Is it really that difficult to see what the problem is? If this was the first or second year of this offense I could understand. But this is the fourth year, and Alabama is still on pace to average fewer than 25 points a game. Same as the previous three seasons. Is it that difficult to look at the numbers, the production of this offense going on year 4 to realize that it's a poorly designed offensive scheme with average, predictable playcalling? It's not the number of passes you throw, or the number of times you run the ball, or the time of possession during the course of a game that makes an offense successful.
This offense, from play to play, requires perfect execution. PERFECT. If any one thing goes wrong, if one block is missed, if a reciever doesn't run a great route, if JPW doesn't put the ball right on the money...the play is not going to work. Is it that difficult to see? Recievers are never wide open, there is no easy pitch and catch, the running game is ALWAYS...ALWAYS run out of tight formations with 7 or 8 guys in the box. What if JPW didn't make a perfect throw down the sideline to DJ Hall yesterday? What if Brodie didn't put the ball RIGHT on the money to Prothro the first play against UF? Sure, incompletion and try again. But the point is that very, very few of Alabama's passes are high percentage throws. No bootlegs, no roll outs, no audibles, VERY few screen passes, little to no motion (moving the tight end from one side of the line to the other does not count). The opposing defense is never off balance because with this offense, what you see is what you get. If Bama lines up in an I-Formation with 2 WRs you are either going to get a counter play to the right, a full back up the middle, or a play action pass with WR's running routes of 10-15 yards. And very few of the running plays are very easy. It absolutely MUST be the easiest offense to prepare for if fans can predict plays based on formation.
What is most baffling is that we have had 3 years of poor offensive play yet many continue to rally behind it, saying...no no...it's all about execution...the offensive staff is doing a solid job calling plays...just look at the yardage...look at the fine mix of run and pass! If we would've hadn't had these two plays go wrong we would have scored 27 points...well sure...if we would've been able to convert on 1st and 2 in the fourth quarter against Tennessee in 03 we would've won, if we didn't fumble away the game against Tennessee in 04 we would've won, if we didn't have the pass interference in the endzone against LSU in 04 we might have won, if Pennington would've been able to complete a pass or two against Minnesota we could've won, if we had more running plays than the counter out of the I against Arkansas in 03 maybe we could've run out the clock instead of losing, if we didn't fumble twice against Vandy maybe we could've put up 23-27 on em, if we didn't have such utterly predictable playcalling maybe we might score more than 23 points a game??
I would love to see our average yards gained on the counter play off right tackle over the last three years. It seems that CMS looks at that play, I guess, as Alabama's bread and butter running play...despite the fact that it nets 2-3 yards more often than it gains 7-10 yards.
If you want to see great examples of offensive playcalling/execution/keeping the defense off balance watch Auburn, Louisville, West Virginia, California, Georgia, UCLA, Arizona State, Rutgers.
25.5 points per game, 24.6 points per game, 21.9 points per game...for an average of 24 points a game through three seasons. Year four? Well, we're on pace to keep up with the four year trend of declining points...with a whopping 19 points per game. If the purpose of an offense is to score points, what is the point of supporting what has proven to be a predictable, poorly designed farce of an SEC offense? Will it take 5 years of finishing in the bottom half of the SEC offensively to convince people? For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all it took was a 12-6 loss in the NFC Championship game against the St. Louis Rams and finishing no higher than 22nd in total offense from 1996 to 1999.
In Mike Shula's last year at Tampa Bay they finished 27th in points scored...the next season Tampa Bay finished 7th in points scored.
I absolutely love Mike Shula. I want him to remain the coach at Alabama for many years to come. But the evidence is there.
SEC scoring
2005: 9 of 12
2004: 8 of 12
2003: 9 of 12
NFL scoring
1999: 27 of 31
1998: 18 of 30 (!)
1997: 24 of 30
1996: 30 of 30
Somebody convince me that we will finish higher than 8th in the SEC in scoring this year after our first two games...please.
