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CU Medallion [18642]
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Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 10:17 AM
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Think back to the 2016 National Title game. I hate Alabama with every fiber of my being, but lets be honest: that Defense was big, fast, mean, and tried to physically hurt you. Watson took some brutal hits, including the one that spun him in the air, Gallman got his bell run bad, and Mike Williams might have taken the worst hit of the night that should have resulted in an ejection.
All 11 starters on that Alabama Defense were drafted over the next 2 years (some weren't draft eligible yet), 9 of the 11 in the 1st 3 rounds. Scoring 35 points that night was imo one of the best performances in a National Title Game ever. In 2019, Alabama scored 41 points against LSU, and 45 points against Auburn and lost both games. And i hate to tell you Bama fan, but Florida has the same record as you, and they beat Auburn. LSU will make the CFP, Georgia will go to the Sugar Bowl, Florida will be in the NY6 (like LSU last year in the Fiesta), and Alabama that would leave Alabama w/ a bid to the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl?
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Orange Immortal [63515]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 10:22 AM
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You meant Florida beat Auburn.
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CU Medallion [18642]
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yeah, and i think i'm confused on the NY6 bowls and the SEC
Dec 3, 2019, 10:44 AM
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Florida also made a NY6 Bowl last year, playing in the Peach Bowl vs Michigan. I think its that the Sugar Bowl takes the highest ranked SEC team not in the CFP as its a NY6 bowl that has conference tie-ins. The two NY6 Bowls that have no conference tie-ins (At Large vs At Large) are the Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl.
So each one of those bowls could take an SEC Team if they wanted, and thats what happened last year with LSU vs UCF in the Fiesta and Florida vs Michigan in the Peach.
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Clemson Conqueror [11996]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 10:35 AM
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What is more amazing is that it has barely been mentioned by the propaganda machines. LSU is in the same boat. It is as if ESECPN thinks they can alter reality by wishing it didn’t exist.
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All-In [27366]
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I guess Kirby Smart was a lot better OC than a Head coach.***
Dec 3, 2019, 10:41 AM
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Orange Blooded [2835]
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The decline started when Pruitt took the Tennessee job
Dec 3, 2019, 11:41 AM
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Alabama's defense got better when Kirby left.
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All-TigerNet [10825]
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CU Guru [1418]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 11:20 AM
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I think the defense is failing for a few reasons.
1. They went too far in changing the offense, you just don’t see many physical defenses when you run that offense. 2. Smaller pool of talented and athletically superior players bc they are now playing on offense in high school. 3.Combined that with other teams recruiting really well, it makes it much harder to get the sure fire nfl defenses players like Alabama used to. 4. Sabans base defense isn’t cutting it anymore and lacks innovation for modern offenses. 5. Not the best coordinators and no continuity on coaching staff.
Just my 2 cents and what I think.
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110%er [6825]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 11:56 AM
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I agree.
The Alabama defense from 2008-2017 was set up to stop "Tim Tebow" style (or to a lesser extent Winston) and NFL-style passers like Matt Stafford's Jawja, etc. The *would* try to out muscle RPO normally with better talent, but if the QB's passing ability combined with decent protection and rushing stats, then they were in trouble. Cam, Watson, Manzel, Barrett. Still, they are set up so that you need an NFL level QB to beat them. Not bad.
This worked well in the SEC where offenses generally were secondary but you can also point towards the Oklahoma giving Alabama a bit more trouble than most other opponents (14 sugar bowl) and even Auburn. Then again, I think Watson & Co set up the blueprint for beating Bama and you are seeing that rolling out.
But here is the other issue. I truly think that Jawja is denting Bama's defensive dominance. This year, injury and depth on the defensive side was a major factor and I am willing to bet some of that talent was siphoned away by Smart. Finally, Pete Golding is a great recruiter but there are some other schematic issues there. Unlike BV, it seems he is more dependent on having specific players so that when he does not have a talent advantage, he is slow to adjust (aka can't do what BV is doing now). I think that Pete is a better HC material than as a DC. I think he would actually be very good at FSU and that is why I think BC should hire him
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110%er [3652]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 12:39 PM
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In the 2019 calendar year Alabama has goven up the following point totals vs the Tigers.
Clemson Tigers 44
LSU Tigers 46
Auburn Tigers. 48
Go Tigers!!
