Some will panic, but as long as Saban is coach, he's the only coordinator
You can argue it, you can debate it, but both Smart and Mac are organizers more than coordinators. Saban is the one dictating the play calling and focus on such. Just look around at most of his coordinators and how they've faired after leaving him. Outside of Jimbo, and the blessing of coaching for another great coach and having the ease of a top 15 class without leaving the state, none of the coordinators that come to mind have really excelled after Saban. Muschamp? Did Texas impress you in the Rose Bowl? Steele? Have you watched Clemson give up touchdowns like lap dances in the Champagne Room? Major Applewhite? Brotha please! Ever heard of Gary Tranquill or Dean Pees? Chris Cosh? All his coordinators at Michigan State. Not a one is a household name.
With that said, Gary Gibbs was somewhat known, but he was Chokelahoma's coach after Switzer. He also didn't hang long before returning to the NFL. You get the point though. There are a lot of guys who move along, but none of them are exactly making Saban look bad. So, when a coach decides to move along, that's part of it, but as he's proven so many times in the past, Saban is the only coordinator of this team. It is why they win year after year after year.
So Who Is On The List?
I think they will do the token "are you interested" to Tom Clements, former assistant for Saban at MSU and QB coach at the Packers. Let's be totally honest here, at what point do you think Clements is going to downgrade from the best job in football right now? That isn't a bash on Bama, but he's coaching the best QB in the NFL and at some point, maybe this year, he probably gets an OC or head coaching job in the NFL. So, why derail a good thing? Two, he's not going to want to have a 2nd cook in the kitchen. Saban isn't going to ignore the offense any lifetime from now so moving along.
Another name in 2008-9 that came up was Steve Logan, the RB coach for the Buccaneers. While the NFL thing always seems to appeal to Saban, his track record is fair with stops at Mississippi State and East Carolina, he is not going to be a long term fix or at least longer than McElwain stayed option. I can't say that Blount's play this year impresses me either. He's regressed a lot and they have zilch developed behind him.
The hot name in the Internets is Paul Chryst. The Badgers Offensive Coordinator has a pro offense, and has shown a lot of variety in his offense with Russell Wilson. While I like his resume and I like how Wisconsin plays, I don't see him going lateral right now when he can land another Big 10.2 head coaching job if he wants it. Also, he's not been tested really against SEC caliber teams. He has wins as OC against AU and ARK in the first 2 years, but lost to UGA and FSU and if you have watched them lose in the past, the offense seems to shy away and get in neutral a lot. The TCU game comes to mind.
A guy who is available is Jon Shoop. Maybe it is just me, but do you really want anything to do with a Butch Davis reject right now? Sure Davis and Saban are similar in their approach and he'd fit in with a pro style conservative offense, but with the way UNC fell apart and the NCAA issues that had nothing really to do with Shoop, but still with Bama's past, do you take someone like that? I think that's a pass.
Freddie Kitchens is a usual suspect when an offensive job comes open. He did have playcalling duties for North Texas and has a lot of experience in the SEC and NFL which is attractive. However, he has not been a true coordinator and that will eliminate him.
A sure pass button also sits on Pep Hamilton and Mike Bobo. I would like to see Pep do something after Luck is gone before I put him in a real consideration role. Consider this the David Cutcliffe can you coach someone not named Manning rule. Bobo's offenses are feast and famine. They often are undisciplined and make so many mistakes not to mention are Charmin soft.
So, who is the likely name to get the job? While the fan base may not like it, Mike Groh is the most likely name to be called in the end. Let's be clear. Is he a top end hire? No. Neither was McElwain or Fisher when he hired them. Now, some of you act like McElwain is a great coordinator and will knock Bama's offense down 2 notches. You don't think this was planned in advance 2 years ago? Do you really believe that he was put as a GA for a year, then WR coach for a year and Napier was hired as a Grad Assistant this past year and it was all coincidence?
Be honest with yourself for a second, Bama isn't going to change and Saban isn't going to segregate the offense or let someone run loose with it. It just isn't going to happen. So, how do you address this change and feel good? I know, you want a name. Here's a fact some of you probably haven't thought about. Napier is a top end recruiter, and is very good in Georgia. Groh has a resume of developing QBs from Matt Schaub and developing WR Marques Hagan into a servicable QB. He did very well in 2010 in creating a QB out of Louisville's hodge podge of crap. So, all the groaning is understandable, but it is because you haven't read or paid attention to his work. For "that poster" that will point to the records and stats at UVa, how good were the Fresno teams for McElwain? Exactly.
The trade off is that you get 2 top end recruiters and young coaches in Napier and Groh in key positions. Napier will more than likely be the WR coach and Recruiting Coordinator if Groh gets the job. Both will give some new energy to both roles and will be great in talent rich areas like the Carolinas and Georgia. Both have track records to back that up as well as experience. Napier will tell you he was too young and got to high too fast with Clemson, but his offenses weren't horrible. Their D always suck, but I never remember his offenses being bad. Groh's last year at UVA wasn't one to remember, but when you know your coach (Dad) is out, that happens. I do look more to how Louisville improved at QB and had a QB rating of 133 after rotating 2 QBs and in one or two games more than that. At Virginia, they were 22 of 24 in 2006 in his first year at OC, in the red zone- 14 TDs included. The next year, 40 out of 47 with 28 TDs. They doubled their output and results in a year. Can Mike "I could get my ass whooped by a chair and a woman" Shula say that? Hell no. So, take that for what it is, he can coach. Now, throw out all the past and apply 2 things. First, how much better do you think the WRs have played compared to the past? Second, if he can do that with Virginia and their lack of talent, what can he do with talent along with a pre-built playbook by Saban?
