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By Shane from Centerpoint
Some say the world has become a very difficult, complicated place – a place where complex solutions are required to remain competitive and progressive. If that statement were applied to college football, Alabama head football coach Nick Saban would be considered an “old school” throwback to an era when things were much simpler. His sound approach to fundamentals and “blue collar” work ethic seems to have transferred directly into his team’s personality, resulting in a hard-nosed football team that wins with solid execution and overpowering physicality based on sheer strength and effort.

Football purist should love this guy. There is nothing fancy about the way his team plays the game. Unlike most of the top tier programs that are winning with flashy schemes, Alabama has been very successful with basic concepts, tangibles if you will.

The Tide is a solid blocking and tackling squad, using sound technique to overwhelm their opponents on the line of scrimmage, which is actually the corner stone of every successful football team.

Even the simplest plan can produce victories when basic operational procedures like blocking and tackling schemes are done to perfection.

Nick Saban has instilled a relentless nature in his players. There has yet to be a time this year when Alabama’s opponent appeared to break their will to win. Regardless of the circumstances this team stays focused on the task at hand, never allowing the score or crowd to affect the mission.

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Alabama’s defense tries to damage and demoralize their foe’s weapons, using fair but brutal methods to force them to fold and eventually concede the victory. Defense is one area where Saban likes to use multiple formations to confuse opposing quarterbacks. Since quarterback play directly affects the outcome of a gridiron contest more than any other facet of the game, the Tide defense’s main mission under Saban is to disrupt his rhythm and capitalize on mistakes.

Offensively, Saban likes to use a “smash-mouth”, direct running game to drive home his point, emphasizing ball control, which in turn allows him to use clock management to control the time an opponent has the ball. He also uses the play-action pass to stretch the field after his runners get the defense drawn in. Admittedly, the plan seems simple – until a team tries to stop the process.

One thing is certain – it isn’t hard to plan for a match up against the Crimson Tide from a strategic standpoint. They aren’t going to try to trick you. They will not attempt to out-scheme anybody. They will line up and play the game the same way it was done 40 years ago. By the way, they are very good at it too!

It is a given that Alabama will get every programs best effort. Facing Bama will serve as a chance to show the nation that their team can compete with the best. A victory over the Tide has become worth something once again. If the truth is known, Alabama has always thrived with a target on its back.

The times have changed. The phrase “Bama is back” is valid. Comparisons are now being made to the great 1992 national championship unit. However, there are a few games to win before that topic can be broached, but the Tide appears to be heading in that direction.

Auburn will use a six game winning streak as motivation to try and take down the team they’ve always viewed as a measuring stick for the quality of their program. Florida, who all the pundits have crowned unbeatable, will rely on team speed and complex formations to defeat the Tide. Both realize that Alabama is easy to prepare for from a scheme perspective. The also know by now how difficult it will be to beat them. Recent history reveals that Alabama keeps things simple – they just bring a relentless, consistent winning attitude to the field. They refuse to lose. That’s exactly what the next three opponents should fear the most – aight.

38 thoughts on “Nothing fancy, aight!”

  1. Even the simplest plan can produce victories when basic operational procedures like blocking and tackling schemes are done to perfection.

    I have to say this was the big reason Mike Shula failed. I know most fans disagree, but I never disliked Shula’s offense. What I hated was the lack of toughness and solid execution on those Alabama teams.

    There is no substitute for execution. Whatever the offense, if you can’t block or run your route, you’ll not find the endzone. Kind of like Auburn this season. 😉

  2. No need for a wink there cappy. Thats the truth. Its all about coaching.

    Why is Saban so succesful ? Because he is a perfectionist. A TRUE perfectionist. That term is way overused today. But Saban is a real perfectionist. In all facets of the game. Tubberville isnt.

  3. That’s gotta be the most boring, cheerleading article that toothless redneck has ever written. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

  4. OK, where’s the great prediction by Omni and/or Ballplay where we are supposed to get beat like 45-6 next week? You’ve done it every week of the year and you’ve been wrong every week. Why not bat a 1000?

    Barn = 2nd tier program in the big boy conference.

  5. BallPlay Indian,
    Are you defecting to the trailer hordes!?!
    Get your arse back to work and give me my testicular massage or I will pull the “Donald Trump Firing Cobra” on your arse!