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Ring of Honor [21225]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 12:40 PM
[ in reply to Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen? ] |
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There's an aside to that people don't consider - early NFL entry.
Clemson is in a lot of ways immunized from that because up the "spine" of Clemson's back seven, Venables isn't recruiting for the NFL. He's recruiting great college players who may not necessarily translate to the NFL.
How many guys with really good brains and eyes who might be undersized and lack NFL speed have we seen Venables recruit for interior LB and safety...most of whom were low-4, 3-star, or even 2-star players?
Consider the LB's we've seen start or play extensively at Clemson of late...
1) Ben Boulware
2) Kendall Joseph
3) JD Davis
4) Judah Davis
5) Jamie Skalski
6) Chad Smith
7) Jalen Williams
Again, too small by NFL standards, too slow...but Oh Man do these guys get it done in college. And the key is their eyes and speed of thought. They see it, read it...and they're instantly all over it. They all use their hands well and shed blocks well and get out of the wash effectively, and they're all over the ball so fast nobody realizes until you put a stopwatch on them they're barely breaking a 5-flat in the 40.
And oh, yeah, they tend to play 4-5 years and stay through their senior years, when they're really seeing it and reading it fast. Alabama's guys are gone after three.
What about safeties? You look at our elite athletes who went NFL early and clocked 4.3, like TJ Williams, and you saw an absolute prototype..who busted a lot of coverages. The ones under Venables we've had a lot more success with as actual college players were the guys with good eyes and quicker brains - Robert Smith, Jadar Johnson, Van Smith, K'Von Wallace...all, incidentally, guys who barely broke 4.8 in the 40 and weren't the biggest guys either. But they saw it and read it faster than guys who clocked far faster than them on stopwatches...and oh, yeah, most of them played 4-5 years and stayed in college as well. Lannden Zanders looks like the next one up there as well...and like most of the rest of our line of highly productive safeties he was just a low-end 3-star as well. (And some of our recruitniks were whining when we offered him!)
You can recruit athletes for the perimeter - corner, rush end - and up front at DT (and we do!) and you also need an elite athlete like a Dorian O'Daniel or Isaiah Simmons as your strongside pursuit backer. But where you need brains and recognition (and experience!) Clemson goes and recruits smart guys and not 5-stars and nobody's caught up to that yet.
Alabama started 5-star true freshmen at LB this past year. They'll probably get drafted early and play in the NFL for ten years. That's nice. They also would have lost to Clemson...if they'd made the playoffs this year to face them, that is.
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Orange Beast [6536]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 20, 2020, 4:25 PM
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TU! I really appreciate the serious discussion and breakdown like this. Enjoy reading it.
That's all.
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Team Captain [469]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 7:23 PM
[ in reply to Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen? ] |
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Great post. I have noticed that exactly for the past several years. Our back seven has been better when we don’t have NFL prospects. TJ Green and Kearse constantly, repeatedly busted coverages - contributing to losses, including the 2015 national championship. More pedestrian safeties like Van Smith and Jadar Johnson and our current group don’t impress until the final result on the field is seen.
We watched Chad Smith for four years not be able to break into the LB lineup in front of Kendall Joseph, Tre Lamar, the Davis twins, Williams etc. Never thought he would be fast enough or athletic enough to be successful. But he is a great college linebacker this year. Same with Skalski. Just great LB play from each.
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Orange Beast [6536]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 1:34 PM
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Clemson Icon [26732]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 7:33 PM
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Yes, it is.
Saban is a defensive coach. That makes it truly amazing. As someone pointed out 138 points against the last three ranked teams they have played.
And, as I saw on the screen watching the show - 1395 yards given up to those three teams.
Probably a lot of little reasons for it that all add up, rather than any one big thing.
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Legend [6949]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 7:42 PM
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Offenses are improving.
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CU Guru [1457]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 7:40 PM
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we stole their mojo & swagger & invincibility and now nobody fears BAMA anymore, we made them mortal
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110%er [3652]
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Re: Isn't it amazing how far Alabama's Defense has fallen?
Dec 3, 2019, 9:49 PM
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In 2019 Alabama has given up these point totals to the Tigers:
Clemson Tigers 44
LSU Tigers 46
Auburn Tigers. 48
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