BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
Nick Saban shocked the college football world in the winter when he hired Lane Kiffin as his offensive coordinator.
Hiring Kiffin was a gamble. Saban wouldnāt admit it at the time, but he can now after some time together.
Kiffin was a former head coach at Tennessee and Southern California. Kiffin was young and his star was rising, and he even had a stint in the NFL leading the Oakland Raiders. He proved to be headstrong and controversial. In a way, heās similar to Saban.
āI think itās (going) good,ā Saban said. āItās probably a big transition for him from being a head coach for a long time. I was a head coach for one year at Toledo and then went to the Cleveland Browns as a defensive coordinator. As soon as you get used to being the boss, and then youāre not the boss any more, itās a transition, I donāt care who itās for.ā
Spring practice went smoothly on the field and in meeting rooms. The players and Saban praised Kiffinās teaching technique.
Kiffin kept the offense simple, which the players liked. At age 39 heās younger than Saban, so he can relate to the athletes better.
āComing from USC, winning championships, he understands what type of standard we set here at Alabama,ā receiver Christion Jones said, āand itās sort of the same type of standard heās used to.ā
Saban first worked with Kiffin as an offensive consultant during Sugar Bowl practice last year. It was a way for Kiffin to study the program even before he was hired. It also was a chance for Saban to see how well he can get along with Kiffin, and if Kiffin can work under the Saban umbrella.
āAll of a sudden you canāt say when everybody gets to go home,ā Saban said of Kiffin not being a head coach anymore. āItās just different. But heās done a really good job for us; the players respond to him well; heās a good teacher; heās smart; heās a good coach. So far, so good.ā
Saban was willing to take a chance to modernize his offense but keep his ball control, hard-nosed principals intact. Thatās where Kiffin comes in. Kiffin plans to bring a quicker pace to Alabamaās offense, while retaining the Crimson Tideās traditional power running game.
āNot too different because weāre still under coach Saban,ā receiver Amari Cooper said. āI donāt think the system has changed dramatically.ā
At the same time, the Crimson Tide has collected talented receivers. The team is backlogged at the position.
Starters DeAndrew White, Cooper and Jones are back. Kiffin likes to use a blocking back for the tailback instead of the one-back approach of the past.
That means Jones, at slot, must move to the outside to get more playing time. So thereās three starters for two positions. And that doesnāt take into account the up-and-coming players such as Chris Black, Robert Foster and Raheem Falkins.
What makes the receivers excited about Kiffin is his history of productive receivers at USC.
āAt USC his receivers put up really big numbers,ā said Cooper. āMarqise Lee and Robert Woods both had 100 catches.ā
Kiffinās goal will be to mix and match the right personnel with the right situation. With so many pieces, game-management will be a challenge.
āI think coach Kiffin takes advantage of match-ups,ā Cooper said. āI think he has a good sense of what itās like to be an offensive coordinator. Heās a very calm person and brings that calmness to the team when things get serious and when you are battling for a national championship every year.ā
Decatur DailyāContinue reading...
Hiring Kiffin was a gamble. Saban wouldnāt admit it at the time, but he can now after some time together.
Kiffin was a former head coach at Tennessee and Southern California. Kiffin was young and his star was rising, and he even had a stint in the NFL leading the Oakland Raiders. He proved to be headstrong and controversial. In a way, heās similar to Saban.
āI think itās (going) good,ā Saban said. āItās probably a big transition for him from being a head coach for a long time. I was a head coach for one year at Toledo and then went to the Cleveland Browns as a defensive coordinator. As soon as you get used to being the boss, and then youāre not the boss any more, itās a transition, I donāt care who itās for.ā
Spring practice went smoothly on the field and in meeting rooms. The players and Saban praised Kiffinās teaching technique.
Kiffin kept the offense simple, which the players liked. At age 39 heās younger than Saban, so he can relate to the athletes better.
āComing from USC, winning championships, he understands what type of standard we set here at Alabama,ā receiver Christion Jones said, āand itās sort of the same type of standard heās used to.ā
Saban first worked with Kiffin as an offensive consultant during Sugar Bowl practice last year. It was a way for Kiffin to study the program even before he was hired. It also was a chance for Saban to see how well he can get along with Kiffin, and if Kiffin can work under the Saban umbrella.
āAll of a sudden you canāt say when everybody gets to go home,ā Saban said of Kiffin not being a head coach anymore. āItās just different. But heās done a really good job for us; the players respond to him well; heās a good teacher; heās smart; heās a good coach. So far, so good.ā
Saban was willing to take a chance to modernize his offense but keep his ball control, hard-nosed principals intact. Thatās where Kiffin comes in. Kiffin plans to bring a quicker pace to Alabamaās offense, while retaining the Crimson Tideās traditional power running game.
āNot too different because weāre still under coach Saban,ā receiver Amari Cooper said. āI donāt think the system has changed dramatically.ā
At the same time, the Crimson Tide has collected talented receivers. The team is backlogged at the position.
Starters DeAndrew White, Cooper and Jones are back. Kiffin likes to use a blocking back for the tailback instead of the one-back approach of the past.
That means Jones, at slot, must move to the outside to get more playing time. So thereās three starters for two positions. And that doesnāt take into account the up-and-coming players such as Chris Black, Robert Foster and Raheem Falkins.
What makes the receivers excited about Kiffin is his history of productive receivers at USC.
āAt USC his receivers put up really big numbers,ā said Cooper. āMarqise Lee and Robert Woods both had 100 catches.ā
Kiffinās goal will be to mix and match the right personnel with the right situation. With so many pieces, game-management will be a challenge.
āI think coach Kiffin takes advantage of match-ups,ā Cooper said. āI think he has a good sense of what itās like to be an offensive coordinator. Heās a very calm person and brings that calmness to the team when things get serious and when you are battling for a national championship every year.ā
Decatur DailyāContinue reading...
