Question: Iron Bowl - Would you rather?

uafan4life · Nov 21, 2016

The "Iron Bowl is meaningless" thread got me thinking about a potential scenario, so I thought I'd pose it as a hypothetical "Would you rather?" question to the board.

The hypothetical centers around Cam Robinson, Bo Scarbrough, Tim Williams, and Reuben Foster. In both scenarios, Alabama will go on to win the SEC Championship and play in the CFP. The difference is in how we get there and the shape we are in when we arrive.

Scenario one:
The coaches make the executive decision to hold Cam and Bo, whose minor injuries are discovered to perhaps be not so minor, out of the Iron Bowl in order to rest up and heal. Early on in the game, Williams and Foster are both injured, spend a few minutes in the medical tent, and are cleared to go back into the game. Not wanting to risk further injury to either, the coaches decide to sit them for the rest of the game.

The end result is that we lose the Iron Bowl but go into the CFP with all four players healthy.

Scenario two:
The coaches make the executive decision to go ahead and play Cam and Bo, whose minor injuries are discovered to perhaps be not so minor, in the Iron Bowl in order to have our best chance to win the game. Early on in the game, Williams and Foster are both injured, spend a few minutes in the medical tent, and are cleared to go back into the game. With the outcome of the game far from decided, the coaches decide to put them back on the field. In the third quarter, Foster re-aggravates and worsens his injury while Robinson does the same late in the fourth but not before we able to get the game in hand. Williams and Scarbrough nurse their injuries during the next week and play in the SEC Championship game, only to suffer the same fates in that game as Cam and Reuben the previous week.

The end result is that we win the Iron Bowl but go into the CFP with all four of those players unavailable for the playoff.

So, given these two hypothetical choices, which would you rather?

G-VilleTider · Nov 21, 2016

Dude? Seriously?

uafan4life · Nov 21, 2016

G-VilleTider said:
Dude? Seriously?

Yes, seriously.

The point is to consider, as a fan, upon which you place a higher priority: winning the Iron Bowl or being healthy going into the CFP.

CrimSonami · Nov 21, 2016

2. Play 'em.

They're football players. They're competitors. Fortunately we have enough quality depth and experience.

"It's football. We really don't go into it worrying about someone getting hurt" - Nick Saban.

RTR91 · Nov 21, 2016

I'll take option two since they'd have a month to heal and get ready for the CFP.

Go Bama · Nov 21, 2016

I'd rather go to the playoff healthy, but sandbagging is a recipe for losers. Play to win every game. If a guy is good to go, he plays.

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JBama_in_PCOLA · Nov 21, 2016

You guys are beginning to scare me. Let's just stay unbeaten and have an undefeated season. Whatever happened to that scenario?

uafan4life · Nov 21, 2016

RTR91 said:
I'll take option two since they'd have a month to heal and get ready for the CFP.

That's the rub - they don't heal up; they're gone for the whole CFP.

B1GTide · Nov 21, 2016

I would support whatever Saban decided to do since he knows his players better than we do, and where they are with respect injury.

Now, if I were forced to make this decision myself I wouldn't hold anyone out who is ready to play. You cannot turn it on and off. Do you really want to go into the SECCG like that, especially after the poor showing against the Mocs?

JMO, but if you do that, you lose to Florida the following week, and maybe Auburn this week. Mental attitude is more than half the battle.

TheBamaMan · Nov 21, 2016

I think it all comes down to "medically" are they cleared or not. If they are cleared, play them as you need them. If not, then dont.

RTR91 · Nov 21, 2016

uafan4life said:
That's the rub - they don't heal up; they're gone for the whole CFP.

Since we don't know the severity of their injuries (appear to be minor since Saban said they all will be ready for Saturday), I'm going with they will heal up by the CFP.

Bamabuzzard · Nov 21, 2016

uafan4life said:
That's the rub - they don't heal up; they're gone for the whole CFP.

And this is the risk the staff could possibly be faced with if the game happens to be close and the mindset is "play the Iron Bowl like it's the last game of the year." Sure, we emptied the magazine and even reloaded a few times. But in doing so we are out of bullets with games left to be played.

This situation may not present itself. We may jump out on Auburn early and put them away early. But with this playoff format there will come a time when a team is faced with the situation just like you've described and the coaching staff will have to make some hard decisions.

Let's just change the team and say Florida St is in our situation. They've wrapped up their division, have secured their ticket to their conference title game and they're going into their last regular season game with their arch rival Florida with an undefeated record and sitting at #1 in the polls. They go into the game with some key players already nursing some injuries that if injured any further could become major injuries real quick. Jimbo decides that he's playing this game like it's the last game of the year and rather than pulling these players they "play like there's no tomorrow". They win the game but Jimbo loses several starters for the rest of the season. Or they're injured to a point where they play but are only 80% at best. They get booted in the first round of the playoff and the breakdowns in the game were from not having these guys at full strength.

