After 13 games we're 9-4. Let's revisit our thoughts and outlook on Coach Kalen DeBoer

[TideMan09]

We all knew & understood there would be hiccups along the way during the transition period..

Our coaching staff has done a masterful job, especially Coach Wommack, during that transition period as he installed his "Swarm Defense"..

Once our defensive players understood the concept of the "Swarm Defense", I love how aggressive we've become as a defense, once our players started reacting too a play instead of thinking..

It's allowed Coach Wommack too be more aggressive with our pressure defense..

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Just read an article that the NFL draft isn't looking positive for Quinn Ewers and with Manning being next years starter, Ewers is a portal candidate, and the projected number one team to benefit from that would be Alabama. Many a slip between cup and lip but it is obviously a talking point.

jawja and the barn will be after him...

 

[Bamabuzzard]

A buddy of mine and I were talking yesterday and he said "What would be nuts is if DeBoer got into the playoffs and actually won the NC in his first season." We both acknowledged that was reaching but once the playoffs start it's an entirely new ballgame. It's a new season and the teams that are hot at that time of year are the ones who will end up doing the best.

Wouldn't that be something, getting a statue after your first season while also losing to Vanderbilt in your first season? LOL!

 

[Elefantman]

Wouldn't that be something, getting a statue after your first season while also losing to Vanderbilt in your first season? LOL!

What would be the Vagas odds if you could have made that bet at the start of the season?

 

[mlh]

A buddy of mine were talking yesterday and he said "What would be nuts is if DeBoer got into the playoffs and actually won the NC in his first season." We both acknowledged that was reaching but once the playoffs start it's an entirely new ballgame. It's a new season and the teams that are hot at that time of year are the ones who will end up doing the best.

Wouldn't that be something, getting a statue after your first season while also losing to Vanderbilt in your first season? LOL!

One thing to consider - if we make the playoffs, CKD will be the only HC who has coached a team through this type of extended playoff.

 

[bamaga]

I was embarrassed after Vanderbilt. I was disappointed after UT and that put a huge dent in my expectations for the season. With that being said I feel like the team,staff, and game plans are coming together at the right time. Thank God for the 12 team playoff system or we would be on the outside looking in due to some terrible Big 10 teams who play nobody.

those two losses can be traced back to the same things. Both involve coaching. Too many penalties against Tennessee(15), poor , IMO, situational offensive playcalling. that game was there for the taking. The Vandy game. Nick Saban would never have lost that game. It would have been an ugly win, but a win. I directly attribute this loss to beating Georgia and the players unable to react in the proper way. Ryan Williams was on a world tour that week, multiple players aciting as if they won the National Championship. DeBoer isnt alone in this. Kiffin was complaining about the way Ole Miss responded to beating Georgia. Saying they would have lost if they played last weekend. Ole Miss Players honored at halftime of a basketball game for beating Georgia. I see parallels with the way Bama responded.

I hate these threads, its somewhat like the Jalen Milroe threads last year. I know it’s for perspective , and perhaps looking back will help.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

those two losses can be traced back to the same things. Both involve coaching. Too many penalties against Tennessee(15), poor , IMO, situational offensive playcalling. that game was there for the taking. The Vandy game. Nick Saban would never have lost that game. It would have been an ugly win, but a win. I directly attribute this loss to beating Georgia and the players unable to react in the proper way. Ryan Williams was on a world tour that week, multiple players aciting as if they won the National Championship. DeBoer isnt alone in this. Kiffin was complaining about the way Ole Miss responded to beating Georgia. Saying they would have lost if they played last weekend. Players were honored at halftime of a basketball game for beating Georgia. I see parallels with the way Bama responded.

I hate these threads, its somewhat like the Jalen Milroe threads last year. I know it’s for perspective , and perhaps looking back will help.

Yeah, it didn't take a brain surgeon to understand the coaches were adjusting to what it took to coach for Bama just as the players were adjusting to a new coaching style. It produced a very rocky and ugly portion of the season. But I think a lot of things from that time have been learned and cleaned up. I know for a fact the coaching style at practices and during games has been "adjusted". Granted, it still isn't "Nick Saban" barking up everybody's rear end but the atmosphere is much more serious and has been for weeks now. There was always going to be a transition in some form, would we prefer losing to Vandy not be a part of that transition, certainly. But it happened and by all accounts the staff learned the lessons it needed to and now has the program going in the direction it needed to be the entire time and ultimately, that's the most important thing.

 

[crimsonaudio]

One thing to consider - if we make the playoffs, CKD will be the only HC who has coached a team through this type of extended playoff.

This is an excellent point.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

We are still in the running for a national championship with two weeks to go in November.


