This is one argument you guys keep on making I don't understand. I can understand the game you lost vs Georgia because they weren't ranked and LSU lost badly. But, then again, it was at Georgia. Besides that game (and I haven't gone back to '01 or '00 when he was building the program,) the only other game I can see you being upset by is maybe Arkansas in '02 when you lost by 1 point, at Arkansas. Is it against Auburn in '02? Texas the same year? #16 ranked Va Tech in Blacksburg? It couldn't be the '03 game against UF you are talking about, is it? At Auburn in '04? Against an Iowa team ranked 12th in '04? His first year, is that what you are talking about? His second? {Don't google 2002 LSU football schedule.}
The games that come to mind are UAB (don't remember what year but it doesn't matter, it was UAB), Kentucky in 2002 (sure we won, but seriously?), Arkansas the next game, and Iowa. The last two were games where we had the lead up until the last play and they threw long passes and I'm not talking hail mary's, I'm talking one on one coverage with a little safety help down the field type of stuff.
Which was a coaching break down or a player mistake? In the UGA game this year they scored twice on the same play. Both times, the safety moved into the set before the snap and signaled what defensive package we were in. It was a mistake on his part. A coach can coach until they are blue in the face and if a player makes a mistake is it on the coach all the time? You guys lost to Arkansas by 1 point in Arkansas. That isn't an easy place to play. Iowa was a good team that year. No offense, but this line about losing to teams you shouldn't leads me to wonder... Should Bama have lost to MSU yesterday? No. But, I can't put all the blame on Saban. There were a good number of plays that just weren't smart. If I may add..that one on one coverage with little help from the safety was successful quite a lot, wasn't it?
Dude, Iowa was on it's own 44 with 8 seconds to go. There was nobody hanging back, AT THE SNAP, OUR FURTHEST MAN BACK WAS TEN YARDS FROM THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE. I cannot emphasize that enough. There is absolutely no excuse for that. Nick Saban lost that game, period. I dare anyone to defend this play, even Nick's wife. http://video.google.com/videoplay?d...538&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1 PS We rushed 6 on the play
I understand that. I've seen it rehashed here dozens of times. But, I happen to be one that also gives credit where credit is due. Iowa had a good team that year. Let me describe it another way. A few years ago Bama lost a game when we had UT in a 4th and 19 and they made the first down. Chris Ball called the coverage in that game, for that play. Do I blame him entirely for the result? It was his call, but if the DB's would have covered it never would have been successful. They call this a team game for more than one reason. I realize coaches make mistakes. I also realize when they make calls they have the faith in their players that they can handle their responsibilities. Sometimes they take chances. It's the players that prove those chances as worthwhile calls. Hey, call me looney. This appears to be just another way for people to try to discount the success Saban had at LSU. "Oh, he won us two SECC's and an MNC but he lost games he shouldn't and therefor his coaching ability is in question." People blame games on the refs calls, and occasionally, occasionally, (IE: OU vs Boise State last year) that is the case. But, more often than not, it is cases where people are reaching.
I'm not a guy who bashes what Saban did or that is trying to bash the kind of coach he is. I'm just a guy that can sit back and objectively list a person's strengths and weaknesses. Saban is a great big game coach, a great recruiter, a great motivator, and quite simply a great coach. His weaknesses are that he runs off good coaches and can't always hire good coaches because he is a workaholic nazi a-hole who will scream at anyone. he also tends to make poor decisions at times and lose games he shouldn't. Those are facts. The fact is, he made a huge mistake in that Iowa game that cost LSU the game. He made a similar gaffe against Arkansas. I know you can argue that one play shouldn't affect a game blah blah blah, but the fact is, the games come down to one or two plays at the end and in this situation, he blew it and cost us the game. Did I think we should fire him when it happened? No of course not, but it did happen. I can't believe I've gotten myself into a thread about Saban as I promised myself I wouldn't respond to these threads but here I am. Just stating the obvious in my opinion. One thing I'll leave you with is do you think it was a mistake to not have 2 guys on the goal line? Or do you see this as a chance he took believing in his players and his players failed him?
Dude has had one year, 1 yr where he dominated a season. ONE! Guy is severely overrated and is basically a 8-4,9-3 coach year after year. Not an elite coach although the media thinks he is.
Yep. When we lost at home to UA-freakin-B when Josh Booty threw something like 100 picks, do we blame Booty or Saban/Fisher who kept calling pass plays. Probably both, but we had the talent to beat them and a better coached team wouldn't have lost.
