bamafan9201
Member
Regular Season Report Card
QB: C
Milroe is beyond CAPABLE of playing incredibly well with his physical gifts. That being said, his mental instability and inability to do much pre-snap on his own is his downfall. If I were a GM, I would give him a 3rd+ round grade at this point. I know there's a likelihood he goes in the 1st or 2nd but knowing how he struggles mentally to read defenses, handle read options, handle RPOs. I'd be worried for my job as a GM using a pick on him. He struggled mightily middle to late season. Mostly when things went awry early or he was put in a high pressure situation on the road with less communication. I've said it all year, without the coaching staff able to help them adjust/communicate the offense struggled. They obviously didn't trust him with audibles for hot routes and it showed throughout the year. As much as Kirby said earlier that Blitzing him was a bad idea, I believe that was more gameplan for that game rather than overall his ability to adjust on the fly. We used a lot more safety nets for him during UGA game than we did in the losses. Milroe sees ghosts, he struggles to accurately see the field, and his arm talent is good but needs improvement still. He needs to learn how to hit the intermediate routes with a little more touch and how to take the air out of the ball on some of the deep throws when the WR is way ahead.
RB: C-
Jam and Justice - I just haven't seen enough flashes of good things to really say many positives on them this year. I felt early in the year Jam's catching ability and ability out of the backfield was incredibly useful (I'll touch on this later). Justice seemed more the bruising, inside guy (I'll touch more on this later). However, both have a glaring similar issue that cropped it's head throughout the year and that's "Vision". Neither RB did a very good job identifying the holes and using vision to find the best options. Too many times they ran into the back of blockers or failed to make the cutback into a massive hole on the backside. They lacked awareness on many key downs 3rd or 4th and shorts where we put the ball in their hands. Understanding the situation is so important in Football, maybe moreso than other sports, the lack of understanding that we needed 1 yard multiple times this year and they got caught running into the back of a lineman or moving too laterally and not getting upfield in the open field is baffling. They were just very inconsistent all year and I felt they could've and should've been much better than what we got from them.
TE: B-
I like this group to a point. I also dislike this group because it's just too spread around, there's not 1 guy who can do it all and usually whichever guy is on the field tells the defense how to adjust. Outz wasn't used in the passing game much this year, whenever he was out there it was usually a run (too obvious). Similar with Cuevas, he rarely was used on the running front and more of a pass catching guy. I think Sheridan or DeBoer must've just forgotten how that worked but something that obvious was bound to send signals to the defense. Anyways, even with that I felt the group was pretty solid this year as a whole.
WR: B+
I'm a little higher on this than others but I felt Law, Bernard, and Williams were phenomenal in what they did right this year. Blocking, Catching, Running Routes. A lot of Williams' issues came in that last 2 games with some dropped passes but let's not forget the wide open Williams during the middle of the year running into space and not receiving anything close to catchable. Law himself played great this year, unfortunate that he was injured but there was a difference in the WR core when he was out there. I thought Odom also had a few times that he just wasn't targeted and he was running free in the secondary. I like the way this group is positioned for the future and I hope we find a good guy to give them chances next year. I worry that Odom is a bit disenfranchised with his playing time and people not really looking his way but we shall see here soon.
OL: B
I'm way higher than most on this, but it's because of the potential I see in the group and the changes I see made from year to year. This group played admirably this year. I'm also an ex-OL myself so I see some of the mistakes/intricate details that others may miss in the trenches. I think replacing Booker won't be easy but we have some studs as options. I think the major issue as we all know, is on the RT spot. We really need someone to step into that role next year and take the bull by the horns. I think Formby may be the guy, he made a large jump in 1 year, maybe he can make a bigger jump in year 2. Or maybe it's an outside guy in the portal, either way, I think this will be a pedestal on which to build a championship team if we continue to let the coaches and players develop here.
