Saban Will Return to Former Coaching Philosophy

[bballcat4]

I'll be very surprised if Saban doesn't return to his pre-Tua coaching philosophy. He has repeatedly said the last few years that any team that can't run the football is a fraud. Saban is at his best with 'good' quarterbacks and a 'great' defense. (It's not the only way to win, but it's his formula for winning.) Tua is a generational talent and Saban allowed offense to be built around Tua's talents. Everyone wants the generational QB with precision accuracy, good decision making ability, etc... No one faults Saban for adjusting to Tua's skillset. HOWEVER, it caused other parts of his philosophy (running & defense) to struggle. (Injuries & coaching turnover have also been a major problem.)

He's not going to complain about scoring too fast and all the 25+ yds plays! Tua has been great and I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he has a long & successful NFL career. Tua won me over with how he treated Hurts a couple years ago.

Saban doesn't have many coaching years left in him. I'll be very surprised if he doesn't finish up with a heavy emphasis on defense and a great running game. This formula won him several championships.

 

[CatGotMyTongue]

 

[jpbky2]

Well, at least we know the Cats weren't a fraud this year.

 

[ekywildcat]

But Tua's little brother is on the roster. Reports I've read, mostly on here, is that he's better than Tua.

 

[Jeff Sykes]

I'll be very surprised if Saban doesn't return to his pre-Tua coaching philosophy. He has repeatedly said the last few years that any team that can't run the football is a fraud. Saban is at his best with 'good' quarterbacks and a 'great' defense. (It's not the only way to win, but it's his formula for winning.) Tua is a generational talent and Saban allowed offense to be built around Tua's talents. Everyone wants the generational QB with precision accuracy, good decision making ability, etc... No one faults Saban for adjusting to Tua's skillset. HOWEVER, it caused other parts of his philosophy (running & defense) to struggle. (Injuries & coaching turnover have also been a major problem.)

He's not going to complain about scoring too fast and all the 25+ yds plays! Tua has been great and I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he has a long & successful NFL career. Tua won me over with how he treated Hurts a couple years ago.

Saban doesn't have many coaching years left in him. I'll be very surprised if he doesn't finish up with a heavy emphasis on defense and a great running game. This formula won him several championships.

Having the best players won him all of those games first and foremost but I do understand what you are saying about the style of play.

 

[vhcat70]

Yawn

 

[NoDef]

His philosophy is not what is getting him beat, it's his Jimmys and Joe's on the defensive side. He doesn't have elite talent on the defensive front right now. A pro scout alluded to that before the season started. Said something to the sort that this was the least talented group in the Saban era. It's also not helped that he has coordinator turnover every year. The game of football is won up front.

 

[wildcatglenn]

I fail to see how changing his offensive philosophy to Tua's skill set has anything to do with his defense.

 

[Xception]

The coordinator turnover is a killer, everybody has tried to pilfer Bama coaching ranks to have the same system in place. It never lasts, Bamas insane run of playoffs most every year will come to an end. Remember USC, FSU and Miami being dominant?

 

[bballcat4]

The coordinator turnover is a killer, everybody has tried to pilfer Bama coaching ranks to have the same system in place. It never lasts, Bamas insane run of playoffs most every year will come to an end. Remember USC, FSU and Miami being dominant?

I think Saban will have one more run at Playoffs before he rides off into sunset. They’re recruiting has been too good for too long (among the tops again this year) for them to have a major talent gap.

I think they lost 3 lbers to injury this year before season began. Ala may not have another 5-6 yrs in a roll of playoff teams in the wings, but he’ll make another run for a title before going away.

 

[Xception]

I think Saban will have one more run at Playoffs before he rides off into sunset. They’re recruiting has been too good for too long (among the tops again this year) for them to have a major talent gap.

I think they lost 3 lbers to injury this year before season began. Ala may not have another 5-6 yrs in a roll of playoff teams in the wings, but he’ll make another run for a title before going away.

