🏈 POST GAME/VENT THREAD: Bama 33 — West Virginia 23

[jocephus8179]

Those that know me on here know that I am no sunshine pumper. I am a pessimist but not a bridge jumper as Jill put it, but there are some concerns that will need to be addressed. Thank God that right now Sims and the offense isn't one of them. 99.9 percent of my concerns are about the D. D-line needs to greatly improve and get some kind of rush. The secondary seemed to be non existent or just plain lost most of the night. It was a win and all of us has seen uglier wins that this. Pass drops on both teams could have made the outcome different but in the big scheme of things it didn't. So, enjoy the win.

If you ever quit your day job, a career in rapping may be the path for you.

 

[ElephantStomp]

Our defense only did give one touchdown, but that's more because of WVU shooting themselves in the foot more than it was our defense stopping them. Snap way over the QB's head and dropped passes come to mind for starters.

 

[silvermetalflake]

Perhaps not, but to say we will be lucky to win 9 games without God intervention levels of change is, at this point, silly and unsupported by the sample size.

I disagree. There is nothing silly about analyzing the team at this point and assessing the likelihood of long term victory based on what we saw, who we have, and what we have for the rest of the year. And as it has already been pointed out by another member, if the Moutaineer receivers hadn't dropped those 3 or 4 deep passes in scoring range, we might very well be one game down already. It was that close. I'd say that is a well supported sample size and clear to anyone who watched the game.

Regardless. This is deja vu all over again. This whole situation seems very close to where we were last year when the Tide was under performing game after game out of the gate and looked socially discombobulated, to which AJ confessed in an interview. Through it all we kept falling back on the whollier-than-thou idea of "the process" as if it were a magic pill we just had to keep taking, and with it, the ship would eventually right itself. But it never did, and finally hit the proverbial iceberg in the Sugar Bowl. And when did board members here start getting a sense that the "three-peat" was a beyond our ability? That's right... after game one with a sample size no bigger than 4 quarters.

I hope you're right and I am wrong. I really do. But one thing is clear. What we saw Saturday is not in any way shape or form the look and performance of a #2 team. And that, is scary!

 

[planomateo]

zero sacks too.

 

[TerryP]

I disagree. There is nothing silly about analyzing the team at this point and assessing the likelihood of long term victory based on what we saw, who we have, and what we have for the rest of the year. And as it has already been pointed out by another member, if the Moutaineer receivers hadn't dropped those 3 or 4 deep passes in scoring range, we might very well be one game down already. It was that close. I'd say that is a well supported sample size and clear to anyone who watched the game.

Yet, you're making a judgement based on a very limited "sample size." Jaren Reed and Brandon Ivory played, but played very little due to be suspended for a good portion of fall camp. Tim Williams as well. Eddie Jackson, starting corner, didn't play at all. Trey DePriest, didn't play at all due to suspension.

Out of that sample, as you put it, you've got four players who would have contributed a significant number of minutes—all four considered starters. There's 33% of your "sample size" that's not even being represented.

FSU, playing an unranked Okie State, struggled. By that "sample size," should we assume they are going to struggle throughout the year as well?

UCLA, playing at what was essentially 9AM ball game, had a horrible offensive game. By that "sample size," should we also assume they won't have any offensive production this season?

One game. It's almost as if you're trying to put together a 100 piece puzzle tonight and you've only got four corner pieces.

Regardless. This is deja vu all over again. This whole situation seems very close to where we were last year when the Tide was under performing game after game out of the gate and looked socially discombobulated, to which AJ confessed in an interview. Through it all we kept falling back on the whollier-than-thou idea of "the process" as if it were a magic pill we just had to keep taking, and with it, the ship would eventually right itself. But it never did, and finally hit the proverbial iceberg in the Sugar Bowl. And when did board members here start getting a sense that the "three-peat" was a beyond our ability? That's right... after game one with a sample size no bigger than 4 quarters.

Underperforming game after game out of the gate? 35-10 versus Va Tech in a poor offensive performance. The following week we had an offensive shoot-out against A&M and after scoring 49 on offense we're socially discombobulated? The ship never righted itself?

Yet, the opening game is a good enough sample size to judge a season when just last year the opening game told us what?

We held opponents to 10 points or less in 8 of our first ten games last year. We were averaging right at 43 points per game in our first ten games last year, our opponents 18.

