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Saban must be second guessing

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I don't get it, Saban is supposed to be this great DB coach but the Bama secondary has been the weakness for the past what 4 years, am I missing something here.
 
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gfer1988 said:
He should blame himself for starting hurts when he had two 5 stars ahead of him. Jalen can't throw for sh*t
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i said the same thing to a friend the other day after the game. I think Saban's biggest mistake was chasing off two big time recruits by starting Hurts. Did I see the graphic correctly, Hurts was SEC offensive player of the year? if true, that just shows how down that conference was this year in QB play.
 
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And yet, if someone had told people Bama would score 31 points, almost everyone would have said that's a Bama victory.

Bamas offense was pretty average all year.
 
Jonnyblaze said:
And yet, if someone had told people Bama would score 31 points, almost everyone would have said that's a Bama victory.

Bamas offense was pretty average all year.
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Well, they were 15th in the nation in P/G so a little better than average but I agree that hanging 31 on Clemson should have been good enough for the W with their defense.
 
The defense got worn down by the time the 4th quarter came around by Clemson's tempo and the fact that their offense couldn't sustain a drive. Sure, 31 points should theoretically get it done. However, you have to look at context. It was either score quickly (their longest scoring drive was 2:31), or go 3 and out all game long.
 
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Hegemon said:
Explain this considering the defense lost the game.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
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Don't totally agree, Bama missed a bunch on third downs that set up Clemson with great field position. How many 3 and outs did Bama have in the second half? I think the offense and defense were equally to blame.
 
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Alabama's Achille's heel has been the QB spot for years, but few teams have been able to press on it because the rest of the team has been so relentlessly effective, e.g. the defense in creating negative plays, the OL N/S run blocking, etc.

Hurts, is not a threat to throw downfield, especially with any consistency. He also can't read defenses or look-off a S to save his life. Some of that might be attributable to Fr stuff, but not all of it.

Clemson stacked the box and won enough battles with in the 8-12 yard box Alabama plays offense to get the best player on the field, Deshaun Watson, 75 touches! That's insane. Kiffin or no Kiffin, Sarkisian drunk or sober, that falls on the head coach, not his coordinator. That's gameplanning 101. When the best player on the field gets that many touches, it's on the HC. Saban got caught with his pants around his ankles late in that game.
 
Alabama's offense was what it was all year. No different in the bowl games. What sank Alabama? The opposing QB threw for 825 yards in two games
(412.5 yd/game) against them and accounted for seven TDs in those meetings. Yes Alabama's QB is limited, but he did enough to beat every other opponent on their schedule. No he's not a good passer, more of a tailback playing QB. The SEC was not nearly as strong as it has been in previous years or Hurts may have been exposed earlier. Recall Hurts beat LSU with his legs and almost pulled it off against Clemsum. That said, more than Kiffin being fired a game early or bringing on Sark, it was their inability to stop Watson and his walk-on WR that killed Bama. On offense, Bama looked like an SEC team from the late 80s or early 90s - strong running team that had a just good enough passing game. Intelligent and talented wide receivers will not sign with Bama by default. Not with Bama playing that offense and Hurts as their QB.
 
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matty1 said:
Hard to believe that the top ranked team for the last 5 years has nothing better than a less than average freshman quarterback. Just a pitiful passer and the offense last night was less than average.
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This. I never understand how they can have 5 star third stringers at every position but they can't get a decent quarterback.
 
It's amusing how Clemson's own defensive ineptitude on the pivotal possession contributed to all the conclusions and assertions. They allowed Alabama to go from 3rd and 16 on their own 25, with a weak quarterback, to the end zone within a handful of plays. That allowed Deshaun Watson a full 2 minutes plus time outs.

#94 on Clemson -- Carlos Watkins -- was the unsung ironic hero of how it played out. He made a terrible choice on the 3rd and 16 pass rush, angling to his right as the pocket collapsed, instead of staying left and keeping Hurts boxed in. Once Watson erred it allowed Hurts a free escape toward the sideline, and opportunity for something to unfold in the secondary. Hurts was a huge underdog to successfully execute a 3rd and 16 dart from the pocket if Watkins hadn't screwed up.

Then Watkins had another very weak effort on the 30 yard touchdown run a few plays later.

I really thought he should have been up on that stage during the trophy presentation, accepting booby prize congratulations from ESPN analysts.

