Latu has missed blocks as well as other receivers on the wide receiver screens.  I also notice the use of motion is different.  I don't think they have run the pop pass that was effective.  If they have, it has been very few times. Even how they use to use the play action off of the pop pass has an effect on the defense.   It seems to me, evrytime they motion behind the back that player becomes the check down route, not hard to defend.

Never said they were coming back.  What I was referring to was the way they called games.

Does anyone else think that if Kiffen or Sark were still the offensive coordinator Bama would be undefeated?

These notes are going to be a little different.                                           
                                       LSU vs Bama

I will say Bama is officially out of the playoffs.  This game was hard to watch and even fathom what the offensive game plan was.  I saw a lot of questionable calls, especially when you ran the ball a effectively on the first drive and then on the next three drives the run game was basically abandoned.  There were 2 runs on these three drives, one was a scramble and the other was called back for holding.  I didn’t understand the routes at times as I saw a couple of deep routes and only an underneath release when you needed 10 yards for a first down.  Too me without the threat of a running game, play action is not very effective.

OFFFENSE:  The offense started out with a good drive only to end up with an interception in the end zone which means Bama left 3 to 7 points on the field.  This would have probably been game winning points.  It is hard to imagine Bama outgained LSU by almost 100 yards.

Negative plays:  2 tackles for losses, 2 sacks, 1 interception, and a fumble which was fortunately not loss.

3 and out: Bama had 4 three outs and 3 of them came in succession after their first drive. 

Red zone:  Bama had 2 trips into the red zone and threw an interception and kicked a field goal.  This doesn’t include overtime.

QB:  This is as bad as I have seen Young look.  There were times he didn’t move his feet to the target.  The complete offense looked discombobulated or confused.

RB: It is hard to believe, but Gibbs had 99 yards on 15 carries.  For the game, not counting scrambles, Bama only had 26 rushes.

Rec:  Brooks was the main target last night.  However, many balls we not thrown in the areas where catches could be made.

OL:  It seems to me that the OL has digressed instead of progressing.  There weren’t a lot of negative plays, but the QB was pressured about 10 times last night.  There was not a big push, in my opinion, in the running game.  It seems to me they are back to playing to high and catching blocks instead of attacking.  I know stunts and the blitz makes this difficult at times. 

Def: The mobile QB gave Bama problems again.  The quick passing game was effective with the short passing game and they had a comparable running game to keep drives alive. 

Negative plays:  I have Bama for 5 tackles for losses, 6 sacks, an interception, and a fumble that wasn’t lost.

3 and outs:  Bama had no three and outs

Red zone:  got into the red zone 3 times and scored 2 touchdowns and kicked a field goal.  One touchdown came from outside the red zone.

DL:  Most of the night they played pretty well, but in crucial times they allowed the QB to escape and make big plays.  Same story different game.

LB:  Same as the DL.  I will say they were in a bit of a bind with the short passing game combined with the adequate running game by LSU.

DB: Most of the throws were under or around the 10-yard mark.  There were a few deep balls.  There were times when the rec out muscled the DB, but also, I have to give the LSU QB credit for putting the ball in the proper place. The did miss a few tackles.

Special teams: Noting really spectacular here, except, didn’t seem to be able to flip the field position when punting.  LSU did pin Bama back with poor field position.

Penalties: Bama had 9 penalties for 92-yard.  Five penalties were on the D with crucial ones on 2 TD drives and a FG drive.  The special team’s penalty put Bama back in bad field position.

Finally, Bama now need to find some pride and finish out the season.  They cannot allow 1 loss to turn into more losses.  You will find out who the competitors are now with the playoff shot gone.  I have come to the point, where I think there may be time for some coaching changes.  I honestly think if Kiffen or Sark were the OC, this team would be different.  I really can’t understand the OL.  Are we not supposed to have top talent there?  Defensively, I really don’t know what to say.  Is it the scheme or the execution.  At times it looks like both.   Hopefully, they will win out and we can all dream about what could have been.  I, like many had high expectations for this year.  The fact is they have lost 2 games by a total of 4 points; however, this could possibly have been avoided if the team was more disciplined, especially in the penalty department.  Or maybe, our players aren’t as good as we thought they are.
Feel free to comment:

18 and Counting

Is this the same crew that did the Bama/UT game?

