| GAME THREAD Alabama vs Texas ~

[sk33tr]

But it follows a pattern that goes back to the beginning of last year. Take away the SEC Championship anomaly, and some major heroics by BY (and some major luck), and the last year of football looks like something from before Saban arrived. At times, dare I say, even Shula-esque. In the past year, Alabama could have easily lost to Texas, Auburn, Florida, and LSU, to go along with its loss to Georgia. And it didn't look great against Arkansas and Tennessee.

The talent Alabama has on its roster has made up for suspect, if not downright inept, play calling and offensive line development since the current OC arrived. The fact that Saban doesn't seemed concerned about BOB is the most concerning thing of all.

OK, so who would you choose to be the coach at BAMA with a pedigree as good as Coach Saban's?

The man is good. He's the best I've ever seen. But no one is perfect. And, no, you don't need to be perfect to win a national championship. BAMA lost to aTm and still made it to the CFPNCG. We beat UGA in the SECCG and they still made it to the CFPNCG.

So you don't need to be perfect, you just need to have the right wins at the right time. Last year, we failed to do that in 1 game, and it cost the national championship.

In 2013, we were undefeated going into Auburn; they had 1 loss. They won the game they needed to win to get them where they wanted to go. Then they won the next game to get them to the next step. But then, they didn't do what they needed to do to win that final game (thankfully).

Now, for some reason, Auburn likes to put tremendous pressure on its coaches and not give them any room to grow or anything like that. And their coaches don't have a lot of control over the program. And that's why coaches don't last long down there. Thankfully, when Mal Moore went to Miami to get Coach Saban, he told the board that they needed to give him total control over the program or it wasn't going to work. Thankfully they listened to him. And here we are with 6 national championships in 13 years. Think about that. That means that 46% of the time, Coach Saban leads the team to a national championship. How many other teams would KILL to have that high of a chance? Answer? ALL OF THEM! And if they say they don't, they're lying. That's almost a national championship every other year. When's the last time a Coach and a team won that many championships in that amount of time?

Retire? I think not. He has shown that he can change. He's even outsmarted everyone else by telling them that doing something was bad for the game. Then, when they did it anyway, he comes and does it better than everyone else.

They hurry-up offense? He didn't like it because it gave a disadvantage to his defense. OK.....so I'll build an offense that can do it, but better than anyone else. Now we haven't used much. But when we did, it provided big plays and big numbers.

Transfer portal? Yeah, he wasn't a fan of that, either. But then he used it to his advantage and picked up some really good players from other schools. Then turned them into national champions.

Retire? How about NO! He can stay there as long as he wants and as long he keeps doing what he's doing.....WINNING!

 

[mando]

But it follows a pattern that goes back to the beginning of last year. Take away the SEC Championship anomaly, and some major heroics by BY (and some major luck), and the last year of football looks like something from before Saban arrived. At times, dare I say, even Shula-esque. In the past year, Alabama could have easily lost to Texas, Auburn, Florida, and LSU, to go along with its loss to Georgia. And it didn't look great against Arkansas and Tennessee.

The talent Alabama has on its roster has made up for suspect, if not downright inept, play calling and offensive line development since the current OC arrived. The fact that Saban doesn't seemed concerned about BOB is the most concerning thing of all.

I agree it is on Saban to hire the right guys and he hired Bob and Pete. I think we will see good but not great units under both. That still does not say it is time for Saban to retire. Last year was indeed a subpar year especially OL but w/o injuries to some very key components would have won a Natty. You put Williams and Metchie back on the field in NC game and I suspect you would have seen the same game in the NC as you saw in the SEC championship game. This is not an "if Colt" scenario, we saw with our own eyes what a healthy Metchie/Williams with Bob calling plays could do to UGA. I do believe the OL underperformed last year and certainly did today. Defense has not been elite since Pruitt left but they have still been good.

I will continue to take the GOAT over anyone else.

