You misunderstand. My problem is WHY they lost, not that they lost.

No surprise here. When Bama puts up 41 points, they're supposed to win. But when their secondary can't/won't tackle, miss assignments, lose eye discipline and concentration, and generally look as if they're out of sorts, quality teams with talented quarterbacks like Burrow and Trevor Lawrence will dine on them like they're caviar on the holiday buffet table. This deficiency has plagued the Tide for the past several years, and why it hasn't been corrected I simply cannot understand. We know it's not a lack of talent or athleticism that is at the root of the matter. But unless and until Saban solves the problem, the days of Alabama dominating playoff considerations will continue to wane. In other words, there has to be another Brent Venables out there who can shore up the defense and bring in a new position coach for the secondary who can actually "coach." We're talking fundamentals here, folks. That's all.

All of us want Tua to recover fully as quickly as possible, of course. But now Nick's OL seems to be jelling...fewer missed assignments, opening wider holes, fewer penalties, etc. Let's turn Najee and Robinson loose, and keep them running even after Tua returns. And I'm sure Sarkisian can find a pitch-out somewhere in his bag of plays...cannot understand why that option isn't used more.

Plenty of star power on the offensive side of the ball...not so much on the other, despite the raw talent and athleticism. Injuries, of course, have taken their toll, and Nick's freshmen need to mature a bit. The showdown with LSU will provide a good barometer of the Tide's "greatness," and I for one would love to see Nick grind out a 21-17 win. A close, low-scoring win over a Top 5 opponent with a high-powered offense would be reassuring.

Lewis is this year's Bo Scarborough: a great talent who can't seem to stay healthy. Just hope he'll be able to make it to the NFL and enjoy as productive a career as possible.

Wonder if Fulmer holds this opinion...

As soon as UT's leadership understands that Fulmer is a very big part of the school's problem, I hope the school does what needs to be done: fire Phil, hire an experienced AD, who in turn should be given the leeway of hiring an established, existing head football coach. The money's there, the facilities are there, the tradition is there, the fan loyalty is there. But the will to see beyond the homespun gibberish ("he bleeds orange") and the pernicious effect of Fulmer's influence has not yet emerged. I hope it will soon...possibly in time to begin righting the ship before the start of next season. God knows every UT supporter on the planet deserves better than the tragicomedy currently playing out in Knoxville.

I'll say it again. Fulmer is part of this problem. He's the one thread that runs through the past 10 years of the Vols' misery, and no doubt has meddled in (read: influenced) the coach-selection process every step of the way. He needs to retire...again...and stay retired, rather than insist on being "relevant" (read: being the power behind the throne). UT needs an aggressive AD with established credentials (nope, not Fulmer) and the administration needs to give him a wide berth in hiring an established head coach ( again, not Pruitt), and pay both of them competitively. More importantly, the school needs to extract itself from the parochialism and "he bleeds orange" nonsense that have weakened decision-making & have made UT's circumstances far worse than they should have been. The situation is ridiculous and an unnecessary embarrassment when clearly there's a way out of this mess.

It's early, but Shane Lee is looking a lot like Dont'a Hightower. Predict he'll be an All-American by the end of his sophomore year.

Two thoughts: the OL needs to come off the ball more quickly and hold their blocks longer.....and....let's try quick pitches to Harris, et al, rather than running almost exclusively between the tackles. We're only two games in, but the running game lacks imagination and variety. Bama has the athletes and talent to do much, much better. And Nick will have to as the competition stiffens.

Fulmer is part of the problem. Frankly, UT needs a new AD and a forward-thinking administration that will support him. There's been an infestation of nativist thinking at UT since Phil was terminated, and the school has allowed him to insinuate himself back into UT's decision-making process...which has only made the parochialism fester and worsen. Phil's time has come and gone, and Phil needs to follow. UT is a tradition-rich program, but the school needs to shed its "homespun" approach to problem-solving and lower the bar on what it is willing to tolerate in the management of this situation. Otherwise, I predict matters will only get worse.

I think this youngster will be fine. As the # 1 kicker coming out of high school, obviously he has the skill and technique to succeed. Just needs a couple of those kicks to be good to raise his confidence and relieve some of the pressure that comes with being a freshman at the most prestigious football school in the nation, and at a position that is under so much scrutiny.

My thoughts exactly, 'licious. UT's administrative culture is entirely too parochial, and an "intervention" is long past due. Can't imagine any influential UT donors being able to take this train wreck much longer....but the root cause is a step or two above Pruitt.

Offensive line łacked energy....Jedrick Wills AWOL. What's the story?

Yeah, it was Duke. But I thought Shane Lee did a lot to make Saban worry a bit less about the injury to Dylan Moses. Don't know, of course, how Shane will grade out, but he was aggressive, appeared to handle his assignments well, and impressed with his sideline-to-sideline speed. Offensive line? Ragged, inconsistent, and not ready for prime time. Unless they "clean up" they'll have a tough time with LSU's and A&M's defensive fronts. (Najee Harris can't be pleased.) Jury's still out on the corners and safeties because they weren't challenged. (Baja learned a valuable lesson from the the CFP disaster against Clemson: that they no longer can "out athlete" every opponent, nor win with indífferent płay. I hope Saban reminds Jedrick Wills of this truth and that he'll play up to his considerable ability from here on out.)

