Nick Saban Lays Out The Championship Blueprint On Offense, Now Notre Dame Must Catch Up, “The game
is different now, people score fast,” Saban said in a recent interview. “I grew up with the idea that you play good defense, you run the ball, you control vertical field position on special teams and you’re going to win. Whoever rushes the ball the most for the most yards is going to win the game
“You aren’t going to win anything now doing that,” continued Saban. “Because A, the way the spread is, the way the rules are, to run RPOs. The way the rules are that you can block down field and throw the ball behind the line of scrimmage, I mean those rules have changed college football. No huddle fastball has changed college football.
“I changed my philosophy about five or six years ago … We said we have to outscore em.”
Unfortunately for Notre
Link: https://www.si.com/college/notredame/football/notre-dame-football-nick-saban-blueprint-irish-must-catch-up
Replies to: Nick Saban Lays Out The Championship Blueprint On Offense, Now Notre Dame Must Catch Up, “The game
Nowhere in that quote does he say running the ball and physicality up front is not important.
Saban knows it is vital, as does Meyer and Day as well. You can't belong if you don't have that.
The key takeaway from that quote for me is concerning RPO's and using the rules that allow blocking downfield and throwing the ball behind the line. ND has not utilized those and desperately needs to use them. Almost a dereliction of duty by our coaching staff to not have them in our offense. But guess what? RPO's don't work worth shit if no one respects the run and you can't run effectively. Guess what else? RPO's are designed in part to help the running game by keeping the defense honest. So, the run game is still incredibly important and nothing in what Saban said would indicate that it is not.
Driskell makes no sense,. He thinks Mike Leach is the next national champ. Total garbage
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Glad to hear a Saban quote many here denied this a few months back. Catch up Kelly.
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A new nickname...
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Ha. Good point.
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Sounds a lot like the Brian Kelly “Get over it” offense back when most here thought he should RTDB
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yep, yep.
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The Offensive Flat Earthers at NDNation must receive this about as well Magellan's circumnavigation.
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They've taken to parsing Saban to suit their purposes.
But they've literally had years of practice parsing quotes to their own meanings.
The greatest coach of the modern era says that they are wrong. Remember, they wanted Harbaugh.
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The vulgar slob with a decided schematic advantage was their man.
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Shit blogger post again
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Driskell is a shit blogger for sure. Some truth in what Saban says. Bare in mind he had one of the
best running games in the country with one of the best RB's in the country running behind one of the most physical and best OLine's in the country, that he ran the ball more than he threw it and only threw it 30 times per game.
What a whiner.
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It's Saban's own words on video! Do you need it to come from one of your special feel good sources?
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The quotes are Saban's own words. Backed up by the video.
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Saban's teams averaged 210 rush yards per game over the past 12 years and it's a power running game.
So, yeah, they have a lot of dynamic weapons and can score fast, but it all starts with a Najee Harris or a Jacob Lacey and a big nasty offensive line running right over your ass. Same thing with Ohio State. It's what they do.
I think Estime and the OLine/TE group can certainly be that (Estime reminds me a ton of Harris when I watch his tape and look at his measurables). So yes, add the other stuff on the perimeter...we need that. But lose the physicality and the "run their asses over" aspect of the game and we will be absolute garbage. If we go back to not being able to run the ball against a Georgia or a Clemson or an Alabama and we will be just as inept as we were before.
Truth is, if Alabama or OSU all of a sudden couldn't run over teams and couldn't run the ball against teams and just had to throw it, they'd be garbage too.
And he converted with Tua 4 years ago and that average is now dropping. His words mean more than
your manipulation of the data. Sagan’s teams RPG average over 12 years includes the pre-conversion cohort numbers.
In each of the past four years Saban ran more the ball more times than he passed.
Saban ran the ball more than he passed last year as well and averaged 185 yards rushing per game and that's against an SEC schedule. He only threw the ball 30 times a game. Our run game this past season was one of the very best in the country. That being said, Najee Harris running behind Alabama's OLine might have been even better. Maybe they didn't use it as much as us so they didn't generate as many yards per game, but it was pretty damn good.
