Yep. Could be various reasons--Perhaps the kick coverage was set to go to one side of the field and Jackson's kick went to the opposite side--allowing for a big return. Whatever the reason, I LOVE Saban's intensity and coaching style: Play each and every play as if the score was 0-0. Get players into playing with good habbits, and good games will follow. Start getting relaxed out there, bad things happen.
Very true. And this is the second week in a row that they've zoomed in on a Saban chew-out...man he's intense!
I'd hate to piss him off! But give him credit--He'll jump on them one play, and praise them the next. With Saban, it seems as though you're mistake is only as long as the next play. Take last week for example. He jumped ALL OVER Travis Daniels for giving the UGA receiver too much of a cushion....Got on him like all get up! But, a few plays later, Daniels played really tight coverage and made the stop after a minimal gain and Saban was the first one there, giving Daniels a high-five and words of encouragement.
On kickoffs, the ideal thing is for the ball to land inside the 5 yard line approximately half-way between the hash marks and the sideline. Prefereably closer to the sideline. The reason for this is because the returner then has to run diagonally towards the middle of the field to get behind his blockers. Thus he spends a little more time running sideways instead of upfield. That gives the coverage team more time to get to the returner before he can get upfield resulting in shorter returns. When executed properly, the returner is usually stuffed with a big hit at the 10 or 15 yard line by an unblocked coverage guy. Corbello could do this consistently, and as a result LSU always had great kickoff coverage. Saban "jumped on him" because he didn't do that. Besides the one kickoff against Georgia, he hasn't really done it all year. If you notice, we haven't had our usual great kickoff coverage so far this year and that is why.
On Kickoffs The ideal thing on kickoffs is to kick it deep into the end zone so that only an idiot would dare to run it out and think he might get to the 20 yard line. The way Morten Andersen has done for years
Saban is going to blow a heart valve... but I like the perfectionism in him. He knows that against Moo U. it really wasn't a big deal, but against FL or AL or UT/UGA in the SECC game it could be huge. I would hate to be on the receiving end of that tirade. He makes his point emphatically. At the same time, he hi 5's them when they do good. I don't think I noticed any profanity, that's good. Be hard, but be clean.
Re: Saban is going to blow a heart valve... Well, all coaches are pretty intense by the nature of the business. Saban in the last couple of games has taken his intensity to the next level. I think Nick knows that this could be a very special year and he has elevated his coaching level to the same plane as he wants the players to feel. During the week he talks about taking care of business and keeping an even keel but tonight LSU was a bit sloppy on their first possession. It could have gone either way. LSU could have slacked up and depended on their superior talent and probably would have won anyway but Nick rufused to let them rest on their laurels and cruise though the game. He demanded that every player play each play like it was a 0-0 game and he got that kind of effort from most of them. I don't read lips but I would bet that Saban uttered a few words on the non approved list during the game.