I was told by people out here, not sure it is true, they were smoking weed in the athletic facility.

They play AU Thurs at 7:30 on the SEC network.

                                             MSU vs Bama

Congrats to the Bama coaches and players for the bounce back win.  There were bright spots on both sides of the ball, but there is still room for improvement.

OFFFENSE:  The offense never really sustained a drive all day.  What I mean here, is there was no real drive where they never just drove the ball down the field without the aid of Young having to scramble or a penalty.  Bama also wasted great field position at least 3 times, as they started drives on the MSU 45(punt), the 43(punt) of Bama, and the MSU 17(FG).  The offense put together 290 yards of total offense which included 29 rushing yards and 261 passing yards.  Third down efficiency was at 47 percent as they were 8 for 17.  The offense also scored only 6 points in the 2nd half.

Negative plays:  7 tackles for losses, 3 sack, 2 fumbles. 

3 and out: Bama had 3 three and out and at least one of them was on the great field position I mentioned above.

10+ plays:  12passing and 2 running plays. 

Red zone:  Bama had 4 trips into the red zone and scored 2 touchdowns and kicked 2 field goals.  Bama had one touchdown from outside the red zone and kicked a field goal from outside the red zone.

QB: Young completed 60% of his passes.  I could be wrong, but he didn’t seem to be throwing balls into windows he had done before.  He missed a pass early on a check down that probably would have extended the drive.

RB: It was tough going for the running backs.  Gibbs, the leading rusher, had 37 yards on 10 carries.  McClellan and Williams, both had 6 carries for 6 and 9 yards.

Rec:  Not counting RBs, 8 different receivers had receptions for the game.  I will say they did a better job, not great, on the scramble drill.  It seems on the scramble drill everyone wanted to go deep instead of someone coming back for the ball.  I did see some shut down their routes when they say Young scramble the other way.  I know it is different, but when we worked on scramble drill we told shallow routed to go deep and deeper routes to work back to the ball and open space in from of the QB. 

OL:  I know MSU was slanting and bringing people, but I didn’t really see the OL sustaining their blocks.  It seemed that the slants and stunts kept the OL from some combo blocks.  I will say they did a good job staying on or behind the LOS when Young scrambled.

Def: Bama gave up a total of 293 yards which included 231 passing and 62 rushing.  Early on the defensive line was not really getting a good push but it got better as the game progressed.  You have to say they played better, but in reality there was a huge drop off in competition.

Negative plays:  I have Bama for 2 tackles for losses and 4 sacks.

3 and outs:  5 three and outs and 1 four and out as MSU went for it on 4th down.

10+ plays:  9 passing and 1 running play. 

Red zone:  got into the red zone 2 times and turned the ball over on downs once and scored a touchdown the other time.  That is how the game ended.

DL:  They didn’t get pressure early but got better as the game went on.  I do understand Bama was playing with limited depth, but it seems, as they showed later, they can come of the ball harder.

LB:  They played well, I do notice, and I saw this last week, To’oto’o has taken the block on with the wrong shoulder at times.  I know this is going to happened from time to time, but I have noticed it a couple times the last weeks. LB play was limited as Bama played 6 defensive backs.

DB: They had a better game, but also, as I said they were not playing the talent they were the week before.  Also, it looked like they played the wide splits by receivers a little different.  I am going to give my opinion here, but it seemed they made plays today, that they have been called pass interference on in the past.  Ricks looked good and you have to wonder why he hasn’t gotten a shot earlier.  A couple of thoughts, one he started practicing like he was supposed to, maybe he felt entitled, or two, the coverages finally started to click for him.   

