Bama Game Thread: Official Postgame Thread - Bama @ Vandy...

[smokies1]

I’ve slept on it, I’d still be fine with a presser tomorrow morning saying we’ve let Wommack go

 

[bamaga]

GAG. 'Bama has run the 4-2-5 for freaking ever. Smart, Pruitt, Gol&ing and Steele all ran the 4-2-5 way, way more than anything else - somewhere between 85-90% of our D plays were from that set over the years due to offenses running 3 WR sets more often than not.

I will disagree, we ran a similiar 3-3-5 with SAM putting his hand in the dirt a lot, and JACK being a de facto DE. But there are differences in assigments and most notably gap control. At times, this defense looks like an undisciplined schoolyard defense with everyone running to the ball, responsibilities be damned.

 

[editder]

Did anyone know that Vanderbilt is unstoppable on offense? I was not told about this.

Well neither was Georgia State.

 

[Coach D]

I was wondering what a swarm defense was. Still don’t know for sure, but it appears to have something to do with several players grabbing on to a ball carrier and being dragged down the field.

The d was all catch and give up yards yesterday. No attacking. Can’t believe he didn’t try adjusting and just sending more guys to stop the roll out and wheel route. The QB had no pressure when he did throw. It’s not that it is a 4-2 d it’s how he runs it and with what personnel that is poor.

 

[JDCrimson]

I dont think its necessarily the 4-2-5 alignment that is the problem but there is something wrong with its operation against the run right now. I do know that in that alignment if your 2 LBs fill the wrong gap you easily have a 6-8yd run.

We really didnt have much trouble stopping UGAs run they had to abandon it because they were behind. I think our plan is to make teams abandon their run offense with our own offense. If we cant do that we are in trouble. 3rd and 4th down defense is a definite problem now that needs diagnosing which probably means we are giving up too many yards on the ground on 1st and 2nd down.

 

[bamaga]

The one thing that bothers me is some of the same people that bragged about the relateability to younger players of this staff and coaching loose are now complaining about discipline.

 

[Bama Lee]

Agreed - Alabama gets in with one loss because it likely means that Alabama is the SEC champion. Do we think that is likely?

It just all depends on how the staff and players react to this loss

 

[AlexanderFan]

The one thing that bothers me is some of the same people that bragged about the relateability to younger players of this staff and coaching loose are now complaining about discipline.

Yep, can’t have both.

 

[JDCrimson]

Well, to be honest, when you have only lost a dozen times in your HC career you probably arent having some of your coaching tendencies tested. And Im not talking about Xs and Os but how you manage expectations and team culture.

 

[Bama Lee]

To be frank, our coaches have probably never seen that kind of offense before thus not really knowing how to defend it. Thus just thought who cares we will out talent and out score them.

If we would have played man assignment football rather than gap assignment football with better tackling we would have been okay today. But we retreaded the same defensive gamplan from prior weeks.

It’s called film…. You have to study the film. And it’s very obvious neither the players or the coaches did do!

 

[Bama Lee]

I'd say we missed Caleb Downs today.

It wasn’t the safety position that killed us today. If you dare to rewatch the game, just focus on the MLBs. They looked like they were reenacting a 3 stooges movie

 

[AlistarWills]

It’s called film…. You have to study the film. And it’s very obvious neither the players or the coaches did do!

A long time ago I learned when you are playing a team that wants to run the option, you hit the QB in the mouth EVERY. SINGLE. PLAY. He will get the ball out of his hands faster and faster as the game wore on. We didn’t do that. Oft times we chased the ball when it was pitched. It didn’t happen but we were ripe to get burned on a fake pitch.

 

[Bama Lee]

The two biggest plays that decided the game were due to Malachi Moore watching the quarterback and letting the receiver run right by him. Outside of Robinson, everyone had a dreadful day.

Our Dline is bad, but it’s been bad for years. We have missed on several top Dlinemen who preferred to go to UGA and Texas over Alabama.

we have very talented DL but we only use two at a time. The alignment used allows for teams to power run, use traps, and options to run all over us. And if the MLBs don’t fill the gaps, the opponent will get a minimum of 3-4 yards every play. LT Overton, smith, and company are taking on double teams (this means the MLBs are going unblocked).

