Bama (finally) Fires OL Coach Kapilovic

[KrAzY3]

According to Chris Low, Klemm is our main target.

I'm seeing some claims that main reason he wasn't an OL coach the past two years (and why he left the Patriots early) is just health concerns and not any other reasons like performance, the infighting, or what have you.

Umm, I guess not anymore?

I see the upside, but if they put all their eggs on that basket... it's a guy that hasn't completed his season as an OL coach two out of the past three times.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

I'd rather take a chance on the guy from Mizzou

You might be able to get both.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I'm seeing some claims that main reason he wasn't an OL coach the past two years (and why he left the Patriots early) is just health concerns and not any other reasons like performance, the infighting, or what have you.

Umm, I guess not anymore?

I see the upside, but if they put all their eggs on that basket... it's a guy that hasn't completed his season as an OL coach two out of the past three times.

CKD needs to get this one right. Can't afford to go into next season and still be having issues at the OL. This is an important hire. Let's hope whoever it ultimately is, is the right one.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

You might be able to get both.

It feels like they could make two hires within OL and that might alleviate any legit concerns we might have.

 

[AlexanderFan]

You might be able to get both.

Solid choice with the health issues for the other guy.

How did the Patriots fare when he was there?

 

[AlexanderFan]

How many times did CNS just get blown out with a team that looked totally unprepared?
I'll bet it wasn't 4 times in two years. So, yeah, how you lose/get blown out can be a cause for concern.
And, yes, after reports (from other teams, mind you) of sign stealing that was a concern. And given the Clemson trajectory after that report that red flag goes up a little higher. And most of us, in spite of the red flags admitted/stated that the sign stealing may not have made a difference in winning/losing.
I don't know of anyone who has concerns has EVER stated that they want CKD to be a CNS clone. I don't know of anyone who has said that they want CKD and staff to fail. We all want him to succeed.
But we love the Alabama program above any coach (including CNS). And when people have legit concerns (ie lack of any kind of threatening run game, blocking being lackluster at best in most games) we will express our concerns.
We also (to your point) have stated more than once about the decline of the program the last two or three years under CNS. We've made no bones about it.
To another poster's point we also recognize that CKD appears to be receptive to at least making some kind of changes. That's a good thing if it improves offensive line/run game production and is not just a band aid over an open wound.

Didn’t get blown out because of quarterback play. The defense looked totally inept and unprepared numerous times.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

You might be able to get both.

We shall see.............hopefully the issues there are fixed, no matter who gets the job

 

[KrAzY3]

Well, Rams are out of the playoffs.

Huff went there as the TE coach after the Seahawks thing went sideways. He's been a TE coach more than once, it would be very interesting if Alabama was able to add both Huff and Klemm but that does seem unlikely.

Furthermore Huff had the chance initially to join Alabama, I think technically he might have even agreed to along with Grubb, but he hasn't left the west coast at all from what I can tell.

 

[M2J]

Can't say I would be disappointed with Klemm.... Seems to have solid
Experience on both levels and the line for UCLA and Oregon matchup with the styles we see in the game today and were really good. Plus with a trash OC in Canada and years of line issues, his line had 1200 rush yards from najee Harris alone with the Steelers in the AFC North division... Traditionally the most physical along with the AFC East. Heck even USC offensive line improved to be one of the best this past year... Though he was only an analyst... Doesn't hurt. He's an analyst with run game coordinator experience

I don't see the gamble. People talking about Barrett Jones and Mike Johnson.... That's a gamble. Klemm is proven

 

[JDCrimson]

I'm seeing some claims that main reason he wasn't an OL coach the past two years (and why he left the Patriots early) is just health concerns and not any other reasons like performance, the infighting, or what have you.

Umm, I guess not anymore?

I see the upside, but if they put all their eggs on that basket... it's a guy that hasn't completed his season as an OL coach two out of the past three times.

What kind of health concerns?

 

[KrAzY3]

What kind of health concerns?

I do not want to speculate and it does not appear to have been publicly disclosed. I was not familiar with him at all until today. I might dig into it a bit more, but let's say there are a couple periods where you could have alternate takes.

For instance, in 2016 there was a drastic decline in the performance of his offensive line. This happened at the same time he was experiencing off-field issues such as those with the NCAA. He did not work as far as I can tell in 2017 and 2018. While he had a show-cause he was free to work in the NFL but did not do so until 2019. Were those health issues present then?

When he left the Steelers early it did not sound like health issues had anything to do with that, just that he'd worn out his welcome.

However, when he left the Patriots early that's when those health concerns were mentioned publicly, although there's reports of friction there as well.

Then he took 2024 off before becoming an analyst for USC. I haven't seen anything definitive saying that was actually health related.

So, it's all very open to speculation at the moment. It's just clear something was going on, and while it's not my business to pry, it is relevant to wonder is there's a common thread between a sudden downturn in performance, being out of work for 3 years, two premature exits and taking an off-field role.

Having said all of that, there are some real bright spots on his resume. Great recruiter (C-USA and Pac-12 recruiter of the year), seems competent as an OL coach when he's dialed in. If they manage to get him with some sort of shared responsibility so it's not as taxing on him and less disruptive if he's unable to do the job for long, I think it could be a home run hire. I was fine with Kap staying on in a reduced role and he's every bit the recruiter Kap is, if not better.