Special teams: The thing that stood out to me was the kickoffs and coverage.  They didn’t seem to be as high or as deep as before.  Second, the returns were pretty good at times against Bama.

Penalties: This was a great improvement.  Bama had 3 penalties and 2 were on the last drive which were pass interference calls which help keep drives alive and allowed MSU to score.

Finally, Bama did a lot of good things in this game, but it was far from being a complete game, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
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18 and Counting

Penalties have been a problem.  I do agree there were some questionable calls, but we still had a chance to win.  May have if some of the calls had been made.  To clean them up, I guess it is time for what is called a come to Jesus meeting.  A lot of it is on the player himself.  Many times, penalties are committed because of lack of focus.  Maybe, the loss will get that focus back.  That or there needs to be some consequences for those who continue to make penalties.

                                             UT vs Bama

When you lose a game that was in reach of winning it is extremely disappointing.  There are a couple of things you can do, you can work harder to get better, or you can allow 1 loss turn into multiple losses.  This was a game that could have been won by Bama even with the number of mistakes they made.  It would be interesting to be at practice this week to see if the players want to get to their goal or throw in the towel.  The goal is still in reach, but it isn’t going to be easy unless Bama makes a concerted effort to improve.  Also, all phases of the game, offense, defense, and special teams had a part in the loss.

OFFFENSE:  The offense put together 569 yards of total offense which included 114 rushing yards and 455 passing yards.  They were efficient on 3rd down converting over 46%. The biggest issue was the points left on the field which probably would have been enough to win the game.  They had to settle for a field goal in the red zone which is 3 instead of 7 points and they missed a field goal.

Negative plays:  5 tackles for losses, 1 sack, 1 fumble on a bad snap, and 1 fumble by special teams which was lost. 

3 and out: Bama had 1 three and out and it was the result of penalties on the plays.  What is huge is a 28-yard reception was negated and would have given Bama a first down and momentum.

10+ plays:  18 passing and 3 running plays. 

Red zone:  Bama had 6 trips into the red zone and scored 4 touchdowns and kicked 2 field goals.  Bama had one touchdown from outside the red zone and the other touchdown came from the defense.  Bama missed the huge field goal near the end of the game from outside the red zone.

QB: Young had a good game.  He took a beating on some questionable hits.  He completed 67% of his passes for 455 yards.  While under pressure he found secondary and third receivers to create positive plays. 

RB: Gibbs and McClellan both had good game.  They did make a couple of costly mistakes, a drop on a catchable ball by Gibbs on the last drive would have shortened the length of the field goal or maybe even scored with the coverage on him.  McClellan had a holding call that put Bama in bad field position.  I thought he might cut that rusher who was coming so hard, maybe that is a rule change I don’t know. With that being said, I think both played well overall.  I also want to mention how impressed I am with Gibbs feet and vision.

Rec:  Seven different receivers, not counting RB’s, had catches.  Latu and Brooks had 6 each while Prientice had 9.  There was a drop that may have saved the 3 and out. If not keeping from going three and out it would have at least allowed Bama to not have to punt from their own endzone. That would have helped with the field position given up by Bama.  I also want to say that the TE missed a few blocks on the wide receiver screen, however, they were well defended.

OL:  If it wasn’t for the 9 penalties, they would have had a very good game.  One thing I noticed was how hard the UT DL came off the ball.  I mean, I think 2 of the negative plays were on the wide rec screen or passes to the back while the others came on running plays.  The did give up one sack when I think, whoever makes the protection call made a mistake because of the offensive alignment.  Maybe they thought the TE was blocking instead of releasing.

Def: Bama gave up a total of 567 yards which included 385 passing and 152 rushing.  The pass rush was nonexistent most the game as was the deep coverage.  Early on, 3 drives, the defense had to defend short fields.  Three TD drives started at the UT 43, but the next 2 started on the Bama 40 and Bama 35.  Bama lost contain on the QB at least 4 times and rushed, when they did get a pass rush, too far up the field and allowed the running lane to be exposed.   There were a few missed tackles, and some were huge.  On one of the touchdowns there was a chance for the LB to hit the receiver going down the field and knocking him off his timing which may have helped the safety in coverage.

