It means nothing to have one person upset, but frustration from the majority is different.
Alabama fans are in their second season with Bill O’Brien and Pete Golding together as coordinators. Many of them are disappointed with the lack of dominance and big plays. The Crimson Tide had balance, creativity, fun, and explosiveness with Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian as offensive play-callers. Fans are not seeing the same pop and enjoyment from O’Brien.
Kirby Smart and Jeremy Pruitt had defensive players running through brick walls. They simplified game plans, carried an energy that players fed off of, and put athletes in a position to be fearsome. Golding is young, but people wonder if Alabama’s athletes want to play for him. They look lost, lack aggressiveness, and one player has stepped up to help Will Anderson and Dallas Turner.
The matchup with Texas showed Sarkisian as a better offensive mind, and the combination of coaches the Longhorns had defensively was better than Golding. A few members of national media, including ESPN’s Heather Dinich, do not consider Alabama as a lock for the College Football Playoff. Nick Saban has areas on this team that need work, but can the Tide win a national championship with O’Brien and Golding? Fans and former players have called for both to be let go.
On Wednesday, Stephen Smith of Touchdown Alabama Magazine got deeper into the conversation via In My Own Words.
Smith broke down the frustration of fans for O’Brien and Golding. People are willing to roll the dice more on Golding than O’Brien, but hopefully, both can pick up the pace moving forward.
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