Re: Texas A&M recap: Questionable game plan helps sink Aggies, but Bama loses big as
This is a horrible post-game analysis, IMO. This is written as if aTm blew this game instead of Alabama dominating it. Really starting to wonder what you are thinking. As for the "Alabama is not built to come from behind" bit - you need to go back and watch the Ole Miss game again.
SMH
All I can say is I'm sorry the points made, particularly those in the breakdown, were lost in the translation. There's no point in going over again what I've already written so the article stands as written. If you didn't agree with them before, you're not going to agree with them now.
But I will address the issue of coming from behind: Despite Alabama running up a historic string of NOTs, you cannot gameplan in any way to get those from week to week. They are all happy accidents. Alabama's superior ability certainly makes the likelihood of creating a crucial turnover much more possible, but Saban is not walking into a coaches' meeting mid-week and saying, "Hey guys, while you're scripting the first 20 plays or so, script in a sack-strip for a TD."
Ergo, any NOT is just gravy on the biscuit. I'm focused on the offensive system right now and here's what Alabama is dealing with at the moment:
* True freshman QB, who while very impressive, does not yet possess a superior understanding of the game versus the veteran defenses he faces. No TF QB does.
* WR corps that aside from two guys at the top plus the TE, has not lived up to expectations (except for run-blocking, where the whole group is excelling). Meaning, Ridley and Stewart (especially Stewart) have been just fine, as has Howard, but Dieter has not made quite the impact it was hoped he'd make. Sims has been basically benched. Foster has yet to start making plays. Diggs has probably come the farthest since the season started but still isn't getting a ton of snaps, and I don't know whether he'll be shifted back to S now that Eddie Jackson is hurt. Hentges has been targeted maybe once since Ole Miss. Here is the definition of disparity (remember, Alabama has four starters, 3 WR + 1 TE): SE/FL/TE starters -- 93 receptions, 13.1 avg., 10 TD; slot WR starter + all reserves -- 34 receptions, 12.1 avg., 1 TD. That second group includes 8 people, which means the slot starter (Dieter) plus the rotational players are averaging 4.3 catches each for the year. Not per game, the whole
year. Obviously you're not going to have equal production from the top to the bottom of the depth chart but if I wanted to spend the time breaking down production on a per-snap basis I don't think it's going to look pretty.
* Midrange/long-range passing is a QB issue right now not only because of issues of understanding, but also arm/footwork mechanics, experience in the system and timing. I'm not going to say "arm strength" because Hurts has plenty of it. For anyone who still believed that arm strength was a problem, the Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half should put it to rest.
For the issues that concern Hurts alone, time will fix most. I'm not worried about him in the long-term. I
am worried about UA 2016 down two scores with less than 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Alabama has been incredibly efficient -- and fast -- when its whole offense can be put in play. The use of the ZRO as part of the offense has allowed for chunk plays from the RBs, set up by some measure of deception. If Alabama found itself, say, down 10 at LSU at 8:00 Q4, I'm not sure you would see Kiffin stick to that approach, especially since you'd figure the reason you were down 10 at that moment anyway had more to do with offensive breakdowns than defensive breakdowns. You have to ask yourself at that point whether you believed this QB and this WR group could function without the ZRO or threat of play-action. I would say any answer in the affirmative is based on faith and not prior evidence (from this season, at least). The couple of times Alabama has bogged down around the 40 near the end of the first half with the two-minute offense in play has to do with the offense being placed solely on the arm of the QB and not also on his legs.