Saban Coaching Them Up?

[Shouright]

Here's a good question for the board. I think when you get a great coach, you should see players start to achieve more than they have before in their careers. This is the origin of the phrase "coaching them up" -- you're coaching them up to higher plane of performance.

Even with the horde of supposedly great coaches we've brought in here, I'm not sure I see this going on at all on this team this year. Two critical examples come to mind for me -- Vernon Carey and Chris Chambers are still their same old selves, even though they supposedly have so much more potential. What do people here think about this?

 

[ccphinfan]

I think it is going to take more time, than people were hoping. I think given time, yes he will turn this around.

 

[CD13]

We need to give Saban three years. If in 3 years, we are still a sloppy team that barely wins, or loses because of sloppiness then we should get all upset. Not that you are, but I think it will take a year for players to get used to the system, and new coaching before we see results. In addition Saban will begin to turn over roster with players that fit the systems.

 

[dolphan117]

I think one of the big reasons we have strugled is a lack of familiarity with the schemes that we are now playing both offensivly and defensivly. When the players get that comfort level I expect you will see us having more sucsess. Its hard to "coach up" players when they are still geting comfortable with what they are suposed to be doing on the field.

 

[Frank B]

Good point! I think we were all hoping for more rapid improvement in the players with the new coaches teaching them. I think Saban also made a good point when talking about Vernon Carey. He thinks Carey would be fine if he applied the teachings to the field. I think we have some players that haven't totally bought into what's being taught.

I think a good example is the missed long bomb from the last game where Chambers turned to look for the football a little too early. He lost a little speed when turning back and the ball fell just out of reach. This is an example of one of the little things that Chamber's does not do consistently...shield the defenders, tuck the ball away quickly after the catch, catch the ball at the highest point. Chambers clearly has the physical talent to be an elite receiver, but he has not developed the focus to harness his talent consistently on the field.

 

[finmann]

It takes time for players to learn an entirely new system, I still wonder though if we have a lack of talent on this team or if this team is just to old.

 

[Shouright]

Good point! I think we were all hoping for more rapid improvement in the players with the new coaches teaching them. I think Saban also made a good point when talking about Vernon Carey. He thinks Carey would be fine if he applied the teachings to the field. I think we have some players that haven't totally bought into what's being taught.

I think a good example is the missed long bomb from the last game where Chambers turned to look for the football a little too early. He lost a little speed when turning back and the ball fell just out of reach. This is an example of one of the little things that Chamber's does not do consistently...shield the defenders, tuck the ball away quickly after the catch, catch the ball at the highest point. Chambers clearly has the physical talent to be an elite receiver, but he has not developed the focus to harness his talent consistently on the field.

Right, but this is where you need to get in these players' heads and turn them into new players psychologically. Obviously something psychological is stopping these guys from reaching their potential -- they have the physical tools. A coach who can coach them up would get his finger on the pulse of this and change it.

I don't want a situation where we need to turn over an entire roster of players to make the team have a "Saban mentality." He needs to be able to reach some of the guys we already have and get them there himself. Turning over the roster is the easier way of doing it, but it takes too long.

 

[jlfin]

I think it is going to take more time, than people were hoping. I think given time, yes he will turn this around.

It didn't take Shula long. In his first season there was already marked improvement from the year before. The question posed has to do with coaching, not talent level. Penalties and mental mistakes are not a sign of talent (or lack thereof), but rather coaching.

 

[FISHFAN57]

It took Wanny and Speilman a few years to destroy the franchise, I think it will take Saban, Linehan, Houck and Co. a few years to build it back up.

 

[Shouright]

It took Wanny and Speilman a few years to destroy the franchise, I think it will take Saban, Linehan, Houck and Co. a few years to build it back up.

Have you seen any "building" going on so far?

 

[Superself]

I had the same thoughts when I woke up this morning!
However I wasn't sure the board would be ready to respond intelligently to such a critique.
I figured most of the responses would be "more time needed"...etc.

I think that whenever you use that reasoning, it should be "more time needed to find HIS players".
Those players who are not doing what Saban feels they should be doing will be gone. Point blank. If Saban is as good a coach as advertised, he should realize fast who is responding to his methods and who is not.

 

[ccphinfan]

It didn't take Shula long. In his first season there was already marked improvement from the year before. The question posed has to do with coaching, not talent level. Penalties and mental mistakes are not a sign of talent (or lack thereof), but rather coaching.

I was addressing coaching. Saban took over a team void of discipline, and coaching. You saw our offensive line play last year, right? Coach Houck took over a bunch that had no idea what they were doing. I think it's impossible to comapare the nfl present, to the nfl in the shula years, sadly.

 

[phinfan2003]

I think the biggest problem here is that Saban came here with so much hype, that everyone made him out to be as good as BB or Parcells. We all have to realize (including myself) that Saban is nothing more than a rookie NFL head coach who is still learning and hopefully getting better. Forget all of these comparisions to BB, Parcells, or even to Wanny for that matter. I think we have to wait and see before we write his legacy.

I don't care what anyone says, Saban is not there yet!

 

[infiltrateib]

Look at Marvin Lewis in Cincy.

 

[ccphinfan]

I had the same thoughts when I woke up this morning!
However I wasn't sure the board would be ready to respond intelligently to such a critique.
I figured most of the responses would be "more time needed"...etc.

I think that whenever you use that reasoning, it should be "more time needed to find HIS players".
Those players who are not doing what Saban feels they should be doing will be gone. Point blank. If Saban is as good a coach as advertised, he should realize fast who is responding to his methods and who is not.

So more time needed, could not also mean time to find "his players". Your right your waay to intelligent for the board, our small minds can't grasp your concepts.