Saban leaving will be a defining moment in Bamas ability to remain on this level. If Dabo moves over then it can be maintained, if not they’ll hire another Saban protégé that probably won’t be able to keep it going at that level.

 

[bballcat4]

I fail to see how changing his offensive philosophy to Tua's skill set has anything to do with his defense.

He wants to control clock and have sustained drives. I agree that it’s hard to complain about scoring too fast. That’s like having too much money or a wife who’s too attractive.

He’s always been a defensive minded coach. Again, revolving coordinator door and multiple injuries on both sides of the ball got him this year. I just expect him to go back to what he does best.

 

[bballcat4]

Saban leaving will be a defining moment in Bamas ability to remain on this level. If Dabo moves over then it can be maintained, if not they’ll hire another Saban protégé that probably won’t be able to keep it going at that level.

Agreed. Trying to maintain the Bear protégés cost them 10-15 yrs. Wouldn’t hurt my feelings if they repeated that strategy.

 

[JC CATS]

He wants to control clock and have sustained drives. I agree that it’s hard to complain about scoring too fast. That’s like having too much money or a wife who’s too attractive.

He’s always been a defensive minded coach. Again, revolving coordinator door and multiple injuries on both sides of the ball got him this year. I just expect him to go back to what he does best.

Where is this "scoring too fast" coming from? I have never heard Saban allude to that

 

[bballcat4]

Where is this "scoring too fast" coming from? I have never heard Saban allude to that

He hasn’t! Who would! That’s what I meant by too much money or a wife too attractive. (You enjoy it at the time ;-)

But it hasn’t been his MO over the years. How many times have people asked, “why can’t Saban get the top QB?”

He’s had one of the best college QB’s in recent history. (My opinion before Tua got hurt.) Saban was warning about this day 2 years ago when Tua pulled their bacon out of the fire. He talked last year about the need to improve their running game and defense. Clemson exposed both of these areas in the championship game. Too many injuries to overcome this year.

I strongly suspect he’ll wrap up his coaching career going back to his bread and butter. It may cause him to miss out on top 1-2 QBs each year. But he’s proven he can win with the McCarron’s & Coker’s (others like
them) of the world when they’re surrounded with excellent talent and loaded to bear on defense.

 

[NoDef]

He hasn’t! Who would! That’s what I meant by too much money or a wife too attractive. (You enjoy it at the time ;-)

But it hasn’t been his MO over the years. How many times have people asked, “why can’t Saban get the top QB?”

He’s had one of the best college QB’s in recent history. (My opinion before Tua got hurt.) Saban was warning about this day 2 years ago when Tua pulled their bacon out of the fire. He talked last year about the need to improve their running game and defense. Clemson exposed both of these areas in the championship game. Too many injuries to overcome this year.

I strongly suspect he’ll wrap up his coaching career going back to his bread and butter. It may cause him to miss out on top 1-2 QBs each year. But he’s proven he can win with the McCarron’s & Coker’s (others like
them) of the world when they’re surrounded with excellent talent and loaded to bear on defense.

He changed from that philosophy due to the fact that it was taking more points to win in the playoffs. Kiffen alluded to it on Finebaum a few weeks ago. Said that Saban was not getting elite talents at the QB and WR spots and that playing game management style of football was being used against him on the recruiting trail. His problem this year on the defensive side was injuries and lack of "Bama" talent in the trenches.

TOP is not a great game changer in football. LSU is something like 70th in TOP and the majority of the playoff teams are in the 30-110 range in TOP stats. Every team in the playoff is ranked in the top 40 in ppg.

 

[mrschwump]

He changed from that philosophy due to the fact that it was taking more points to win in the playoffs. Kiffen alluded to it on Finebaum a few weeks ago. Said that Saban was not getting elite talents at the QB and WR spots and that playing game management style of football was being used against him on the recruiting trail. His problem this year on the defensive side was injuries and lack of "Bama" talent in the trenches.

TOP is not a great game changer in football. LSU is something like 70th in TOP and the majority of the playoff teams are in the 30-110 range in TOP stats. Every team in the playoff is ranked in the top 40 in ppg.

