You can't take over a Nick Saban team and lose to Vanderbilt

[AlexanderFan]

This is 100% on the players. If you want a “player’s coach” there’s a certain amount of inward motivation needed, because the outward motivation of a hard nosed coach is missing. Saban was the outward motivation that kept these guys moving forward. Deboer doesn’t coach like that, and that’s okay, but it absolutely puts more responsibility on the players to get themselves ready to play.

 

[B1GTide]

Well, I don’t think we will face another 2nd coming of Johnny Manzell nor a misdirection option team that has a qb that makes all his throws.

True, but you will face much better offensive lines, and Vandy just manhandled the Alabama defensive front for the entire game.

 

[smith5753]

Before you run out and buy the domain www.firekalendeboer.com, let me gently remind you that we went 7-5 in Nick Saban's first year in Tuscaloosa.

I understand there was always going to be growing pains, a 10-2 season with playoffs hopes was just as realistic as 8-4 in my opinion, but you can’t compare those two teams. Coach Saban took over a program that had to be rebuilt from the ground up whereas coach DeBoer took over the gold standard of college football for the past 15-16 years.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

to add even more insult Vandy will lose to Kentucky Saturday

 

[CrimsonNagus]

The offense has extreme issues with the running game that need to be fixed. They need to help the defense out by sustaining some drives and giving the defense time to rest and adjust.

I disagree, the offense is doing great. Almost scored as much as Vandy in half the snaps. This isn’t the problem.

I keep seeing people say stuff like this but, that is not DeBoer’s style. We did not hire a power run coach. Go look at his stats at previous schools. Hiring him and then asking him to be someone he is not just isn’t fair. He will never be a power run first type of coach. If that’s what you really want then you’re really asking for a coaching change.

 

[B1GTide]

I keep seeing people say stuff like this but, that is not DeBoer’s style. We did not hire a power run coach. Go look at his stats at previous schools. Hiring him and then asking him to be someone he is not just isn’t fair. He will never be a power run first type of coach. If that’s what you really want then you’re really asking for a coaching change.

Agreed. Same with Wommack. You hired them to run their schemes. Have to see if they can work in the SEC. Things looking good for DeBoer's offense.

 

[theballguy]

Saban was left with Shula's players.

DeBoer was left with mostly Saban's players.

The comparison is apples to oranges.

This. I get 10-2. But if you lose to Vandy, you're likely going 9-3 or worse. Just glad we didn't lose to a typical Vandy team. Anyways, I am curious to see how DeBoer adjusts to next week and the rest of the season. My point is, it's one thing to lose but you can't lose because of defense at Alabama for very long.

 

[uaintn]

So, I was going to do the exercise of looking at the drive charts since the first half of Georgia to see how many scoring drives the defense has allowed, how many yards, how many three and outs forced, but I don't have the stomach to know, actually. So what's wrong with the defense?

1. Could be the scheme is rotten and can't be fixed. I'm too ignorant to know.

2. Perhaps the scheme just doesn't work against an offense like Vanderbilt's, which we will not see again unless, say, we get Navy in the Capital One Bowl. Possible, but doesn't apply to second-half UGA.

3. It is possible that the scheme is just new and our players do not understand it completely, though it seemed to work well enough until halftime of the Georgia game. This seems unlikely to me. Several players have been quoted as saying this scheme is easier to understand and execute than CNS defensive schemes.

4. Perhaps our players are not physically/mentally capable of executing the scheme -- they are not quick enough, fast enough, strong enough, conditioned enough or able to process the needed decisions quickly enough to make the plan work. Nope, not believing this. If so, Wisconsin would have given us a better game and we'd have never been up four tds on UGA. We have an outstanding group of defensive football players.

5. Maybe we just ran into stronger, better conditioned athletes.... Not even finishing that thought. VU probably does not have one player that would start on Georgia's or Alabama's offense.

6. The opposing coaching staffs are just better than ours and made adjustments that we could not respond to. If so, this also means #1 is partially right.

Sorry to be so long. Thanks for the therapy session.

 

[Coach D]

Didn’t think the scheme would be very successful for an SEC school. Really don’t now especially when a DC can’t/won’t adjust. The D has given up a lot of running yards all year and long drives. Teams have basically stopped themselves not so much the d stopping them. DBs made a few plays with picks this year but half those were bad throws. Moore has underwhelmed and the D line is very avg. Thought this scheme would free up d line to make more plays but they haven’t for the most part. Not sure if they are just good but not great players. But the DC has not done well. Played two good QBs that could throw. Haven’t done well.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

One thing we are going to have to do is to not compare other coaches to Nick Saban. He ain't coming back and you can't make him!

 

[B1GTide]

One thing we are going to have to do is to not compare other coaches to Nick Saban. He ain't coming back and you can't make him!

That is why you don't want to be the guy to replace him.

It took a while for Alabama fans to believe that the team would work through whatever shortcomings they might have and make a run. Fans were gunshy because of the poor coaching that followed Stallings. 15 years of mediocrity will do that to you.

Well, those same fans just experienced the best 17 year run in the history of the sport. Every single team during that period was in championship contention. It is going to take a few years for Alabama fans to become comfortable with anything less.

Sucks for DeBoer but he is being well compensated. He wanted this.

 

[mlh]

In truth, reference the OP, I'd say CKD has about 80% taken over the program. He's going to have to make a decision to take full ownership if he plans to be successful in T-town. No more half stepping.

Bama9001, I'm curious about this comment. Not sure I understand what you're saying. Care to elaborate? Thanks.