    And dont forget to get my Orange blazer from the Dry Cleaners lackey!

  6. Thats okay Ballplay. Glad to see you realize that Saban is doing a great job. You can let Julio explain to you his theory of why Saban won’t stay at Bama. It is pretty funny though. Before the season, there weren’t many Auburn people that would admit that Saban is a great coach. And that Tubs was just as good or better. He has a good record against Saban right? Auburn people were not worried. What a difference 11 games can make.

  7. I am not defecting tmc1 / Auburn man…..But Im not going to act like Saban isnt a good coach. He is. Of course that was proven before Bammer offered 4 mill a year, hence the 4 mill a year. Tommy Tubberville is also a good coach. Or was. In my opinion, he started coasting a little. Recruiting woke him up a little last year. And now I beleive that Bama has gotten his full attention. We are kind of in a spot right now where the staff doesnt know what direction to go in. In particular offensively. The powers that be will probably give im another year. He deserves it IMO. We will be better next year. For certian. Our offense and defense are both very young. We will improve.

  8. bushsux Says:
    November 19th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
    OK, where’s the great prediction by Omni and/or Ballplay where we are supposed to get beat like 45-6 next week? You’ve done it every week of the year and you’ve been wrong every week. Why not bat a 1000?

    Barn = 2nd tier program in the big boy conference

    DUDE I have asked you repeatedly to SHOW me where I have written all these predictions BUT here is 2 for you..
    Dont turn your back on AUBURN or your gonna lose a close game and the last part of my prediction is

    FL 40
    uat 6
    NOT EVEN CLOSE YOU WILL BE PUT MATCHED AND OUT COACHED ON THAT DAY!!!

    I will put that on all the blogs from here until DEC 6th and if im wrong I will come here and TAKE MY WHIPPIN..
    so for now bushsux”(the only thing I like about you is your name) STFU and the rest of this site wont know your IGNORANT!

    WAR POLYTECH BITCHBOY!!!

  9. Man, Omni, you need to get a refill on your medication. I don’t know if you will make it to next week.

  10. HOW BOUT THEM BENGAL TIGERS!!!
    HOW BOUT THEM COMMODORES!!!
    HOW BOUT THEM RAZORBACKS!!!
    HOW BOUT THEM MOUNTAINEERS!!!
    HOW BOUT THEM REBELS!!!
    HOW BOUT THEM BULLDAWGS!!!
    HOW BOUT THEM ?????????

    Shane, it’s amazing to me how you get these General Robert E. Lee County cockroaches out from under their rock’s.

  11. BB,

    I have said alot of things in here but NONE of what bushsux tries to sling at me
    you can quote me but DONT LIE ON ME!!!
    hes a guy who will bring you a cotton swab with shit on it and call it a turd

  12. Even though the Tigers are gonna lose this year’s Iron Bowl, I’m sure that all is not lost. All of the 2-star long snappers interested in the Barn will be impressed by the excellent execution of the punt team. They know they will get plenty of play-time if they sign with the cow college.

  13. Why don’t you guys – who use Shane’s blog (and others) as a forum for texting each other – go to the Crimson Tide Forum and exchange barbs, opinions, etc.? I would think that the majority of sports fans who read the blogs look for comments on the contents of the blog/column/article – instead of scrolling through the interplay of you guys arguing with each other. In case you aren’t familiar with the website, it’s http://www.al.com/forums/tide/. That website was designed for folks like you who want to “jaw” back and forth with each other.

  14. YO! “Jaydeer,” leave them boys alone & let’em play! This is a fun site, let’s help keep it this way! Seriously, TO ALL THE RESIDENTS of the BAMA NATION: we cannot afford to look past Auburn. Remember what you were taught when you were a kid…a wounded wild animal can hurt you! I compare this Auburn team to a wounded animal; it may be hurt, but it can inflict a lot of pain. REMEMBER, WE AIN’T WON NOTHING YET! Let’s keep our focus on Auburn! ROLL TIDE! Later.

  15. Auburn 52
    Bammerchickenfarts 0

    Remember you heard it here first and an Auburn Man would never lie cheat or steal.
    If you guys need me, I will be flashing my money and laughing at homeless people.