What is the likelihood Jimbo gets raked over the coals by the media, own fans and even his boss?

cuda.1973 · Nov 21, 2016

Any player can incur a season-ending injury, at any time, in any game. You can't play the game and worry about that, if you want to win.

Eddie Jackson...........Tyrone Prothro..................Kenyan Drake........even Treadwell, at Ol' Spit.........it happens, all the time. You play the game to win.

B1GTide · Nov 21, 2016

Bamabuzzard said:
And this is the risk the staff could possibly be faced with if the game happens to be close and the mindset is "play the Iron Bowl like it's the last game of the year." Sure, we emptied the magazine and even reloaded a few times. But in doing so we are out of bullets with games left to be played.

This situation may not present itself. We may jump out on Auburn early and put them away early. But with this playoff format there will come a time when a team is faced with the situation just like you've described and the coaching staff will have to make some hard decisions.

Let's just change the team and say Florida St is in our situation. They've wrapped up their division, have secured their ticket to their conference title game and they're going into their last regular season game with their arch rival Florida with an undefeated record and sitting at #1 in the polls. They go into the game with some key players already nursing some injuries that if injured any further could become major injuries real quick. Jimbo decides that he's playing this game like it's the last game of the year and rather than pulling these players they "play like there's no tomorrow". They win the game but Jimbo loses several starters for the rest of the season. Or they're injured to a point where they play but are only 80% at best. They get booted in the first round of the playoff and the breakdowns in the game were from not having these guys at full strength.

What is the likelihood Jimbo gets raked over the coals by the media, own fans and even his boss?

Sorry, but the greatest risk is not injury.

In the NFL, teams that coast at the end of the season once they have their playoff spot determined by resting key players struggle in the first round of the playoffs. They do so for one simple reason - you cannot turn it on and off like a switch. As Saban said last week, you are either improving or you are getting worse.

Having players take a week off because the game doesn't matter hurts team chemistry and can kill a team in the playoff.

UntouchableCrew · Nov 21, 2016

I believe you play to win always and hypotheticals based on knowing the future are kind of pointless. If the option is simply "be healthy and lose the Iron Bowl" or "win the Iron Bowl and lose four key players" I'll take the former but that's obviously not what the question would actually be in real time.

mdb-tpet · Nov 21, 2016

Hypothetically, I hate hypotheticals. Let's focus on the next team and worry about the rest of the schedule later. November always seems to bring some surprises, and this year has been and will be no exception.

bama2112 · Nov 21, 2016

I think I will drink a glass of Hemlock. This board is really getting strange threads. Maybe they should put the under the rivals heading.

Bamabuzzard · Nov 21, 2016

B1GTide said:
Sorry, but the greatest risk is not injury.

In the NFL, teams that coast at the end of the season once they have their playoff spot determined by resting key players struggle in the first round of the playoffs. They do so for one simple reason - you cannot turn it on and off like a switch. As Saban said last week, you are either improving or you are getting worse.

Having players take a week off because the game doesn't matter hurts team chemistry and can kill a team in the playoff.

Just so we're clear, I'm not saying take the week off. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that while playing the game you start having key players (that are playing) re-aggravating injuries that haven't completely healed, that if they were to keep playing are much closer now of it becoming a major injury. No one is saying for the coaching staff to go into the game waiving the white towel. The entire time they are trying their hardest to win the game. But a game can quickly turn in a direction that in emptying the magazine in trying to win the game you leave yourself with not enough bullets for the next gun fight.

And for the record, a scenario like this is never a big deal until it happens. Then it becomes a big deal. If you think for one second fans (and even some on here who are arguing for "play like it's your last game") wouldn't absolutely go nuts then you don't know human nature. There's no "right answer" to this scenario. Because the foundation of the topic itself is a potential "danged if you, danged if you don't" type scenario.

uafan4life · Nov 21, 2016

I didn't realize so many people were so bad at this game.
:conf2:

You're given two hypothetical choices and your choice will determine the future exactly as is laid out in the given scenarios. You don't get to hope something else will happen.

B1GTide · Nov 21, 2016

Bamabuzzard said:
Just so we're clear, I'm not saying take the week off. That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that while playing the game you start having key players (that are playing) re-aggravating injuries that haven't completely healed, that if they were to keep playing are much closer now of it becoming a major injury. No one is saying for the coaching staff to go into the game waiving the white towel. The entire time they are trying their hardest to win the game. But a game can quickly turn in a direction that in emptying the magazine in trying to win the game you leave yourself with not enough bullets for the next gun fight.

And for the record, a scenario like this is never a big deal until it happens. Then it becomes a big deal. If you think for one second fans (and even some on here who are arguing for "play like it's your last game") wouldn't absolutely go nuts then you don't know human nature. There's no "right answer" to this scenario. Because the foundation of the topic itself is a potential "danged if you, danged if you don't" type scenario.

I get it, but I also believe that you can't be "almost" dedicated to winning a game. You either are, or you are not. If Saban is not, the players will know and they will play like it.

Question: Iron Bowl - Would you rather?

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