He has a 5* QB from CA committed and 3 4* WRs committed so don't know if I buy the "not getting elite QB/WRs." Think the QB is a RPO guy so that's not a change for him. You're right about injuries, especially to his LB corps where they lost really good ones preseason. Has had a drop off in RB production too.

 

[JC CATS]

He hasn’t! Who would! That’s what I meant by too much money or a wife too attractive. (You enjoy it at the time ;-)

But it hasn’t been his MO over the years. How many times have people asked, “why can’t Saban get the top QB?”

He’s had one of the best college QB’s in recent history. (My opinion before Tua got hurt.) Saban was warning about this day 2 years ago when Tua pulled their bacon out of the fire. He talked last year about the need to improve their running game and defense. Clemson exposed both of these areas in the championship game. Too many injuries to overcome this year.

I strongly suspect he’ll wrap up his coaching career going back to his bread and butter. It may cause him to miss out on top 1-2 QBs each year. But he’s proven he can win with the McCarron’s & Coker’s (others like
them) of the world when they’re surrounded with excellent talent and loaded to bear on defense.

I think you are right, the QB position is 1 they do not dominate in the NL. The SEC is a smash mouth run the ball league for the most part. There are exceptions

 

[Pulaski Cat Fan]

Screw Saban.

 

[rudd1]

-bama board is ====>.

-the bama/saban slurping by some in our fanbase is cute.

 

[NoDef]

He has a 5* QB from CA committed and 3 4* WRs committed so don't know if I buy the "not getting elite QB/WRs." Think the QB is a RPO guy so that's not a change for him. You're right about injuries, especially to his LB corps where they lost really good ones preseason. Has had a drop off in RB production too.

The OP is the one that said he thought that Saban would return to his old style of play. That didn't come from Saban. Kiffen made the comment regarding the time when they were not getting the top players at those positions.

 

[JBHolmesfan]

They still had a shot at the playoffs if Tua didn’t get hurt. Their weakness hasn’t been their offensive scheme. It’s their defense. They lost their best LB before the season started I believe.

I don’t think Saban will look at this and think it was his offensive philosophy that cost him a shot at a title. He didn’t have the talent he normally does on defense. You can have an elite offense and still have a good defense. They just weren’t as good as they normally are and had some injury issues. If they had an average defense by Saban’s standards with this offense they’d have been incredible.

 

[AR15CATWARRIOR]

Even when he ran the ball and took his shots Saban was cracking 40 all the time. The thing was he was beating teams 45-3, 41-10,51-13 etc..with his Old style of play. It was still an efficient Offense he just ate the clock up and had the Best D in nation most them years.

 

[NoDef]

People tend to forget that Bama has only won two of the five championships since the playoff began. One of those wins was entirely due to Tua coming in and giving the offense a pulse for the first time in the game. The problem with Bama last year was that Clemson could whip them up front. It's not like you magically tell your defense to be pathetic if your offense is good. Michigan State came into the playoff with a below average offense and got shut out. The common theme of playoff games is lots of points for the winner. It's about Jimmy's and Joe's.

 

[m080470]

I don't think it's a coaching philosophy that needs to change, it was 3 big things from this year carrying over from last year: injuries, lack of pass rush and lack of continuity with assistant coaches.

 

[bballcat4]

TOP is not a great game changer in football. LSU is something like 70th in TOP and the majority of the playoff teams are in the 30-110 range in TOP stats. Every team in the playoff is ranked in the top 40 in ppg.

I agree about TOP not being most critical offensive stat. Splash plays ... especially against weak teams ... skews this stat. I don’t expect Ala’s ppg to drastically drop. However, I don’t think he wants every important game in the 40’s. Defense is obviously key part, but offensive philosophy is part of the equation.

 

[bballcat4]

-bama board is ====>.

-the bama/saban slurping by some in our fanbase is cute.

Easy cheetah. I’d be happy if Ala didn’t win another game. However, I do admire champions in every sport and business. (I may not even like the person, but I can appreciate their success.). Saban’s run at Ala will go down as one of the best ever.