 

[gtgilbert]

My opinion is even with transitioning offense and defense losing to Vanderbilt is a bridge too far. Not too far yet in terms of supporting this staff, but they definitely need a come to Jesus discussion on some things.

Personally I love the offense. I only wish that there was a little bit more physicality showcased on week to week. And I think they need to really focus on that. The run game is flashy and creates big plays. But a little bit more power will be needed. With the horses they have up front, some simple power left or right should not be that hard to get some tough yards with.

The reason it will be needed is because they need to keep this struggling defense on the sideline.

In terms of the defense... I don't even hate the idea of the scheme. I think a simple option will be that they need to use more lingerieon the line more often... Like instead of a Wolf...2 bandits.... In particular in games like this when they're being gashed on the ground. #22,#23 have both proven they can get sideline to sideline too

We actually did a lot of that against UGA. used a ton of different groupings even though it looked like a 4-2. Some plays we had 2DTs and 2 Bandits and some plays we had no DTs, 2 Bandits and 2 Wolves.

I'm generally optimistic about both Latham and Overton, but so far they've been exposed a bit on run play edge support when they are unblocked and are the read guy. Overton specifically got abused pretty bad last night and Vandy made play after play reading him on the edge. I think we were trying to do do much with changing up how many different ways we attacked the mesh point and it resulted in them playing it slowly. If we are really attacking the mesh instead of holding the edge, then we need faster wolf guys to get in there.

 

[BigAlinKnoxville]

I understand there was always going to be growing pains, a 10-2 season with playoffs hopes was just as realistic as 8-4 in my opinion, but you can’t compare those two teams. Coach Saban took over a program that had to be rebuilt from the ground up whereas coach DeBoer took over the gold standard of college football for the past 15-16 years.

I'm not comparing them directly, but I see similarities. I have to ask, had we really been the gold standard for a couple of years? As far as the caliber of athletes goes, we were right up there. But I saw a lot of well-deserved criticism of both coordinators. Both sides of the ball were diminished from where they'd been a couple of years earlier.

No, of course it wasn't an overall wreck like what CNS inherited, but it was still a new head coach, new staff, new playbook, new schemes, new ways of doing things. Also remember that many of those players had come to play for CNS, and suddenly he's gone. That can be a lot of stress for some players, I'm sure.

So of course DeBoer took over a better situation than Saban, no doubt. But at the same time, did anyone really expect us to go undefeated his first year? Also remember that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, always brings us their absolute best game. No one ever goes to sleep on Alabama. They go to sleep on Vandy, and that's exactly what we did.

 

[Coach D]

I'm not comparing them directly, but I see similarities. I have to ask, had we really been the gold standard for a couple of years? As far as the caliber of athletes goes, we were right up there. But I saw a lot of well-deserved criticism of both coordinators. Both sides of the ball were diminished from where they'd been a couple of years earlier.

No, of course it wasn't an overall wreck like what CNS inherited, but it was still a new head coach, new staff, new playbook, new schemes, new ways of doing things. Also remember that many of those players had come to play for CNS, and suddenly he's gone. That can be a lot of stress for some players, I'm sure.

So of course DeBoer took over a better situation than Saban, no doubt. But at the same time, did anyone really expect us to go undefeated his first year? Also remember that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, always brings us their absolute best game. No one ever goes to sleep on Alabama. They go to sleep on Vandy, and that's exactly what we did.

Losing to vandy is inexcusable when left a program as talented as this. This was bad coaching and execution. Nothing like CNS first year. Undefeated no, losing to a team of this caliber no.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

I'm not comparing them directly, but I see similarities. I have to ask, had we really been the gold standard for a couple of years? As far as the caliber of athletes goes, we were right up there. But I saw a lot of well-deserved criticism of both coordinators. Both sides of the ball were diminished from where they'd been a couple of years earlier.

No, of course it wasn't an overall wreck like what CNS inherited, but it was still a new head coach, new staff, new playbook, new schemes, new ways of doing things. Also remember that many of those players had come to play for CNS, and suddenly he's gone. That can be a lot of stress for some players, I'm sure.

So of course DeBoer took over a better situation than Saban, no doubt. But at the same time, did anyone really expect us to go undefeated his first year? Also remember that everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, always brings us their absolute best game. No one ever goes to sleep on Alabama. They go to sleep on Vandy, and that's exactly what we did.

of course most reasonable fans did not think DeBoer would go undefeated in year 1, but no one expected any loss to Vandy. While this is a decent Vandy team, they are not a playoff team, they are not a conference championship team, they are not a 10 win team and they might not even be a bowl team.

 

[92tide]

to add even more insult Vandy will lose to Kentucky Saturday

the way this crazy season is going overall, i half expect them to lose to ky and the barn and beat texas and lsu

 

[DanoCanuck]

Losing to vandy is inexcusable when left a program as talented as this. This was bad coaching and execution. Nothing like CNS first year. Undefeated no, losing to a team of this caliber no.

Absolutely! CKD's honeymoon is over and it ended in the worst possible way. I blame the coaches far more than the players but the entire operating was a failure from the ground up.

 

[BigAlinKnoxville]

Losing to vandy is inexcusable when left a program as talented as this. This was bad coaching and execution. Nothing like CNS first year. Undefeated no, losing to a team of this caliber no.

But I have to ask, was it indeed bad coaching or was it the team not taking Vandy seriously? I'm not arguing because you may be totally right.

I suspect that's why they struggled against USF, as well, because they had the Georgia game on their minds.

 

[Countrytider2]

Well the eeyoring is back….

with all due respect, we just lost to Vanderbilt. The Eeyores have every right in the world to be “back”.