First time caller, long time listener.
I would like to hear other fans' interpretation of a trend I noticed, well before we adopted the mobile quarterback concept, in the evolution of Coach Saban's offense. When Coach Saban first arrived, our offensive identity was a "pro style" to hog possession of the ball for huge chunks of time. Opponents couldn't score against us not only b/c our defense was brutal but also b/c they never had the ball. Surely that initial concept had something to do with inheriting players that perhaps weren't suited for, or talented enough for, Coach Saban's preferred "style" of play. But, I don't think the "ideal player for the system" explanation completely explains what we have seen evolve over the years. I remember early tenure post-game stat recaps where opponents wouldn't have 1/2 the time of possession that we enjoyed. And, our defense remained fresh on the sideline as our offense marched the length of the field in 15+ play drives that ate up 8+ minutes of clock.
Slowly, the time of possession skew became less significant, and Coach Saban's preaching about a balanced attack with equal numbers of runs/passes became the focus. Later, the offensive focus evolved even more based upon Coach Saban's desire for "big plays" that could turn the moment of the game. Now, after early efforts to slow down the HUNH offenses through press conferences & policy statements, Coach Saban has adopted some aspects of the HUNH to run more plays and put more pressure on opposing defenses.
I mention this because I believe that each of Coach Saban's offensive philosophy changes has incrementally put more pressure on his defenses. Thus, the quick strike, mobile quarterback, big play offense we saw last year leaves the defense to play a disproportionate amount of time. Could this be one of the reasons why our defenses have been lower ranking statistically than in the last few years ? Might it also be the reason (or at least one reason) why we seem to be vulnerable to HUNH offenses that are dependent upon running a high number of plays each game? We score quickly, too, and so our defense is left to fight its own battles. If so, could the weakness of the HUNH opponent be Coach Saban's original domination of time possession strategy that he originally employed?
Thanks. I'm gonna hang up and listen.
I would like to hear other fans' interpretation of a trend I noticed, well before we adopted the mobile quarterback concept, in the evolution of Coach Saban's offense. When Coach Saban first arrived, our offensive identity was a "pro style" to hog possession of the ball for huge chunks of time. Opponents couldn't score against us not only b/c our defense was brutal but also b/c they never had the ball. Surely that initial concept had something to do with inheriting players that perhaps weren't suited for, or talented enough for, Coach Saban's preferred "style" of play. But, I don't think the "ideal player for the system" explanation completely explains what we have seen evolve over the years. I remember early tenure post-game stat recaps where opponents wouldn't have 1/2 the time of possession that we enjoyed. And, our defense remained fresh on the sideline as our offense marched the length of the field in 15+ play drives that ate up 8+ minutes of clock.
Slowly, the time of possession skew became less significant, and Coach Saban's preaching about a balanced attack with equal numbers of runs/passes became the focus. Later, the offensive focus evolved even more based upon Coach Saban's desire for "big plays" that could turn the moment of the game. Now, after early efforts to slow down the HUNH offenses through press conferences & policy statements, Coach Saban has adopted some aspects of the HUNH to run more plays and put more pressure on opposing defenses.
I mention this because I believe that each of Coach Saban's offensive philosophy changes has incrementally put more pressure on his defenses. Thus, the quick strike, mobile quarterback, big play offense we saw last year leaves the defense to play a disproportionate amount of time. Could this be one of the reasons why our defenses have been lower ranking statistically than in the last few years ? Might it also be the reason (or at least one reason) why we seem to be vulnerable to HUNH offenses that are dependent upon running a high number of plays each game? We score quickly, too, and so our defense is left to fight its own battles. If so, could the weakness of the HUNH opponent be Coach Saban's original domination of time possession strategy that he originally employed?
Thanks. I'm gonna hang up and listen.
