Sources: Charlie Strong joins Nick Saban's staff at Alabama

[Bamaboy16]

I am admittedly out of my depth and have hesitated to put my oar in the water on this but, I suspect that PG is an excellent defensive technician that understands what he is attempting to accomplish with defensive position play but may never have a feel for the dynamics of a game or the the emotional levels the game must be played at. If players are asked to become technicians there is a danger that their athleticism is significantly diminished. It is CNS's team obviously but it is also obvious that the team is a long way from having a Jeremy Pruitt or Kirby Smart on the sideline. I have some of the same doubts about Sal Sunseri for different reasons. Here is hoping we are all proven wrong in 2020!

Very interesting opinion...if true, it’s not a problem that is easily fixed or discovered

 

[KrAzY3]

I suspect that PG is an excellent defensive technician that understands what he is attempting to accomplish with defensive position play but may never have a feel for the dynamics of a game or the the emotional levels the game must be played at.

I wouldn't even go that far. On my end, I was fine with the Golding hire, but he wasn't hired to call plays. He was a young inexperienced up and comer. Seemed like a fine addition to the staff.

They he became DC. I would have been less hesitant, had it not been revealed he'd already started calling plays. So I'm going back over the latter part of the season, thinking... Alabama gave up 28, 34 and 44 in the last three games. That made me a bit more uneasy than I would have been.

Last year, it's easy to blame the struggles on injuries, but as I said when he became DC, we don't have his resume to fall back on. We can't go don't worry, Golding has got this, he's been there done that, because he certainly hasn't.

My concern had as much to do with the dubious results (Alabama's defense the past couple of years has been the worst during Saban's time at Alabama) as with Golding's resume or lack thereof. He is young, he is inexperienced, this is his first Power 5 stop, ever. May be he's up to the task, but how could I tell either way? So there's an uncertainty there.

However! Saban sees something he likes. It's not as much as some might think, because he didn't hire Golding to call the plays. That job fell into Golding's lap. I suspect though, that Saban sees some Kirby Smart in Golding. Remember, Smart is 44, Golding is 36. Smart was with Saban 3 years before he became DC, after 7 years elsewhere. Golding had 11 years elsewhere, but at a lower level than Smart, so one can argue they are both at similar points to when Smart became DC.

The question is if Golding turns the corner, and lives up to the potential he clearly has. I'm not here to say he won't, I've never said that. But he hasn't done it yet, and if he doesn't this coming season than I think we know there's a problem. I do believe though, that Golding will be able to to the job eventually. That's not the question. The question is just if 36 year old Golding with only two years of Power 5 experience will be up to the task. I hope so...

The upside potential is tremendous, and I think that's one reason Saban has stuck with him. If he can get someone at Golding's point in his career, who can handle the DC job well, here's someone who could potentially last until Saban's retirement.

I'm not going to keep going on about this because I have no desire to argue or bicker (or take a thread about Strong further off course). I think we all want Golding to succeed, and if he succeeds we'll all be very happy about it.

 

[CoolBreeze]

I am admittedly out of my depth and have hesitated to put my oar in the water on this but, I suspect that PG is an excellent defensive technician that understands what he is attempting to accomplish with defensive position play but may never have a feel for the dynamics of a game or the the emotional levels the game must be played at. If players are asked to become technicians there is a danger that their athleticism is significantly diminished. It is CNS's team obviously but it is also obvious that the team is a long way from having a Jeremy Pruitt or Kirby Smart on the sideline. I have some of the same doubts about Sal Sunseri for different reasons. Here is hoping we are all proven wrong in 2020!

I think that is a fair take and good post. But I think we are all looking for the failure of the Tide D to lay blame on some coach, coaching element or malfunction in the ranks of the coaching staff when the real culprit are injuries, injuries and more injuries.

 

[UAH]

I think that is a fair take and good post. But I think we are all looking for the failure of the Tide D to lay blame on some coach, coaching element or malfunction in the ranks of the coaching staff when the real culprit are injuries, injuries and more injuries.

No disagreement with that. Only attempting to express what I feel may be an issue that PG will have to overcome as he matures. On the topic of injuries, the epidemic nature of non-game related injuries is topic everyone is hyper concerned with.