Given all that has happened this year - starting with the Great One riding off into the sunset, the new problems that NIL/portal cause, an entirely new coach NOT from the Southern USA (who may not "get" it or at least may not have gotten it pre-Vandy), a new team cobbled together, a brutal schedule when viewed with preseason eyes (and still a challenging one), and the fact the team didn't go into the drink when we lost the stunner to Vandy.....given all that, I'm happy.

Because the moment we lost to Vandy, I thought the season was gone.

I thought KDB was the right choice among the "this guy is available" choices.


Btw - can you imagine how weird it would have been if we had beaten Michigan and then beat Washington for the title, Saban retires, and the Washington coach comes to Alabama? My Oregon bud is originally from Washington and a Huskies fan since the days of Sonny Sixkiller. He told me - content they had put up the best fight they could against Michigan - "in previous years, I'm looking at the chance at winning it all next year. What happened this year was on Monday we were in the title game and on Friday morning, our entire program was in shambles, losing the coach and every starter and then some."

 

[bamaga]

Yeah, it didn't take a brain surgeon to understand the coaches were adjusting to what it took to coach for Bama just as the players were adjusting to a new coaching style. It produced a very rocky and ugly portion of the season. But I think a lot of things from that time have been learned and cleaned up. I know for a fact the coaching style at practices and during games has been "adjusted". Granted, it still isn't "Nick Saban" barking up everybody's rear end but the atmosphere is much more serious and has been for weeks now. There was always going to be a transition in some form, would we prefer losing to Vandy not be a part of that transition, certainly. But it happened and by all accounts the staff learned the lessons it needed to and now has the program going in the direction it needed to be the entire time and ultimately, that's the most important thing.

IMO, I believe the soft early practices was a response to players staying out of the transfer portal, trying to get to know the players , trying to get them to buy into the new coaching staff, etc. It was a disservice to the team. Great athletes want to be coached hard. Pushed to be better. I’m glad coach has tightened the reigns. This may be a championship caliber team after all.

 

[arthurdawg]

My sentiments as well. I think DeBoer and the staff played that extremely fine line well, coming after most of our players could have left. Maybe they were soft, but I suspect they knew the team and where they stood. In a way, the Vandy loss was painful but may have been the catalyst for the team to come together and realize they had to work harder and be better and it gave the coaches the opening to install the discipline they knew they needed but couldn't hammer in all at once in the NIL and Portal driven world.

I can't believe that DeBoer doesn't understand the importance of discipline with his coaching record, so I think this was almost definitely the case. And if he has won the team at this point along with our recruiting and ability to play the portal, we are gonna make some other teams and their fans very sad.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

A buddy of mine and I were talking yesterday and he said "What would be nuts is if DeBoer got into the playoffs and actually won the NC in his first season." We both acknowledged that was reaching but once the playoffs start it's an entirely new ballgame. It's a new season and the teams that are hot at that time of year are the ones who will end up doing the best.

Wouldn't that be something, getting a statue after your first season while also losing to Vanderbilt in your first season? LOL!

It’s not likely but it would be amazing.

Everyone on rival boards were dancing on our grave after the Tenn loss.

But now not only do we have a chance to make the field… we have a chance to win a Top 4 bye seed.

They all wanted this expanded field hoping to create parity and get Blue Blood teams out of the way and yet Bama is still in the mix BECAUSE of it all.

It’s hilarious

 

[colbysullivan]

Just read an article that the NFL draft isn't looking positive for Quinn Ewers and with Manning being next years starter, Ewers is a portal candidate, and the projected number one team to benefit from that would be Alabama. Many a slip between cup and lip but it is obviously a talking point.

This is lunacy

 

[colbysullivan]

Hard to believe we control our own destiny now, considering how bad October was.

 

[BamaBoySince89]

Hard to believe we control our own destiny now, considering how bad October was.

Welp, that’s not quite the case now

 

[colbysullivan]

Welp, that’s not quite the case now

We still do

 

[TENNTIDE1]

I think DeBoer is the right coach, and I think the defense is starting to click somewhat. I'm not sure the OC is the right guy or maybe we just don't have the right personnel to run this type of offense.

 

[bamacpa]

I like DeBoer and have confidence in him...not so much our OC. Tonight is abysmal.

 

[KrAzY3]

I didn't post anything here because I was in wait and see mode in terms of how Alabama finished out the regular season. Anyway, this comes to mind:
"And when she was good, she was very, very good,
But when she was bad she was horrid. "

 

[theballguy]

I would be ok with cutting DeBoer loose. 8-2 heading to the playoffs and then losing to a 5-5 team should be a fireable offense.