This video shows why Saban is the best and why Fulmer lost his HC job

#26
#26
Yes it is true that CPF hired Clawson to try to modernize the offense, but the problem is that CPF never allowed Clawson to implement the offense, it was still a CPF inspired/influenced offense....whereas Saban hired Kiffin and immediately let the offense take shape under Kiffin hence results happened right away
Some of our posters back in the Fulmer era observed that it took more than one full season for Clawson to get his offense running efficiently. Maybe it was getting the right personnel to run it or getting the players on the same page, or a combination of those, but year two with Clawson showed significant improvement everywhere he coached. It well could have been that Fulmer throttled Clawson in year one trying to win games vs. taking the lumps and accepting a 4-5 win season. Or, maybe Fulmer knew with the growing discontent, that a losing season would lead to his ouster and he tried to save it by going back to "basics" as the season progressed. He should have been given another year.
 
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#27
#27
Fulmer wasn’t a sub-par recruiter...he landed highly rated talent. He trusted the star ratings too much and didn’t evaluate for actual playing ability and coachability in latter part of his tenure.
Yeah, that's why the Vols were consistently ranked in the top 5 for much of his tenure. Lots of 4-5* talent doesn't pan out for one reason or another. Fulmer got more than his share of GREAT players that made it big. I think if you look, there's a lot of 4* and 5* talent that doesn't work out a Bama, either. Kamara comes to mind immediately.
 
#28
#28
Nick Saban recalls his decision to adapt his offensive philosophy at Alabama

This video is all you need to know as to how the game passed by Fulmer and he was never able to adjust and why our glory years ended after the late 90's...meanwhile Saban kept adjusting and never looked back
The two can be separated. The game passed Fulmer by, and his ability to identify and develop both players and coaches dropped. His handling of the Pruitt hire proved he never got it back.

But Saban is in his own class. Even Dabo or even Kirby Smart could go to Alabama and there would be a drop off. Saban eats the same thing for lunch every day. Not because he’s superstitious or even likes the meal. But he determined it was taking too long each day to decide. You won’t find that level of obsession in anyone else.
 
#29
#29
Yeah, that's why the Vols were consistently ranked in the top 5 for much of his tenure. Lots of 4-5* talent doesn't pan out for one reason or another. Fulmer got more than his share of GREAT players that made it big. I think if you look, there's a lot of 4* and 5* talent that doesn't work out a Bama, either. Kamara comes to mind immediately.
That’s why I referenced “latter”. He stopped evaluating more than what they were rated by a service. Cut wasn’t much of a recruiter but he could tell if a recruit had the fundamentals to play for you...same for Chief. It’s why our defense was still salty even with Fulmer passing on the Peter Willises for the Chris Donalds or Brooks. Kamara signed on for a packed RB class featuring a future Heisman winner and All-Pro. Major factor in that “not working out”. There’s a lengthy list of great players who never played at Alabama...that’s on them.
 
#30
#30
It is easier to "keep adjusting" when you buy the best recruiting classes every year.

Sub-par recruiting was the downfall of CPF. Not that the game passed him by.

New coach will be gone quickly for the same reason.

You can't compete without superior talent in the SEC.
Reversing cause and effect, I think.

The game passed him by, which led to subpar recruiting.
 
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#31
#31
Saban wins because of of Paul Bryant Jr’s ability to bankroll his recruiting operation. Saban was good but not great at Lsu, and MSU. Bryant’s money, and the fact that everyone at Alabama from the chancellor down wants a winning football program no matter the cost is what makes him great.
Right. Because nobody else pays players, and nobody else except Alabama wants to have a winning football program.
 
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#33
#33
Dynasties function when the program sets the expectation of performance. They don’t tolerate mediocrity. But the biggest plus for “player development” is competing against strong players every day. It’s easier to set expectation when the 2nd and 3rd string are capable of taking your job.

Saban actively culls his roster each year to ensure 85 productive players. Graduate transfers have helped get players OUT, so that he can continuously reload. He never loses too much talent in one class.
 
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#34
#34
Can y’all please explain the hash rule change(s)? I don’t understand what changed. Honestly, this is the first time I have heard of this. Thanks

They were much wider apart. Being narrower makes field goals easer. I.E. kicking from the hash. Running toward the sideline was tougher less room and more distance to build up speed. Not as hard on LBs and lineman going the short distance toward the sideline. Receivers didn't have as much room for out patterns. These are just a few things, I am sure real students of the game can explain much better.
 