 

[BamaZilla]

No Huff please - especially after being reminded what Michigan did to his award winning OL. If we could get the Missouri guy and Vlachos then that would be fantastic. Klemm I think would be a gamble given what I've learned from others here. Bama can't gamble with this hire.

 

[Jack Bourbon]

No Huff please - especially after being reminded what Michigan did to his award winning OL. If we could get the Missouri guy and Vlachos then that would be fantastic. Klemm I think would be a gamble given what I've learned from others here. Bama can't gamble with this hire.

It does seem like it’s all or nothing. I would gamble if i were deboer

 

[Bamabuzzard]

No Huff please - especially after being reminded what Michigan did to his award winning OL. If we could get the Missouri guy and Vlachos then that would be fantastic. Klemm I think would be a gamble given what I've learned from others here. Bama can't gamble with this hire.

I dont want Huff. Michigan destroyed his offensive line.

 

[Cruloc]

I dont want Huff. Michigan destroyed his offensive line.

But that was the Joe Moore award winning OL that got completely dismantled by a more physical DL.

It is a philosophy thing, but what do I know.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

But that was the Joe Moore award winning OL that got completely dismantled by a more physical DL.

It is a philosophy thing, but what do I know.

Yeah, maybe the philosophy needs a major tweaking

 

[KrAzY3]

Yeah, maybe the philosophy needs a major tweaking

I guess we're going to find out once the dust settles.

A lot of what appeared to be my outright criticism of DeBoer is really just being wary of "fit". If I'm being critical™ of myself, I would point out that I actually preferred Dabo over DeBoer because I thought Dabo's familiarity with the SEC and region would make him a better fit.

What I didn't realize when I said that (because I was only familiar with Dabo's great teams that played Alabama) is that they actually don't run the ball consistently well either. For example, Clemson had 5 years where they averaged 4.2-3.5 YPC, before Dabo had his run of success. That's similar to the situation we are currently dealing with.

Then he went on a heck of a hot streak, and now he's found himself averaging 3.9 YPC again. It shows to me two things though, the importance of the run game, and that even if it's not what you're best at, it is something that can be sorted out as long as you hire the right people.

The team that dominated Alabama in the championship game averaged 6.6 YPC and 249 yards per game on the ground. This year they averaged 124 yards per game on the ground for 3.9 YPC, in 2014 they averaged 146 on 3.5 YPC, and for the record this year Alabama averaged 104 on 3.4 ypc.

I say all that to say this, it doesn't seem like Dabo is really capable of managing this aspect of the offense well. Without having a lot of knowledge on the subject, I think the key was just promoting Tony Elliott, who during his time saw the best run of Clemson football they've ever had (2015-2021). During that stretch, they averaged from 4.3-6.6 YPC and 153-253 yards on the ground.

It seems that under Elliott they went from using the run to set up the deep ball, to more of a power spread, they got more physical and they became a dominant team. I don't see why something similar can't happen under DeBoer, and I'm hoping there's enough of a change this year to see that. It won't happen so long as the running game is treated like a thing to try to open up the passing game. It has to be cherished as an equally valuable weapon.

 

[CB4]

Me coming to this thread to see if any movement on an oline coach….

 

[AlexanderFan]

Me coming to this thread to see if any movement on an oline coach….

View attachment 55360

Still need more people complaining he hasn’t hired someone yet.

DeBoer likes to feel the palpable angst in the air before he makes a move. He feeds off the frustration, makes the black hoodie shine.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

I guess we're going to find out once the dust settles.

A lot of what appeared to be my outright criticism of DeBoer is really just being wary of "fit". If I'm being critical™ of myself, I would point out that I actually preferred Dabo over DeBoer because I thought Dabo's familiarity with the SEC and region would make him a better fit.

What I didn't realize when I said that (because I was only familiar with Dabo's great teams that played Alabama) is that they actually don't run the ball consistently well either. For example, Clemson had 5 years where they averaged 4.2-3.5 YPC, before Dabo had his run of success. That's similar to the situation we are currently dealing with.

Then he went on a heck of a hot streak, and now he's found himself averaging 3.9 YPC again. It shows to me two things though, the importance of the run game, and that even if it's not what you're best at, it is something that can be sorted out as long as you hire the right people.

The team that dominated Alabama in the championship game averaged 6.6 YPC and 249 yards per game on the ground. This year they averaged 124 yards per game on the ground for 3.9 YPC, in 2014 they averaged 146 on 3.5 YPC, and for the record this year Alabama averaged 104 on 3.4 ypc.

I say all that to say this, it doesn't seem like Dabo is really capable of managing this aspect of the offense well. Without having a lot of knowledge on the subject, I think the key was just promoting Tony Elliott, who during his time saw the best run of Clemson football they've ever had (2015-2021). During that stretch, they averaged from 4.3-6.6 YPC and 153-253 yards on the ground.

It seems that under Elliott they went from using the run to set up the deep ball, to more of a power spread, they got more physical and they became a dominant team. I don't see why something similar can't happen under DeBoer, and I'm hoping there's enough of a change this year to see that. It won't happen so long as the running game is treated like a thing to try to open up the passing game. It has to be cherished as an equally valuable weapon.

Many dont think Grubb capable of doing that.............i.e. Seattle before this year and Seattle now. If he is stubborn and sticks to his guns, then probably so, I dont think he is dumb but depending heavily on the QB isnt a great long term strategy