 

[Methylred]

Yep, can’t have both.

If that's true, then I'm done as a college football fan.

I simply can't accept that kind of behavior as the new normal.

 

[JDCrimson]

Yep, and it shows how invested CKD is in the defensive gameplan. He allowed his DC to mail in his gameplan. All through the week and during the game. This is a coaching failure of the first order and inexcusable imo. Hubris plain and simple got us beat. He should not be above getting an ass chewing from our AD.

It’s called film…. You have to study the film. And it’s very obvious neither the players or the coaches did do!

 

[gtgilbert]

I will disagree, we ran a similiar 3-3-5 with SAM putting his hand in the dirt a lot, and JACK being a de facto DE. But there are differences in assigments and most notably gap control. At times, this defense looks like an undisciplined schoolyard defense with everyone running to the ball, responsibilities be damned.

by personnel, yes it was a 3-3-5 under saban, but by alignment it was a 4-2-5 as a vast, vast majority of the time the OLB (Jack or Sam, didn't really matter) was up on the LOS - sometimes in a 3 point, but very, very often in a 2 point.

The same is true now, honestly. The WOLF is an OLB so it's technically a 3-3-5 personnel set, but it's aligned most often as a 4-2-5 with the OLB up in the line just like he used to. Nothing there has really changed. The grouping and the alignment are essentially the same as they used to be.

You are 100% correct in that it's very different from an assignment and gap control standpoint. That philosophy is independent of the alignment or grouping though and that's kinda the point. It's not the alignment being a 4-2 that is causing the issues, it's the philosophy of gap control and assignments. Womack is a 1 gap, attack the LOS guy. In theory it can create more pressure and disruption, but the downside is if any given dude gets beat in his gap and the play goes there, it's a problem. Saban was a 2 gap guy - less pressure maybe, but also has more redundancy and LBs able to run free a bit more.

 

[Bama Lee]

A long time ago I learned when you are playing a team that wants to run the option, you hit the QB in the mouth EVERY. SINGLE. PLAY. He will get the ball out of his hands faster and faster as the game wore on. We didn’t do that. Oft times we chased the ball when it was pitched. It didn’t happen but we were ripe to get burned on a fake pitch.

True, but everyone has a specific responsibility On defense when confronted with a speed option team. The pistol style demands great MLB play. We did not truly embrace the responsibilities and we had very far from even mediocre MLB play.

 

[Bama Lee]

I dont think its necessarily the 4-2-5 alignment that is the problem but there is something wrong with its operation against the run right now. I do know that in that alignment if your 2 LBs fill the wrong gap you easily have a 6-8yd run.

We really didnt have much trouble stopping UGAs run they had to abandon it because they were behind. I think our plan is to make teams abandon their run offense with our own offense. If we cant do that we are in trouble. 3rd and 4th down defense is a definite problem now that needs diagnosing which probably means we are giving up too many yards on the ground on 1st and 2nd down.

We had them in 3rd and long multiple times. The Vandy offensive coordinator watched film on how our MLBs reacted in coverage. They utilized the shuttle pass to RB on the option pass. The MLB responsibility and nowhere to be seen. The safeties had to creep up to cover these glaring mistakes. This allowed the TD throw on 4th and 1

 

[TexasBama]

Fun fact - there are no living humans on the planet from the last time we gave up this many points to Vandy (1906)

 

[KrAzY3]

The one thing I keep coming back to in my mind, is how perfectly the Alabama coaches sending in two #2s in represents the job they did that entire game. A lot of times we can blame the coaches, but debate whether or not it was poor player execution.

I can't think of a reason you can do your job as a coach, have the proper number of players out there, and two of them have the same number. That's incredible, mind boggling ineptitude. It's not the entire reason Alabama lost, but it's symptomatic of the depth of the issue. Some of these coaches clearly are not doing their job.

The fact that the enormous blunder likely cost Alabama the game (Vanderbilt ended up scoring a touchdown, and Alabama didn't get the ball back) is just demonstrative of how poor a job these coaches did.