Why has Bama been terrible on both sides of the line for 4 or 5 years?

[SMOKIESBAMAFAN]

I think that the main problem with Bama since 2020 is that they have been getting bullied on the line of scrimmage—both sides of the ball. Offense can’t block, defense gets very little penetration. Why has this happened? Was there a lack of recruiting along the line? Did some recruits flop? Proctor is big, but he is big and slow! What are your thoughts? And this goes back to Saban.

 

[bamaslammer]

I would say we’ve had a few good DL, just not enough of them. I believe it’s coaching am and I’m not sold on our S&C program.

 

[Bpilktree]

The defensive line has been pretty solid stopping the run. The problem is no pass rushers coming from the outside. Will Anderson is the only guy we have had in last 5+ years.

 

[arthurdawg]

OL recruiting and development has been poor. We went all in on a 342 pound average line in 2023 and they couldn't move! It is also an area that really requires 2 years to learn the ropes and we just don't have that currently.

DL has largely been manned by pluggers and we haven't done a good job at bringing in the 5* disruptors who can take over. Pretty good guys, but not as great. Even the 5* we've brought in like Payne and Smith have taken a long time to develop and haven't played that way. We do have some serious edge talent at least, and some younger ones in the wings. But we need big physical inside guys. They have played well this year though, despite lots of injuries.

Agree on S&C too... I don't think we focus on the guys in the trench in terms of power.

We do have a number of solid young OL and DL around... But we need a few difference makers from the portal this year.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

Of all the things to complain about, our Defense ain't it right now. They have progressed from week to week and are a lot better. It's the three and outs from the Offense that are killing us on the defensive side of the ball.

 

[BamaInCummingGA]

Strength & Conditioning definitely needs to be looked at/revamped. It really shows across the board. You can even see it with the receivers.

 

[dtgreg]

Moo

 

[Cruloc]

I think its all a strength and conditioning thing as well as an overall mentality of the program thing.

Look at Georgia, they've got that old Bama attitude. We're gonna hit you and hit you and hit you until you break.....we will anaconda your will until you quit. We don't have that, haven't had that for years now. That's not just a DeBoer thing.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Moo

Yep, go look at his postings. It's 90% slamming "Bama" (never "us") and "Saban" and how this or that was handled badly and how badly "Bama" looked.

 

[arthurdawg]

Of all the things to complain about, our Defense ain't it right now. They have progressed from week to week and are a lot better. It's the three and outs from the Offense that are killing us on the defensive side of the ball.

Agreed on that! I don't mean to criticize any of our guys from a personal standpoint. I think all of them are working hard. I do think the defense has done really well this year, would be cool to see the unit stay largely intact with a few solid additions from the portal and be truly dominant next year.

 

[BamaMoon]

The OL discussion is basically what the "Battered QB" thread is discussing.

DL doesn't belong because they have outshone the OL almost every game this year, especially late in the year...defense as a whole, especially.

 

[AWRTR]

Of all the things to complain about, our Defense ain't it right now. They have progressed from week to week and are a lot better. It's the three and outs from the Offense that are killing us on the defensive side of the ball.

In modern college football if you leave your defense on the field all the time they will eventually break. It's just the nature of the offensive game. I've been pleasantly surprised at how well the defense has held up under the circumstances. UGA had one TD that wasn't off a turnover.

 

[bamaslammer]

Strength & Conditioning definitely needs to be looked at/revamped. It really shows across the board. You can even see it with the receivers.

I get what they are saying about the analytics but there is computer strong and there is country boy strong. UGA just showed us what country boy strong looks like. We need to get back to that, and I'm not talking about how they look or what music they like. I'm talking about someone who can man handle a refrigerator ALONE.

 

[AlexanderFan]

Physicality is a mindset. Even giants can be beaten when you know how to violently contact your opponent over and over again.

 

[mdb-tpet]

Physicality is a mindset. Even giants can be beaten when you know how to violently contact your opponent over and over again.

They really need to study Kung Fu techniques for controlling an opponent through pushing them off balance. I've been watching my kid in Kung Fu learn how to lock in with an opponent, then use their aggressiveness against them to throw them off balance by attacking their weak side. You don't need to be stronger, you just need to be smarter. This of course only works if you're close to their strength, size, which we should be.

 

[mlh]

They really need to study Kung Fu techniques for controlling an opponent through pushing them off balance. I've been watching my kid in Kung Fu learn how to lock in with an opponent, then use their aggressiveness against them to throw them off balance by attacking their weak side. You don't need to be stronger, you just need to be smarter. This of course only works if you're close to their strength, size, which we should be.

Everybody was kung fu fighting...

Now, who has that stupid song playing in their head?

 

[AlexanderFan]

They really need to study Kung Fu techniques for controlling an opponent through pushing them off balance. I've been watching my kid in Kung Fu learn how to lock in with an opponent, then use their aggressiveness against them to throw them off balance by attacking their weak side. You don't need to be stronger, you just need to be smarter. This of course only works if you're close to their strength, size, which we should be.

Larger wrestlers usually make great offensive linemen as well.

 

[mikeua69]

DL hasn't been nearly as bad, but we haven't had a truly dominant disrupter since Barmore. I'd blame that on some recruiting misses. Peter Woods comes to mind.

 

[squib]

Recruiting misses. I believe that it may be possible that projecting greatness from a high school olineman may be the toughest task in recruiting.

For this reason, I would drop a pile of NIL money on linemen that are 20 years old and doing well against college competition. Send pigeons with notes attached to their feet if necessary. Go through whatever channel possible--even shady ones--to get the meanest ones in T-Town. Write the check or lose out to those that do.

 

[AWRTR]

Recruiting misses. I believe that it may be possible that projecting greatness from a high school olineman may be the toughest task in recruiting.

For this reason, I would drop a pile of NIL money on linemen that are 20 years old and doing well against college competition. Send pigeons with notes attached to their feet if necessary. Go through whatever channel possible--even shady ones--to get the meanest ones in T-Town. Write the check or lose out to those that do.

I told my dad this the other day. If I was a good offensive lineman looking for some NIL money I would make sure Bama knew I was interested in entering the portal.