Where do we go from here: Smart, Bobo, and Searels

To be clear, I think Coach went to bed early Sunday morning second guessing himself on that fourth down call to go for it. We had momentum. The offense was moving the ball and the defense was shaking things loose. Let Woodring do his thing, let the defense make a stop, then go for the lead.

Stockton looked really comfortable finally and Bowens was getting ten yards between the tackles. We were running the ball better than if we had a all-star dream wishbone with Brannan Southerland, Verron Haynes and Herschel Walker!

Absolute worst case, we end up losing in overtime.

Similarly, I believe Bobo also went to bed second guessing the personnel and the play calls if he knew going into that 3rd down that he had two plays to move the chains. That young right side of the line is learning as they go. That pitch to Jones was a tall ask on many levels.

Other than that, I liked the offensive play calling. I believe Bobo will continue to get comfortable with his playmakers and putting them in position to move the chains and score some points. We didn't run as much 13 personnel as I expected, but I think our tight ends were mostly out there to help block. Hopefuly as the offensive line gets healthy we can disguise those guys in more motion and downfield routes.

Speaking of the offensive line, I came into this season defending Searels. At least to some degree. And to be fair, we're missing some key components. It's a position room that needs some healing hands more than any other in recent memory. 

Coach Pittman (via SicEmDawgs)

But I hope Smart makes an offer to Pittman to come pitch in as an analyst. It can only help in my view. Puts Searels in an awkward position, sure. But this is a business. 93 thousand didn't show up Saturday night and millions of others tune in to see a loss.

Bring Pittman home and give him (and by proxy Coach Searels) a three month on the job interview.

But Bobo and Searels aren't the real problem. The former did masterful work Saturday night and the latter is making lemonade with bruised lemons and freshmen lemon squeezers.

So back to Smart, he's gotta be asking Schumann what they're missing. This, in my view, is of the upmost importance. If Searels needs to feel some pressure, our defensive staff needs a hard look. You can't keep winning in the SEC if you can't get to the quarterback with four rushers. Saturday night, we blitzed like Buddy Ryan on steroids in the first quarter. And had nothing to show for it. (Except a bunch of no flags for excessive Bama hugging. More on that in a later episode.)

If it's a personnel problem, make some adjustments/changes. If it's calls from the sideline, give Co-Defensive Coordinator Robinson some more responsibility. Again, this is a business. I really disliked our staff's body language in that opening quarter. I bet those of you in attendance could even see it from the stands. It wasn't a good look, and despite the adjustments, getting back into the game...as a fan it's hard to see. So how did our players feel?

In Schu's defense, the halftime report was his goal was to affect the quarterback. And we did that. Simpson at least cooled off. So his defensive players responded. But it's a 60 min game. Not 45.

Coach Smart said yesterday he worries about everything. He's a man of his word, we know that and he practices what he preaches when it comes to accountability. I know when that dude looks into someone's eyes, from a fan to a recruit and his family, to the players in that locker room, he intends to do what he deems best for this football team. 

We want it. They've earned it. Smart intends to deliver. So, re-evaluate and let's get the F after it!

On fumbles, dropped pass, botched 4th and short, etc.

Let's bullet this out as I'm going to try and keep it brief.

• First, congrats to the Tide on a helluva win. Not the same team we saw week one, and that's a credit to their coaching as well as their team leadership.
• We're reminded that any loss falls first and foremost at the head guy's feet. He and Schu looked dazed and confused by Grubb and DeBoer's gameplan.
• You don't give up eight consecutive third down conversions without diggin a hole for the rest of the way.
• I lost count, but at some point they had more than double total plays in the first half. That's taking a lot of gas out the tank of your defense and putting a lot of pressure on the entire team.

  

  Gaining the edge (via)

• Don't think we saw Frazier after that fumble. Don't expect that will continue, but with Bowens' performance I would expect 33 to be the starter this weekend.
• The Taylor drop was a gut punch. I'm sure the kid is beating himself up, but from what I've heard and seen he seems the type of player that can put it in the rearview quick. It was a great call, incredible route and that just shows he's gonna make a lot of plays for us down the road.
• Overall, if asked I'd give the offense more than a passing score, especially considering how they closed the gap some on total plays and time of possession.
• A few quick positives: 6.9 yards per carry! Wow. Special teams continue to be special. And sophomore OLB Quintavious Johnson looked special as well. I like that despite getting flagged for a horse collar tackle, coaches stuck with him. Couple plays later he makes a key tackle for loss.

As for the decision not to kick the field goal. I can be convinced it was the right call. I would've called for the kick, but I am not Kirby Smart and he is not me. Thank God! And I can be convinced that going with the hurry up was the right call. But given the personnel on the field, I think a pass there or running behind Morris in the least is the correct Monday Morning call.

Lastly, for those that consider the season over, I for one am much more concerned with Kentucky this weekend. Perhaps you are fretting too much about it being Alabama that we lost to again. I was there where you are when I went to sleep Saturday night. Worry about them later.