Now, my real reason for watching what Saban does next is because of Stoops emphasis on defense and running game. As @NoDef and others have pointed out, you have to be able to put up points to win it all. Oklahoma (and others) are learning that you simply can’t outscore people and win at the highest level.

I expect Saban to go back to scoring his points the way he did pre-Tua. (Again, I think Tua is a generational player and Saban played to his strengths.).

UK can win 7-8 games a year with current philosophy. But, UK needs to manufacture more points to compete regularly with top echelon teams. I think we would’ve seen a very balanced offense with TW with the running game still being the staple. Barring another injury, We’ll get another chance to see next year.

My “slurping” isn’t for a program, but for success at the highest level.

 

[EKCAT4YRS]

this is a place to talk football, if a person doesn't want to talk about this particular subject they should scroll on! I've never understood commenting in a thread about your dislike of the subject!

 

[UKUGA]

They lost their #1 LB before the season and every analyst said it would hurt them.

It did.

 

[UKUGA]

People tend to forget that Bama has only won two of the five championships since the playoff began.

Only.

 

[bballcat4]

Only.

Yep. That's only 40% of championships since the playoffs were implemented! Not to mention 5 out of the last 9. No lessons to be learned from this coach.

 

[SPECT imaging]

I'll be very surprised if Saban doesn't return to his pre-Tua coaching philosophy. He has repeatedly said the last few years that any team that can't run the football is a fraud. Saban is at his best with 'good' quarterbacks and a 'great' defense. (It's not the only way to win, but it's his formula for winning.) Tua is a generational talent and Saban allowed offense to be built around Tua's talents. Everyone wants the generational QB with precision accuracy, good decision making ability, etc... No one faults Saban for adjusting to Tua's skillset. HOWEVER, it caused other parts of his philosophy (running & defense) to struggle. (Injuries & coaching turnover have also been a major problem.)

He's not going to complain about scoring too fast and all the 25+ yds plays! Tua has been great and I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he has a long & successful NFL career. Tua won me over with how he treated Hurts a couple years ago.

Saban doesn't have many coaching years left in him. I'll be very surprised if he doesn't finish up with a heavy emphasis on defense and a great running game. This formula won him several championships.

Saban can coach for 4-5 more years if he stays healthy and does not lose his inner fire. Alabama will leave the decision to him. I suspect he would like to win one more NCAA championship and then retire on that high note. There is not much more in the way of records for him to accomplish. But he will have to do some transplant surgery on his coaching staff first. He needs a new defensive coordinator and a new special teams coach. There is sure nothing wrong with the recruiting.

 

[NoDef]

Yep. That's only 40% of championships since the playoffs were implemented! Not to mention 5 out of the last 9. No lessons to be learned from this coach.

The actual playoff in it's current form only started five years ago. Clemson has also won 40% of them, so a Bama dominance would be overstated. Bama won one of them with it's game management approach and had to abandon it completely in order to win #2. So, the theory of 40% of them being won that way would be a stretch.

The winning scores in the championship game have been 42,45,35,26,44. The winners are putting the ball in the end zone. Saban was the one that decided that he needed to be more explosive offensively. Having Tua and elite receivers scoring 40+ a game has not all of a sudden caused off season defensive injuries or lack of a dominate line. The OP was the one that decided that Saban was going to abandon the passing game after this year.

I'm sure Saban does want to get better at running the football. I'm sure he wished he was better at it this year and didn't purposely struggle with it. He had a quality running game to go with the passing game last year. Just ran into a dominate defensive line.

 

[LowCountryCat]

The actual playoff in it's current form only started five years ago. Clemson has also won 40% of them, so a Bama dominance would be overstated. Bama won one of them with it's game management approach and had to abandon it completely in order to win #2. So, the theory of 40% of them being won that way would be a stretch.

The winning scores in the championship game have been 42,45,35,26,44. The winners are putting the ball in the end zone. Saban was the one that decided that he needed to be more explosive offensively. Having Tua and elite receivers scoring 40+ a game has not all of a sudden caused off season defensive injuries or lack of a dominate line. The OP was the one that decided that Saban was going to abandon the passing game after this year.

