Saban must push his around in a wheelbarrow
- Thread starter Blueworld_3.0
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Definitely an impressive call and it seems out of character for him. Usually, you would think he has enough faith in his defense that he would have just kicked it deep. However, I think he felt that he needed an extra possession to win the game.
It turns out that he was right.
It turns out that he was right.
I disagree.
A good coach will take a game-changing risk IF it's high-percentage and calculated.
You can bet Saban made that kicker show him he could perform that exact kick with 90% accuracy and his KO team prove they could cover it w/o going offside MANY times in practice (especially true since they had a month to prepare.
Also, they'd kicked off several times already and he/his special teams coach had an alignment key (the KOReturn Left Tackle) so if he lined up too far inside they knew it had a great chance to be successful.
A good coach will take a game-changing risk IF it's high-percentage and calculated.
You can bet Saban made that kicker show him he could perform that exact kick with 90% accuracy and his KO team prove they could cover it w/o going offside MANY times in practice (especially true since they had a month to prepare.
Also, they'd kicked off several times already and he/his special teams coach had an alignment key (the KOReturn Left Tackle) so if he lined up too far inside they knew it had a great chance to be successful.
The kicker last night said that they had that kick in the plans and felt they could use it against Clemson. In other words...Alabama did their homework! It was a calculated call...Just like a the rest of the game plan. It was all about execution.
Coaching was the difference in the game. Not criticizing Dabo necessarily, because he has done a great job at Clemson. But they did give up two easy TDs on busted coverages, plus the on-side kick. That has to go to coaching when your players are not sure of their assignments.
Yep. The defensive adjustment in the secondary that led to the interception at the end of the first half was pure coaching, too. They sucked Watson in on the 2 previous Clemson drives and then used his own knife to kill him. A thing of beauty.
Isn't there a rule that the ball has to hit the ground or hit an opposing player before it can be recovered on a kickoff? Not sure if I am thinking of a high school rule or what, but I could have sworn there was some discussion about this, possibly in a UK game this year.
It was an excellent call by Saban, and for a defensive guy that believes in field position it's even more ballsy than when Peyton (an offensive guy through and through) did it in the Super bowl.
I don't agree that Dabo was outcoached last night. Clemson moved the ball up and down the field all night and also had an excellent defensive gameplan that effectively bottled up Henry in the second half. The difference in the game was special teams and busted coverages on defense by clemson.
I don't agree that Dabo was outcoached last night. Clemson moved the ball up and down the field all night and also had an excellent defensive gameplan that effectively bottled up Henry in the second half. The difference in the game was special teams and busted coverages on defense by clemson.
Just the 10-yard rule. If the kicking team recovers inside of 10 yards, the ball must first be touched by an opposing team member, as it is then a live ball.
Bama obviously saw the could exploit that play in film study. Still was gutsy.
Yea, I knew that rule, but for some reason I remember seeing an onside kick this year and the announcer was really focused on whether the ball first hit the ground or if the ball was kicked into the air. The commentator was saying that if the ball was kicked into the air then the kicking team couldn't recover, but if it was kicked into the ground then they could. I don't remember the game, but I distinctly remember that the kicker really hadn't kicked it off the ground, but the kicking team got the ball anyway. Maybe it was so that a fair catch wasn't in play or something. Not sure, I just remember this being a thing. haha
I agree with this. I think that Clemson had a good game plan -- stack the line and make Coker beat them by throwing into "disguised" coverages. Unfortunately, the coverage packages were confusing to the defensive players, as well. The commentators mentioned this a few times -- in that, they did not play a lot of man coverage and, consequently, there was the potential for people to get lost in the secondary. To me, those coverage breakdowns were the game breakers (along with the kick-off return for a touchdown).
What are your kind called....oh yea...little brother....Now get off your knee's and pull your pants up.
I always thought they tried to make sure it hit the ground first so a fair catch could not be called. But, I could be wrong.
Could be, and I seem to remember that game. But, the only thing I can find is a HS rule detailing that if a fair catch is signaled by receiving team, the ball can't be caught in the air by kicking team.
It's obvious, Bama's coaching staff looked at every conceivable way to take advantage. Studying the kickoff is just one way that Saban's staff knows how to win.
I'm also surprised he did it. That was uncharacteristic of him. Very ballsy......
I'm also surprised he did it. That was uncharacteristic of him. Very ballsy......
I am not sure of the rule but if the ball being first kicked in the air gives the receiving team the option to call fair catch it would not have applied to last nights onside kick because there was simply no one there to call for a fair catch. That may have been what Dabo was so adamant about with his arguing was that the ball never touched the ground and they were entitled to catch the ball before Alabama which if this is a rule would be true if someone had been where the ball was going to land and call for a fair catch. Since there wasn't however, it made it a live ball for whichever team could get to it first.
Regarding the call itself, it was brilliant coaching playing to win the game instead of playing not to lose which we so often see not only at UK but everywhere. Saban knew his defense was having trouble stopping Clemson so what difference does it make if they have to go 75 yards for a score vs 50. As others have stated they had that play well scouted out and was prepared to use it if needed at the proper time. it took perfect execution by the players but no telling how many times they practiced that this week leading up to the game.
Saban must push his around in a wheelbarrow
I think he pays somebody to push the wheelbarrow for him.
I think he pays somebody to push the wheelbarrow for him.
Yea, that is all I could find as well. Guess it will just continue to be some crazy thought in the back of my head. haha
WTF are you talking about? Was there some other game on last night we should all be talking about? How is it "band wagon" to admire a ballsy call in the freakin National Championship game? If Clemson had recovered that onside kick, Saban would be getting s-l-a-m-m-e-d today from every angle. It was a helluva gamble that probably won them the title. Lighten the eff up, Francis.
I agree, and a failed onsides kick only equates to about a 25 yard differential at worse, since they changed the KO point and the possession point on a TB a few years ago, so it was not a huge risk IMO but the reward was huge.
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Great call but I had an opposite reaction and thought the reason he did it was specifically because they were having trouble stopping Clemson. . Sort of took a little off the "big balls" theory for me because it was a little out of resignation that they weren't taking that big a chance because if the kicked off it was likely Clemson would move it to midfield anyway they things were going. Saban sort of admitted this afterwards.
I think he felt he needed to steal a possession, CU and Watson were hot and his defense was a little tired. I don't think it was a huge risk because they weren't stopping CU, 75 yard field, 50 yard field, not that big a risk, but was very high reward when they recovered.
That separates the good ones from the great ones.... Saban is a great football coach... He has the players, YES, but that was a coaching decision that put Bama up by 10 points... Saban is a great coach and there's no two ways about it... I have one team in the SEC and that's UK.... If I had to choose another team, it would be Bama...