I think some of us need to back up and think...

Cruloc said:

I dont think it's just leadership on D. I read what Ruggs and Wills said....about how the team reacted to Tuas fumble. How down they got, heads down, lost the vibe etc. No one was there to shake them out of it until after halftime...even with Waddles return.

They climbed back into it and then just really started whiffing on tackles...namely not pushing the RB out short of a first down a couple times.

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Yep...……..I guess we harp on the tackling, but all those missed tackles and it makes you wonder whats up

Regarding the idea that LSU was in control of the game: When you are only up by 6 in the 4th quarter, you ain't controlled nothing.

Cruloc said:

I dont think it's just leadership on D. I read what Ruggs and Wills said....about how the team reacted to Tuas fumble. How down they got, heads down, lost the vibe etc. No one was there to shake them out of it until after halftime...even with Waddles return.

They climbed back into it and then just really started whiffing on tackles...namely not pushing the RB out short of a first down a couple times.

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That is the perfect example of a lack of leadership.

mlh said:

That is the perfect example of a lack of leadership.

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What I meant was not just leadership on D alone, I think its team wide. Sorry if I didnt convey that originally.

Not to insult, but I dont see where a 3-3-5 defense is really keeping scoring in check in the B12. To date, I would prefer our defensive alignment to better control the game over a 3-3-5.

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Cruloc said:

What I meant was not just leadership on D alone, I think its team wide. Sorry if I didnt convey that originally.

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I agree. I don't see any obvious leaders. I am sure there are some behind the scenes though. When I attended the "Nick at Noon " lunch the weekend of Ole Miss game, someone in the audience asked Saban about leadership. He said he normally has a leadership team that he creates at beginning of the year and it stays that way, but this year he is doing it differently. He picks a new leadership team each week. He said in the past when he would pick a leadership team, sometimes the leaders were not good leaders.

I think maybe this, plus the youth/inexperience has contributed to the fans not obviously seeing that leadership. I imagine the coaches see it daily though. I am sure the coaches are good leaders, with of course Scott Cochran being the loudest, but the team needs that from some players too.

I could not believe it when some players on offense mentioned how down they got when Tua fumbled early. It was great to see the team fight back in the 2nd half.. but too bad it did not start sooner or we would have won.

SIAP, but seeing the way the LSU players, coaches, and fans have reacted, and continue to react, to LSU's win, I have to come to the conclusion that this game to the Tigers was the equivalent to the way Bama players and coaches treated the 2009 SEC Championship game against Tebow and Florida. That SEC Championship win was the goal, the focus, and the driver, for defining the identity and what that 2009 Bama team became. We've heard plenty of stories from Bama coaches and players that talked about how they prepared for that rematch from the moment they lost the 2008 SEC Championship game. I don't discount the level of focus and preparation that this season's Bama team put into this LSU game, but I don't think its plausible that they were able to match what this game meant to this LSU team. The losing streak to Bama was truly the black cloud over the LSU program, and Coach O's tenure. I think its apparent that Bama wasn't as focused and determined, especially in the 1st half, as LSU was, and it showed in the mistakes Bama made. You combine this reality with the youth and injury issues Bama faced in the game, its no wonder that Bama came out with a loss. LSU has been really good this season, Bama has been really good this season. But when they faced each other, LSU was able to elevate to great while Bama was only able to muster really good again. Just like in 2009 when that Bama team elevated to great, while Florida could not match that level of play.

The game on Saturday meant EVERYTHING to this LSU program, while Bama had to view it as the next big game. Its been discussed on this board before, but Bama is usually at an emotional disadvantage in conference games, and most out of conference games, due to the fact that beating Bama these days is the equivalent to winning the Super Bowl, complete with contract extensions and the like. Bama has to view each game as just another big game. The Bama players and coaches know they are getting everyone's best shot each week. They know what they are signing up for. It just sometimes, the opponent is as good or better than you, and their best shot is better than what the Bama team can match.

This will probably sound like a dumb question but how do you teach tackling? I heard somewhere that they don’t take guys to the ground in practice. That seems to be our problem. So seriously how do they teach it?

10Bama54 said:

This will probably sound like a dumb question but how do you teach tackling? I heard somewhere that they don’t take guys to the ground in practice. That seems to be our problem. So seriously how do they teach it?

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KYAllie on the bama news posted a video yesterday about tackling and different drills they were using during practice. They don't take people to the ground to prevent injuries but they do tackle dummies and things like that. Sometime the players just get away from what they are taught everyday and revert back to bad habits.

10Bama54 said:

This will probably sound like a dumb question but how do you teach tackling? I heard somewhere that they don’t take guys to the ground in practice. That seems to be our problem. So seriously how do they teach it?

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Muscle memory.
You just do it properly. Over and over and over ...

TIDE-HSV said:

I try to understand that most people don't really understand the personnel issues. When you don't, it's easy to throw out posts like most of these in these threads. One of the other mods PMed me a couple of days before it became public and told me about Moses' knee. He said he'd thrown his iPhone across the room (only cracked the screen) and said "We're screwed." We lost the other ILB who had experience, also to injury and one very talented guy turned out to be a head case and disappeared. We started as many as six pure freshman at one point. We're not only thin; we're young and inexperienced in a couple of crucial areas. The job done by the coaches this year on defense is little short of miraculous, given the the circumstances. It makes it very hard to read a lot of the uninformed posts blaming the coaches (and everyone under the sun) in these threads...

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Earl is spot on as usual & I agree 100%..With players leaving early for the NFL taking there valuable leadership & experience with them..Causing us to play younger players who may or may not be ready to fill there shoes each season..This season could have went South from the get go..

Then you factor in should the injury bug takes a big bite on your team like it did ours on defense this year..It can cripple a team before the even starts, but, Coach Saban as usual has done an amazing job as he always does each season to avoid our team from suffering through a bad season..We're still competing for the NC this year if the chips falls in place for us during the end of the season, as fans that's all we can ask for, cause it is a scenario, 95%+ other teams in college only dreams of..

I'm very proud of the job Coach Saban & our Coaching Staff has done leading our team through crippling injuries & key players leaving early for the NFL.I'm really really proud of the effort & commitment our players has given to Crimson Tide football towards winning a NC..

We as fans should only be thankful for the ride we're on..As "The Process" has given us, still given us, as Coach Saban leads Crimson Tide Football to the greatest run in college football history..