  16. FAIR BUT BRUTAL METHODS OF FORCE:

    Shane, the nothing fancy approach is most definitely the road less traveled when it comes to college football.
    The greedy-ass narcissistic target market
    out there in TV Land, is quite likely to flip the channel during any offencive drive over six minutes. Its no mystery why a team like Texas Tech, has received their Day-Time Emmy nomination, just in time for their sizzling,sexy match-up with Oklahoma.

    The old-school, blue-collar approach to football is possibly to complicated for the A.D.D. Generation to comprehend, but I find it strange that the degenerate gamblers out in Vegas, are once again falling for the hype.
    I know it is precarious to compare teams of different decades, but I also find the similarities of what happened in 1992 hard to ignore.
    For those that don’t remember, on the first day of 1993; if you took the expert advise of our unscrupulous friends from Nevada, then you lost.

    Shane, you know as well as I do; down here in T-Town, we don’t like talking about the past.
    Regardless of the outcome. 2008, has been one hell of a run, and the future looks aight.

  17. Ballplay Indian Says:
    November 20th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
    Omni, if you voted for Obama you are a cotton swab of shit

    Auburn man or NOT…..BI 1st of all where did this come from? if you voted for that antiquated man and his PIG with lipstick (SHES AND IDIOT) you SIR are a close minded FOOL who has no sense of the world who I voted for is NONE OF YOUR FOOLISH business You see Bush and those like him have RAPED us for awhile now and I will not vote for someone who thinks they know what is good for me better than I do. Hell look at the TEXAS RANGERS and that sums up BUSH AND HIS KIND! I am sorry but glad I found out WHO you are (CHARLES), and I hate your ignorance has given these bammers fodder now(but I dont care), and FUK you for your name calling.. I am the REAL VERBAL ASSASSIN and SIR dont start anymore and it wont be anymore.

    WAR POLYTECH BABY!!!

  18. omni………..Honostly, does that look like something I would post ? No. Tmc1 is lurking out there. He is my archnemisis. He is a queer stalker. He is a nutjob. He posts under forty thousand different names and then says I do the same. That would make him a hypocrite. He is the green fly cicling the turd.

    Again Omni. Think about what is posted under my name. You know Im not a man that uses profanity with every other word. And that while I may not like Obama, Im not gonna call someone a POS for voting for him. Though I will call Tmc1 a POS just for showing up.

  19. HELL THIS GAME WILL BE OVER IN THE FIRST QUARTER.NOT EVEN SWEATING THIS ONE,,GO AHEAD AND PUT THIS ONE IN THE WIN COLUMN.UNDEFEATED SEASON 12 O;;;;;;;RTR RTR RTR

  20. Guess what aubbo.
    It was not me. I did not have a hand in it.
    And before you use your amazing powers of deduction THINK……
    How many times have you been wrong so far this year? um hmm. just as I thought. Your are grasping around desperately like Stevie Wonder at an all double-D cup orgy.

    Leave me out of this, because it would appear you have earned yourself a new arch-nemesis.
    Good luck in your verbal wars with whoever it is. But I can tell you this… I am not using your screen name.

  21. OH MAN!!!! My BAD BALLPLAY. YOUR RIGHT DUDE I AM SORRY FOR SPEAKING AT YOU LIKE THAT!!!!!! PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGY

  22. And I am pretty sure I have narrowed it down to 2 of these fukrs(punctuation styles) NOW to address them WHY cant you post your RACISTS IGNORANCE to me in your own name, Because you know, you know VERBALLY you cant challenge me AND I will speak the truth when I say YOU cant in any other way..I.E.. PHYSICALLY,MENTALLY,or EMOTIONALLY. TMC1 I am pretty sure it wasnt YOU! BUT to the one who did BLOG It I DID VOTE FOR OBAMA and fuk you and EVERY ONE YOU LOVE LOSER!!! once again BI MY SINCERE APOLOGIES SIR!!!!