 

[bamanc50]

As an Alabama fan for over 60 years. I like many, was disappointed and most of all frustrated with Alabama's performance Saturday. Over the years I have seen, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Alabama Football. I have seen the likes of Pat Trammell, Johnny Musso, Tony Nathan, Lee Roy Jordan, Cecil Dowdy, and on and on and on. Even the bad years of winning 4 or 5 games and probation. Saturday was just a bad day for Alabama football even though it was a win because we're not use to seeing a Nick Saban coached team look this way. This was probably a good thing and might help players and coaches realize all the "rat poison"" that we heard last week. Also probably some of the players still haven't realized that when they walk on to the field to play, it doesn't matter if it's Austin Peay, Ohio State, ULM, Georgia or whoever it will be the most prepared for and best game that team will play all year. Heck, how much time do you think Sark spent preparing for ULM last week? About as much time as Jimbo Fisher spent last year preparing for Arkansas and Miss. St. the 2 games he lost right before beating Alabama by 3. Don't be surprised if Texas loses 4 or 5 more games this season. To some beating Alabama is their season. I agree there's a lot of work to be done and a lot of things to clean up but Alabama is still one of the top 3 teams if not the top team in the country. RTR

 

[mando]

Johnny Musso, Tony Nathan

Old school for me. Two of my favorites all time.

Your post was well said @bamanc50 ...

 

[JoshB]

OK, so who would you choose to be the coach at BAMA with a pedigree as good as Coach Saban's?

The man is good. He's the best I've ever seen. But no one is perfect. And, no, you don't need to be perfect to win a national championship. BAMA lost to aTm and still made it to the CFPNCG. We beat UGA in the SECCG and they still made it to the CFPNCG.

So you don't need to be perfect, you just need to have the right wins at the right time. Last year, we failed to do that in 1 game, and it cost the national championship.

In 2013, we were undefeated going into Auburn; they had 1 loss. They won the game they needed to win to get them where they wanted to go. Then they won the next game to get them to the next step. But then, they didn't do what they needed to do to win that final game (thankfully).

Now, for some reason, Auburn likes to put tremendous pressure on its coaches and not give them any room to grow or anything like that. And their coaches don't have a lot of control over the program. And that's why coaches don't last long down there. Thankfully, when Mal Moore went to Miami to get Coach Saban, he told the board that they needed to give him total control over the program or it wasn't going to work. Thankfully they listened to him. And here we are with 6 national championships in 13 years. Think about that. That means that 46% of the time, Coach Saban leads the team to a national championship. How many other teams would KILL to have that high of a chance? Answer? ALL OF THEM! And if they say they don't, they're lying. That's almost a national championship every other year. When's the last time a Coach and a team won that many championships in that amount of time?

Retire? I think not. He has shown that he can change. He's even outsmarted everyone else by telling them that doing something was bad for the game. Then, when they did it anyway, he comes and does it better than everyone else.

They hurry-up offense? He didn't like it because it gave a disadvantage to his defense. OK.....so I'll build an offense that can do it, but better than anyone else. Now we haven't used much. But when we did, it provided big plays and big numbers.

Transfer portal? Yeah, he wasn't a fan of that, either. But then he used it to his advantage and picked up some really good players from other schools. Then turned them into national champions.

Retire? How about NO! He can stay there as long as he wants and as long he keeps doing what he's doing.....WINNING!

No one has the pedigree Saban does. No one had the pedigree that Bear Bryant had yet he stayed for far too longer than he should have, too. The big difference being that Saban's recruiting hasn't fallen off yet. Saban has ALWAYS been the guy quick to pivot and make changes to fit changes around college football. He doesn't do that anymore and refuses to even consider making changes on defense it seems. I'm going to get a lot of flack (and maybe deservedly so) but Saban should have gone on to enjoy life after the 2020 Championship. I have no idea if there is even anyone out there that could keep the ship going in the way he did (probably night) but my worry is things will continue to deteriorate across the board and when recruiting starts to become a part of that (and it will) it's going to be an ugly domino effect.

 

[MunchyOs]

Someone told me yesterday that the best is still ahead for the dynasty. I would be happier than a dog at dinner time if that were the case. Personally, I think that the dynasty has peaked. It's not over, per se, but it's peaked nevertheless. That doesn't necessarily mean that 8-4 kind of seasons are on the horizon.. But in my not so humble opinion, the days where we are just outright beating teams from the opening whistle may be waning. We just look kind of..... pedestrian right now. If that's the right word

 

[sk33tr]

No one has the pedigree Saban does. No one had the pedigree that Bear Bryant had yet he stayed for far too longer than he should have, too. The big difference being that Saban's recruiting hasn't fallen off yet. Saban has ALWAYS been the guy quick to pivot and make changes to fit changes around college football. He doesn't do that anymore and refuses to even consider making changes on defense it seems. I'm going to get a lot of flack (and maybe deservedly so) but Saban should have gone on to enjoy life after the 2020 Championship. I have no idea if there is even anyone out there that could keep the ship going in the way he did (probably night) but my worry is things will continue to deteriorate across the board and when recruiting starts to become a part of that (and it will) it's going to be an ugly domino effect.

