I'm a big fan of his and what he's done with the program in short order, considering all the circumstances. I was pissed when I thought he was leaving and then happy when he stayed. Having said that, and he just said as much in the postgame presser, the way the season ended is not acceptable. The drama bothered me, sure, but it was the product that really bothered me. We were listless last night and vs Arkansas. Maybe it's a combination of everything bubbling up at what feels like the same time. And if so, Lane more or less got what he deserved. The talk radio in Alabama has been ruthless, as hosts are chewing him up and callers saying AU dodged a bullet. This is where we are - at a crossroads of sorts. How does Lane respond? As the late, great philosopher Mickey Goldmill once said: Life (sports) is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It's pretty clear that Lane has a bloodied nose. What does he do to clean it up? Next year's schedule is brutal, but he's got to show a lot more fight.
The salary stuff doesn't bother me. He wasn't making 9M this year and he was leaving if we didn't bump him. A lot of the overreactions, especially the ones about salary, reek of Chad Kelly after the Sugar Bowl last year. What's important in my mind regarding salaries is the assistants and coordinators salary pool. And that brings me to these staff changes. Let's take a look...
Weis Jr: Obviously very green, but I thought would transition nicely since he had worked with Lane before. The Red Zone offense was atrocious. Play-calling in short yardage situations was so predictable. And our route tree was drawn up in sand. I do think Lane should shoulder some blame here too - if that's as creative as those 2 can be together - we need some new blood.
JDB: Good recruiter I guess, but hasn't had hardly any production from TEs in 2 consecutive seasons. Easy to upgrade from that.
Blackwell: 👍
Nix: MS
Partridge: If he believes in that 3-2-6, fire him yesterday. Deep down, part of the reason Lane goes for it so much, is because he thinks/knows he has to score points damn near every possession to keep up with the other team who is likely scoring at will. It's a bend but don't break defense and you're just not going to win this league playing that way. Lane going for it might scare some better DCs away, but I'd think he should be able to sell them on "If your defense is consistently good, I won't go for it as much." I'm connecting some dots here and I understand Lane puts Partridge in some awkward positions. But our inability to stop the run or get to the passer speaks volumes about the scheme and playcaller. Lastly, our secondary tackling is piss poor. Fundamentally bad and undisciplined.
Carter: Not impressed with our corners. Apparently have no man skills, as they just stand 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and cover their zone.
Joyner: IMO, had 1 good year of DL and 1 below average year. Was the good year more Sam Williams or more Joyner?
Crum: LB play was suspect, even when Troy Brown was healthy. Durkin got more out of his unit, but he also had Chance Campbell and Mark Robinson. Crum was vital in landing Sun Perkins, so there's that.
Biagi: Bum. Special teams were special.
In summary, there is A LOT of fat to be trimmed from this staff. Does Lane have the resources and will he upgrade accordingly? If those answers are yes, the train will continue to climb. If the answers are no, I'm afraid that this nice uptick will be short-lived.
The salary stuff doesn't bother me. He wasn't making 9M this year and he was leaving if we didn't bump him. A lot of the overreactions, especially the ones about salary, reek of Chad Kelly after the Sugar Bowl last year. What's important in my mind regarding salaries is the assistants and coordinators salary pool. And that brings me to these staff changes. Let's take a look...
Weis Jr: Obviously very green, but I thought would transition nicely since he had worked with Lane before. The Red Zone offense was atrocious. Play-calling in short yardage situations was so predictable. And our route tree was drawn up in sand. I do think Lane should shoulder some blame here too - if that's as creative as those 2 can be together - we need some new blood.
JDB: Good recruiter I guess, but hasn't had hardly any production from TEs in 2 consecutive seasons. Easy to upgrade from that.
Blackwell: 👍
Nix: MS
Partridge: If he believes in that 3-2-6, fire him yesterday. Deep down, part of the reason Lane goes for it so much, is because he thinks/knows he has to score points damn near every possession to keep up with the other team who is likely scoring at will. It's a bend but don't break defense and you're just not going to win this league playing that way. Lane going for it might scare some better DCs away, but I'd think he should be able to sell them on "If your defense is consistently good, I won't go for it as much." I'm connecting some dots here and I understand Lane puts Partridge in some awkward positions. But our inability to stop the run or get to the passer speaks volumes about the scheme and playcaller. Lastly, our secondary tackling is piss poor. Fundamentally bad and undisciplined.
Carter: Not impressed with our corners. Apparently have no man skills, as they just stand 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and cover their zone.
Joyner: IMO, had 1 good year of DL and 1 below average year. Was the good year more Sam Williams or more Joyner?
Crum: LB play was suspect, even when Troy Brown was healthy. Durkin got more out of his unit, but he also had Chance Campbell and Mark Robinson. Crum was vital in landing Sun Perkins, so there's that.
Biagi: Bum. Special teams were special.
In summary, there is A LOT of fat to be trimmed from this staff. Does Lane have the resources and will he upgrade accordingly? If those answers are yes, the train will continue to climb. If the answers are no, I'm afraid that this nice uptick will be short-lived.
