Can there be any doubt that Nick Saban knew he inherited a mess and realized he needed two years to clean this team up? I believe it is quite obvious, after a good look at this team, that it's been Saban's plan all along. Not to say that he isn't incredibly competitive and will do everything in his power to produce a decent season THIS year.
Many people believe that Saban should have just forgotten about this season, draft the best available QB, fire sale every expensive, older player we have on this team (Madison, Taylor, Zach, etc), bring in as much young talent as possible, and collect draft picks. This type of surgery is known as amputation and I can't think of a single instance that it has worked.
The model organizations in the NFL, which include New England, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Philadelphia have all done well through the draft, kept productive older players as role models and mentors, and patiently drafted and signed best players available, not desperately reaching for need positions. This is called precision surgery and makes the most sense to me.
Saban showed patience with an excellent draft (taking the best players available) and keeping productive veterans. He invested in a top-notch coaching staff, and brought in low-risk veterans with short-term contracts.
When you really think about it, what else could he do? He had to see what kind of young talent we have on the O-line, whether Feeley really could lead this team, etc. I think he made the best educated guess he could, brought in the best players available, managed the salary cap, and will continue to evaluate what he inherited.
Sadly, most of us were extremely disappointed with Wannstedt/Spielman, and I think we actually overrated them. I believe they were even worse than we thought. We were poised to be the worst team in the NFL this year, if Wanny and Rick had stayed. They absolutely ran this organization into the ground.
Saban has already turned about 60% of this team over from last year and would love to cut a few more linemen, at the very least. How can you inherit 80% garbage and turn it into sugar in one year? Can't be done. Three years is too long for Saban, he will have us competitive by next year, which is a miracle when you consider what he inherited.
Many people believe that Saban should have just forgotten about this season, draft the best available QB, fire sale every expensive, older player we have on this team (Madison, Taylor, Zach, etc), bring in as much young talent as possible, and collect draft picks. This type of surgery is known as amputation and I can't think of a single instance that it has worked.
The model organizations in the NFL, which include New England, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Philadelphia have all done well through the draft, kept productive older players as role models and mentors, and patiently drafted and signed best players available, not desperately reaching for need positions. This is called precision surgery and makes the most sense to me.
Saban showed patience with an excellent draft (taking the best players available) and keeping productive veterans. He invested in a top-notch coaching staff, and brought in low-risk veterans with short-term contracts.
When you really think about it, what else could he do? He had to see what kind of young talent we have on the O-line, whether Feeley really could lead this team, etc. I think he made the best educated guess he could, brought in the best players available, managed the salary cap, and will continue to evaluate what he inherited.
Sadly, most of us were extremely disappointed with Wannstedt/Spielman, and I think we actually overrated them. I believe they were even worse than we thought. We were poised to be the worst team in the NFL this year, if Wanny and Rick had stayed. They absolutely ran this organization into the ground.
Saban has already turned about 60% of this team over from last year and would love to cut a few more linemen, at the very least. How can you inherit 80% garbage and turn it into sugar in one year? Can't be done. Three years is too long for Saban, he will have us competitive by next year, which is a miracle when you consider what he inherited.
