A lot rolled into one post.
You see the same from the media, both the pro and the con. (See SI article and AL.com articles with their reactions.) I don't believe it's so much "we see negative like clockwork" as much as it is the compilation of different things a lot of people put together: group think fits to a degree.
There's a guy I know that follows recruiting more closely than anyone not being paid. A few subscriptions combined with an avid reader and he's become pretty damn good at putting together who to watch.
It's not a mystery how he puts things together. He'll read one thing on Team A's site, see and interview on Team B's, watch primary and secondary recruiters visits...it's a bit of a science.
Watch this ...
A few years ago word floats around about an outside consultant being brought in to review an aspect of the program. We saw it with Kiffin.
The consult results in recommended changes.
The assignment, if you will, is met with hesitation from the position coach and his system. While he agrees changes should be made, the changes aren't alike from the head coach to the assistant coach.
As the program continues to advance its direction and how people fit in with it differ.
Is there anything there that is different from how Saban has handled the assistants in the past?
Like the recruiting guy, put pieces together here. Should it be a shock that Kirby pulls Scott? No. He's tried in the past. If you'll recall, a lot was made of the friendship between the two when Smart left for UGA and tried lo lure Kirby along with him. There were quite a few references to their wives. Some of the things that kept Scott in town (church project, years vested in state retirement system and subsequent raise) no longer apply. It's a situation where it's not Kirby pulling Scott away as much as it is the path that's ... well, there.
You say clockwork and I watch a lot of people put together the story. Some of the conclusions are wrong, some hitting around the truth. Were injuries a concern? Yes, for Saban and Cochran. (A segment of the review process.) But, we can't sit here and blame Cochran for Drew Sanders breaking his foot, can we? You'll have some point out overworked muscle groups lead to an increase in types of bone breaks.
We've seen what Jeff Allen has been doing the last few years with injuries. We've seen what Amy Bragg has been doing with her department on the nutritional side. You're seeing what the Sports Science addition(s) and staff changes are leading to, right?
(What I haven't seen, other than personality types pointed to, are the people being considered for the psychological side of the Health/Science aspect. Dr. Elko types to start. I know the direction they're going. We've seen it for several years with how Saban treats mistakes, lessons and how they're learned, et. al. That'll be something I'll find interesting to follow but I doubt we'll see much publicity unless someone else finds it of interest.)