Alabama has so much margin for error. That's the scary aspect, and the reason I have to chuckle at all the claims their era is over, or near over. Saban knows what traits and body builds to look for, position by position. Notice he made the late push for Ahmmon Richards. There are 4 and 5 star players throughout the roster, and almost all of them look jacked. Great strength and conditioning program. The scheduling is strategically favorable, with several home cream puffs in non-conference but nobody condemns them for that because they always open with a name brand opponent on a neutral but somewhat favorable site. The SEC is somewhat overrated so Alabama benefits from winning games against teams whose reputation exceeds ability. In a normal season they are certainly excused one defeat and still make the Final Four, and in favorable seasons they can get there with two defeats.

Clemson pulled out a squeaker from a game long deficit, thanks to freak outlier talents like Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams. I have to laugh at all the claims that Alabama is vulnerable to the spread. Talk about not knowing what you are looking at. Most of Clemson's designs are basic plays with lots of window dressing, and executed by terrific players. That throw downfield that Williams highpointed to flip the field and set up the winning touchdown might as well have been a Dan Marino play. Likewise the dart to the tight end who made a great fingertip grab a couple of plays later.

The team was very balanced, running 42 times. They actually had 8 more rushes than Alabama. The carries from Clemson were almost equally split between Watson and Gallman.

If you want to argue that Alabama is susceptible to a high first round pick quarterback who throws with accuracy and touch, and can also run the ball fearlessly and effectively throughout the game despite being pounded and his neck wrung, okay I'll agree with that. As I posted last night...nice plan.

The gap between Hurts and Watson is so massive it is prompting threads on both sides of that, touting one and ripping the other. Hurts may not be the starter next season. Yet the dramatically weaker true freshman quarterback came within a whisker of national championship accolades. That's how much margin Alabama owns.
 
Awsi Dooger said:
It's amusing how Clemson's own defensive ineptitude on the pivotal possession contributed to all the conclusions and assertions. They allowed Alabama to go from 3rd and 16 on their own 25, with a weak quarterback, to the end zone within a handful of plays. That allowed Deshaun Watson a full 2 minutes plus time outs.

#94 on Clemson -- Carlos Watkins -- was the unsung ironic hero of how it played out. He made a terrible choice on the 3rd and 16 pass rush, angling to his right as the pocket collapsed, instead of staying left and keeping Hurts boxed in. Once Watson erred it allowed Hurts a free escape toward the sideline, and opportunity for something to unfold in the secondary. Hurts was a huge underdog to successfully execute a 3rd and 16 dart from the pocket if Watkins hadn't screwed up.

Then Watkins had another very weak effort on the 30 yard touchdown run a few plays later.

I really thought he should have been up on that stage during the trophy presentation, accepting booby prize congratulations from ESPN analysts.

Alabama has so much margin for error. That's the scary aspect, and the reason I have to chuckle at all the claims their era is over, or near over. Saban knows what traits and body builds to look for, position by position. Notice he made the late push for Ahmmon Richards. There are 4 and 5 star players throughout the roster, and almost all of them look jacked. Great strength and conditioning program. The scheduling is strategically favorable, with several home cream puffs in non-conference but nobody condemns them for that because they always open with a name brand opponent on a neutral but somewhat favorable site. The SEC is somewhat overrated so Alabama benefits from winning games against teams whose reputation exceeds ability. In a normal season they are certainly excused one defeat and still make the Final Four, and in favorable seasons they can get there with two defeats.

Clemson pulled out a squeaker from a game long deficit, thanks to freak outlier talents like Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams. I have to laugh at all the claims that Alabama is vulnerable to the spread. Talk about not knowing what you are looking at. Most of Clemson's designs are basic plays with lots of window dressing, and executed by terrific players. That throw downfield that Williams highpointed to flip the field and set up the winning touchdown might as well have been a Dan Marino play. Likewise the dart to the tight end who made a great fingertip grab a couple of plays later.

The team was very balanced, running 42 times. They actually had 8 more rushes than Alabama. The carries from Clemson were almost equally split between Watson and Gallman.

If you want to argue that Alabama is susceptible to a high first round pick quarterback who throws with accuracy and touch, and can also run the ball fearlessly and effectively throughout the game despite being pounded and his neck wrung, okay I'll agree with that. As I posted last night...nice plan.