 

[BamaMoon]

Let all those defensive coaches play "bull in the ring" and whoever is left standing can have the job!

 

[81usaf92]

I think last years defense would’ve struggled mightily even under Pruitt. It was just not a good defense, and it was mostly due to inexperience and injuries. I think Pete gets a lot less leeway with fans because of 3 reasons: 1) He isn’t a proven coordinator 2) He was the DC during the greatest offense in Alabama history and 3) he was a part of that defensive staff that got totally embarrassed by Clemson.

I don’t know if Pete is CNS’s Cam Cameron or if he is going to be a real great coordinator with time. But what I do know is that he isn’t going to win the fan base over until he shuts down a good team.

 

[BamaMoon]

Just from a pure historical standpoint and looking past last year's injuries, I think what is happening is an "adjustment" to CNS's style of defense. If I understand it correctly (and I don't profess to know the specifics of our defense), it was always vulnerable to passes across the middle and was built for stopping the traditional power rushing team with big linebackers that could tackle in the gaps.

We all know that's not the style of offensive football most people play today. Even we don't anymore. So I think we are just in the process of adjusting to the current style of offensive play. I know CNS started this with lighter defensive linemen and outside linebackers a few years ago, but I still think the process of this adjustment is still in the works.

FWIW, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to return to the type of defense we used to see when we could hold teams to an average of around 10 points a game.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

Reminder to what Golding said in December:

Pete Golding explains Alabama defensive issues, what he learned from 2019 season

Alabama defensive coordinator spoke in public for the first time since August.

www.al.com

Golding said while noting the talent of Harris and Lee. “With as many shifts in emotions and things that they see -- when the picture changes -- those guys having to make a call in a split second and all 11 guys are waiting on them to make a call, because they’re the signal caller of the defense, I think that was a struggle early for them but I think both of those guys in the middle of our defense love football. They’re extremely smart.

“They had their growing pains. I had my growing pains and it wasn’t always perfect by any means but it was the situation we were put in. But I’m extremely proud of how they handled themselves and the preparation they put forth.”

Saban, Golding and players have mentioned that throughout the season.

the fact both play-calling middle linebackers had never seen a college snap before Aug. 31 impacted the whole operation.


“And I think a lot of the times, they are looking for confirmation and the guy beside him doesn’t really know either,” Golding said. “And I think that’s been the big difference.”

We knew that. We could tell watching from home.

“The big difference is that guy having to make the calls and set the front, set the blitzes,” Golding said, “and then having validation beside him to where he’s second guessing himself, ‘No, hey it’s Ringer, Ringer, Ringer. Ralph, Ralph, Ralph.’ Just to confirm what he was thinking, I think that was probably the difference this year of having two 18-year old kids side by side in the middle of your defense that were responsible for making the calls.”

And now for the homerun:

There were injury problems up front, too. LaBryan Ray hasn’t played since Week 3 at defensive end while Raekwon Davis and D.J. Dale missed time with more minor issues. That forced rookies like Justin Eboigbe and Byron Young into starting roles.

“I think, obviously, you want to have an eraser,” Golding said. “You know, so normally if you've got a young guy up front, and then you want a veteran guy behind him, to where I'm a second‑level guy, he makes a mistake, he's in the wrong gap, then we can make it right. I think at times we end up in the same gap a lot.”

Teams noticed that and took advantage of that. Auburn and LSU was the big benefit of that.

“I think you have to be careful of asking your guys to do something that maybe they can’t do,” Golding said. “And I think as coaches, we always want the answer and we always want the chalk class. Schematically on the board, we want to look like we have the extra guy or we’re fitting this the right way. And I think at times we put too much on those guys to where they’re thinking instead of reacting. And I think especially for young football players, we get lined up, set the front, keep the coverage obviously the same and be able to adjust out what you’re in helps those guys.”

This falls on Saban, Golding, Banks and Scott.

This quotes explain it all:

“Sometimes as coaches,” Golding said, “we can think too much and think we’re too damn smart at times.”

And sometimes you have to keep it simple when complexity once ruled Alabama’s defense.

