This is an impressive defense of Nick Saban.
Recruiting better than any school in the country has been a hallmark of Saban’s tenure since his first full signing class in 2008. It has filled his roster not only with star-studded starting lineups, but also with depth none could match, which pays off in high-stakes, late-season games when a few key starters are often sidelined with injury.
And to think I’m old enough to remember Metchie and Williams.
Metchie, Williams, Jobe, Armour-Davis, Mathis. 5 starters from the SEC Championship game.
Trying to imagine Georgia being competitive late into the 2nd half without Bowers, Burton, Kendrick, Ringo, and Davis.
It’s ok to acknowledge Georgia benefited from some injury luck. Really. It’s part of the game.
LikeLike
If this is sarcasm, it’s well played.
If it’s not, it’s not as if Georgia wasn’t missing a few key starters (plus, Pickens was limited) itself.
The underlying rationale is valid. You recruit like a sumbitch so you’ve got the depth to overcome injuries.
LikeLiked by 15 people
Who was out from the SEC Championship game? Losing someone mid-game or late in the season is different than losing someone during the summer or September.
Alabama was down to one functional RB after losing its 3 speed guys at the position. I didn’t mention them because Saban had time to adjust.
They came within a quarter of winning another title despite all those losses. Looks like quality depth to me. Similar to Georgia
LikeLike
Oh. Well, if you get to define the parameters of the discussion, I guess you win.
I will say I didn’t see Adam Anderson, Tykee Smith, Tate Ratledge, etc. out there. Pickens, as I mentioned, was limited. There were other receivers who were hurt during the season, which was why Mitchell became a factor.
“They came within a quarter of winning another title…” For some reason, that reminds me of another team. 😉
LikeLiked by 9 people
Don’t forget, #19 played with that wounded wing, that required surgery…
LikeLike
Bama was down 5 starters from the Championship game. Five. That’s not debatable. Arguing that losing a critical guy in the second quarter of a championship game is somehow equal to losing a guy in August makes no sense.
Pretending it wasn’t a huge factor also makes no sense.
Georgia WON THE DAMN GAME. But somehow that’s not enough? I don;t get it. “We’d have won if all those other guys had been healthy.” WHO CARES?!
LikeLike
Once you explained what ASEF stood for. I don’t recall. Was it Archmartyr…?
😮
I’m kidding pal. Just fuckn with you. Those sniveling Gumps don’t need any help making excuses.
LikeLike
You almost sound like a whining, butthurt, sore-loser, excuse-making, sour-grape eating, can’t-take-losing-like-a-real-man, ignorant-about-anything-pertaining-to-football, Bama fan that is probably holding his Bear Bryant blowup doll while he’s reading this….but then I thought….nah, nobody like that would be on this board!? lol So…anyway, what was your point?
LikeLike
Straighten at least one of the blown QB fumble calls and the game isn’t close.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Bingo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Imagine if we didn’t have our starting QB nearly all season, #2 didn’t pan out and we had to throw a walk-on in there!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Imagine if we lost one of our top pass rushing defensive linemen to an arrest during the season and we had the majority of our defensive backs leave via the transfer portal before the season started. We would have had no chance of even making the playoff if our top returning receiver had torn an ACL in Fall camp. What if we had to rely on a true freshman tight end to be our go to receiver? What if we had lost one of the top 2 running backs to a knee injury in October and he wasn’t available to play against Alabama?
Those gump whiny bitches need to shut up about injuries.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Daniels wasn’t the starter because Stetson was better. Injury gave Stetson his shot. Stetson’s play kept him there. Daniels had a lot of reps after his injury. Physically, he was fine
LikeLiked by 1 person
Please tell me you’re not suggesting that if Daniels hadn’t gotten hurt, Stetson would have become the starter eventually anyway.
LikeLiked by 3 people
“Injury gave Stetson his shot.” Couldn’t be plainer. Please tell me you’re not suggesting Daniels was injured all season and that’s why Stetson remained the starting QB.
LikeLike
No, bit if you dig into it a little bit, you’ll learn that JTD was cleared by the UGA medical staff, got a second opinion from his personal physician that stated he wasn’t cleared, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back with Kirby and Monken. JT was dead to them and they were ride or die with SBIV from then on.
LikeLike
I have heard that too..
LikeLike
Congrats to the 2013 National Champion Georgia Bulldogs.
LikeLiked by 3 people
It’s ok to acknowledge that Bama didn’t develop their backup players, while Georgia developed freshmen backups and a former walk-on QB well enough to kick Bama’s ass in the fourth quarter.
LikeLiked by 9 people
Go tell them that Tyler Simmons was onsides and report back on their responses.
LikeLiked by 8 people
Reply will be consistent that metchie and williams didn’t play in the 2nd half…GO DAWGS!
LikeLike
I’ll give that when I hear Gumpers openly acknowledging that a few NC games ago, they benefited from some officiating “luck”. That’s part of the game too.
But it does seem that since that expose’ of Bama’s advantage in front of the whole world, the officiating seems to have taken a turn towards fairness (or “Inept but honest”)
LikeLike
They absolutely did. That B1G crew was awful. Almost like a Delaney “FU” contribution to an all-SEC title game.
LikeLike
Apologies to Derek for co-opting his point.
LikeLike
Poor Bama, f em.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Georgia beat Bama to win the National Championship. Everything else is excuses and more what if maybe whinny shit. Georgia is the NC the gumps can suck it!
If CMR recruited better DL depth for 2012 Georgia gets a natty. He didn’t so another what if miss. It’s on Saban if as some claim he went into the playoffs with only two prepared talented WR’s. Kirby brought a more focused team and physically kicked bama’s ass in the fourth quarter to win it.
LikeLiked by 3 people
If one of those freshman receivers had somehow run under a td pass, it would have been proof of Saban’s genius.
LikeLiked by 7 people
I do not like Coach Saban or Alabama as a program, but I do respect what he has accomplished and what he built.
The crybaby shit I’ve seen since our winning the National Championship has forever turned me off on Bama. Get bent you pink pachyderms
LikeLiked by 6 people
Honestly, I keep reading that over and over….not believing I am actually seeing it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
.. coach Ryan Day told a group of Buckeyes boosters that it will take $13 million a year to maintain OSU’s roster….
That might be real cheap for a roster loaded with 4 and 5 star players, such as GA
LikeLike
Lost all respect for Bama since all the Roll Tears Roll started…
Was Metchie, Williams, Jobe, Armour-Davis, and Mathis all playing in the TAMU game? FTMF’s!!!
LikeLike
If UGA tops Bama again this coming season, the Gumps will gripe about not having Metchie and Williams on hand.
LikeLike
Thinking about starting a GoFundMe for a hypothetical national championship statue featuring a healthy Metchie and Williams. We can send it over to Tuscaloosa like the Statue of Liberty or something. Humbly request that it face East as a sign of fealty to the true 21 champs…
As a bonus, once accepted, our Tyler Simmons was onsides 17 natty and if DeAndre Walker wasn’t hurt 2018 SEC champion trophy won’t look so be tacky.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Nope. Didn’t payoff this year. Gosh, hope Jimbo didn’t take all his other injured recruits.
LikeLike