Chip Kelly to Cal?

[tigeraddikt 1,608]

On 1/9/2017 at 11:06 AM, McLoofus said:

What's crazy is that they put lots of kids in the league. 

Go to Cal, live in the Bay area, smoke tons of high grade weed (do they even smoke it any more out there, or is it all edible/vaporized?), be a big man on campus but nobody sends you death threats if you drop a pass or miss a kick, have a hippie rivalry with Stanford, get a good education, have a conduit to the NFL if you're good enough... Not a bad plan B if one of the pressure cooker schools doesn't work out. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

[meh130 1,043]

On 1/10/2017 at 11:29 AM, Tiger said:

This is how Bama's fall begins IMO. The small and tiny cracks will eventually start to get bigger and bigger

Really good point. Can Saban reload a coaching staff like he can reload players?

Also, Jeremy Pruitt is known to bring issues with him. Can he stay the long term like Kirby, or will he be asked to leave at some point.

I think the real question will be how many of Bama's underclassmen will leave, especially on defense and the O-Line.

Also, they have to get a backup for Hurts. It is going to be hard to recruit a top QB to work behind a true sophomore with the prospect of at most, starting your junior year if Hurts develops enough to be an NFL prospect in two more years. If Sarkisian is expected to evolve the offense and the starting QB job is expected to open to competition, that changes things from a recruiting standpoint, but creates more uncertainty.

[McLoofus 35,182]

6 minutes ago, meh130 said:

Really good point. Can Saban reload a coaching staff like he can reload players?

Also, Jeremy Pruitt is known to bring issues with him. Can he stay the long term like Kirby, or will he be asked to leave at some point.

I think the real question will be how many of Bama's underclassmen will leave, especially on defense and the O-Line.

Also, they have to get a backup for Hurts. It is going to be hard to recruit a top QB to work behind a true sophomore with the prospect of at most, starting your junior year if Hurts develops enough to be an NFL prospect in two more years. If Sarkisian is expected to evolve the offense and the starting QB job is expected to open to competition, that changes things from a recruiting standpoint, but creates more uncertainty.

My thoughts, offered respectfully:

1) He already has. Post-McElwain, he's been to the title game almost every year, and in the playoffs every year. 
2) Kiffin brought issues. They won it all last year and were in the playoffs every year he was there.
3) That's always the real question, and it doesn't matter because they still sign the #1 class every year. Their 3s are literally more talented than most teams' 1s. 
4) Backup? They think they've already identified Hurts's replacement. Don't think Saban won't give somebody else the job if they're better, and they think they've already got that guy.  

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 minute ago, McLoofus said:

My thoughts, offered respectfully:

1) He already has. Post-McElwain, he's been to the title game almost every year, and in the playoffs every year. 
2) Kiffin brought issues. They won it all last year and were in the playoffs every year he was there.
3) That's always the real question, and it doesn't matter because they still sign the #1 class every year. Their 3s are literally more talented than most teams' 1s. 
4) Backup? They think they've already identified Hurts's replacement. Don't think Saban won't give somebody else the job if they're better, and they think they've already got that guy.  

Yup. Yup. Yup. and... don't you think it's interesting that bama is hanging their hats on a high school kid as the next second coming at QB? With just he and Hurts, that's the closest I've ever seen bama coming to being set up for a major fall. If that kid doesn't pan out, and bama's D isn't all world, again, next year, it could be Saban's worst season since his first.

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

Yup. Yup. Yup. and... don't you think it's interesting that bama is hanging their hats on a high school kid as the next second coming at QB? With just he and Hurts, that's the closest I've ever seen bama coming to being set up for a major fall. If that kid doesn't pan out, and bama's D isn't all world, again, next year, it could be Saban's worst season since his first.

10 wins would tie his worst season since his first, I think. Until he craps the bed, I'm assuming that he won't. 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

4 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

10 wins would tie his worst season since his first, I think. Until he craps the bed, I'm assuming that he won't. 

So what you're saying is a 9 win season would require the bama faithful to go on suicide watch?

I honestly hope he ends up with a little taste of what Gus has had to deal with the past couple of years. QB issues and an alcoholic OC could make for some interesting karma for the bama nation.

[meh130 1,043]

20 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

My thoughts, offered respectfully:

1) He already has. Post-McElwain, he's been to the title game almost every year, and in the playoffs every year. 
2) Kiffin brought issues. They won it all last year and were in the playoffs every year he was there.
3) That's always the real question, and it doesn't matter because they still sign the #1 class every year. Their 3s are literally more talented than most teams' 1s. 
4) Backup? They think they've already identified Hurts's replacement. Don't think Saban won't give somebody else the job if they're better, and they think they've already got that guy.  

I forgot about Tagovailoa at QB. But Alabama has had nine scholarship QBs transfer from Alabama in the Saban era. As a result there is usually a big gap between #1 and #2, either in talent, experience, or style. Bama has been charmed at QB. Their starting QB rarely gets injured. Does anyone really expect the loser in a Hurt/Tagovailoa QB competition to stay around and ride the pine, maybe forever? And if Hurt and Tagovailoa both stay, do they expect Jones to stay? I'm not saying Bama does not continue to have success at QB, I am just saying it is predicated on the #1 QB staying healthy.

I think Pruitt's issues are much different than Kiffin's. Pruitt almost got fired mid-season at UGA, and then was not retained by his old boss Kirby Smart. Pruitt's return to Alabama seemed more like a rehabilitation than a hire.

