Bama Game Thread: Official Postgame Thread - Reliaquest Bowl, Bama vs. Michigan, Dec. 31, 11:00 AM, ESPN...

[CajunCrimson]

Did anyone think before that his play during this game would improve his draft status? I don’t know of any. He would have been better served to sit out. Along with Booker, Campbell, and even Burnipp maybe.

the game meant nothing. And we didn’t gain a thing. It’s deeper than just an NFL Draft thing. This is ego. Tremendous ego. Disguised as something else.

The why is to make to the NFL for a paycheck.

 

[81usaf92]

First, this defense was better than last year's defense.

No they were not. Not even close. Having Ryan Turner,Arnold, Key, Downs, and Kool Aid last year in a defense that they were recruited to run is a far better defense instantly than starting a bunch of freshmen in a defense that they weren’t recruited to run. Yes we got better as the year went on but no we were nowhere near last year’s defense. Hell we gave up nearly 200 yards rushing in a half vs Oklahoma… that was a November game. When do you remember last year’s defense ever producing numbers like that?

Second, Rees made halftime adjustments. It frustrated me that he always waited until halftime, but he made them then and they worked. Sheridan did not make halftime adjustments in any of the 4 losses this year. You ran the same plays all game long to no effect.

Maybe but I also remember him calling the same plays over and over vs Michigan to no effect too. What I will give Rees is that he called better designed runs for Milroe and mostly called Milroe’s passes. But again this all boils down to Milroe’s play on the field. There were several games like yesterday where we had receivers running wide open all day and Milroe refused to throw to them. IDK how that is the OC’s fault when the other team is committing to shutting down your run. If I’m an Auburn, LSU, or Georgia fan I’m asking serious questions about my HC and DC about how Milroe beat them twice.

The other team practices, too. They are coached, too. If they have a plan to stop what you are running, you have to adjust to what you are seeing. Coordinators who cannot do this fail no matter where they go or who they coach.

AGAIN… Bernard was 15 yards open all day but only had 4 receptions. Milroe can’t figure out a team playing zone to save his life even when a receiver has beaten a defense by a country mile. You could have had Sark there yesterday and still lost 19-13 with how he was reading that defense.

 

[Tidewater]

As was what I heard..........I'd guarantee him this time he wouldnt be the starter and to go pro or go away

That probably should have happened immediately after CKD was hired. CKD could not control whether other teams would guarantee him a starting position, but he could guarantee a serious competition for the starting job at Alabama. You control the things you can control.
Machiavelli said, "If you are going to be a hard-butt, do that early, because if you go soft early and then try to tighten up discipline later, folks will revolt." (paraphrasing).
Same goes for coaching (and maybe leadership in general). Be tough and demanding early on, then, once the leader and the organization get to know each others' expectations and system, lighten up a bit.
Having a dip in performance first year will be more easily forgiven than in year three. Coach Saban started 7-6 at Alabama first year. I am not suggesting that CKD going 7-6 with this roster would have been okay, but 9-4, having cleared out all the dead wood right off the bat would have been better than hanging onto the deadwood all year, tolerating sub-par performance, and (worst of all) teaching players that they run the program, means that tightening up next year with another dip in performance will be less well-received in 2025 than it was in 2024.
Now, the 2025 team had better be impressive in 2025 and even more so in 2026 or the stay of the DeBoer family in Tuscaloosa may be brief.

 

[Tidewater]

I get that. But if Saban couldn't squash it who can?????????????

My football coach in Huntsville use to say, "You have to have the won't to." (that was how he pronounced "want to").
I'm not sure that by 2023, Coach Saban had the "won't to" any more.

 

[CB4]

So Milroe after the game yesterday wouldn’t say what his future plans were. Said he just wanted to sit back and “soak up the moment for today”.

Soak up the moment? You just crapped the bed, losing as a two touchdown favorite, the THIRD time the team has lost a a double digit favorite this season. What the heck is there to “soak up”?

 

[AlexanderFan]

To listen to the staff, Jalen played amazing all year and other people just let him down. I don’t think they actually believe that, because then I would have to accept that our coaching staff are wildly incompetent and not just a bunch of liars.

I’ve said it before, but with the emergence of NiL coaching football is probably the fourth top priority for major college football coaches now, behind shaking babies and kissing hands for NiL, coddling young male egos, and being the Face of the athletic program.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

So Milroe after the game yesterday wouldn’t say what his future plans were. Said he just wanted to sit back and “soak up the moment for today”.

Soak up the moment? You just crapped the bed, losing as a two touchdown favorite, the THIRD time the team has lost a a double digit favorite this season. What the heck is there to “soak up”?

