Grubb to be next OC at Bama per ESPN

[bamadwain]

Interesting - CKD must think Sheridan knows what he's doing with QBs despite what was happening on the field in 24.

It's been said from insiders, that the QBs really like Sheridan, remember he played QB at Michigan and he probably will be a good QB coach because he can concentrate on one position while also not calling plays

 

[bamajas]

Can lead a horse to water...

I am 100% sure that many coaches tried to teach him what he needed to learn. He either just can't get it, just can't execute it, or just thought he knew better and that he'd let them all know otherwise.

I'm even starting to wonder if BOB didn't so much tell him he couldn't play QB, but instead told him that he had to really improve in certain areas if he wanted to be able to play QB, and that if he didn't do those things, he didn't have a great chance.

Right. I'm with you, I'm not saying he didn't have it. The reasons he wouldn't benefit from the best coaching today are why he didn't learn it when he was first exposed to it ...

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Interesting - CKD must think Sheridan knows what he's doing with QBs despite what was happening on the field in 24.

Just because he isn't a very good OC doesn't mean he's not a good coach. I doubt the guy is worthless as a coach. We all bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table in life. A weakness in one area of my life doesn't negate the strengths in others. If he's been retained (rather than let go) it means he brings some sort of value.

 

[Jack Bourbon]

He may be more of a technician than a leader. Leaders and technicians are good at very different things. But you need both, just need them in the right roles.

 

[KrAzY3]

Just because he isn't a very good OC doesn't mean he's not a good coach. I doubt the guy is worthless as a coach. We all bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table in life. A weakness in one area of my life doesn't negate the strengths in others. If he's been retained (rather than let go) it means he brings some sort of value.

I'm not upset by Sheridan coaching QBs because I felt he couldn't cut it as a OC. Firstly, I've always been forgiving when a coach struggles to make a step up. Be it just at the NFL level, or from position coach to coordinator, or coordinator to head coach. A lot of people seem to want to write someone off as a failure just because they failed as a head coach.

McElwain for instance only got a WR coaching job after losing the Florida head coaching job. The guy won a couple national championships as an OC, he was head coach at Florida where he wasn't an absolute dumpster fire (worst full season was 9-4), but the only job waiting for him was WR coach? It's an odd sort of recency bias that is often repeated.

Anyway, despite my criticism of handling QBs with his play calling, that doesn't mean Sheridan's bad with QBs. It's a completely different thing to develop a relationship with a QB, to coach him in practice and try to develop his skills. For all I know he might have been a crucial part of Penix's development for example. I just felt he couldn't handle the actual game day stuff well and it's not necessarily the same thing.

There is one other aspect though, if Sheridan is making over a million guaranteed (I assume it was a two year guaranteed contract), it would be foolish to cut him loose with the new coaching rules. Put him to work if he's going to get paid anyway. If QB coach is where he's believed to be a good fit, so be it.

 

[some_al_fan]

DeBoer was effectively a QB coach last year during the camp. It will be interesting to see how DeBoer will be able to use his “free" time this year

 

[bamadwain]

I'm not upset by Sheridan coaching QBs because I felt he couldn't cut it as a OC. Firstly, I've always been forgiving when a coach struggles to make a step up. Be it just at the NFL level, or from position coach to coordinator, or coordinator to head coach. A lot of people seem to want to write someone off as a failure just because they failed as a head coach.

McElwain for instance only got a WR coaching job after losing the Florida head coaching job. The guy won a couple national championships as an OC, he was head coach at Florida where he wasn't an absolute dumpster fire (worst full season was 9-4), but the only job waiting for him was WR coach? It's an odd sort of recency bias that is often repeated.

Anyway, despite my criticism of handling QBs with his play calling, that doesn't mean Sheridan's bad with QBs. It's a completely different thing to develop a relationship with a QB, to coach him in practice and try to develop his skills. For all I know he might have been a crucial part of Penix's development for example. I just felt he couldn't handle the actual game day stuff well and it's not necessarily the same thing.

There is one other aspect though, if Sheridan is making over a million guaranteed (I assume it was a two year guaranteed contract), it would be foolish to cut him loose with the new coaching rules. Put him to work if he's going to get paid anyway. If QB coach is where he's believed to be a good fit, so be it.

