JessN: Auburn wrap-up: When a trend becomes a pattern, self-examination must follow

bamakeeb · Nov 26, 2017

Auburn has not had great pass protection this year. We couldn't take advantage of that. Maybe it's because they're better than our guys. Maybe it's because we weren't healthy. Maybe our defensive play calling stank. I don't know. I was most worried about their run game and our ability to stop it. But it was Stidham that killed us.

I know it's sour grapes, but, with a healthy front seven those stupid RPO's would have gone no where. Too many times they stumbled forward for three or so yards. Making it very manageable down and distance.

Bamaro · Nov 26, 2017

Great postmortem write-up. Simply put, out coached and out played.

Krymsonman · Nov 26, 2017

Great write-up Jess. It's one thing to go out and play and just get beat. But to get beat because you look totally unprepared for the game, and you make very few adjustments just kills me. We need to find an identity on offense.

12Namath12 · Nov 26, 2017

Great wrap up as always~!

JBama_in_PCOLA · Nov 26, 2017

At Bama one thing scares me at the end of the year. We don’t hate that team enough. That team more than hates Bama and it carries over to the field. Sometime, Xs and Os don’t matter, and in this game it doesn’t mostly. We have to find that fire to hate that bunch, or they’ll continue to do this over and over. Beautiful write up Jess. Too bad your work is wasted on a poor game all around from the good guys. Roll Tide anyway.

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Tide Rev · Nov 26, 2017

JBama_in_PCOLA said:
At Bama one thing scares me at the end of the year. We don’t hate that team enough. That team more than hates Bama and it carries over to the field. Sometime, Xs and Os don’t matter, and in this game it doesn’t mostly. We have to find that fire to hate that bunch, or they’ll continue to do this over and over. Beautiful write up Jess. Too bad your work is wasted on a poor game all around from the good guys. Roll Tide anyway.

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I’ll agree with this. Even though I am 30+ years past HS, I still hate our arch rivals especially if they beat us. I simply do not like it and with Auburn, it still is the same. I do not want them to beat us in anything. I am not sure Coach Saban has embraced this.

Blindside13 · Nov 26, 2017

Good right up and I agree. I will also add to me it looked like Auburn wanted the game more. They came into the game hungry and stayed that way. I did not see that from Bama at times last night.

Saban4Ever · Nov 26, 2017

Blindside13 said:
Good right up and I agree. I will also add to me it looked like Auburn wanted the game more. They came into the game hungry and stayed that way. I did not see that from Bama at times last night.

I noticed that also. Yet Saban wants the team to remain calm regardless. I think players can remain calm and focused, but still be "hungry" and motivated. I don't remember reading during the week that Saban said they had a good week of practice. Do you? He usually says something about that. The entire game was just strange in so many ways.

Blindside13 · Nov 26, 2017

Saban4Ever said:
I noticed that also. Yet Saban wants the team to remain calm regardless. I think players can remain calm and focused, but still be "hungry" and motivated. I don't remember reading during the week that Saban said they had a good week of practice. Do you? He usually says something about that. The entire game was just strange in so many ways.

I did not catch any comments from Saban about practice, but the barn was certainly more prepared than we were. Like Jess said when we have everything to lose and it is all on the line we have not been able to handle good Auburn teams at there place.

PA Tide Fan · Nov 26, 2017

JBama_in_PCOLA said:
At Bama one thing scares me at the end of the year. We don’t hate that team enough. That team more than hates Bama and it carries over to the field. Sometime, Xs and Os don’t matter, and in this game it doesn’t mostly. We have to find that fire to hate that bunch, or they’ll continue to do this over and over. Beautiful write up Jess. Too bad your work is wasted on a poor game all around from the good guys. Roll Tide anyway.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro[emoji208]

I guess it's easier for Auburn to hate us because Alabama's been the king of the mountain and they feel like they've been slighted. I assume back in Coach Bryant's day he recruited more local players who grew up hating Auburn. I think he said he preferred players who hated Auburn. The recruiting tentacles these days extend all across the nation. A lot of the recruits these days come from all over and while they've heard of Auburn they don't really hate them. Once they get on campus they realize Auburn is an important game but they still don't hate them. Sure, there's some on the team that really want to beat Auburn badly but I don't think as many as is Coach Bryant's day.

WylieTexasTider · Nov 26, 2017

Saban4Ever said:
In some way, I hope we don't make the playoffs so we can most likely win our next game. In other ways, I want us to make the playoffs because Saban will have plenty of time to reflect and prepare.

What makes you think if we miss the playoffs we will likely win our Bowl. History under Saban says the players won’t care cuz they don’t want to be there. See 2008 and 2013.

TupeloTideFan · Nov 27, 2017

TideEngineer08 said:
Tom, Danielson saw the jump pass coming because he watched their practices. Unfortunately we did not have access to that film.

The barn used the jump pass against Georgia.

Saban4Ever · Nov 27, 2017

WylieTexasTider said:
What makes you think if we miss the playoffs we will likely win our Bowl. History under Saban says the players won’t care cuz they don’t want to be there. See 2008 and 2013.