He will wait until the very last minute to declare

 

[CB4]

Did anyone think before that his play during this game would improve his draft status? I don’t know of any. He would have been better served to sit out. Along with Booker, Campbell, and even Burnipp maybe.

the game meant nothing. And we didn’t gain a thing. It’s deeper than just an NFL Draft thing. This is ego. Tremendous ego. Disguised as something else.

This is exactly how I took his “soak up the moment” comment after the loss yesterday. Either JM is completely tone deaf or narcissistic or a combination of both.

 

[B1GTide]

No they were not. Not even close. Having Ryan Anderson, Arnold, Key, Downs, and Kool Aid last year in a defense that they were recruited to run is a far better defense instantly than starting a bunch of freshmen in a defense that they weren’t recruited to run. Yes we got better as the year went on but no we were nowhere near last year’s defense. Hell we gave up nearly 200 yards rushing in a half vs Oklahoma… that was a November game. When do you remember last year’s defense ever producing numbers like that?



Maybe but I also remember him calling the same plays over and over vs Michigan to no effect too. What I will give Rees is that he called better designed runs for Milroe and mostly called Milroe’s passes. But again this all boils down to Milroe’s play on the field. There were several games like yesterday where we had receivers running wide open all day and Milroe refused to throw to them. IDK how that is the OC’s fault when the other team is committing to shutting down your run. If I’m an Auburn, LSU, or Georgia fan I’m asking serious questions about my HC and DC about how Milroe beat them twice.




AGAIN… Bernard was 15 yards open all day but only had 4 receptions. Milroe can’t figure out a team playing zone to save his life even when a receiver has beaten a defense by a country mile. You could have had Sark there yesterday and still lost 19-13 with how he was reading that defense.

Disagree about the defense. Forget the names and look at the production. By every objective measure, it was better.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

That probably should have happened immediately after CKD was hired. CKD could not control whether other teams would guarantee him a starting position, but he could guarantee a serious competition for the starting job at Alabama. You control the things you can control.
Machiavelli said, "If you are going to be a hard-butt, do that early, because if you go soft early and then try to tighten up discipline later, folks will revolt." (paraphrasing).
Same goes for coaching (and maybe leadership in general). Be tough and demanding early on, then, once the leader and the organization get to know each others' expectations and system, lighten up a bit.
Having a dip in performance first year will be more easily forgiven than in year three. Coach Saban started 7-6 at Alabama first year. I am not suggesting that CKD going 7-6 with this roster would have been okay, but 9-4, having cleared out all the dead wood right off the bat would have been better than hanging onto the deadwood all year, tolerating sub-par performance, and (worst of all) teaching players that they run the program, means that tightening up next year with another dip in performance will be less well-received in 2025 than it was in 2024.
Now, the 2025 team had better be impressive in 2025 and even more so in 2026 or the stay of the DeBoer family in Tuscaloosa may be brief.

I agree................I just wonder how much of the situation DeBoer was aware of when he took the job. The balancing act of keeping the team together vs cracking heads is a tedious path to walk nowadays but it has to be done

 

[B1GTide]

So Milroe after the game yesterday wouldn’t say what his future plans were. Said he just wanted to sit back and “soak up the moment for today”.

Soak up the moment? You just crapped the bed, losing as a two touchdown favorite, the THIRD time the team has lost a a double digit favorite this season. What the heck is there to “soak up”?

Booker said the same. Nuts. Just leave.

 

[AlexanderFan]

As much as I can appreciate all the success we had under CNS, I can't honestly see how he came to signing Milroe and hiring Doug Marrone. There had to be a massive amount of hubris or massive amount of neglect in these 2 program wrecking decisions.

Yea what’s not to like about a 6’2” 240 pound Greek god who runs like a gazelle and can throw the ball over that mountain over there? I mean if you didn’t recruit quarterbacks with flawed mechanics out of high school there wouldn’t be any quarterbacks for you to recruit for the most part.

Marrone ran a pro style system, and Saban has always been about selling the fact that Alabama got you ready for the NFL.

What Saban did wrong was holding on to them out of loyalty.

 

[81usaf92]

My football coach in Huntsville use to say, "You have to have the won't (that was how he pronounced "want") to."
I'm not sure that by 2023, Coach Saban had the "won't" to any more.

Last year at the REC scrimmage in the fall Saban looked like a guy that hated the sport he was currently coaching. He spent a good 30 minutes ranting on NIL, Georgia and other schools talking to players during the season, and how the players had crazy selfish expectations that he never saw ever in his career. He looked like a man that at most had two years left to coach and probably would take a HS coaching gig before he coached another year in college.