“If you can’t execute it,” Golding said, “it doesn’t matter the call.”

 

[Down4ttown]

As mentioned previously, Strong was hired as an analyst and will play a role in the defense but not as big as some want or care to admit. This is us and him trying each other on.

But I do think if the defense is improved it wil be a result of less injuries, Pete growing and developing, and a better overall game plan for the players we have on the field. Giving Strong the credit is like saying our offense is better due to Butch being down there. While he helps, we have had great players and great play calling assist much more.

 

[Tug Tide]

I think it’s important to remember some of the timeline of PG’s hiring also. Like Krazy mentioned above he wasn’t hired to be the DC.
12/6/17 Pruitt accepts the UT job, which will leave the DC job open after the Playoff.
12/15/17 Golding is hired as the tenth assistant, which was the first time that was allowed. Saban basically would have an extra coaching spot in Jan and wanted PG for a role to be determined later. While, he had a couple DC gigs at much smaller schools, his position responsibilities had been exclusively DBs up to this point. I don’t recall the rest of the off-season coaching changes that year, but he wound up with ILB that he’s never coached before, right?
I say all this to say, that while CNS saw something in him in that interview and to this day, this wasn’t CNS plan when he hired him.

Look at the quotes in this article:

CNS "We'll address the other staff issues when we get finished playing," Saban said. "I don't have time right now to do a search, get ready for this game, recruit, have an early signing date and try to hire coaches, too. There's not enough time in the day."

Alabama hires UTSA's Pete Golding as assistant coach

Alabama has added an assistant coach.

www.al.com

 

[Tiderollin32]

I think it’s important to remember some of the timeline of PG’s hiring also. Like Krazy mentioned above he wasn’t hired to be the DC.
12/6/17 Pruitt accepts the UT job, which will leave the DC job open after the Playoff.
12/15/17 Golding is hired as the tenth assistant, which was the first time that was allowed. Saban basically would have an extra coaching spot in Jan and wanted PG for a role to be determined later. While, he had a couple DC gigs at much smaller schools, his position responsibilities had been exclusively DBs up to this point. I don’t recall the rest of the off-season coaching changes that year, but he wound up with ILB that he’s never coached before, right?
I say all this to say, that while CNS saw something in him in that interview and to this day, this wasn’t CNS plan when he hired him.

Look at the quotes in this article:

CNS "We'll address the other staff issues when we get finished playing," Saban said. "I don't have time right now to do a search, get ready for this game, recruit, have an early signing date and try to hire coaches, too. There's not enough time in the day."

Alabama hires UTSA's Pete Golding as assistant coach

Alabama has added an assistant coach.

www.al.com

I think the quote highlighted is maybe the most telling piece of the equation. Our defense is predicated on the ILB's calling the defense. Golding's history of coaching DB's might be why he is struggling slightly with coaching the LB's. I've always wondered if he would be better coaching the DB's and us getting an experienced ILB's coach. The problem with that is Saban appears to like his DC to coach the ILB's, see Smart and Pruitt.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

I think the quote highlighted is maybe the most telling piece of the equation. Our defense is predicated on the ILB's calling the defense. Golding's history of coaching DB's might be why he is struggling slightly with coaching the LB's. I've always wondered if he would be better coaching the DB's and us getting an experienced ILB's coach. The problem with that is Saban appears to like his DC to coach the ILB's, see Smart and Pruitt.

We had trues freshmen manning these positions...

 

[CoolBreeze]

Reminder to what Golding said in December:

Pete Golding explains Alabama defensive issues, what he learned from 2019 season

Alabama defensive coordinator spoke in public for the first time since August.

www.al.com

Saban, Golding and players have mentioned that throughout the season.



We knew that. We could tell watching from home.



And now for the homerun:

Teams noticed that and took advantage of that. Auburn and LSU was the big benefit of that.



This falls on Saban, Golding, Banks and Scott.

This quotes explain it all:

Best post in the thread, thank you.