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#35
#35
That word is why we cannot get to the hump, much less over it. Here we have evidence in some minds that Saban cheats to have superior talent and that is why he succeeds.

The truth is Saban would compete even if his philosophies were 15 years old or his talent was good but below what it is now. In some people's mind, being over .800 would be great. Saban is not interested in a good winning percentage, he wants to dominate everyone all the time.

He adapts in order to dominate and we have to compete with him. We will not be successful in the way most want until our goal goes well beyond competing.

Seems there are a number of TN fans that think the only reason Saban is so successful is because he cheats better than anyone else. That’s just a ruse used to try and make them feel better. I highly doubt Saban has been cheating for the past 2-3 championships. He doesn’t need to cheat anymore.
 
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#36
#36
I actually did the napkin math on this a few months ago. Without Cutcliffe Fulmer was right at .600 against P5 opponents. When you consider many of those wins were against Vandy and Kentucky who had vastly inferior talent, Fulmer’s record looks even less impressive.
Yeah but on any day we could go on the road and travel anywhere in the country and kick some azz. Nowadays it's Ga State and the like coming into our home and kicking ours.
 
#37
#37
This is a little bit revisionist. Fulmer loved to run the ball, but he was getting in 4 and 5 wide sets and throwing it 40+ times back when he was the OC 30 years ago. Saban wins because he’s a great manager and he gets the best players. The offense is important, but it’s not the most important.
Yeah when I was reading some of those comments I was thinking were these guys even alive back then. Some of the comments are just not true. Phil was considered an innovator in his time. Clearly there’s several reasons why we’ve been down since Phil and certainly not one simple thing.
 
#41
#41
Seems there are a number of TN fans that think the only reason Saban is so successful is because he cheats better than anyone else. That’s just a ruse used to try and make them feel better. I highly doubt Saban has been cheating for the past 2-3 championships. He doesn’t need to cheat anymore.

I know, right? Some folks seem to think the only reason anyone is better is because they cheat. It is way past old.

I am tired of hoping something bad happens to a rival so it can help us. We just need to take care of our own business of getting good and that will take care of everybody else.
 
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#43
#43
His last team (2008) had a lot of future NFL talent on it. Yes, his recruiting slid some, but he shouldn’t have gone 5-7 (or 5-6 in 2005). He never adapted.

Fulmer never demanded excellence from his assistants like Saban does. Saban wouldn’t have put up with the stories I heard about practices from pro scouts one second. Saban wouldn’t have tolerated an assistant going to a Memphis strip club instead of a recruits high school game either. Of course, Fulmer was half way checked out from what I heard (during the 2000s also.
 
#44
#44
Fulmer never demanded excellence from his assistants like Saban does. Saban wouldn’t have put up with the stories I heard about practices from pro scouts one second. Saban wouldn’t have tolerated an assistant going to a Memphis strip club instead of a recruits high school game either. Of course, Fulmer was half way checked out from what I heard (during the 2000s also.
Saban is relentlessly focused on driving out mediocrity and complacency. He’s like that guy with a great yard who is on his knees with tweezers looking for any imperfection. Other than trying to make a run at Wilkinson’s 47 game winning streak, I don’t know what else motivates a 70 year old coach with the most championships ever.
 
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#49
#49
They were much wider apart. Being narrower makes field goals easer. I.E. kicking from the hash. Running toward the sideline was tougher less room and more distance to build up speed. Not as hard on LBs and lineman going the short distance toward the sideline. Receivers didn't have as much room for out patterns. These are just a few things, I am sure real students of the game can explain much better.
Thank you for the explanation!
 
#50
#50
I’d argue former lost two jobs for failing to recognize the way the game had changed. But specifically the last one. Offense of coaches were thriving and former went out of his way to hire a guy that said he wanted to play old-school football. How dumb was that? Guess that’s why you don’t let a 70-year-old guy (that was fired over a decade ago for having the game pass him by) run the athletic dept. my god we’re so dumb in that regard. The last few years have been the most frustrating of my entire fandom. Choosing Pruitt (who in turn choose JG) was so incredibly brutal and set us back a freaking decade.
 

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