I think honestly from all what I’ve been told and have heard is that Saban wanted the quarterback battle to play out like 2014 but neither guy could win the job and the locker room was in factions. I think Saban really was done trying to put out the fire after USF and just was thinking about if and how to retire. Yeah we can take him at his word at how the decision went down but I am firmly convinced the thought was there a long time before the decision was ever made.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

Milroe’s QB skills and abilities aren’t really my issue. For 2 years it appears he’s held this team hostage.

my question is how? And why?

The how is a Lank/NIL collective where he distributed money to players from profits and so financially it was in those guys best interest to support him as QB1

The other part is an agreement with CKD that in exchange for Milroe convincing those guys to stay (during the open portal mass exodus when CNS retired) that CKD would keep him QB1 no matter what.

What I can't tell you is if that was verbal or in writing.

I initially was led to believe it was solely a verbal handshake kind of deal but in retrospect that can't be right.

For him to play so poorly to the point we lost 4 games and 3 games to teams with 5 or more losses and CKD still wouldn't make a move it HAS to be in writing.

Why?

Milroe only cares about himself and advancing his own career.

He's the most selfish player I've ever seen in Crimson.

That slide out of bounds pick 6 non tackle was right out of the Cam Newton protect yourself handbook.

I can''t believe he's going to have prints at Denny Chimes and it makes me sick thinking about it.

 

[JDCrimson]

It was made before the season started and is the only reason Saban tolerated what he did in the last season. He likely reevaluated his preseason decision but the week between the SEC X and the Rose Bowl confirmed it for him.

Last year at the REC scrimmage in the fall Saban looked like a guy that hated the sport he was currently coaching. He spent a good 30 minutes ranting on NIL, Georgia and other schools talking to players during the season, and how the players had crazy selfish expectations that he never saw ever in his career. He looked like a man that at most had two years left to coach and probably would take a HS coaching gig before he coached another year in college.

I think honestly from all what I’ve been told and have heard is that Saban wanted the quarterback battle to play out like 2014 but neither guy could win the job and the locker room was in factions. I think Saban really was done trying to put out the fire after USF and just was thinking about if and how to retire. Yeah we can take him at his word at how the decision went down but I am firmly convinced the thought was there a long time before the decision was ever made.

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

So Milroe after the game yesterday wouldn’t say what his future plans were. Said he just wanted to sit back and “soak up the moment for today”.

Soak up the moment? You just crapped the bed, losing as a two touchdown favorite, the THIRD time the team has lost a a double digit favorite this season. What the heck is there to “soak up”?

Head scratching statement to be sure

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

The how is a Lank/NIL collective where he distributed money to players from profits and so financially it was in those guys best interest to support him as QB1

The other part is an agreement with CKD that in exchange for Milroe convincing those guys to stay (during the open portal mass exodus when CNS retired) that CKD would keep him QB1 no matter what.

What I can't tell you is if that was verbal or in writing.

I initially was led to believe it was solely a verbal handshake kind of deal but in retrospect that can't be right.

For him to play so poorly to the point we lost 4 games and 3 games to teams with 5 or more losses and CKD still wouldn't make a move it HAS to be in writing.

Why?

Milroe only cares about himself and advancing his own career.

He's the most selfish player I've ever seen in Crimson.

That slide out of bounds pick 6 non tackle was right out of the Cam Newton protect yourself handbook.

I can''t believe he's going to have prints at Denny Chimes and it makes me sick thinking about it.

The all for one, and one for me crap needs to go

 

[DzynKingRTR]

This is exactly how I took his “soak up the moment” comment after the loss yesterday. Either JM is completely tone deaf or narcissistic or a combination of both.

and if he comes back, I am done with this team until he is gone. I will not watch another year of this. I have been on the fence all year because of NIL. NILroe coming back another year would push me over. I would find better things to do on my Saturday in the fall. I regretted wasting my time yesterday. Watching Alabama this year started to feel the same as being a fan of Atlanta sports teams. Toys with your emotions, gives you false hope, then destroys everything at the last minute

 

[Evil Crimson Dragon]

Booker said the same. Nuts. Just leave.

There isn't much to soak up except their own failures.........it's time for Fumble-roe to take his show somewhere else

 

[alwayshavebeen]

There was plenty of opportunity to slide away from the pressure and deliver the ball. I would love to have seen Mac Jones attack this defense.

Totally agree. Mac was special and I'd give anything to have another him.