Also Keelon Russell likes him a whole lot

 

[CrimsonTitles]

Just because he isn't a very good OC doesn't mean he's not a good coach. I doubt the guy is worthless as a coach. We all bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table in life. A weakness in one area of my life doesn't negate the strengths in others. If he's been retained (rather than let go) it means he brings some sort of value.

We also gotta keep mind that 36 is fairly young for an OC at a big time SEC program. There are plenty of guys who are really good OCs now, and weren't at 36. It's a little more common now with Rees, Dillingham, and Collin Klein, but those guys are prodigies. The fact that he's so highly thought of that he was promoted to OC at Indiana when he was 31, speaks a lot more than the results of this season, or even how he did at Indiana. He clearly has a promising football mind, or he wouldn't be so highly thought of in coaching circles, which I've heard he is. I heard Josh Pate say a few weeks ago that coaches were telling him that about Sheridan.

 

[lowend]

Sheridan may have given it 1000% and said all the right things, but QB1 didn't want to, or wasn't capable of, receiving that instruction and implementing it. I'm not judging anyone that had anything to do with the QB situation last year until I see what they do without LANK hanging over their heads.

 

[bravo6]

Just because he isn't a very good OC doesn't mean he's not a good coach. I doubt the guy is worthless as a coach. We all bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table in life. A weakness in one area of my life doesn't negate the strengths in others. If he's been retained (rather than let go) it means he brings some sort of value.

Conversations like this remind me of Mike Shula. Good/great QB coach, not so much as an OC, and nowhere close as a HC.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Conversations like this remind me of Mike Shula. Good/great QB coach, not so much as an OC, and nowhere close as a HC.

Correct, the Peter Principle, being promoted above one's competency. Shula was a perfect example of that and maybe that was the case with Sheridan. Either way, I'm just glad things are back to what they were originally intended to be when DeBoer initially was hired.

 

[gtgilbert]

Sheridan may have given it 1000% and said all the right things, but QB1 didn't want to, or wasn't capable of, receiving that instruction and implementing it. I'm not judging anyone that had anything to do with the QB situation last year until I see what they do without LANK hanging over their heads.

Yep - everyone was down and saying all this same stuff about Rees, and one year removed from the anchor of LANK, he's a hot name in the pro's.

Sheridan could indeed stink. he could be amazing. No way to know based off this season given the situation.

 

[BamaMoon]

Sheridan vs. Milroe...that's what this has become instead about Grubb.

But, anyway. Here's where I'm at with it.

We've got 2+ years of knowing who JM is (touching 3 OC's). We've got 1 year of Sheridan. If JM just stunk it up under Sheridan it would seem it was Sheridan as the problem. But that's not what happened and how anybody is blaming Sheridan is either kin to JM OR JM has some incriminating photos of them on his phone.

 

[gman4tide]

Sheridan vs. Milroe...that's what this has become instead about Grubb.

But, anyway. Here's where I'm at with it.

We've got 2+ years of knowing who JM is (touching 3 OC's). We've got 1 year of Sheridan. If JM just stunk it up under Sheridan it would seem it was Sheridan as the problem. But that's not what happened and how anybody is blaming Sheridan is either kin to JM OR JM has some incriminating photos of them on his phone.

Or they're getting nil money from him

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Sheridan vs. Milroe...that's what this has become instead about Grubb.

But, anyway. Here's where I'm at with it.

We've got 2+ years of knowing who JM is (touching 3 OC's). We've got 1 year of Sheridan. If JM just stunk it up under Sheridan it would seem it was Sheridan as the problem. But that's not what happened and how anybody is blaming Sheridan is either kin to JM OR JM has some incriminating photos of them on his phone.

Both Sheridan and Milroe brought their limitations and blind spots to the offense last season. I still think that Sheridan wasn't experienced enough as an OC to deal with the limitations of a Jalen Milroe. But neither was Tommy Rees or Bill O'Brien. You can't have the limitations he had and be consistently successful on the P4 level. Sure, he had his good games and great performances, but the problem is this sport is a results driven sport and when "bad days" turn into four losses, the "great performances" aren't that great anymore.

