Not condoning what apparently went on here nor defending AU. However, anybody who thinks really good teams are not primarily player-driven instead of coach-driven is sadly mistaken.
Two cases in point. Our 92 bunch basically held full-scale practices all summer that year with no coaches around. Also, if it were not for Chris Samuels, Shaun Alexander, and Cornelius Griffin, I shudder to think what would have happened to the 99 bunch under Dubose.
Not to say that the coaches are not important. However, any coach (I think) would tell you that the best teams are the ones who don't have to be continually poked and prodded to do what they are supposed to do by the coaches; there is an internal discipline that never lets it get that far.