Penalties, turnovers, dumb mistakes/plays and lack of any kind of improvement are really concerning
Crazy game, but still the worst D
- Thread starter CBbama
- Start date
I was on the boat to give Golding another year with a fairer shake to see his merit but his 2019 season was worse than the low expectations I had for his unit. I didn't expect them to be good but I was hoping they'd at least have one "mission critical" aspect they did well. Like, they give up yards but were well prepared for redzone offense from the opponent and kept them out of the endzone. Nope. Maybe it was their ability to create turnovers and sacks to kill drives and allow the prolific offense to create multi-score deficits in shootouts. Nope. This defense was bad top to bottom. Did nothing particularly well. Didn't pretend to try to mask their liabilities at all, even exacerbated them to some degree. This is replaceable level coordination. You can't really expect to get worse than this by making a change. You can't really expect him to be great if there weren't a litany of injuries either.
I think we should stop calling it 'Defense'.......maybe we should call it 'Resistance'. If the rules had been as they are NOW back in '09 and '11 or '12....there would have been no championships. This Defense is hard to watch.
TCU held Oklahoma to 28 points this year. It took some big plays in the redzone but that team ain't got even half the talent we have on this very injury riddled defense but they got it done.
Containing the spread offense is possible. Definitely containable enough with our defensive talent to allow 45 points of offense to carry the day. When you lose games scoring 41 and 45 points...the answers to why are not on offense. And here's the deal. The questions have been ones I've been posing since 2013 and the answers have been "keep the scheme but change the body types a tad." I don't know if that is the answer anymore. I think it involves scrapping, or more appropriately, parring down a large part of what he does to the essentials and getting better execution out of less defense rather than trying to be in the right play for any possible play. This seems to be the tendency for every decent spread containing defense I've researched. They run the same defense over half the time. Maybe even more. Usually only change significantly in short yardage or to specific one-off formations.
Containing the spread offense is possible. Definitely containable enough with our defensive talent to allow 45 points of offense to carry the day. When you lose games scoring 41 and 45 points...the answers to why are not on offense. And here's the deal. The questions have been ones I've been posing since 2013 and the answers have been "keep the scheme but change the body types a tad." I don't know if that is the answer anymore. I think it involves scrapping, or more appropriately, parring down a large part of what he does to the essentials and getting better execution out of less defense rather than trying to be in the right play for any possible play. This seems to be the tendency for every decent spread containing defense I've researched. They run the same defense over half the time. Maybe even more. Usually only change significantly in short yardage or to specific one-off formations.
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Exactly..and some of those penalties were for real. I watched the game on TV....so CBS being CBS.....didn't always show us what happened. I would like to think that all 13 were on us. Maybe they were. I do agree with the lack of discipline in College ball all over. Not just Bama. We COULD be worse off....we COULD be Awwwbun. Or Michigan. Uggggh.
I recall feeling sick when I read that he was coming back. Took a Tums and reasoned that there must be sound reasoning. Well...injuries happened, but I don't believe injuries had as much to do with the Defense' underperformance as scheme-discipline issues. To me....EVERY school plays Defense as though it is an afterthought. And every hit has the tv crew breathing the T word. JMO...but Bama is not the only program struggling on D. Look around and see the stats. 48 to 45 is quite common. I hate losing....but when your team relies on a smooth QB...you are going to get beat every now and then. The game has changed, and I would bet that even CNS is not a big fan of the result. Look at this way. We lost the game for sure. No excuses. But in doing so...Bama flat out ABUSED "THE....BEST Defense in college football". With our 2nd Team QB. Truth is...that Awbun D might be best in the SEC..but is not really better than many past Defenses down in 'The Plainest Village of THE Lovely'. But this is what the Rules Committee wanted sooooooo......I guess I better get more interest in Skeet/Trap. I can stand some improvement there.
I am not gonna be nice here and I don't think it's only Golding's mistake. We saw more of Saban in Aflac ads now a days. If I were the AD, I will try to have some coffee time with Urban Meyer/Dabo/Stoops/Chip Kelly next week and publicly state we need to finish strong in recruiting.
If we are looking for 10 win coach, 9 million/year could buy us any gentlemen with much better manners. If we are looking for a championship coach, he'd better spend more time on and off the field and prove he is still the one. I don't like his statement when Tua got hurt he said that's not related to his previous condition and when we lose the game he said it's ref's fault. He has tendency to make very bad PR moves and try to blame others when facing pressure (remember quit asking and I am not gonna be the Alabama coach?)
As his famous words is "Do your Job." This iron bowl is the wake up call and he needs to do his job now.
If we are looking for 10 win coach, 9 million/year could buy us any gentlemen with much better manners. If we are looking for a championship coach, he'd better spend more time on and off the field and prove he is still the one. I don't like his statement when Tua got hurt he said that's not related to his previous condition and when we lose the game he said it's ref's fault. He has tendency to make very bad PR moves and try to blame others when facing pressure (remember quit asking and I am not gonna be the Alabama coach?)
As his famous words is "Do your Job." This iron bowl is the wake up call and he needs to do his job now.
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They both has good and bad plays, but they were not a liability this year. They were not super stars, but they were very solid. Jennings actually outplayed Lewis this year, which surprised me. But neither fits an NFL prototype. Lewis could get there as he has more quickness and greater hip flexibility. I really hope that he decides to stay and work on his game.
I really do think injuries wrecked us this year. But it bothers me that the young guys didn't show any real improvement over the course of the season. That points back at coaching. Someone mentioned Charlie Strong in a previous reply. That's an interesting idea. Maybe it's time for Charlie to settle in as a career DC.
If you'd told me before the game that we'd score 45 points, I'd have said we'll win by 30.
If you'd told me before the game that we'd score 45 points, I'd have said we'll win by 30.