The gap between Hurts and Watson is so massive it is prompting threads on both sides of that, touting one and ripping the other. Hurts may not be the starter next season. Yet the dramatically weaker true freshman quarterback came within a whisker of national championship accolades. That's how much margin Alabama owns.
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Cane Dynasty said:
Awsi Dooger said:
It's amusing how Clemson's own defensive ineptitude on the pivotal possession contributed to all the conclusions and assertions. They allowed Alabama to go from 3rd and 16 on their own 25, with a weak quarterback, to the end zone within a handful of plays. That allowed Deshaun Watson a full 2 minutes plus time outs.

#94 on Clemson -- Carlos Watkins -- was the unsung ironic hero of how it played out. He made a terrible choice on the 3rd and 16 pass rush, angling to his right as the pocket collapsed, instead of staying left and keeping Hurts boxed in. Once Watson erred it allowed Hurts a free escape toward the sideline, and opportunity for something to unfold in the secondary. Hurts was a huge underdog to successfully execute a 3rd and 16 dart from the pocket if Watkins hadn't screwed up.

Then Watkins had another very weak effort on the 30 yard touchdown run a few plays later.

I really thought he should have been up on that stage during the trophy presentation, accepting booby prize congratulations from ESPN analysts.

Alabama has so much margin for error. That's the scary aspect, and the reason I have to chuckle at all the claims their era is over, or near over. Saban knows what traits and body builds to look for, position by position. Notice he made the late push for Ahmmon Richards. There are 4 and 5 star players throughout the roster, and almost all of them look jacked. Great strength and conditioning program. The scheduling is strategically favorable, with several home cream puffs in non-conference but nobody condemns them for that because they always open with a name brand opponent on a neutral but somewhat favorable site. The SEC is somewhat overrated so Alabama benefits from winning games against teams whose reputation exceeds ability. In a normal season they are certainly excused one defeat and still make the Final Four, and in favorable seasons they can get there with two defeats.

Clemson pulled out a squeaker from a game long deficit, thanks to freak outlier talents like Deshaun Watson and Mike Williams. I have to laugh at all the claims that Alabama is vulnerable to the spread. Talk about not knowing what you are looking at. Most of Clemson's designs are basic plays with lots of window dressing, and executed by terrific players. That throw downfield that Williams highpointed to flip the field and set up the winning touchdown might as well have been a Dan Marino play. Likewise the dart to the tight end who made a great fingertip grab a couple of plays later.

The team was very balanced, running 42 times. They actually had 8 more rushes than Alabama. The carries from Clemson were almost equally split between Watson and Gallman.

If you want to argue that Alabama is susceptible to a high first round pick quarterback who throws with accuracy and touch, and can also run the ball fearlessly and effectively throughout the game despite being pounded and his neck wrung, okay I'll agree with that. As I posted last night...nice plan.

The gap between Hurts and Watson is so massive it is prompting threads on both sides of that, touting one and ripping the other. Hurts may not be the starter next season. Yet the dramatically weaker true freshman quarterback came within a whisker of national championship accolades. That's how much margin Alabama owns.
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Canes10 said:
supersaiyanshel said:
avicenna75 said:
Sark called a very similar game, but used a bit more tempo. They scored 31 points against the number 2 defense. Bama's 4th quarter defense lost the game.
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Yeah, I know he's annoying AF and consistently punchable, but I don't think Muffin got enough credit for the work he did with Bama's Offense this season.

You can only do so much with a Running Back as your QB, and Sarkisian called a good game partially without his best Running Back. They put up 31 on a team that just shut out OSU and he spent most of the game setting them up for the big plays to Howard who was there only legitimate threat. That last Bama drive was deadly.
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Sarkisian > FAU Coach Kiffin...however, before Kiffin got the FAU job, Kiffin's offense could have won last night.

Afterall, you have a freshman QB, who just lost his coordinator in the biggest game of his life, and had to take instructions from an offensive analyst, who supposively, didn't interact with players all season...
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yeah they got to suck it up they still suppose to have had three more 5 stars in the back field so thats why i tell these guys to come play with us if you stop the run its over.
 
Bo Scarbrough plays the whole game, Bama wins. Clemons didn't want nothing to do with that man when he was running the rock.
 
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