There is no questioning that last year’s defense did not live up to Alabama defenses of the past and defensive coordinator Pete Golding took a bulk of the criticism.
In his first year on the job, Golding had to maneuver through the challenges of stopping multiple high powered offenses in the South Eastern Conference, as well as coaching a ton of young players on the defensive line and linebacking corps due to multiple injuries.
Without players like Dylan Moses and LaBryan Ray, a defense is already at a disadvantage. But Golding recognizes where some of his own shortcomings are, especially being a young coach in the profession.
That’s why Nick Saban went out and added someone like Freddie Roach to the staff who is already making a big impact on the players and Golding himself.
“The energy (Roach) brings to that room being to that room, being a little young I think the kids relate to him more, but it’s not a buddy system,” said Golding during a press conference on Thursday. “He’s on their ass, and he’s gonna make sure they do things right. He does a great job of understanding the defense.”
Last season Alabama played five different freshmen along the defensive line which was a work in progress the entire season. With Roach now taking over for Brian Baker, Golding is seeing a big difference in how he can speak to his players and get them up to speed.
“I think a big part of (being) a coach is how I relate it to the players,” said Golding. “It’s not what I know, it’s what they know. I think he does a really good job of ‘Ok, here’s the front, here’s the game, here’s the blitz’ and breaking it down into their language, and into their terms and getting on the same page. And I’ve been really excited to have him. Obviously I think anytime you can come back to your alma mater and coach that’s something special.”
Another coach Golding raved about was new defensive analyst Charlie Strong and his 37 years of experience coaching football at the college level.
“I love Charlie. It’s so nice to have him here,” said Golding. “The experience he’s had whether its been a head coach or a defensive coordinator. Obviously we still have coach Stoops as well. I love picking those guys’ brains. And have them evaluate me whether it’s from a scripted standpoint, a meeting standpoint, ‘Coach how would you have said this differently? How would you have done this differently?’ That’s what I’m so excited about.”
Although Golding will certainly have to go out and prove that he is the man to get the Crimson Tide’s defense back on track, he is well aware of the position he is in and is ready to learn as much as he can from those surrounding him.
“I’m in an unbelievable atmosphere. I work for the best coach in college football, I’ve got a lot of guys around me that have unbelievable experience and they’re really good dudes and they’re all in it for the right reasons. They’re here to help us and help us improve and get this defense back to where it should be and I promise you I’ve got open ears.”
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 Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
