1) While I agree that the coaches are paid a lot of money to prepare the players to win, let's also not forget that they're 18-22 year olds who are still learning how to be mentally ready for a 15-game season. Down to each player, it's a case-by-case basis on who "gets it", and who is "still learning". I'd argue that a lot of the player attrition due to the NFL caught up a bit this year, especially on defense.
2) Staying on that front, I believe there's a lot of good a loss like this can do to a team's psyche, and how they self-scout themselves in preparation for next season. Granted, this kind of loss can have just the opposite effect, and send the team on a long, slow decline. But, I believe there's some relationship to the idea that the more you are successful, the more likely you will begin to believe in your superiority, and that leads to a type of arrogance that doesn't handle beatdowns like last night very well. We have a lot of young players being pressed into service before they're ready mentally (just a fact of the game as it stands today).
3) I believe that CNS hired Enos as a long-term plan that Locksley would leave eventually, and CNS could return to more of an offense he prefers. Enos may actually be the guy that can help the offense in a shootout, AND the guy that'll help control the ball with the RBs. Plus, Enos would still be the QB coach as per his background, which leads me to agree to JessN's assertion (I believe) that it'll be a defensive assistant that replaces Locksley's slot, not an offensive one.
4) I do think that CNS still has a couple of titles left in him, and his overall track record speaks for itself when it comes to self-diagnosing problems during the season, and fixing them in the offseason. However, I agree with JessN that he has to adapt in his substitution patterns to help out his DL and WRs. Heaven forbid Jeudy, DeVonta, Ruggs, and Irv all leave after next year, and the WRs leftover (with the exception of Waddle) are still incredibly green. Dabo has figured out how to substitute his players on some regular basis, and keep his bench players interested in the game.
5) Coaching turnover - I can't speak for working under any college football coach, but it is well known publicly that working for CNS is tough, tough work. It is professionally rewarding when you decide to move on, but we all know he runs a meat-grinder of a schedule, particularly when it comes to recruiting. It's what's made him and Alabama successful, and I don't see why he would change that now. But, I do believe this knowledge plays a part in the coaching turnover, when coaches decide to leave, and when coaches decide to not come to Alabama. Venables was asked why he hasn't left Clemson for a HC opportunity, and he basically said that it's due to the work-life balance that Dabo has created for his staff. Maybe CNS needs to re-evaluate that side of it to help keep some of his coaches with him, I don't know for sure.
6) If you look at the history of college football dynasties, these losses happen. I'm not happy that it occurred, but I'm also not sure some of the comments and statements made by the fans in the last 12-14 hours are healthy either. Like a poster said earlier, dynasties rise and fall, and at some point, Alabama will have to come to grips with that, especially when CNS leaves. As much as I'd like to think that Alabama will just keep churning along immediately past CNS, history suggests otherwise. You never want to be THE GUY that replaces THE GUY, no matter how successful they have been before they come to Alabama to coach college football. Enjoy this run. I don't think it's the end of the world for CNS and the program; 55-4 in the last four years with four consecutive national championship game opportunities, and "only" winning 2 of them? Now that Meyer has left, that leaves Dabo, Saban, and Fisher as the only coaches that have won NCs that are still coaching. Trust the Process, and again, ENJOY THIS RUN!!!
Roll Tide.