  23. AND SHIT all the talk about us beng the same person I HAVE NEVER POSTED UNDERAN ASSUMED NAME TO FUK WITH ANYBODY HERE SO NEXT TIME COWARD FACE ME HEAR!!!!! FACE ME SISSY BITCH!!!! AND BUSHSUX I AM PRETTY SURE IT WAS YOU, YOU PATHETIC LOSER I BET YOU DONT EVEN HAVE A REAL GIRLFRIEND (PLASTIC OR OTHERWISE)

  24. BIG-12 MELTDOWN:

    Shane,I wonder what cartoon analogy Gary Danielson will use to spin the thrashing that Texas Tech took up in Norman.
    Perhaps he will use the ESPN distracted-math technique. You know the one.
    Regardless of the equation, Florida and Texas are clearly the two best teams in the Country. If you don’t believe that, just ask Kirk Herbstreet.
    The boys over at the four-letter network, seem to have a real handle on this BCS stuff.
    The Big-12 South makes perfect sense, once you realize that it really doesn’t matter; they will still have to play Florida. I know that Muskburger is starting to sound a bit like Dick Clark, but have you seen Tebow?
    “You wonna talk about a beat-down. Look what Florida did to the Citadel!”
    I also heard that Abilene Christian hung 93 points on The Sisters of the Poor.

    I wonder what happened to Alabama.

  25. YO, ALL RESIDENTS OF THE BAMA NATION: I’m hyped up about next Saturday, but remember what I said earlier; A WOUNDED ANIMAL CAN HURT YOU! I want ‘Bama to put an ***-whuppin’ SMACKDOWN on the Polytechnic Tigers as bad as anyone, but don’t act like its a “DONE-DEAL.” Don’t think this game is a “gimme.” YOU GOTTA PLAY THE GAME! Sure, I believe we have the better team, but our guys have gotta WANT IT! ROLL TIDE, y’all! Let’s KEEP OUR FOCUS ON THE TASK AT HAND…WINNING THE NEXT GAME!

  26. The past 29 years have been more than fun watching you guys go back and forth at each other. Before moving to Alabama I thought the Georgia/Florida rilvary was the most heated in the south… I was wrong and that is not easy for me to admit. I took a look at the history of this rilvary since most of us could remember and I was a little surprised that since 1967 the series is only 1 game from being dead even. Alabama has won 21 times – Auburn 19. In the last 30 years the tide so to speak shifts to Auburn winning 16 to Alabama 14. The last 20 years the gap gets a little wider with Auburn winning 12 times and we all know the last 10 has been Auburn 7-3! It has become clear that there is a disrespected little brother in the sleepy little town just south of Opelika that seems to find a way to beat big brother a good bit of the time. Hence the heat!! I don’t think the Michigan/Michagan State and like rilvarys carrys such deep feelings. I’m sure State hates big brother but it’s different when you hardly ever win. Michigan has totally dominated that series 31-9 over the last 40 years! This Auburn/Alabama show is a dog gone good rilvary! This year has all the makings of a bazillion t shirts and bumper stickers! Nothing could make Auburn people happier than to plunge the dagger into the heart of the Alabama faithful by thumping the Tide right out of the national title game. The SEC championshi game looses it’s luster, Auburn’s season, while quite dismal, saves face and Alabama fans would be hanging thier crimson faces and gritted teeth having to hear about 7 years of famine! On the other hand Alabama fans can gloat over the fact that the Tide can manage to have lackluster years with the program in the toilet then suddenly win another National championship like in 92 and could be playing for another in a few weeks! That has to stick in the crawl of every True Tiger. I’m telling you, it is a great rilvary and nothing surprises me anymore! And if the truth be known, it would not surprise Alabama fans to get upset by little brother and it would not surprise Auburn for Alabama to be holding up the BCS championship trophy! Hence the HEAT! What a great Thanksgiving week it will be and what a great game I expect will be played!! Go Tigers and Roll Tide. It will be a war! The players on both sides will walk away with more respect for the other than before… and so should we.

  27. INSANE I JUST PAID THE TAXES ON TUBBY FIELD WEST TODAY. WE OWN THE TERDS IN TTOWN.MIDGET MAN SABAN WILL LOSE ONCE AGAIN TO HIS DADDY TOMMY TUBERVILLE IN 4 DAYS. I WILL BE THERE TO RAISE 7 FINGERS IN THE AIR. UAT HAS TO MANY TO GIGS TO BEAT OUR WHITE BOYS. OUR WHITE BOYS WILL PUT YOUR GIGS IN THEIR PLACE.

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