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We’ll start the week with a Monday mailbag. The “sorry shape” of Alabama’s football team coming out of spring practice leads things off, but there are other concerns about Alabama’s new coach as well. The emails were pretty tough this weekend, but there isn’t a better feeling for a columnist than knowing readers are engaged and want accountability from the journalists who cover their teams.
Spring practice at Alabama is a wrap for first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, and the April transfer portal is about to swing open. I’d call A-Day the final stage in Alabama’s transitionary period from the career of legendary coach Nick Saban to DeBoer. DeBoer’s offense looked potent on Saturday, but the defense and the physical playing surface of the field inside Bryant-Denny Stadium might need a little work. My column on A-Day offered some insight into DeBoer’s coaching style behind the scenes, but some fans bristled at the idea of Alabama having a head coach who is friendly with players.
William Keith of Mobile writes …
I guess you think being a nice guy or “player friendly” is more important than winning six national championships. The standard of excellence developed by Nick Saban has made 49 first-round NFL draft picks very wealthy. Why don’t you ask them how important being “player friendly” was to them when they were at Alabama. Every aspect of the program was about achieving excellence, not being a pal to the players. I don’t think you would have seen the playing field at Bryant-Denny in such sorry shape for a Saban A-Day game. We will see how a pal to the players coach does in the fourth quarter of the Georgia, Tennessee or Auburn game. That will be the true measure of this coach and team. Running down the greatest coach in college football history is not a good look for you.
Tom Babington writes …
You referenced ONE borderline quote from a player and … rocketed off to Venus with that thin view in your opinion column for Sunday morning! You would not be a good teammate but an effective clubhouse lawyer! Not sure what that means? Look it up, pal.
ANSWER: Calling Nick Saban a tyrant of a coach in a column isn’t exactly a shot. It’s more like a compliment. We all know how Saban ran his program. DeBoer does things differently. That was the point of the column and the type of insight readers might find useful as Alabama’s changes from one coach to the next.
When comparing Saban and DeBoer, linebacker Deontae Lawson said Saban was “all business” and safety Malachi Moore called Saban’s way “militant.” DeBoer brings a softer touch, but hopefully that doesn’t mean his teams are going to be soft on the field. I suspect not based on DeBoer’s track record of success.
Alabama’s defense under new coordinator Kane Wommack could have looked better in the spring game, but, honestly, what’s gained from teammates crashing into each other in the open field during a practice game? Some open-field tackles were missed, but I’d rather see running back Jam Miller slide past defenders on A-Day than have his knees taken out. As for pass rush, it was non-existent for a reason. That’s the way DeBoer wanted it so he could highlight the offense for the fans and keep things interesting.
Let’s keep things in perspective. Alabama’s cornerbacks are a legitimate concern heading into the summer, but something tells me that DeBoer and Wommack are going to address that through the transfer portal. Don’t forget that Saban used the transfer portal last season for former UAB safety Jaylen Key. Saban had other big-name transfers on the defensive side, including linebacker Henry To’oTo’o of Tennessee.
As for offense, DeBoer could use an extra offensive linemen and I wouldn’t be surprised if Alabama’s new coach didn’t bring in a possession receiver to go along with the big-threat ability of Washington transfer Germie Bernard. Bernard had 122 yards on three receptions in the spring game.
As for being a clubhouse lawyer … Saban himself is on record saying that players need to unionize. When the tyrant calls for socialism to fix a broken game, that’s when you know things are bad.
Phillip Johnson writes …
This may be true but the question remains, can [DeBoer] get the job done? I personally don’t think so. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think the era of Alabama being a powerhouse is gone and so goes the national titles.
Alan McAdams of Jasper writes …
I have been very happy about the hiring of Coach DeBoer, but if the players are not scared of him it probably won’t turn out good. That’s just the way it is. Has there ever been a successful coach that was easygoing? I mean really? I played basketball for one, and I loved him until the day he died, but my goodness he was the toughest SOB to play for. He was so successful. If the players are happy, then they are not being pushed to the very max. If they are not being pushed to the max, then they are not improving to be the best they can be.
ANSWER: Alabama has Nick Saban and Paul Bryant. Pete Carroll is the legendary coach on the West Coast that all modern-day West Coast coaches aspire to be. Carroll was pretty easygoing and it worked for him. Don’t forget about my GOAT metric system for all-time coaches. In big-money games, Pete Carroll had a winning percentage of 77.8. Saban, meanwhile, came in at 66.2 percent and Bryant at 59.3 percent. Here’s a link to my new GOAT metric, which measures the best coaches of all time in big-money games.
ON BASKETBALL
Matt Moore writes …
I’m on the plane back home from PHX and just getting to catch up on your column. “This one was for Leon Douglas and Charles Cleveland and ‘Boonie’ Russell and T.R. Dunn and Ray Odums and all the other greats who were always knocking and pounding and pushing and striving. "
Amen, brother.
THOSE were the guys that built the foundation. I know we were in the hoops hinterlands for 30 years before Nate Oats, but Alabama has history. As Robert Hunter wrote: " Since it costs a lot to win and even more to lose…” The future seems bright for Bama basketball. We owe it to Coach C.M. Newton and Wimp Sanderson and those great players.
ANSWER: Always love ending the mailbag with a quote from the Grateful Dead. I’ll match your lyric by songwriter Robert Hunter with one of my own: “The storyteller makes no choice. Soon you will not hear his voice. His job is to shed light and not to master.”
SOUND OFF
Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind for the weekly mailbag. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.
Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the most controversial sports book ever written, “We Want Bama”.
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