"When did board members here start getting a sense that the three-peat was being our ability?" At the final gun after Auburn. That said, I don't know how many times I pointed to—along with several members here—about the statistical improbability of a team three-peating.

One game.

Let me flip the script. Did you know we were 12 for 14 on FG's last year going into the Auburn game? There's a "sample size" of 11 games that told what when it came to one ball game—the final regular season game, at that?

Chew on this for a minute. You want a game where we looked bad, in the season opener, recently? Look no further than 2009 against Va Tech. How did that year end?

One game, man. One game.

 

[russb8903]

You see this a lot with LSU fans, they call them negatigers. They constantly bemoan the state of the program, often irrationally, and then when a loss happens, they get to pretend they were right all. A loss at some point is almost inevitable. I would still say were were plenty capable of winning a NC last year, but the breaks have to go your way as well, and last year they didn't. There's room for improvement to be sure, but to write off the whole season on a game where 1. we won, 2. we had over 500 yrds offense, 3. we gave up one TD on defense, 4. we suffered no sacks, 5. and that was even with a new QB is too much of a panic reaction.

I like the comparison to the 2009 Va Tech game.

 

[JoshB]

Crimson, I don't see how any college quarterback couldn't have done what Sims did. If Coker wasn't as good as Sims, then he's not much of a quarterback. Maybe he's not. As far as the forty yard bomb... Are you talking about the one that hung up in the air like a punt? I remember that. Christian should have caught it.

Everyone's favorite player is the second string quarterback. That's probably my problem. I guess we'll see.

Howard and Drake didn't have much of an impact with the ball. Vogler didn't either.

Yeldon: 23 carries, 126 yards, 2 TD (5.5 YPC)
Henry: 17 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD (6.6 YPC)

But lord please, lets continue to whine about how Drake didnt get more touches.

Sims did make some poor throws, he also made many more solid ones and I love how you completely ignore the BIG plays he made with his feet, a few on third down to continue drives, that no QB we've had under Saban would be able to do. But continue to tell us how "any college quarterback can do what Sims did." I've seen some pretty ridiculous doom and gloom comments but good lord. You would think Sims shot your dog or something.

Sylve needs to be sitting on the sideline for awhile, I dont know that Ive seen a worse game by a single DB ever. He absolutely refuses to get his head aorund and look for the football. Landon was out of position a few times too but he also made some wicked hits and pass defenses too. Cyrus Jones had a terrific game.

 

[psychojoe]

Let's come back and continue this conversation after the Florida game.

 

[rick4bama]

Let's come back and continue this conversation after the Florida game.

Be knocking at your door after the game.

 

[TheChief]

Russ, you say a loss is inevitable, yet you reference the 2009 season. What gives?

TerryP, you say that UCLA started slow because of a 9 am kickoff. Were they alone or did the other team have to play at that ungodly hour as well?

I'm with Silver. We shall see. We shall see.

 

[TerryP]

Russ, you say a loss is inevitable, yet you reference the 2009 season. What gives?

TerryP, you say that UCLA started slow because of a 9 am kickoff. Were they alone or did the other team have to play at that ungodly hour as well?

I'm with Silver. We shall see. We shall see.

Come on, Chief.

Read what I posted and think about what I said for a minute...

(BTW, use the @username function if you want these guys to respond to you...otherwise, they won't have a clue you asked them a question.)

 

[silvermetalflake]

We held opponents to 10 points or less in 8 of our first ten games last year. We were averaging right at 43 points per game in our first ten games last year, our opponents 18.
.

Final scores are not always an indicator of overall performance, especially against hapless fluffy Mocs, Panthers, Rams, Hogs, Bulldogs, and Rebels Every game you felt and saw that "lack of unity" of which AJ spoke. Lest we forget, the field is 100 yards, and what happens (or doesn't happen) in the first 99 is also an indicator or performance. For example....some game thread member quotes from last years 4th game (following the Hokies, Aggies and Rams) against Ole Miss and the 25-0 win.

"We don't look like a number 1 team right now."
"We cant even score at home."
"Wow 9-0 at halftime for the #1 team at home. I call bs"
"Ive got an idea-BLOCK SOME BODY."
"To be honest we dont look top 5."
"It looks to me like we are playing not to lose."
"OK the offense needs a fresh plan"
"We have absolutely no run game. WTF has happened to our line dominance?!?!?"
"Boy... that shot of Nick chew'n out the troops was pretty scary."

and how prophetic was this zinger come the Sugar.