Sheridan is very young and maybe one day he'll develop into a very good OC. But I think Grubb being not only older, but having many many more years of OC experience under his belt will definitely show dividends next season. If Sheridan is smart, he'll hang around Grubb, ask a ton questions, watch what he does and how he does it and take notes. He still is so young in his career he has time to completely transform himself as a coach.

 

[KrAzY3]

We've got 2+ years of knowing who JM is (touching 3 OC's). We've got 1 year of Sheridan. If JM just stunk it up under Sheridan it would seem it was Sheridan as the problem. But that's not what happened and how anybody is blaming Sheridan is either kin to JM OR JM has some incriminating photos of them on his phone.

That's all only if you are only looking at it as JM vs Sheridan though. We actually have 3 years of Sheridan to evaluate, one of those seasons his offense completely fell apart and he was fired (it then dramatically improved after his departure). So, the issue was some people were talking about offensive coordinators and some people were just talking about quarterbacks. Of course there's no common ground to be found if you're not even talking about the same thing.

The key is two things can be a problem at the same time. Under Applewhite at Alabama the offense was stagnant. It was roughly the same as the year before (a bit worse in fact). He had JPW as his quarterback. JPW was extremely limited in his capabilities. It would be easy to just say the problem is JPW, there's just not much you can do with a QB that throws 18 TDs and 12 INTs while boasting a 117 rating.

Alabama still made a change at offensive coordinator after Applewhite's single season at Alabama. Does JPW get any better? Not really, the next season he throws 10 TDs and 8 INTs. Yet, that team went to the SECCG. The offense dramatically improves, even with very suspect QB play. The offense goes from rank 71 all the way up to 31! How is that possible? Well, the offensive coordinator worked around the issues with the QB in large part because he just used JPW a lot less than Applewhite did.

Every coordinator will have bad luck, it was bad luck to inherit JPW as the QB. A good coordinator though will figure out a way to succeed anyway, that's the job.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

If I remember correctly Grubb also works with the offensive line as well. So even though we didn't get Huff, Grubb still works with the OL to ensure everything from the OL to the QB is working together. I'm also certain Sheridan didn't have this responsibility last season and may be another reason why many times the offensive line looked out of sync with the play being run. I think Grubb is going to bring a lot of stability and continuity to the offense.

 

[REBELZED]

Alabama still made a change at offensive coordinator after Applewhite's single season at Alabama. Does JPW get any better? Not really, the next season he throws 10 TDs and 8 INTs. Yet, that team went to the SECCG. The offense dramatically improves, even with very suspect QB play. The offense goes from rank 71 all the way up to 31! How is that possible?

Glen Coffee and the OL drastically improved and we added some random 3-star running back named Mark Ingram. Rushing went up ~25% and a full TD per game while the defense went down a full TD.

Don't have to do as much with the QB when the run game + defense carry the weight (as they tended to do in that day/age).

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Glen Coffee and the OL drastically improved and we added some random 3-star running back named Mark Ingram. Rushing went up ~25% and a full TD per game while the defense went down a full TD.

Don't have to do as much with the QB when the run game + defense carry the weight (as they tended to do in that day/age).

The running game HAS TO IMPROVE this season and I hope DeBoer learned that he may not have had to run the ball a lot in the PAC 12, but in the SEC it is one of the keys to winning. It is paramount we get better and more consistent at running the ball.

 

[KrAzY3]

Glen Coffee and the OL drastically improved and we added some random 3-star running back named Mark Ingram. Rushing went up ~25% and a full TD per game while the defense went down a full TD.

Don't have to do as much with the QB when the run game + defense carry the weight (as they tended to do in that day/age).

Do we believe offensive coordinators do anything? I mean might as well have kept Applewhite, right? Coffee's improvement and so on, that was going to happen either way, or was it? Remember they also added a guy named Julio Jones, if Applewhite was still there he might have thrown the ball even more...

That aside, let's take a look at the guy named Mark Ingram. He averaged 5.1 yards per rush that season, he got 143 carries. You know how many carries Justice Haynes got, who averaged 5.7 last year? He got 79 carries...

The differences are not solely a result of the offensive coordinator, that's obvious. But when an offense gets better or worse, runs more or less, that's the job of the offensive coordinator! I don't see how people keep looking at the results and divorcing the guy calling the plays from them. McElwain chose to make Coffee the focal point of the offense (and reduce the role of the QB) and it paid off.