 

[bamamick]

Can I just ask one question and get a considered answer other than Coach knows best? I have read that Josh Jobe let bad plays get into his head and that's why he wasn't starting all year, but why wasn't he starting all year? I don't question a defense with 5-6 true freshmen playing major minutes and finishing #17 in the total defense. I understand that losing your leadership hurts. I understand that Christian Harris learning how to play linebacker at the DI level during the games hurts. I understand all of that, I just don't understand why Josh Jobe, who looked like he may have been the best guy we had on defense against Michigan, was an afterthought for the 2019 defense.

 

[BamaInMo1]

Quote: TRU-Saban is the CEO of a $100M corporation that employs hundreds of people. Do y'all really think he has time to be out there coaching the defense in detail? The overall defensive philosophy is his and he probably has a lot to say about the specific strategy used in the individual games much of the time. But is he responsible for making sure the players tackle, get their assignments right and hit the right gaps? That is the assistant's job. And when those details are wrong the blame rises to the DC. We saw numerous examples of poor basic instruction last year - poor tackling, missed assignments and a failure to improve over the course of the season. That is on Golding, not Saban.

Tru, Don't you think CNS has the ability to step in and correct things on the defense that he sees is wrong? Do you think he goes into the football complex on Monday mornings and looks at his coaching staff and says "Since I have so much to do in running this program y'all handle practice and I'll see y'all on gameday on Saturday"? CNS is probably one of the most hands on coaches in this country. If he thought CPG (or anyone else on staff for that matter) was not doing something right I am quite sure he would correct the issue.
I understand what some of y'all are saying and I hope we tackle better this coming season as well but bear in mind that a lot of the freshmen that were having to start on defense last year either didn't participate in spring practice or took limited snaps behind projected starters who were later injured and out for the season. And you really don't have time to work on fundamentals during game weeks.
I'm glad CCS was added to the program and think he will help make things better but give Pete and the defense a tad bit of a break.

 

[TiderJack]

Can I just ask one question and get a considered answer other than Coach knows best? I have read that Josh Jobe let bad plays get into his head and that's why he wasn't starting all year, but why wasn't he starting all year? I don't question a defense with 5-6 true freshmen playing major minutes and finishing #17 in the total defense. I understand that losing your leadership hurts. I understand that Christian Harris learning how to play linebacker at the DI level during the games hurts. I understand all of that, I just don't understand why Josh Jobe, who looked like he may have been the best guy we had on defense against Michigan, was an afterthought for the 2019 defense.

He played behind Surtain who will be a AA this year and Diggs who may be a first round pick (had some issues at times). He is a pure corner so he was not part of the nickel and dime packages. He will be a major contributor moving forward.

 

[Tiderollin32]

We had trues freshmen manning these positions...

Agreed but I’ve just always been curious why RS Sophomore Benton and Sophomores Kaho and Moody never got the nod. Golding coached them all for a year. Not arguing just really wondered.

 

[Jack Bourbon]

I think last years defense would’ve struggled mightily even under Pruitt. It was just not a good defense, and it was mostly due to inexperience and injuries. I think Pete gets a lot less leeway with fans because of 3 reasons: 1) He isn’t a proven coordinator 2) He was the DC during the greatest offense in Alabama history and 3) he was a part of that defensive staff that got totally embarrassed by Clemson.

I don’t know if Pete is CNS’s Cam Cameron or if he is going to be a real great coordinator with time. But what I do know is that he isn’t going to win the fan base over until he shuts down a good team.

I agree, but the tackling was terrible (Cost us LSU game) and something is to blame. Either coaching or talent last year. Maybe impossible to tell.

 

[TDBama78]

So is Golding now going to be the DC in name only? I hope it works for everyone but I can see the potential for it not to be so harmonious.

 

[crimsonaudio]

So is Golding now going to be the DC in name only? I hope it works for everyone but I can see the potential for it not to be so harmonious.

Nah. Strong is an analyst, and as such cannot directly coach the players or call plays. Zero question Golding is the DC and anyone suggesting Strong will play a role greater than Butch Jones has played doesn't understand what the role of analyst entails.

Bama is better with Strong as an analyst, and it could very well end up that at some point in the future Strong is hired as DC - but unless / until Strong is hired as an on-the-field coach, nothing changes wrt Golding's position.