Contrarian thought: UT would be better off without Fulmer, who has never gotten over being terminated and has managed to worm his way back into the school's affairs. Yes, he had success and, yes, he loves his alma mater. But that doesn't mean he's qualified to remedy what's going on at the school now. UT needs some fresh blood in the AD slot, with a proven track record as an AD (which Fulmer does not have) and experience hiring a top-tier head football coach (ditto to above). There simply appears to be a deeply dug-in morale problem in the football locker room that would benefit from a fresh set of eyes taking a look at it and recommending a remedy. As long as Fulmer's there in his current position, that's not going to happen.

Frankly, I'm a lot more concerned about the corners and safeties. If they play to their ability and focus on the fundamentals, a trip back to the CFP is virtually assured. If they don't, a lot more tears will be shed in Tuscaloosa.

Whoa!! What an unadulterated load of gibberish. King, a few suggestions: get some bed rest & take a Valium, along with a couple of aspirin to break the fever.

Whew !! What a load of gibberish. Hey, King. Recommend bed rest and a Valium, plus a couple of aspirin to break the fever.

Shockley is dead right..just like Gene Chizik was all last year. You can't have 5-star talent wandering around in the secondary, depending on innate ability to overcome lapses in concentration, missed assignments, broken coverages, and poor technique. Improvement in this area will be absolutely key to Bama's chances to return to the CFP, and to win it.

Not sure he was ever happy at Bama, and his departure last February was just a preamble. Better for him and the team that he's moved on.

Clean up the play at CB and safety, and prepare for another run in the CFP. Otherwise, we could be looking at another major disappointment. The Clemson game ought to be an aberration....but if outstanding 5-star talent again gives way to breakdowns in coverage, inattention, and mental errors, a repeat embarrassment against a top-tier team will follow for sure.

Hey, folks. Bama's offense will be just fine. What EVERYONE needs to ponder is: will Saban's defense okay like it's filled with four- and five-star talent, or not. Period.

If Paul's purpose in firing this shot was to put a burr under Nick's saddle, he probably succeeded. But my guess is Saban will hit the field this fall with blood in his eye, not needing a lot of outside motivation, determined to atone for last year's sloppy, unprepared effort against Dabo and hoping they'll meet again in the CFP. My bet is that he will, and they will...and then we'll see just exactly where these two programs stand in relation to each other. My money's on Bama.

The one thing I saw that concerned me was Tua's reluctance to step into his throws. Is last year's injury still lingering? Regardless, Spring games are not reliable barometers of a team's strengths because too many pieces are still in motion. With what must be an all -out mission to atone for the sloppy and undisciplined play the Tide brought to the Clemson game high on Saban's "to do" list, my guess is that we'll feel a lot more comfortable with ALL aspects of his team's readiness when they tangle with A&M.

Whoa, Paul!! Can't blame Kirby for a secondary that looked clueless and unprepared, nor a team effort that was about as desultory as any I can recall. It's an absurd thought, I know, but Alabama appeared to be utterly uninterested in playing that game. Why? Who the hell knows!? But the notion that Saban can't find a stable of coaches that can both recruit AND coach is preposterous. Regardless, my guess is that should Dabo and Nick meet again in this year's CFP, the result will be considerably different. And I imagine this thought is on Saban's mind as the Tide enters spring practice. Let's hope so...

Too bad Major won't be groomed for the OC position. I still can't understand why Saban finds Sarkisian attractive. Regardless, it won't especially matter who's calling the shots or how many analysts Nick hires if the on-field coaching in Bama's secondary doesn't improve. That's where the Tide's fate will be decided in 2019.

Bama's season largely is going to hinge on one issue: whether Bama's secondary actually starts playing to its potential. Saban is loaded with talent everywhere, yet we hear every year about how his losses to the NFL are going to weaken the team. Nope. Not yet. No, the real chink in the Tide's armor has been the strangely inconsistent and, at times, astonishingly disorganized and indifferent play at corner and safety. This is purely a coaching issue...period. You can't have a bunch of blue-chippers blowing assignments, missing signals, lining up in the wrong coverage, and generally nullifying their four- and five-star reputations without wondering why in the world the position coaches can't solve the problem. There are simply too many superior athletes back there for that to be happening.

A season-long deficiency of concentration, blown coverages, and generally indifferent play in the secondary finally caught up with Bama against Clemson -- which, despite what Bama-haters would love to believe, was not and is not a program that is four-touchdowns better than Alabama, game in and game out. Two years ago, Saban took Clemson to school in the CFP semifinal by holding the Tigers to 188 yards of total offense in a 24-6 win. Yes, I know. Trevor Lawrence hadn't arrived yet. But the reason for that thumping in part lay in leadership in the secondary, especially by Minkah Fitzpatrick. Lawrence is unquestionably a talented kid, but really...did he do anything particularly special against Alabama...anything that 5-star corners and safeties, properly motivated and well-coached, couldn't have neutralized? No. Saban is not likely to let this year's embarrassment pass unnoticed in the spring and summer, and I expect Alabama will take the field in 2019 with revenge on its mind. If that happens, a repeat with Dabo is likely to look a lot different from what we saw last month.

First, the Tide turns in an uncharacteristically disorganized, sub-par performance against Clemson. Now, we're told that the best Saban can hope for in an OC is a coaching re-tread with a checkered personal history and who has struggled to succeed everywhere he's coached. While no one would suggest the wheels are falling off in Tuscaloosa, I imagine anyone who has followed Alabama football closely and for a long period of time must be wondering if the ground is beginning to shift beneath this program's feet. Perhaps the 2019 season either will confirm or refute this supposition.