You know who else knows something about football? Urban Meyer and Ryan Day and their teams have that level of physicality and running game year in and year out. It is simply a trademark of both Urban Meyer's teams as well as Saban's teams that they have that every year. There is no team they are afraid to run the ball against.
Now, I don't mean to argue. I would agree 100% that our passing game needs to be light years better than this past year. More dynamic, more quick strike capability and better QB play. Better weapons. But let's be clear, we need that level of physicality and the ability to run the ball against good teams that we had this year. We should have that every year because of how we can recruit those positions. Saban has it every year. Meyer had it every year. Day has it every year. We should have it every year as well and there's no reason we can't.
In years past, we couldn't run against good teams to save our lives. We'd play a good team and be totally inept. Even when we had good backs. Remember a few years ago when we were afraid to try to run it against Georgia? Too afraid to even try. That is embarrassing. It was different this year and the change actually came in the bowl game from last year, Rees's first game as OC. It wasn't a personnel change, it was an attitude change. It was a change of mentality to one of ass-kicking physicality. I saw that change one other time under Kelly...the bowl game we won against LSU running the ball with Procise and I hoped it would stay and it went away again.
That mentality was there all year this past season as well. That needs to stay. That's all I'm saying. And that Saban, for all the truth in what he is saying, knows that is absolutely essential. Meyer always knew it was too. Day knows it. I think our staff knows it now as well.
Another meaningless stat since his teams were up by 28 by end of 1rst Q. I'd suggest
listening to Saban's words, and taking them at face value.
Tell me, where is it in that quote he says running the ball is no longer important?
It's more important what he says about RPO's and the rules allowing blocking downfield and throwing the ball behind the line of scrimmage. That is the key takeaway for ND.
Where in that quote did he say that beating baby seals is no longer important?
Your question engages in logical fallacy. There are many things in his statement that are not said. I am focusing on what he DID say.
Saban specifically says that if you emphasize the old principles of running the ball &playing good defense that "you aren't going to win anything".
He also specifically says that "you have to score fast" which clearly means emphasizing the big play passing game - which he did.
Iy was those big plays that put Alabama up early on opponents, and then he ran the ball and the clock thereafter.
Is running no longer important at all? Of course not. But is it the primary emphasis as in the past? Not among the teams that want to win a NC.
The problem here for you is clearly that this revelation challenges your world view. Adapt or die.
You are incorrect on a number of points. First, Saban did not say "you have to score fast," he
says the game has changed and that "people score fast." Perhaps it is implied but that quote is inaccurate and if we are going to talk about implications, I would say it is implied by many of the posts on this thread that some feel running the ball at a very high level is no longer important.
Second, you say that "his teams were up by 28 points by end of 1st quarter in most games." Again, completely false. He was never up by 28 points at the end of the first quarter against any team he played this year, so that is just untrue. In fact, he was up by 28 points at half only once all year. If you break down his games, many of them were not decided until late and he ran the ball throughout. Again, Saban runs the ball more than he throws it. That is just a fact. So, I will listen to his words if you look at and accept what he actually does.
Third, you speak of Saban saying you must emphasizing the "big play passing game." Saban never says to emphasize the big play passing game. What he does say is that the game changed with RPO's, higher tempo offense and blocking downfield while throwing behind the line. That is what he actually emphasizes and the quick-strikes in his offense are utilizing those principles. Smith scored against us from short passes. They were incredible this year using those principles. Rarely did they go downfield.
So, I am in favor of the Alabama model. I think it is great. But let's get it right. They run the ball more than they throw it and do so with a power running game, a high level of physicality and they do it very, very well. They use RPO's, short passes to dynamic playmakers with blocking downfield, all that are creatively designed, mix in downfield shots and keep defenses off-balance. It's a great model.
No matter how long you talk or spin, Nick Saban said what he said. Deal.
Agreed. He said what he said and he does what he does.
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