After every loss, Pelini will be the worst ever After we win the SEC and finish in the Top 5-10 Defenses...he will be the best ever
Yep... But you could also say the same for Saban's defense in '03. Well, if Pelini doesn't get a little more credit for his efforts this year, then by that account, neither should Saban...after all, Saban had a MONSTER D-line as well-- and from DE to DE, probably even better than this year's...Saban also had 2 shut-down corners... '03 Defense DE Marquise Hill (w/ New England) DT Kyle Williams (soon to be drafted) (on 2005 team) DT Chad Lavalais (starter for Atlanta) DE Marcus Spears (has started for Dallas) CB Corey Webster (nickel corner for NYG) CB Travis Daniels (has started for Saban at Miami) CB Randall Gay (used as nickel back for New England until injury) CB Ronnie Prude (probably a low draft pick or sign as UDFA) (on 2005) S Jack Hunt (has bounced around in either NFLE or on Miami roster) S LaRon Landry (will eventually be a 1st round pick whichever year he leaves) LB Lionell Turner (signed as UDFA but retired) LB Eric Alexander (w/ New England) LB Cameron Vaughn (possible "Day 1" draft pick...) So...yes, Pelini had a good line this year, but this line, with the exception of Wroten and Williams, isn't as good as that '03 line as a "unit"...and Saban had FAR more NFL-ready (or future NFL players) than Pelini had to work with this year--SPECIFICALLY at corner back (Prude is no Webster or Daniels), yet the the 2005 defense yielded similar statistics as the '03. I'll play devil's advocate... Was the '03 defense better because of Saban or was Saban better because of the players on defense? AND... Should Pelini NOT get more credit with this '05 defense because he had Williams and Wroten, or should he get more credit for producing the nearly the same results as Saban's '03 defense--except with less talent???
That's what I was alluding to. There was a thread on here some months back about players vs schemes under Saban. Statistically, the defenses under Saban improved dramatically as each year passed (with the exception of 2004), and as his recruits were interjected into the system. And the 'shut-down corners' became the achilles heel of the defense in 2004, when the line had been depleted. Remember Auburn, UGA, and Iowa? Those boys got torched without that pass rush.
I do. I watched the Tenn game from my seat in the North End Zone and commented on the vast substitutions happening in the second half and said "We can't possibly stop anyone with the 3rd and 4th team out there". That's 100% conditioning brought on by the hurricane delays. If a person can't analyze the situations on the field correctly and instead chooses to have mouth diarrhea, then said person should be labeled an idiot.
It was more than short-sighted. It was blind panic, baseless prediction, and sunshine support. Sure they had a right to be concerned about the defense and worry about the next game. I was, too. But the mindless calls for a coach to be fired after one game was just horsecrap from anonymous internet characters, many of whom just use TF as a place to come and bitch.
When you have a critical fact like that in the future, please shout it from the rooftops! I confess that I watched the game on TV and was not as observant as you were. Good job, and hats off to you! Thanks for the insight on the Tenn game . . . I, for one, had no idea that our 1st and 2nd string defensive players were too tired to play much in the second half.
