I agree with your assessment on Johns. He was a phenom on special teams. One player I wonder about is Ali Sharief. He was recruited by Saban as a LB but signed with Bama and has been running in the RB position. I wouldn't be shocked at that move...neither would I if Johns is moved. There is a lot of depth at the RB position so seeing one of the two move...no shock at all.
I have noticed the trend Terry. Still, it reminds me of a bank. Everybody is a VP and it gives an air of importance. In reality, a team functions or it doesn't, regardless of title. Just don't like the concept, especially with new hires. I would be more agreeable if it were for long term employees who have made sacrifices for the organization.
Considering the amount Alabama is spending on payroll... :lol: :lol: In all honesty, the only difference is having an Associate HC, and the two coordinators aren't considered Asst's.
I thought he was a candidate for QB coach at LSU. Or am I not thinking correctly on that? Applewhite seems to be a talented coach, no doubt, but anyone who is promoted too soon in regards to their experience can struggle. He may end up being a fine OC, but I expect he'll have some rough patches. Also, I don't think that the coaching hierarchy Saban has put together for his assistants will help. I don't have any experience on a coaching staff, obviously, but I do have experience with management. Unfortunately, I have experience with the kind of management structure Saban has put together for his offense, where no one person is in charge. Management by committee just doesn't work in my experience, especially when you have a control freak CEO/President/Dean/Head Coach/Take your pick. In theory you want to create a team atmosphere, but in reality you have a bunch of ambitious people locked in a struggle for control, and it gets political with a lot of finger pointing real fast when things aren't going great...like when you lose a game or three.
It's a way to pay important veteran coaches some more money in a competitive field. It's also a way to get some black assistant coaches a higher profile, which is good for PR and for recruiting as well as a springboard for future head coaching jobs.
We wanted Applewhite as our QB coach, not as our OC... big difference. Applewhite is an up & coming coach, and if Pendry has good experience with offenses at this level, they should be okay. But there is cause for concern since Saban's expertise is on the defensive side of the ball. Either way, I don't think it will matter for too long because I don't think he stays there more than 2-3 years.
Pendry is in charge of the offense. Like I've mentioned, the game planning will be coming from three different inputs. That isn't different than any other team out there. Three sets of eyes studying game film is always a lot better than one guy. Heck, I've watched that for the last 4 years where 2 others were said to have input in the offense, but didn't have a say in the matter. I don't understand the notion that "the coaching hierarchy Saban has put together for his assistants" won't help. If you look around the NCAA at teams with the same type of assignments you'll see examples of where it has worked, and worked well. As to experience, Pendy has been in offensive systems for over 30 years, the last 19 spent in the NFL. (started his first 6 years in the collegiate ranks) You'll see him having the final say-so on the offense. However, their will be a sub-management system in place with Burns concentrating on the running schemes and Applewhite (who is also serving as QB coach) and Cignetti concentrating on the passing aspect of the game. While it is impossible to say for sure, I certainly suspect this line of reasoning is wishful thinking on your part. Do I see him staying more than 7-8 years? No. But the idea of 2-3 years doesn't compute/match with anything he's done in the collegiate rank.
I agree with the recruiting move. An alterior motive to bringing in Applewhite is that it brings a Baton Rouge boy into the Bama coaching staff. He will likely have some inroads into some of the Louisiana schools. FWI. Applewhite grew up a Bama fan and wanted to attend that university (he was named after Major Ogilvie). Dubose (bama coach) chose 2 other QBs and Applewhite then went to Texas. (from Wikipedia ... link = http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Applewhite)
Its not wishful thinking & its not based on anything in Applewhite's history. Its based on what I've heard on Applewhite & Saban's relationship & Saban's history with assistants in general.
