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2017 4* Kicker Brandon Ruiz Updates (Flips to Arizona State)
- Thread starter sanjosecrimson
- Start date
Many people are saying that we don't attract elite talent at kicker which just isn't true. Our last few were highly rated coming out of HS. It is their progression once they are on campus that is disappointing.
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A big part of the issue is that it's a bit like quarterbacks. People are like what's wrong with Alabama's evaluation/development of quarterbacks? Well, for starters most schools don't have elite QBs. There only so many to go around. Secondly, all you have to do is miss a couple times to have a hole at the position. Now, of course this is impacted by how good the school is as evaluating and developing talent. However, Saban isn't a QB coach any more than he's a kicking coach. It takes someone else doing that for him.
The current special teams coach is Burton Burns I believe. I don't know how much coaching he does with the kickers or punters however.
No one since there are only 9 on-field assistants. With the possible addition of a tenth on-field assistant (waiting AD approval in the spring), many expect colleges to add a full time ST coach with some kicking experience.
I'm hoping to fill that 10th coaching position with a ST person, also. Can't see anything but good coming from it.
IMO, the kicking issue is WAY overblown. Tiffin was good not great from '07-'09. Shelley was very good from '10-'12, Groza semi-finalist, 44-55 on FG, 99% on XP. Griffin has been good at 70%, though bad early in a season, he always finished strong, hit every big kick, never the cause of a loss. Foster was 10-12 before AU in '13.
You can't put that on Griffith. Saban is the best in the business but that was on him.
That's like saying Michael Jordan missed a bunch of game winning shots in his career.
Not comparing AG with MJ, obviously, but throwing out a random fact like missing a shot or fg means nothing.
That was not Griffith's or Saban's fault. How can the backup True Fr. kicker be faulted for missing a 58 yard FG ? He was on line. How can Saban be faulted for being aggressive with a kid who had kicked that far in practice, and a 55 yarder since in a game ? He didn't miss by a mile. Again, Saban was just being aggressive and trusting his player. How many people were yelling "don't try the FG" ? AU surely wasn't. AU made a good play that few, if any, including AU, were thinking would result in a TD. I.e., the odds were better of making the kick than returning it for a TD on the last play of the game.
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I was all for the kick at the time but if there is any blame to be placed it has to be on Saban. We try a 58 yard FG, AU puts a man back to field it, and we have no one with speed on the field to run him down if he catches it? No blame on AG at all...
I bet if Phillip Doyle had that happen he would have nailed the guy. I used to love watching him after he kicked off. Wasn't afraid to mix it up.
Sports Science looked at the play. Griff was running at the necessary angle until a teammate nudged him while both were in pursuit, thus he didn't get Davis.
Yep. The pursuit angles of some of the other players (Mandel and others) is what cost us on that play.
Yeah, I went to HS with Phillip Doyle. Tremendous athlete and yes he probably would have made the tackle. Lane Bearden was another who liked to mix it up.
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