Negative plays:  I have Bama for 3 tackles for losses, 1 sack, an interception, and a fumble returned for a touchdown.  After the interception, Bama had good field position and didn’t do anything with it.

3 and outs:  2 three and outs but they were different types.  First, the defense stopped them and there was a fumble on the punt return.  This set UT up in great field position. The 2nd 3 and out was because of the fumble returned for a touchdown.

10+ plays:  18 passing and 4 running plays.  I think 2 of the runs were on QB scrambles where contain was lost.

Red zone:  got into the red zone 4 times and scored 4 touchdowns.  They scored 3 touchdowns from outside the red zone and kicked a field goal from outside the red zone.

DL:  They didn’t get much of a pass rush for the day and I don’t know if stunts were on or what, but the loss of contain hurt.

LB:  This was a tough game for LB with the way UT spread the field with their receivers.  There were times when they looked good, but others when they took bad angles as well as reaching for tackles.

DB: They had a bad day.  I going to be honest here, I don’t know what techniques are taught.  I know we taught to jam and then stay in phase with the receiver in man coverage. I don’t understand the hand fighting all the way down the field.  I do know they are taught to put the near arm on the back, but not to grab them, which all teams do.  The safeties, I don’t know why they allow the receivers to get on their feet before they start moving.  It seems to me they are flat footed and then try to play catchup when the receiver has a running start.   

Special teams: Bama left 3 points on the field and had penalties which hurt field position.  There was also the bad decision on the punt which set up UT for a touchdown after a defensive stop.

Penalties: This was a record setting day.  I have said a good team could beat us if we don’t clean this up and the day has come.  I have Bama with 17 total penalties for 130 yards.  The offense led the way with 9 penalties, the defense had 6, and special teams had 2.  Seven penalties were in the first quarter alone, there were 2 in the second quarter, 5 in the third quarter, and 3 in the fourth quarter.  The bad part is that on one drive where field position was hurt by the first penalty of the series on the kickoff.  This was followed by holding which negated a 28-yard catch, false start, and delay of game which resulted in punting from our own endzone and giving UT a 35-yard field.  The second bad was the 2-pass interference calls on their last touchdown drive.  One of them negated an interception.

Finally, Bama, as bad as they played still had a chance to win this game.  They didn’t get the job done.  A few things to think about.  First, Bama controls their own destiny, but they are going to have to do some serious soul searching.  Two, they better learn how to play a stack receiver group and play coverage.  I can see MSU and OM using the stack after seeing the success of UT. Third, Bama had to call a timeout once in the red zone.  I don’t know if you notice, but UT had 12 men on the field.  Bama has got to stop wasting field position.  Fourth, I know people are wondering why Bama didn’t run the ball when they got into field goal range on their last drive.  I don’t know if they had a pass run call according to what UT had in the box.  I do know that if Gibbs had made the catch and put the ball closer Bama probably would have been closer for the field goal and been able to run out the clock with the field goal attempt.

Feel free to comment:

18 and Counting

                                                                                                                     





I agree with the statement about fundamentals.  Footwork is lacking at this point.  I don't think he sees the field very well.  Things you can get away with in high school won't work at this level.

                                             A&M vs Bama

First, congrats to the Bama players and coaches on the win. This was a sloppy game with stupid penalties and Bama was fortunate to win this game.  I will be honest; I did not get to see the last play as I didn’t put enough extra time on my recorder.  Bama must clean up their game in regard to stupid penalties as well as penalties which help on scoring drives.

OFFFENSE:  The offense put together 399 yards of total offense which included 288 rushing yards and 111 passing.  They turned over the ball 4 times and at least 3 of those turnovers were turned into scoring drives.

Negative plays:  6 tackles for losses, 4 sacks, 3 fumbles all that were lost, and an interception.