I can sort of agree with that. However he was gracious enough to know that the game had passed him by. His speech announcing his resignation was one where he said he couldn't keep up with the game and it was moving faster than he was (or something to that effect).

Now I don't know what goes on in the mind of a head coach. But I can imagine that there are times when they toy with the idea of "Is this the season to say goodbye?" Especially for a coach like Coach Saban. He's done something that not even Bear Bryant had done. Yes, they're obviously in much different times (not to mention centuries). But it still doesn't diminish the fact of what he's done.

I was lucky enough to be born in a time when Bear Bryant was still the coach at Alabama. And I was lucky enough to have parents who were/are huge fans and always had the game on, whether it be the radio or the TV. I got to see some of those wonderful games of the 70s. And I remember the 1982 Liberty Bowl. I also remember thinking that there was no way those guys were going to let Bear Bryant end his career with a loss. The score was pretty close (21-15), but that was good enough for a win and to send Bear Bryant out with a good ending.

And, now, I'm lucky enough to witness one of the greatest runs of championships (conference and national) by a head coach. I have a friend who was there in the 60s who got to see those Alabama teams win 3 national championships in 1 decade. And then he got to see it, again, in the 70s (along with me, but I was only 3 when they won the first one in the '73). And then it happened again in the 2010s.....and that was more than 3!

So if Coach Saban can keep winning, even close games that maybe shouldn't be close, then I'll keep pulling for him. Even after he leaves, I'll keep pulling for him. I know he's said numerous times that this is his last stop. And I hope it is. And I hope he goes out with a bang by winning it all. And if that's this year, next year, or 10 years down the road, I'll be there cheering him and they guys on from either my chair at home, a chair on the quad while tailgating, or a seat in the stands.

What we've seen may never be done, again. I hope it is, and I hope it's by a coach at Alabama. And I hope I get to see even a small part of it. But up or down, win or lose, this is my team. And I hope Coach Saban is here to win another won.....or more.

RMFT!!!!!

 

[mando]

No one has the pedigree Saban does. No one had the pedigree that Bear Bryant had yet he stayed for far too longer than he should have, too. The big difference being that Saban's recruiting hasn't fallen off yet. Saban has ALWAYS been the guy quick to pivot and make changes to fit changes around college football. He doesn't do that anymore and refuses to even consider making changes on defense it seems. I'm going to get a lot of flack (and maybe deservedly so) but Saban should have gone on to enjoy life after the 2020 Championship. I have no idea if there is even anyone out there that could keep the ship going in the way he did (probably night) but my worry is things will continue to deteriorate across the board and when recruiting starts to become a part of that (and it will) it's going to be an ugly domino effect.

The issue I have is Saban won the NC only 2 years ago lost a ton of people to the NFL and had new coordinators. Then in a subpar OL season made it to the NC and if nor for key injuries probably wins it. I can't see that he should have walked away or he should be retired.'

Saban has set such a high standard it is inevitable that the games are going to be tighter. The other teams are raising their level and talent. Heck any offense we see after the 2020 offense is going to look subpar.

 

[Secondand26]

The issue I have is Saban won the NC only 2 years ago lost a ton of people to the NFL and had new coordinators. Then in a subpar OL season made it to the NC and if nor for key injuries probably wins it. I can't see that he should have walked away or he should be retired.'

Saban has set such a high standard it is inevitable that the games are going to be tighter. The other teams are raising their level and talent. Heck any offense we see after the 2020 offense is going to look subpar.

Didn’t read the whole thread, but, are people on here REALLY suggesting that Saban step down?
Are there people on here that are REALLY that F’ING STUPID????
Please tell me that they are joking, on crack, or recently had a lobotomy.
Damn, they need to pull for Nebraska or someone else.

 

[JoshB]

Didn’t read the whole thread, but, are people on here REALLY suggesting that Saban step down?
Are there people on here that are REALLY that F’ING STUPID????
Please tell me that they are joking, on crack, or recently had a lobotomy.
Damn, they need to pull for Nebraska or someone else.

Yes, not everyone has to think the same... I don't think Saban needs to "step down" right this minute, that would be stupid as hell. I think he should have retired after 2020 and helped pick his replacement. My issue is I think he's past it and I want him to get out before everything crashes. That's my opinion and you can disagree but that isn't why I'm "F'NG STUPID."

