Alabama football and Thanksgiving have a similar theme.
We know certain meals are foundational at Thanksgiving.
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People equate a good menu with seeing dressing (with cranberry sauce), ham/turkey, mashed potatoes, greens, macaroni and cheese, and a casserole. If any of these are absent from the table, then it does not feel like Thanksgiving.
A successful game plan for the Crimson Tide works the same way. Before Nick Saban arrived in 2007, the foundation for Alabama was a power running game and a fearsome defense.
Whether it was Paul W. “Bear” Bryant, Gene Stallings, or others, coaches for the Crimson Tide believed in running the ball. Coach Bryant would pound the ball until the opponent proved it could stop the Tide’s attack.
In its national championship run with Saban, Alabama has always been able to run the ball.
The run game is a valuable staple of the program, especially when its first two Heisman Memorial Trophy winners — Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry — were running backs.
One cannot picture the Tide without a ground game, but first-year offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien doesn’t see it. Fans and former Alabama players were upset with his play-calling versus Texas A&M.
It was announced several times in the CBS broadcast that Texas A&M’s defensive front was tired. Brian Robinson, a fifth-year senior, had posted his second straight 100-yard outing.
As a Tuscaloosa native, he gashed the Aggies for six yards per carry and totaled 147 yards on 24 attempts. Texas A&M has draft-eligible athletes; however, they wanted nothing to do with Robinson.
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He was showing NFL scouts that he is a complete player.
Despite this, O’Brien forgot Robinson existed when Alabama’s offense reached the goal line.
He dialed up passes versus an attacking defense instead of running Robinson.
O’Brien gave the two-time national champion the treatment Pete Carrol did to Marshawn Lynch in the 2015 Super Bowl (2014 season) between Seahawks and Patriots. All Carrol had to do was let Lynch dominate New England for a 1-yard touchdown. He goes to a spread formation with Russell Wilson in the shotgun, and the strategy ends up in an interception.
New England earned a 28-24 victory, and Carrol remains haunted by the memory.
The Tide were in the red zone twice in the fourth quarter. Texas A&M carried a lead; nevertheless, O’Brien could have turn momentum sooner if he called plays for Robinson. Alabama would have won the game if O’Brien went more to Robinson.
At 6’1″ and 225 pounds, Robinson returned to school for an opportunity to carry the ball more.
He waited for this year, and O’Brien has neglected him twice so far. Alabama thrives off running the ball when it wants to. It cares about physicality and creating a balance to protect the quarterback. O’Brien probably wanted to increase Bryce Young’s Heisman chances, but one doesn’t sacrifice the foundation of the offense for it. His calls were egregious, and fans expressed their displeasure on Twitter.
Last week, Alabama football did not feel like itself. O’Brien was part of the reason.
He needs to start trusting Robinson and the backs more.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