Interior DL: D
Mostly awful, there were some bright spots and honestly felt like they were starting to turn the corner near the end of the year then Oklahoma happened and I just can't find any excuses anymore on this. They were flat out awful, we really need some better DL options and I wouldn't be unhappy if we brought in 1-2 in the transfer portal and just let the majority of guys in this room walk. I know we'll have some help next year with a few coming in. I said it earlier in the year, I'm not sure how you fire the coaching staff when he literally helped keep your entire team together even though he might be the worst position coach on the team... They were not gap sound, they constantly bit on fakes and got caught with hook blocks, reach blocks, and pins. They refused to crash down during traps and blow up the blockers, they made so many mistakes it put the linebackers in terrible spots to defend and having to guess half the time which hole to plug. I could honestly write a 20 page report on every play they screwed up on this year in games and that would only be covering the bigger screw ups. I am incredibly disappointed in not only the coaching, but the players here and we might need a big shakeup to change things whether that's a recruit or some transfers, something has to change.
LB: B+
Watching this from a X and O standpoint, these guys played their tails off this year. They filled for the mistakes of what might've been the worst DL I've seen in 16 years and still made incredible plays not only in the passing game but laterally from sideline to sideline. Cutting off the runs and shutting down long gains into smaller gains. I love where the group is positioned and feel it will be a strength for quite a bit. They made some mistakes, but usually their "mistakes" were trying to play Hero ball because the D-line was getting manhandled or leaving open gaps in the run game. You always look like an idiot filling the wrong gap. The only gripe I've had consistently all year is that on the inside run game they played FLAT FOOTED and CAUGHT people out of the backfield instead of attacking and trusting their guts to plug the holes. Multiple games this year when faced with an inside run they would catch tackle the RB 3-4 yards down the field, without a blocker in their face they could've easily met them in the hole and forced a 1-2 yard gain. I think they started to pick-up more on this as the year progressed and I think they'll be studs in the NFL but it was odd.
S: A
Moore, Sabb, and Hubbard are all incredible talents, they see the field well and rarely make mistakes. I saw a few mistakes in a few games with blown coverages. Biting on obvious double moves, but overall they were honestly the best position group we had this year and I wouldn't change much of what they did or how they were coached.
CB: A-
This group was surprisingly good, honestly scary good considering their ages and all the question marks going into the season. They got beat quite a few times earlier in the year. We were very lucky that a lot of those were not caught or overthrown. That being said, it was within the expectations with a young secondary group to make some mistakes and get beat deep. I felt they did a good job of tackling even if they got beat, recognizing they didn't have a play on the defense but they could stop the touchdown. The only other issue throughout the year that I would like to discuss is inside leverage on 3rd and medium. This may be more of a gripe about DC scheme than anything but there was a point during this year where on a 3rd and 4 to 12 you could run an inside slant with any WR and pick-up a first down against us. It was during the bad stretch of defense. Vanderbilt, Georgia, and others used this so often I just couldn't wrap my head around WHY we couldn't adjust to that. Teaching these guys inside leverage and trusting them to cover with press-man or at least a tighter zone, would fix these issues.
OC: D
I'm down quite a bit on Sheridan. I felt like the first few games when people didn't quite see/understand our system we were unstoppable at times. When things went poorly though, he was like the coach from Remember the Titans. He just kept using the same 3 plays and eventually it would work. Similarly Sheridan struggled to adjust on the fly. He didn't build in enough hot routes for Milroe and Coach him on how to use them. Too often did we get blitzed with no outlets. I just can't stress enough the use of the RBs was awful, we constantly ran on Miller during 3rd and 2 or less and Haynes who is supposed to be our physical back saw less time on Goal Line situations than I liked. Honestly, I'm just very down on the offense, there's so much to go over here I could write a book on it but things need to change. If that's because Milroe's skillset didn't match his offensive vision then he should have no excuse next year.
