Alabama Football: Can Spring Bring a Ring…
By Terry Tant
Alabama Football will soon begin Nick Saban’s eleventh spring training season.
This could be the most important Spring Practice of the Saban Era … Can Spring Bring a Ring…
Spring Practice will begin soon for the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’s possible this could be the most important Spring Practice of the Saban Era.
If Alabama Football intends to make another run for a national championship it will begin this Spring.
Why is this particular Spring so important? The numerous coaching changes for one thing.
The biggest is Brian Daboll as the new offensive coordinator and QB coach. Daboll has worked under Saban before as a grad assistant at Michigan St. However, most of his career has been spent in the pros most recently with the Patriots. He was the tight end coach with Saban’s mentor Bill Belichick. He has also been an offensive coordinator with other NFL teams.
What is is different in Daboll and the other Offensive Coordinators Saban has hired? He’s the first that has come directly from the NFL. All the others came from college positions as their most recent job.
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Why would this matter? Look at the Patriots offense and you might see the offense of the 2017 Crimson Tide. Of course, it’s Nick’s Team and Daboll will do as Nick directs. Saban in the past has given his coordinators leeway to make changes based on their past experience. The best example being Kiffin. Saban was not always pleased with Kiffin’s play calling as we all saw on the sidelines but it was a Kiffin Offense.
What will we see different from Daboll? It is pure speculation but pretty much what we saw in the Super Bowl is a possibility. A power running with a pro-style passing attack. Look for more passes to the Tight End and Running Backs. To bad O.J Howard is gone!
Brent Key moves to offensive line replacing Cristobal who moved to Oregon. Mike Locksley is now receivers coach after Billy Napier left for Arizona St. Joe Pannunzio returns to Alabama from the Philadelphia Eagles as Personnel Director. He will take over Special teams and Tight Ends.
What do all these New Coaches and internal Coaching Position Changes mean? It means almost every Offensive group starting this Spring will have a new position coach. Sixteen freshmen including QB’s Tagovailoa and Max Jones will begin their college play this Spring under the tutelage of Daboll.
Basically this Spring Practice Alabama Football has two major goals. On Defense, replace 7 Starters all of which will be high draft choices. On Offense, find an Offense with returning starters, incoming freshman, new position coaches, a new offensive coordinator and a new Offensive Playbook.
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If Saban and the new Coaches can accomplish these two tedious goals – Spring could bring a new ring! What do you think? Let us know in comments below.