I know the history. I just hope we make the playoffs so we can be more motivated. I still expect us to be motivated, especially if we end up playing Clemson or Miami as projected. Maybe Saban needs to get the team psychologist/motivational speaker Kevin Elko to talk to the team before the game. Seems to me the players would be motivated to play for the Seniors and for each other since it would be their last game.

davefrat · Nov 27, 2017

i didn't get a chance to watch the game because i had a prior commitment at game time.

that being said, my wife watched the game and had some interesting observations that she shared via texts during the game.

for background, my wife is a former scholarship athlete at Bama and is pretty astute at reading body language and "sideline" language.

midway through the 3rd quarter she texted me that something looked off with the team...she commented that it didn't look like they were communicating and that everyone on the sideline looked confused and/or apathetic.

she concluded by saying that for whatever reason, it looked like our entire focus changed immediately after we went up 14-10 and she even commented that it looked like we didn't have the will to win the game.

sounds like she was pretty much spot on.

Saban4Ever · Nov 27, 2017

davefrat said:
i didn't get a chance to watch the game because i had a prior commitment at game time.

that being said, my wife watched the game and had some interesting observations that she shared via texts during the game.

for background, my wife is a former scholarship athlete at Bama and is pretty astute at reading body language and "sideline" language.

midway through the 3rd quarter she texted me that something looked off with the team...she commented that it didn't look like they were communicating and that everyone on the sideline looked confused and/or apathetic.

she concluded by saying that for whatever reason, it looked like our entire focus changed immediately after we went up 14-10 and she even commented that it looked like we didn't have the will to win the game.

sounds like she was pretty much spot on.

I think she is right. I had that strange feeling also. I used to play sports in high school and college. I coached for 10 years. I notice the body language, Saban's language, etc.

I wonder if there is something going on behind the scenes that we fans know nothing about, or if it was just lack of preparation or maybe entitlement. I find the last 2 hard to believe. I wish the game had been at our stadium. I think the outcome would have been different.

92tide · Nov 27, 2017

Saban4Ever said:
I think she is right. I had that strange feeling also. I used to play sports in high school and college. I coached for 10 years. I notice the body language, Saban's language, etc.

I wonder if there is something going on behind the scenes that we fans know nothing about, or if it was just lack of preparation or maybe entitlement. I find the last 2 hard to believe. I wish the game had been at our stadium. I think the outcome would have been different.

they could just be worn out too. since week 1, we have been playing mash unit, that has to wear on folks after a while.

CaliforniaTide · Nov 27, 2017

Saban4Ever said:
I think she is right. I had that strange feeling also. I used to play sports in high school and college. I coached for 10 years. I notice the body language, Saban's language, etc.

I wonder if there is something going on behind the scenes that we fans know nothing about, or if it was just lack of preparation or maybe entitlement. I find the last 2 hard to believe. I wish the game had been at our stadium. I think the outcome would have been different.

I think this pretty nails it. You can find another bad c-word in those attitudes: complacency. CNS hinted at it earlier in the season that this team has had it easy relative to competition this year, and that creates a false sense of confidence. Looking back on the game, I can see where the players as a whole just couldn't believe that Auburn kept coming at them. It's tough; Alabama has been so successful for so long that they players on the team only know about losing 1 game and playing in the playoffs. Might require going to the Peach Bowl and losing to UCF to get that ugly taste back in their mouths. I saw this in USC after the 2005 Rose Bowl; no one could question their talent or ability to win, but give them a team that wanted it more, and USC was in trouble.

Special K · Nov 27, 2017

I have to say, I commented to the family watching the game with me that I didn't like the tone and body language in Saban's on-field pregame interview, that he seemed unusually irritated/anxious for some reason. Don't know what was happening behind the scenes, but I've never seen a Saban team - both staff and players - so woefully unprepared and/or unmotivated for a game since he's been there. I'm still just utterly dumbfounded at how the whole organization seemed to wet the bed all at once with so much on the line. Doesn't even seem real.

TomFromBama · Nov 27, 2017

TideEngineer08 said:
Tom, Danielson saw the jump pass coming because he watched their practices. Unfortunately we did not have access to that film.

Ok, my mistake! I went back and listened, and I just Misunderstood what Gary was saying - he said, "I was here three weeks ago and saw Johnson doing the Tim Tebow jump pass from the wildcat in this position."

I THOUGHT he meant he saw it in the UGa game, but clearly that was not correct, and Gary must have seen it in practice.......

Still sucks to be taken in. We've defensed that play in years past, but I guess it was too many years ago.... Pretty sure Kirby was still the OK last time someone ran that play on us.....

TideEngineer08 · Nov 27, 2017

TomFromBama said:
Ok, my mistake! I went back and listened, and I just Misunderstood what Gary was saying - he said, "I was here three weeks ago and saw Johnson doing the Tim Tebow jump pass from the wildcat in this position."

I THOUGHT he meant he saw it in the UGa game, but clearly that was not correct, and Gary must have seen it in practice.......

Still sucks to be taken in. We've defensed that play in years past, but I guess it was too many years ago.... Pretty sure Kirby was still the OK last time someone ran that play on us.....

Unfortunately I think we were taken in the whole game.

JessN: Auburn wrap-up: When a trend becomes a pattern, self-examination must follow

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