DC: B
Wommack had some rough patches but overall I felt his performance warranted a good grade. The PPG were very good, the defense was definitely a bend but don't break style. There's a few places and key points I can make on some mistakes but overall I felt his season went better than expected. I honestly felt the CBs were going to make this season rough but they looked good and if it hadn't been for a generationally bad DL group, we might've been a top 5 defense this year. A few things to fix: Understanding down and distance in the SEC. He struggled a bit with 3rd and medium situations. Whenever he couldn't play off-ball coverage and just tackle in front he got beat for QUITE a few inside slants for easy first downs. There was a point in the Vandy and 2nd half of Georgia where I could literally have bet 100$ on each 3rd and 6-12 and been 100% right. That being said, he adjusted better to end the year. He needed to trust his team more on the back end and he did as the year progressed. I like his style of play and I think it will be very helpful in the future, I don't think we want him going anywhere anytime soon. Considering the youth of the defense was the best part, the future looks bright IMO. If we can get him a serviceable to good DL next year, we could easily see a shutdown defense return to Bama. Especially since the younger CBs will have a year to bulk up and learn.
HC: B+
This one may baffle a few people but I expected to lose 3 this year and we lost 3. That's "within expectation". However, i think it's important to also not lose to the WRONG kind of teams. So losing to Vanderbilt and Wounded and Dead to rights Oklahoma team was not on my bingo card this year. Hence the deductions, outside of those losses I think we saw the evolution of DeBoer and his style this year that should worry the SEC. He got hit in the mouth, he responded, he realized he needed to be more animated with the refs or they'd start being influenced by other coaches. He realized how important the prep, practice, summer, and everything else matters in the SEC and he adjusted his system/style to fit it. He was willing to let Sheridan call plays all year and not step-in and take over. Shows that he understands he doesn't need to wear 2 hats, sometimes being the HC and OC is not a good thing. Often times that means you're ignoring other responsibilities while dealing with something from within. Too often do we see OC Head Coaches do this by sitting on the bench and working with the QB and players on offense while the defense is dying on the field and needs coaching/help. Then there's the flip side where the coach is paying too much attention to the field and not reassuring the QB after a mistake or not offering up suggestions/help to the OC. I think he did a great job of balancing everything in his first year in the SEC. He pulled off some amazing wins and had a few stinkers, we'll see what year 2 brings but I still contest that he was the best HC hire we could make in CFB. He has always won wherever he goes and while it doesn't always happen immediately, his ability to adjust/change his program to succeed is what makes him great.
QB: C
Milroe is beyond CAPABLE of playing incredibly well with his physical gifts. That being said, his mental instability and inability to do much pre-snap on his own is his downfall. If I were a GM, I would give him a 3rd+ round grade at this point. I know there's a likelihood he goes in the 1st or 2nd but knowing how he struggles mentally to read defenses, handle read options, handle RPOs. I'd be worried for my job as a GM using a pick on him. He struggled mightily middle to late season. Mostly when things went awry early or he was put in a high pressure situation on the road with less communication. I've said it all year, without the coaching staff able to help them adjust/communicate the offense struggled. They obviously didn't trust him with audibles for hot routes and it showed throughout the year. As much as Kirby said earlier that Blitzing him was a bad idea, I believe that was more gameplan for that game rather than overall his ability to adjust on the fly. We used a lot more safety nets for him during UGA game than we did in the losses. Milroe sees ghosts, he struggles to accurately see the field, and his arm talent is good but needs improvement still. He needs to learn how to hit the intermediate routes with a little more touch and how to take the air out of the ball on some of the deep throws when the WR is way ahead.
RB: C-
Jam and Justice - I just haven't seen enough flashes of good things to really say many positives on them this year. I felt early in the year Jam's catching ability and ability out of the backfield was incredibly useful (I'll touch on this later). Justice seemed more the bruising, inside guy (I'll touch more on this later). However, both have a glaring similar issue that cropped it's head throughout the year and that's "Vision". Neither RB did a very good job identifying the holes and using vision to find the best options. Too many times they ran into the back of blockers or failed to make the cutback into a massive hole on the backside. They lacked awareness on many key downs 3rd or 4th and shorts where we put the ball in their hands. Understanding the situation is so important in Football, maybe moreso than other sports, the lack of understanding that we needed 1 yard multiple times this year and they got caught running into the back of a lineman or moving too laterally and not getting upfield in the open field is baffling. They were just very inconsistent all year and I felt they could've and should've been much better than what we got from them.