The more I’ve thought about the game, the more weight I have to put on the pick 6s, penalties, and horrific officiating than the defense. Absent the pick 6s, with proper officiating, and with more disciplined play, we probably win 52-24, a score like last year’s, and we are the 4 seed in the playoffs.
Yes there are defensive issues. But our bigger problem these days is a lack of discipline and accountability. Which, to me, are far more critical elements of the game than Xs and Os. We’ve got veteran OL false starting several times during a game. Guys jumping offsides on defense at critical times. Moronic substitution penalties. The holding calls and pass interference calls are bad, but the presnap penalties come down to disciplined play.
That’s why we lost the game, more than anything. And for the life of me I can’t figure why we absolutely lose our brains so badly when the game is played down there. Auburn did NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING special all night. But we lost because of our own brain dead play.
As an aside, that ref crew needs to sit the 2020 season out. But they won’t. In fact they will be supported and defended by the SEC office. They were absolutely lost last night and were making stuff up as the game went along. This isn’t peewee. Stop harping about “it just means more†and then continuing to defend throwing that garbage on the field week after week.
Yes there are defensive issues. But our bigger problem these days is a lack of discipline and accountability. Which, to me, are far more critical elements of the game than Xs and Os. We’ve got veteran OL false starting several times during a game. Guys jumping offsides on defense at critical times. Moronic substitution penalties. The holding calls and pass interference calls are bad, but the presnap penalties come down to disciplined play.
That’s why we lost the game, more than anything. And for the life of me I can’t figure why we absolutely lose our brains so badly when the game is played down there. Auburn did NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING special all night. But we lost because of our own brain dead play.
As an aside, that ref crew needs to sit the 2020 season out. But they won’t. In fact they will be supported and defended by the SEC office. They were absolutely lost last night and were making stuff up as the game went along. This isn’t peewee. Stop harping about “it just means more†and then continuing to defend throwing that garbage on the field week after week.
I think you guys are being too hard on your D. It seems to me that Saban has played the game with an NFL mindset and he has succeeded with superior talent and coaching/teaching. The "spread" has allowed teams with less talent to be competitive. The SEC and Saban have been slow to adapt but when talent like Tua comes on the scene the dye has been cast. Today's dynamic O's put incredibly athletic players in space. Rules allow linemen to get to the 2nd level. The RPO exploits both. Whether anyone likes it the offensive explosion is here to stay. Look at the Ravens. Alabama has played 2 top 25 teams this year. Both games were shootouts. The reason: lots of skill talent spread out across the field. The Tide D is simply facing a new reality.
A lot of OU fans feel the same way. We have a history of fast athletic Defense. The games we play now are like 7/7 football. Ironically, we brought this "basketball on grass" to the Big 12, a conference whose roots from the Big 8 are firmly planted in smashmouth football on both sides of the ball. Today, we are a QB/WR league. However, there does seem to be a slow evolution going on. The conference is playing better D across the board and OU is leading that charge. The game is always evolving and the D.'s will catch up. Maybe not in my lifetime
Nothing ever stays static. New or revamped schemes come along and defenses catch up and then offenses evolve and on it goes.
Honestly Saban's excellence and dominance had somewhat made Alabama boring till Tua arrived. Things were stale. It was like watching a Boa Constrictor just slowly squeeze the life out of its prey. Never in doubt and just boring and painful to watch.
When it's never really in doubt where's the fun or competitive spirit? If dunking on 5 year olds is your thing and makes you feel great then maybe that kind of thing is for you!
Can anyone say they were not thoroughly entertained in both the LSU & Auburn games? Honestly the 2 best games of the year. If LSU keeps it up the playoff's may not have any games to compare. I don't know if anyone stays within 2 touchdowns of them from here on out.
8 points and a couple plays here or there was the difference between 10-2 & 12-0. So it goes.
Honestly Saban's excellence and dominance had somewhat made Alabama boring till Tua arrived. Things were stale. It was like watching a Boa Constrictor just slowly squeeze the life out of its prey. Never in doubt and just boring and painful to watch.
When it's never really in doubt where's the fun or competitive spirit? If dunking on 5 year olds is your thing and makes you feel great then maybe that kind of thing is for you!
Can anyone say they were not thoroughly entertained in both the LSU & Auburn games? Honestly the 2 best games of the year. If LSU keeps it up the playoff's may not have any games to compare. I don't know if anyone stays within 2 touchdowns of them from here on out.
8 points and a couple plays here or there was the difference between 10-2 & 12-0. So it goes.
Tide99, I was not entertained by either of those games because we lost. Also, they were filled with lame brain mistakes by us, and referee incompetence. No, that was not entertaining football.
I much more enjoyed how we played before the last few years, what you called boa constrictor squeezing the life out of the opponent, because it was all due to disciplined play.
And it’s not that I think we need to return to the ball control offense. It’s also not that I can’t understand that when you speed up the offense and score quickly, it exposes your defense. It’s none of that. It’s that whatever brand of ball you choose to play, play it well. Play it smart. Maybe the injuries have been too much to overcome in that regard. I can buy that. We’ve had an inordinate amount. Hopefully next year and the coming years bring better luck on that front, regardless of whatever other changes are deemed necessary.
I much more enjoyed how we played before the last few years, what you called boa constrictor squeezing the life out of the opponent, because it was all due to disciplined play.
And it’s not that I think we need to return to the ball control offense. It’s also not that I can’t understand that when you speed up the offense and score quickly, it exposes your defense. It’s none of that. It’s that whatever brand of ball you choose to play, play it well. Play it smart. Maybe the injuries have been too much to overcome in that regard. I can buy that. We’ve had an inordinate amount. Hopefully next year and the coming years bring better luck on that front, regardless of whatever other changes are deemed necessary.
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