 

[Secondand26]

Yes, not everyone has to think the same... I don't think Saban needs to "step down" right this minute, that would be stupid as hell. I think he should have retired after 2020 and helped pick his replacement. My issue is I think he's past it and I want him to get out before everything crashes. That's my opinion and you can disagree but that isn't why I'm "F'NG STUPID."

I’m not questioning your intelligence, just your football intelligence ( if you believe he should have already stepped down)

 

[mando]

If CNS decided to step down because he wanted to go out on top so be it. At this point he is still the best coach in college football. No reason to step down as long as he enjoys doing what he is doing and is able to. I am pretty sure with his mindset when he thinks he can;t get the job done he will step away. No one will have to tell him. In the mean time keep coaching them up and lets fix the issues we saw so that this team can be as great as it can be. Then whatever happens happens.

I had another thought about the game that helps me with perspective, cut the penalties in half which is not unreasonable (the 15 is an outlier for a saban coached team) and how this game played out changes. I would argue it gives Bama one or two more scoring opportunities and cuts one or two from Texas. Playing that out gets you much closer to what everyone expected.

 

[bamafan9201]

That was a really bad game, people acted like this after we lost to Ole Miss. This game was probably the worst offensively called, coached, and schemed games in the Saban era. Bill O'brien is just not the guy to keep us on top, we need to send him off. We need to put better emphasis on OL recruiting. Saban is staying until 2030 at lest people, unless health or personal reasons remove him. He's got a lifetime contract, he will leave on his terms so suck it up and enjoy the wins and probably more championships before he finally retires.

 

[mando]

e need to put better emphasis on OL recruiting

Not sure if it was this year or last but one of those years we supposedly had one of the top OL classes. Seems like some of these guys fo whatever reason have not worked out. I contribute at least one year of that as the OL coach we had last year. Probably lost some development with that guy. It happens even to the GOAT sometimes you miss on recruiting and coaching hires.

 

[64Tide]

“Saban should have stepped down, Bryant stayed too long”. Classic response on Woolyal would have been
“moo”. So moo to you

 

[im4uainva]

I happened upon an interview with CNS yesterday, or Saturday, and the question about retirement was put to the Coach. He indicated that he had no intention of stepping down. He basically replied that he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he was to give it up. Sounded pretty good to my ears.
Roll Tide!

 

[50+yeartidefan]

anybody that thinks NS should step down because of a poor performance ...but-a win...should have-their head examined....period

Florida, Arkansas, lsu, AU wasnt much different last year....mediocre teams playing over their head vs bama is the norm...

Dumb shit..just dumb ...get real...

 

[MunchyOs]

anybody that thinks NS should step down because of a poor performance ...but-a win...should have-their head examined....period

Florida, Arkansas, lsu, AU wasnt much different last year....mediocre teams playing over their head vs bama is the norm...

Dumb shit..just dumb ...get real...

Serious question. Would you feel the same way if the product started to resemble something out of the Dubose/Fran/Shula days? Not necessarily losing seasons of 3-8 or 4-9. But what if Saban had a couple of 8-4 or even 7-5 years and the Birmingham Bowl was the ceiling? Would the fan base on the whole not start to get a little....restless and wonder if CNS had hung around a tad too long? In such a scenario, I don't see the fan base giving even Saban a pass just based off of previous success.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Serious question. Would you feel the same way if the product started to resemble something out of the Dubose/Fran/Shula days? Not necessarily losing seasons of 3-8 or 4-9. But what if Saban had a couple of 8-4 or even 7-5 years and the Birmingham Bowl was the ceiling? Would the fan base on the whole not start to get a little....restless and wonder if CNS had hung around a tad too long? In such a scenario, I don't see the fan base giving even Saban a pass just based off of previous success.

Hell...some aint giving him a pass with a win over a motivated team...

Bama fanbase restless over just winning the SEC and not a NC...

Nick isnt gonna have a 8-4 or 7-5...period... to much talent...

I remember same stupid reaction with Ws vs ole ms and giving 40+ points...up

This was a crap game with a lot of "rat poison". Period. Sark did a great job...assistant to Sark been game planning for 3 months ....so was said

When you are Alabama...better be ready..

 

[Bama Guy]

Saban is nowhere near done. I do wonder why the OL has not been very good lately, considering the recruiting we've had at that position. I guess I've been spoiled by the OL dominance mid-dynasty.