Recruiting and Adam Griffith
Adam is the king of all that is right now. Thursday night, he gets to be in the team parade and will probably get the biggest ovation of the night. The kid with the golden leg will get the same scrutiny from "that fan" that Groh will. I posted the following on BOL last week:
For months, I and others who have really witnessed Adam Griffith kick told you that he is legit. For all the poor and misguided links to Foster because they kick and were recruited. That is as far as the comparisons go. Adam is so far ahead of Foster, he shouldn't be in the conversation with Adam because it isn't fair to Foster. That poster will talk about the similarities but Cade had flaws going into college that coaching either can't fix or won't fix.The point in the end is that this guy is real. He's clutch, he's got the leg for it, and he comes highly touted from every kicking camp he's ever attended. He's a pure kicker. He doesn't play anything else, when you see him out of pads, you'll understand why. He's a great guy and a great team player. He will be great when it is his turn.
Most of you got your first real look at him. That wasn't a fluke or lucky day. That was just another game for AG. He's hit the tying or winning kick against Buford twice in his career. Adam is a great young man and is a legit player. As most of you saw today he has a 60 yard FG leg and a 75 yard KO leg. He dictates how far he goes most of the time. He kicks off 2 high and "short" kicks and then belts one to the backstop. Can he hit them all there? Yes. Easily, but the false hope he gives a returnman is fun.
The thing u need to know is all he knows is kicking from a sport point of view. He doesn't have a flaw in his swing and is consistent year after year. The word legit should follow him the rest of his recruiting period
So, has Bama filled all the slots it needed? Not yet. Griffith is probably as big a get as anyone this year because he can win games and change games with his foot. Across the field was Dillon Lee and Kurt Freitag. Was this a great sample to watch of Lee? No. I thought last year's game was better for him, but he was smaller and playing SS not LB. He's bulked up and is trying to adjust still to playing up and not back. I know a lot of guys project him as a Will, but I see him like Reamer. Both are smart and play space well. I could see him at Sam first or sliding around both. Thought Freitag had a nice game and made some big blocks through the game. He likes to hit and after 4 years of seeing him and Lee beat Calhoun, I guess I have come to expect seeing them and others excel in this game. They didn't do that exactly, but both guys are big play guys and take games over. Ask anyone who's played them in the last 3 years. Lee will be a good asset to the D in time. Just not next season.
Terrence Cody was a bit of a sleeper a few years ago, I think Darren Lake might be the next Cody. Lotta body, not a lot of speed, but he can demand a double down any play he wants. I am not real worried about any of the guys supposedly looking at other schools. I think one or two might flip but there are a lot of guys that Bama is in on that I get the sense that are just waiting to see how the game plays out recruiting wise. I hear through the grapevine that Robert Nkemdiche would pick Bama today if he were in this year's class. I don't think losing Smart would do much there, but it would depend on what he did or went as far as how strong that remains. I think he's a Jack at Bama, but in a 4-3 he's easily in that Peppers class of DE's coming into college.
The Anti-Bama Thing's Gotta Go.
I know fans will be fans. However, there is no Anti-Bama conspiracy going on. Shut up. The complaints about Alabama being in the BCS title game isn't as much about Alabama as it is that some want conference champs playing each other and others want to see someone outside the SEC win. The SEC is who they hate on. If Bama wasn't in this equation and you put Arkansas in their place, it is the same thing. Bama isn't the bad guy here. Nor is Oklahoma State. The BCS is the bad guy still. Because it is so poorly organized and allows such weak metrics from computer polls, it is designed to create controversy and discussion more than clear cut winners. However, the SEC has proven to be worthy when they send folks in. There is also the fact that even when the SEC hasn't been in it, there were years they should have been. Auburn's undefeated season snub comes to mind after that horrible OU team got in on campaigning by Bob Sucks....I mean Stoops.
There has been talk of a split title. That could happen. It won't shock me if Bama beats LSU by one or two and OSU rips Stanford alive that the AP splits. That's their right and why they dropped out of the BCS was that they didn't agree with some of it. Should LSU be the AP champs in that scenario. No, but some might vote for them. Their record and schedule is one for the ages and they deserve all the hype and praise they get. I can't remember a schedule quite as tough as LSU's to be undefeated.
So, is the conspiracy on? No. Just no. If there was a fair system in place, Bama is still in. If there was a plus 1 format, Bama might be playing OSU and putting them to rest. I grow and lean towards a Plus 1 format after this year. There are just too many teams with a legit argument for a shot. LSU, Bama, OSU, Stanford/Oregon all deserve a shot at it really. This year has busted the BCS as far as settling it on the field. There were too many teams that were going to be in range for discussion and while several cracked under the pressure, the top 5 or so didn't. As long as the powers that be keep the BCS as is, and avoid a playoff or any form of closure, this is what it is. Bama fans will claim hate and other fans will complain about bias. That is what the BCS wants, so it is working from their point of view.