3 and out: 2 three and out because of not getting a first down, but also had a 3 and out because of a fumble, a 3 and out because of an interception, and a 1 and out because of a fumble.

10+ plays:  4 passing) and 11 running plays. 

Red zone:  Bama had 3 trips in the red zone and scored 1 touchdown. Once they got in there and a sack took them out of the red zone and resulted in a missed field goal, the other trip in the red zone ended with a missed field goal.  Bama scored two touchdowns and kicked a field goal from outside the red zone.

QB: Milroe completed 12 of 19 passes for about 63% and 111 yards.  Most of the completed throws were thrown short and the yards were made after the catch.  He threw an interception where the ball was underthrown and off target.  Many of his throws were off target.  It looked to me that he was looking at the pass rush instead of downfield.  His ball securing led to a couple of fumbles. Three of his completions went for touchdowns.

RB: Gibbs had a good game and ran hard.  His vision seems exceptional.  It looks like he is the total back with his ability to run the ball and catch the ball out of the backfield.  The other backs had their moments, but there was also a lost fumble by one of them.

Rec:  Nine catches were by wide receivers.  Basically, they made yards after short completions.  I did think Brooks stopped his route on one pass that was almost intercepted.

OL:  I thought the OL had a good game especially with the defense playing the run, many times with numbers in the box and the safeties coming down hard.  Honestly, play action should have been a big weapon in this game.

Def: The defense had to play 72 plays and there were three times they basically had to get right back on the field because of fumbles and the interception.   Bama gave up a total of 323 yards which included 253 passing and 70 rushing.  They lost contain on the very first play of the game, missed a pick 6, and again had penalties that help keep drives alive.  On two of the touchdowns, the defense lost receivers or were too loose on the receiver.

Negative plays:  I have Bama for 3 tackles for losses, 3 sacks and an interception that put Bama in prime scoring position. 

3 and outs:  3 three and outs, there was an additional 3 an out because of the interception.

10+ plays:  8 passing and 2 running plays.   

Red zone:  A&M got into the red zone 4 times, scored 2 touchdowns, kicked 1 field goal and stopped them on down once.

DL:  They played well and pressured the QB to cause errant throws. 

LB:  Again, they played well and made tackles in the open field but also put pressure on the QB when stunts were run.

DB: They made some plays and missed some plays.  Again, penalties by the DB helped keep drives alive.  They were beat on a double move.  The safeties did come up and make some big tackles on 1 on 1 plays in open space. 

Special teams: This is where Bama left 6 points on the field.  Each kick had the distance, but not the right aim.

Penalties: Bama had 6 penalties for 73 yards.  Four on defense and 2 on offense and a couple were stupid.    First, unsportsmanlike conduct on offense #65, basically taunting, which made Bama kick off from their own 20-yard line.  Second, offsides on a punt that didn’t hurt.  Third, unsportsmanlike conduct on #3 after a completion which turned w 3rd and 7 to a 3rd and 22.  Bama did kick a 50-yard field goal.  Fourth, face mask which was on the field goal scoring drive.  Fifth, defensive holding that help keep the drive alive on the A&M on the last drive of the game.  Sixth, PI on the defense which move the ball to the two- or three-yard line and giving A&M another shot at the win. 

Finally, Bama pulled out the win despite the points given off of turnovers as well as stupid penalties.  Stupid penalties seem to be something Bama is doing more frequently.  This game, in my opinion, should not have been in question.  Bama kept them in the game and it almost cost them big.
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18 and Counting

One thing I wonder about tackling. Are they so worried about targeting that they are arm tackling? 

A couple of things I left off:

Also, why are there so many facemask calls, why are the hands up around the head.  I know sometimes the offensive player ducks down and this causes problem, but many of the calls I seem to see are with the offensive player upright.
Moody is quietly having a good year. He always seems to be around the ball and makes some big plays.

I really don't know why the tackling was worse this game.  Many times the got to the player, but didn't seem to drive thru the offensive player.  Maybe a few time, they didn't take the proper angle which leads to reaching for the player.