[McLoofus 35,182]

15 minutes ago, meh130 said:

I forgot about Tagovailoa at QB. But Alabama has had nine scholarship QBs transfer from Alabama in the Saban era. As a result there is usually a big gap between #1 and #2, either in talent, experience, or style. Bama has been charmed at QB. Their starting QB rarely gets injured. Does anyone really expect the loser in a Hurt/Tagovailoa QB competition to stay around and ride the pine, maybe forever? And if Hurt and Tagovailoa both stay, do they expect Jones to stay? I'm not saying Bama does not continue to have success at QB, I am just saying it is predicated on the #1 QB staying healthy.

I think Pruitt's issues are much different than Kiffin's. Pruitt almost got fired mid-season at UGA, and then was not retained by his old boss Kirby Smart. Pruitt's return to Alabama seemed more like a rehabilitation than a hire.

All valid points. I've just seen saban roll (no pun intended) with the punches every season and not miss a beat.

As for the QB situation, I'm sure he'll have no problem pulling in a juco kid if he feels thin. He picked up Coker off the waiver wire and promptly won a national championship. 

I'm hoping like hell y'all are right, though. 

[meh130 1,043]

41 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

So what you're saying is a 9 win season would require the bama faithful to go on suicide watch?

I honestly hope he ends up with a little taste of what Gus has had to deal with the past couple of years. QB issues and an alcoholic OC could make for some interesting karma for the bama nation.

Honestly, at this point Bama being excluded from the Final Four would put their fans on suicide watch. Think the tOSU fans were obnoxious with their insistence on being included in the Final Four?

A 10-3 season 2010 was enough to make Updyke poison the Toomer's oaks. They were in bad shape in 2013 when they lost their shot at the SEC CG, and then collapsed in the Sugar Bowl (remember the crazy lady in the Superdome?). They are still in denial about this year's NC game. It seems like they can tolerate one year not being in the BCS or the CFP, but I doubt their fan base could handle two years in a row out in the cold.

We talk about the intolerability of multiple 8-5, or even 9-4 seasons. I think Bama fans would not tolerate multiple 11-2 seasons. They have only won one Natty in the last 4 years, even with some of the best teams of the Saban era.

And don't think the top Bama boosters are any different in their expectations than the 85%. If Saban had a couple of down years, they would turn on him quicker than the Texas boosters turned on Mack Brown.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

1 minute ago, meh130 said:

And don't think the top Bama boosters are any different in their expectations than the 85%. If Saban had a couple of down years, they would turn on him quicker than the Texas boosters turned on Mack Brown.

No doubt.  As soon as bama lost the championship I began to wonder how pissed Saban was because part of me wonders if he saw cracks forming and was about to take his final championship and call it a day.

[meh130 1,043]

15 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

All valid points. I've just seen saban roll (no pun intended) with the punches every season and not miss a beat.

As for the QB situation, I'm sure he'll have no problem pulling in a juco kid if he feels thin. He picked up Coker off the waiver wire and promptly won a national championship. 

I'm hoping like hell y'all are right, though. 

Coker was interesting because like certain other incoming Bama QBs, he was expected to take the job in a walk. However, unlike other losing QBs, Coker was not able to transfer, because he already had transferred. And for him, he had two years left, and Sims only had one. So he was in a position to wait his turn. He also was more mature, having been in two universities for four years at that point.

They younger kids are not going to wait. They are going to bail on their first university and go where they can. I do not blame them. You do not get to the level where Saban offers you a scholly if you are not hyper-competitive. And unlike other positions, there is not much game time for the #2 QB--no player rotation, and the only special teams work available is as the place-kicking holder.

We are going to be in a similar situation this year. Four QBs in the spring. One a Senior, one Redshirt Junior, one Redshirt Sophomore, and one Redshirt Freshman. I cannot image at least one of them transferring.

I almost think schools should consider an every other year QB recruiting push.

[meh130 1,043]

10 minutes ago, lionheartkc said:

No doubt.  As soon as bama lost the championship I began to wonder how pissed Saban was because part of me wonders if he saw cracks forming and was about to take his final championship and call it a day.

Here is the one issue with Saban. There is no other Saban. He is irreplaceable. No one in his coaching tree has come close to what he has done. The only ones who have come close are Jimbo Fisher, and perhaps Mark Dantonio. "The Process" is not necessarily a repeatable process.

Why does this matter? Because like I said Saban is irreplaceable. When Saban leaves Bama, there will be not be another Saban to replace him.

The Bama fans and boosters could end up killing the golden goose if their support for Saban ever waned. But their expectations are so high, they make that a distinct possibility.

[lionheartkc 6,150]

20 minutes ago, meh130 said:

Here is the one issue with Saban. There is no other Saban. He is irreplaceable. No one in his coaching tree has come close to what he has done. The only ones who have come close are Jimbo Fisher, and perhaps Mark Dantonio. "The Process" is not necessarily a repeatable process.

Why does this matter? Because like I said Saban is irreplaceable. When Saban leaves Bama, there will be not be another Saban to replace him.

The Bama fans and boosters could end up killing the golden goose if their support for Saban ever waned. But their expectations are so high, they make that a distinct possibility.

He also has a giant ego and will not risk going out anywhere but on top.  If he sees the ship sinking, he's gone.