I'm sure Saban does want to get better at running the football. I'm sure he wished he was better at it this year and didn't purposely struggle with it. He had a quality running game to go with the passing game last year. Just ran into a dominate defensive line.

5 championships in the modern era is unheard of. Saban is a legend. Trying to diminish his feat is folly.

 

[NoDef]

5 championships in the modern era is unheard of. Saban is a legend. Trying to diminish his feat is folly.

Nobody is saying he isn't great. The debate is whether or not that Saban has lost the last two years because of his change to an explosive offense. It's crazy to think that Saban purposely got a lot worse on the defensive side in order to become good on the offensive side. The issue with his defense this year is lack of talent. Last year Clemson was just a whole lot better. It would be hard to argue that his last title wasn't won due to changing offensive philosophy.

The title of this thread is misleading. It is an OP opinion and not a statement from the Bama side like the title implies.

 

[VT/UK Rondo]

Rules changed a few years ago favoring the offense along with alot of spreads and mobile QBs. If you cant score points in today's game your going to struggle. That said, I think Sabans struggled are more on defense. Very good defense just not great defense. Clemson is the same way, very good defense just not great like last year. The big question with Saban will be can he out recruit Orgeron and Fisher for SEC west dominance. His assistants are now head coaches too, they were the ones with recruiting pipelines and now they are recruiting against their former boss for the same 5stars. FSU makes a homerun hire and recruiting will only get tougher for Saban.

 

[bballcat4]

Nobody is saying he isn't great. The debate is whether or not that Saban has lost the last two years because of his change to an explosive offense. It's crazy to think that Saban purposely got a lot worse on the defensive side in order to become good on the offensive side. The issue with his defense this year is lack of talent. Last year Clemson was just a whole lot better. It would be hard to argue that his last title wasn't won due to changing offensive philosophy.

The title of this thread is misleading. It is an OP opinion and not a statement from the Bama side like the title implies.

I agree 100% that multiple injuries took a toll on his defense this year. But, Clemson & Ga marched up and down the field on him the last couple of years. You’re correct about Tua pulling their bacon out of the fire a couple years ago.

You correctly point out scoring of recent champs. I’m not disputing the facts. (UK will also need to be able to put up more points to ever move into the top echelon of SEC.)

The only point I’m making is how I think Saban DESIRES to play the game. He has repeatedly said the last couple of years that lack of running game would lead to danger. I expect him to be more balanced and get back to his philosophy of football. Here’s a Saban quote from a couple months ago. “We need to be able not only to control the tempo of the game with offense,” Saban said last week. “We have to control the plays and clock with offense.”

This is why I expect for Saban (and UK) to build offense around a strong running game.

 

[NoDef]

I agree 100% that multiple injuries took a toll on his defense this year. But, Clemson & Ga marched up and down the field on him the last couple of years. You’re correct about Tua pulling their bacon out of the fire a couple years ago.

You correctly point out scoring of recent champs. I’m not disputing the facts. (UK will also need to be able to put up more points to ever move into the top echelon of SEC.)

The only point I’m making is how I think Saban DESIRES to play the game. He has repeatedly said the last couple of years that lack of running game would lead to danger. I expect him to be more balanced and get back to his philosophy of football. Here’s a Saban quote from a couple months ago. “We need to be able not only to control the tempo of the game with offense,” Saban said last week. “We have to control the plays and clock with offense.”

This is why I expect for Saban (and UK) to build offense around a strong running game.

I think the coordinator turnover has just started to take it's toll. Their running attack was efficient last year but Clemson was just superior up front on both sides. They just ran into a better team last year after steam rolling all of the teams before them. Bama has ran into a talent issue up front. They lost to Auburn because of an injured QB and nothing else. The backup QB gave up 14 points by his self.

 

[CB3UK]

That Bama defense this year was poor by their usual standards, for whatever reason.