🏈 John Parker Wilson spent most of the night...

[AlabamaAubKiller]

Is it just me or didn't our O-line problems start way back when Brodies buddy and Center got hurt?
seems like to me we've struggled on that line ever since. (till this season anyway.)

 

[Argo]

Is it just me or didn't our O-line problems start way back when Brodies buddy and Center got hurt?
seems like to me we've struggled on that line ever since. (till this season anyway.)

No. It started with Fran and carried over to Price and Shula.

2002
1. Grant Dickey

2003
1. Chris Capps
2. Justin Moon
3. Travis West

2004
1. Antoine Caldwell
2. Cody Davis
3. Drew Davis
4. B.J. Stabler

That's who we signed as o-lineman in 3 years of recruiting. That's why o-line problems always poke their ugly heads out when we have an injury.

This problem is being addressed heavily by Coach Saban, and it will start being less and less of a concern.

 

[Guest]

Is it just me or didn't our O-line problems start way back when Brodies buddy and Center got hurt?
seems like to me we've struggled on that line ever since. (till this season anyway.)

We've had depth and talent issues on the OL since Shula's first season. It got worse the longer Bob Connelly was our OL coach. There was no development and the OL regressed. The techniques taught were not effective in the SEC and we suffered from it even in 2007. 2008 saw a marked improvement on the OL, but there was still no depth - as mentioned in another post, it takes time to build OL depth and time for OL to physically develop. There are exceptions (Andre is one, and Fluker will be another), but the OL is the single most difficult area for a freshman or even sophomore to contribute.

When Saban arrived at the end of 2006, there simply was not time for recruiting top level OL. We didn't have many in the pipe and only signed 2 - Vlachos and Crump. We signed several last year (Love, Jones, and Boswell), but they have not had time to develop. Love and Jones were the higher rated recruits, but Boswell has been the only one to contribute meaningful snaps. We will be better in 2009, but it will be 2010 before we have a road-grader OL that is 2 or 3 deep.

The 2009 class has commits from 6 OL already. Fluker and JUCO James Carpenter will arrive on campus ready to play. Kellen Williams and Anthony Steen are both quick and show up angry. They are underrated, but probably could use a year in the weight room and working on technique. The other two are more project-type linemen with a lot of upside. If we can land Massie and Morgan Moses, we will have the makings of an OL that could part the Red Sea. Those two could contribute early.

The point is, Saban knows where we are hurting, and he is working to strengthen our weaknesses. The last time we had an OL with depth, talent, and coaching was 2002. I am ready to get back to that point. Sadly, the OL was actually pretty good in 2003 (Britt, Smiley, Martz, Mathis, and Lomax), but the Fran to Price to Shula debacle ruined the potential the year held. We are on the right track now, and Price would not have been good over the long haul, but had he not met his destiny in 2003 we would have put a hurting on some folks. Of course, Connelly was his man - and the OL would have suffered the same fate over time...but Connelly's blocking schemes were far more suited for the Price gun and run offense than the Shula offense. Had we hired a more "Sabanesque" coach when Fran bolted, we could have given LSU a run for the west in 2003. We should have been good in 2003...maybe better than 2002. The defense stepped way back from 02 to 03, but the offense put the defense in a bad position way too often.

Saban will get it done. 12-2 is far better than anyone expected this season. Our record may step backward next year - it may not...but by 2010 we will be a consistently dominant program again. Coach Saban ain't going anywhere - no matter what rivals try to say. He has a job to do, and it is only half done. I expect that he will build the program and enjoy the fruits of his labors for a few seasons beyond, before turning the keys over to someone else at the right time.