TE: B-
I like this group to a point. I also dislike this group because it's just too spread around, there's not 1 guy who can do it all and usually whichever guy is on the field tells the defense how to adjust. Outz wasn't used in the passing game much this year, whenever he was out there it was usually a run (too obvious). Similar with Cuevas, he rarely was used on the running front and more of a pass catching guy. I think Sheridan or DeBoer must've just forgotten how that worked but something that obvious was bound to send signals to the defense. Anyways, even with that I felt the group was pretty solid this year as a whole.
WR: B+
I'm a little higher on this than others but I felt Law, Bernard, and Williams were phenomenal in what they did right this year. Blocking, Catching, Running Routes. A lot of Williams' issues came in that last 2 games with some dropped passes but let's not forget the wide open Williams during the middle of the year running into space and not receiving anything close to catchable. Law himself played great this year, unfortunate that he was injured but there was a difference in the WR core when he was out there. I thought Odom also had a few times that he just wasn't targeted and he was running free in the secondary. I like the way this group is positioned for the future and I hope we find a good guy to give them chances next year. I worry that Odom is a bit disenfranchised with his playing time and people not really looking his way but we shall see here soon.
OL: B
I'm way higher than most on this, but it's because of the potential I see in the group and the changes I see made from year to year. This group played admirably this year. I'm also an ex-OL myself so I see some of the mistakes/intricate details that others may miss in the trenches. I think replacing Booker won't be easy but we have some studs as options. I think the major issue as we all know, is on the RT spot. We really need someone to step into that role next year and take the bull by the horns. I think Formby may be the guy, he made a large jump in 1 year, maybe he can make a bigger jump in year 2. Or maybe it's an outside guy in the portal, either way, I think this will be a pedestal on which to build a championship team if we continue to let the coaches and players develop here.
Interior DL: D
Mostly awful, there were some bright spots and honestly felt like they were starting to turn the corner near the end of the year then Oklahoma happened and I just can't find any excuses anymore on this. They were flat out awful, we really need some better DL options and I wouldn't be unhappy if we brought in 1-2 in the transfer portal and just let the majority of guys in this room walk. I know we'll have some help next year with a few coming in. I said it earlier in the year, I'm not sure how you fire the coaching staff when he literally helped keep your entire team together even though he might be the worst position coach on the team... They were not gap sound, they constantly bit on fakes and got caught with hook blocks, reach blocks, and pins. They refused to crash down during traps and blow up the blockers, they made so many mistakes it put the linebackers in terrible spots to defend and having to guess half the time which hole to plug. I could honestly write a 20 page report on every play they screwed up on this year in games and that would only be covering the bigger screw ups. I am incredibly disappointed in not only the coaching, but the players here and we might need a big shakeup to change things whether that's a recruit or some transfers, something has to change.
LB: B+
Watching this from a X and O standpoint, these guys played their tails off this year. They filled for the mistakes of what might've been the worst DL I've seen in 16 years and still made incredible plays not only in the passing game but laterally from sideline to sideline. Cutting off the runs and shutting down long gains into smaller gains. I love where the group is positioned and feel it will be a strength for quite a bit. They made some mistakes, but usually their "mistakes" were trying to play Hero ball because the D-line was getting manhandled or leaving open gaps in the run game. You always look like an idiot filling the wrong gap. The only gripe I've had consistently all year is that on the inside run game they played FLAT FOOTED and CAUGHT people out of the backfield instead of attacking and trusting their guts to plug the holes. Multiple games this year when faced with an inside run they would catch tackle the RB 3-4 yards down the field, without a blocker in their face they could've easily met them in the hole and forced a 1-2 yard gain. I think they started to pick-up more on this as the year progressed and I think they'll be studs in the NFL but it was odd.
S: A
Moore, Sabb, and Hubbard are all incredible talents, they see the field well and rarely make mistakes. I saw a few mistakes in a few games with blown coverages. Biting on obvious double moves, but overall they were honestly the best position group we had this year and I wouldn't change much of what they did or how they were coached.
