glad coach ruled out rank stupidity, drug use or throwing the game for a bookie

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Haha, you post on the rant.

A quirk in the penalty / clock rules

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If you're referring to the clock running after the Bama penalty at the end of the game, that wasn't a quirk in the rules, that was a royal screw-up by the officials...the clock should've stopped, which might have forced Bama to punt with 1 or 2 seconds left (I think time still favored Bama, but it was close). I was surprised Arky coaches did not make a bigger stink about that.

excellent post.

for those of you suggesting we are not talented enough at any given position, including OL, answer me:
- what happened to Grant Hill? Why is he not ready to play RG?
- why is Bozeman lost?
- Why so many penalties on the OL?

Cristobal and Kiffin are not on the same page and will either need to get there or find new spots.

I work with 2 guys who played ST under Williams and they each give different reasons for the constant weak performance, and Saban deserves some blame but I think it's a reasonable bet a new position coach there would improve us 3-6 points a game.

Lastly, on the coaching vs talent debate, UAB signed 23 players this past year, and many of them are seeing the field because of holes in prior classes. 10 2 stars, 13 not even worth rating. UAB 34 MS St 47. UAB led that game late 2nd quarter. UAB is about to play Arky and I will lay 1:2 odds they get over 14 points.

Coaching.

BAMAVILLE said:

Thanks for being the voice of reason Sip, you hit it right on the head as usual. I've been trying to avoid responding to threads like these because everyone has a right to their opinion but it does seem like a lot of these post are a little over the top. We have to remember this team is not the team that won championships previously ... the 2014 is their OWN team. They are setting their legacy and its a legacy where they still have a great chance to win a championship this year. They have things they need to correct to be a "dominant" team ... but to be honest, it doesn't take a dominant team to win a championship this year, it just takes a team that wins out. If they win out against everyone they play ... even if they win every game left by 1 point (minus the non-SEC games), they will be in prime position to win a championship.

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Well, there's a lot of football left to be played and all we can hope is that we play better than we have the last two weeks.
I think we can. Will we? Who knows, that remains to be seen--but our football program isn't standing on the verge of total mediocrity as many seem to think.

Recruiting. I have said in other threads that we are a big slow team. We have recruited good, big, powerful players but we are just starting to recruit more speed players. In today's football world, speed is a premium.

The thing I remember from the UA-lsu BCS game was Christion Jones coming in to field punts when we lost Maze when he was a frosh. He did a great job. I think he'll be ok. Kicking, I have no idea. The last 2 we had on scholarship Foster and Griffith? Shelley is the best we have had since Tiffin.

KrAzY3 said:

We're were we are today because our fans have become spoiled and apparently not as knowledgeable about football as think they are. That was the question, right?

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no doubt.

some of the posters here claim to know everything.

shaskell said:

excellent post.

for those of you suggesting we are not talented enough at any given position, including OL, answer me:
- what happened to Grant Hill? Why is he not ready to play RG?
- why is Bozeman lost?
- Why so many penalties on the OL?

Cristobal and Kiffin are not on the same page and will either need to get there or find new spots.

I work with 2 guys who played ST under Williams and they each give different reasons for the constant weak performance, and Saban deserves some blame but I think it's a reasonable bet a new position coach there would improve us 3-6 points a game.

Lastly, on the coaching vs talent debate, UAB signed 23 players this past year, and many of them are seeing the field because of holes in prior classes. 10 2 stars, 13 not even worth rating. UAB 34 MS St 47. UAB led that game late 2nd quarter. UAB is about to play Arky and I will lay 1:2 odds they get over 14 points.

Coaching.

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if I recall Bozeman is listed as a RT. if you think it is easy for someone to switch from RT to C it is not. now I know Barret Jones made it look very easy but he is the exception not the rule here. look at the Pouncy brother at Florida a few years back. he was a great guard but when he switched to ctr how many bad snaps did he have? even switching from RG or RT to LT or LG is problematic.

I remember a few years ago watching one of the ESPN NFL mid week shows and they were talking to a guy, his name escapes me at the moment but he played for the Steelers, he was a multiple all pro/pro bowl selection player at RG and was talking about a player switching positions. he went from an all pro player at RG the year before he switched to almost being cut at LG a year or two later. everything is different in the switch. he admitted that he even struggled with which hand to put down at times, which foot to offset, which foot to lead with when pulling.

now imagine going from one hand on the ground and blocking an edge pass rusher to one hand on the ball, snapping it then blocking the meanest, nastiest 300+ pound DT or NG. That is what happened to Bozeman

Moro Creek said:

Recruiting. I have said in other threads that we are a big slow team. We have recruited good, big, powerful players but we are just starting to recruit more speed players. In today's football world, speed is a premium.

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that speed isnt doing us any good if we dont put them in the game.. there has to be a way to get some of that speed in on defense on 3rd and longs...i'm primarily speaking of Evans and Hand.

shaskell said:

excellent post.

for those of you suggesting we are not talented enough at any given position, including OL, answer me:
- what happened to Grant Hill? Why is he not ready to play RG?
- why is Bozeman lost?
- Why so many penalties on the OL?

Cristobal and Kiffin are not on the same page and will either need to get there or find new spots.

I work with 2 guys who played ST under Williams and they each give different reasons for the constant weak performance, and Saban deserves some blame but I think it's a reasonable bet a new position coach there would improve us 3-6 points a game.

Lastly, on the coaching vs talent debate, UAB signed 23 players this past year, and many of them are seeing the field because of holes in prior classes. 10 2 stars, 13 not even worth rating. UAB 34 MS St 47. UAB led that game late 2nd quarter. UAB is about to play Arky and I will lay 1:2 odds they get over 14 points.

Coaching.

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You reckon the Blazers would trade us Clark for Saban, straight up?

:rolleye2:

OK, so SIAP by anyone, but...Kelly got hurt in the second half at ol spit, right? I don't remember when, but still, putting Bozeman in, even with a week's practice, is and was a recipe for one bad game and a lackluster part of another. I'm not sure how good he can be, but I can't imagine that losing Kelly hasn't hurt the O line at all. I hope Kelly returns before LSU (does anyone know when he is expected to return?).

twofbyc said:

OK, so SIAP by anyone, but...Kelly got hurt in the second half at ol spit, right? I don't remember when, but still, putting Bozeman in, even with a week's practice, is and was a recipe for one bad game and a lackluster part of another. I'm not sure how good he can be, but I can't imagine that losing Kelly hasn't hurt the O line at all. I hope Kelly returns before LSU (does anyone know when he is expected to return?).

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It's clearly a big issue. Earl posted that the calls had to be shifted from the center to Shepherd as well, so that just adds to the confusion. Off the top of my head I want to say I heard 4-5 weeks, but clearly the sooner the better. Alabama lost their backup center to a transfer, so there's not much depth there.