"We keep surviving games despite of crap play its only a matter of time before we get rolled playing this way."

My point is, just because we score, it doesn't even make us good. Just because we win (as expected), it doesn't make us winners.

 

[silvermetalflake]

Let's come back and continue this conversation after the Florida game.

Best entry yet!! Agree, bro! Totally agree.

 

[bamafan4ever]

@silvermetalflake .... It's ironic that a lot of your argument is based on team unity. It's the one thing that Coach Saban has stressed over and over during this camp and early season has improved and he is very happy where we are at with team "unity". There may have been some shortcomings on Saturday but I don't think unity is one of them. The coach should know.

 

[russb8903]

Russ, you say a loss is inevitable, yet you reference the 2009 season. What gives?

Because even if it isn't this season we will lose eventually. So the people who claim the sky is falling and we're bound to lose will eventually be right. That doesn't mean that they're reasoning for that loss is at all correct, but to claim we are going to lose is a self fulfilling prophecy that enables people to claim they were right all along.

I started a new paragraph and referenced the 2009 Va Tech game only to comment that it had a similar feel to this past game and that I agreed with TerryP's comparison. It wasn't really tied to the previous bit.

 

[TerryP]

Final scores are not always an indicator of overall performance, especially against hapless fluffy Mocs, Panthers, Rams, Hogs, Bulldogs, and Rebels Every game you felt and saw that "lack of unity" of which AJ spoke. Lest we forget, the field is 100 yards, and what happens (or doesn't happen) in the first 99 is also an indicator or performance. For example....some game thread member quotes from last years 4th game (following the Hokies, Aggies and Rams) against Ole Miss and the 25-0 win.

"We don't look like a number 1 team right now."
"We cant even score at home."
"Wow 9-0 at halftime for the #1 team at home. I call bs"
"Ive got an idea-BLOCK SOME BODY."
"To be honest we dont look top 5."
"It looks to me like we are playing not to lose."
"OK the offense needs a fresh plan"
"We have absolutely no run game. WTF has happened to our line dominance?!?!?"
"Boy... that shot of Nick chew'n out the troops was pretty scary."

and how prophetic was this zinger come the Sugar.

"We keep surviving games despite of crap play its only a matter of time before we get rolled playing this way."

My point is, just because we score, it doesn't even make us good. Just because we win (as expected), it doesn't make us winners.

OK.

The mere idea that you're taking comments from game threads to make a point demonstrates, vividly, you're having a hard time finding foundation that's reasonable. Game threads, and the reactions found therein, are in and of themselves irrational.

If you want to discuss lack of unity, let's also include how you're beginning to skip around subjects at hand. It was your comment about one game being an indicator of the season and now you're using comments about a seasons' worth of games to point to one game—the Sugar Bowl.

"My point is, just because we score, it doesn't even make us good. Just because we win (as expected), it doesn't make us winners."

This may be your fall back point, it certainly wasn't the point you were attempting to make earlier.

—————

Do you know why game threads are even started on message forums like this? It's because the vast majority posts are emotionally driven, lack factual context, and are best described as "knee-jerk reactions." They are started because people who run forums like that don't want those types of posts being made into threads and the board being littered. After all, we are the ones who have the clean up after the mess is made.

 

[psychojoe]

Be knocking at your door after the game.

Give me a heads up and I'll put on a couple of more burgers.

If our standard for opening games is 2012 against Michigan, then we did not measure up. Other than that, pretty typical for an opener.

 

[BamaFisher]

I will say I re-watched the game twice after my initial aggravation on Saturday and did see many things that I initially blamed on poor play defensively now as great offensive play on WVU's part. We did get lucky at times with dropped passes on their part, but more often than not we weren't out of position and would have made a quick play had the pass been completed. I was impressed with Sylve's speed and keeping up with the receivers, but his technique was bad when the ball got there - I reckon that's coachable and I'm sure he'll get to spend the week watching and re-watching his performance. I do regret my vitriolic rants and I do encourage everyone to re-watch the game with a new perspective now that you don't have to worry if Bama will eek out a win. All in all, I think it was a decent game now (still some concerns) and I do think WVU will have a good season and are much improved team with a solid QB.

 

[planomateo]

@BamaFisher - good advice on rewatching the game. I think some views could change.

 

[jlabit]

Anyone have an IP where I can rewatch the game? Google search unproductive. Guess I need to get me one of those devices that will enable recording of the game.