CB: A-
This group was surprisingly good, honestly scary good considering their ages and all the question marks going into the season. They got beat quite a few times earlier in the year. We were very lucky that a lot of those were not caught or overthrown. That being said, it was within the expectations with a young secondary group to make some mistakes and get beat deep. I felt they did a good job of tackling even if they got beat, recognizing they didn't have a play on the defense but they could stop the touchdown. The only other issue throughout the year that I would like to discuss is inside leverage on 3rd and medium. This may be more of a gripe about DC scheme than anything but there was a point during this year where on a 3rd and 4 to 12 you could run an inside slant with any WR and pick-up a first down against us. It was during the bad stretch of defense. Vanderbilt, Georgia, and others used this so often I just couldn't wrap my head around WHY we couldn't adjust to that. Teaching these guys inside leverage and trusting them to cover with press-man or at least a tighter zone, would fix these issues.
OC: D
I'm down quite a bit on Sheridan. I felt like the first few games when people didn't quite see/understand our system we were unstoppable at times. When things went poorly though, he was like the coach from Remember the Titans. He just kept using the same 3 plays and eventually it would work. Similarly Sheridan struggled to adjust on the fly. He didn't build in enough hot routes for Milroe and Coach him on how to use them. Too often did we get blitzed with no outlets. I just can't stress enough the use of the RBs was awful, we constantly ran on Miller during 3rd and 2 or less and Haynes who is supposed to be our physical back saw less time on Goal Line situations than I liked. Honestly, I'm just very down on the offense, there's so much to go over here I could write a book on it but things need to change. If that's because Milroe's skillset didn't match his offensive vision then he should have no excuse next year.
DC: B
Wommack had some rough patches but overall I felt his performance warranted a good grade. The PPG were very good, the defense was definitely a bend but don't break style. There's a few places and key points I can make on some mistakes but overall I felt his season went better than expected. I honestly felt the CBs were going to make this season rough but they looked good and if it hadn't been for a generationally bad DL group, we might've been a top 5 defense this year. A few things to fix: Understanding down and distance in the SEC. He struggled a bit with 3rd and medium situations. Whenever he couldn't play off-ball coverage and just tackle in front he got beat for QUITE a few inside slants for easy first downs. There was a point in the Vandy and 2nd half of Georgia where I could literally have bet 100$ on each 3rd and 6-12 and been 100% right. That being said, he adjusted better to end the year. He needed to trust his team more on the back end and he did as the year progressed. I like his style of play and I think it will be very helpful in the future, I don't think we want him going anywhere anytime soon. Considering the youth of the defense was the best part, the future looks bright IMO. If we can get him a serviceable to good DL next year, we could easily see a shutdown defense return to Bama. Especially since the younger CBs will have a year to bulk up and learn.
HC: B+
This one may baffle a few people but I expected to lose 3 this year and we lost 3. That's "within expectation". However, i think it's important to also not lose to the WRONG kind of teams. So losing to Vanderbilt and Wounded and Dead to rights Oklahoma team was not on my bingo card this year. Hence the deductions, outside of those losses I think we saw the evolution of DeBoer and his style this year that should worry the SEC. He got hit in the mouth, he responded, he realized he needed to be more animated with the refs or they'd start being influenced by other coaches. He realized how important the prep, practice, summer, and everything else matters in the SEC and he adjusted his system/style to fit it. He was willing to let Sheridan call plays all year and not step-in and take over. Shows that he understands he doesn't need to wear 2 hats, sometimes being the HC and OC is not a good thing. Often times that means you're ignoring other responsibilities while dealing with something from within. Too often do we see OC Head Coaches do this by sitting on the bench and working with the QB and players on offense while the defense is dying on the field and needs coaching/help. Then there's the flip side where the coach is paying too much attention to the field and not reassuring the QB after a mistake or not offering up suggestions/help to the OC. I think he did a great job of balancing everything in his first year in the SEC. He pulled off some amazing wins and had a few stinkers, we'll see what year 2 brings but I still contest that he was the best HC hire we could make in CFB. He has always won wherever he goes and while it doesn't always happen immediately, his ability to adjust/change his program to succeed is what makes him great.
