I know head coaches love bringing their own guys. It's a comfort zone, but comfort isn't always the best thing. Bama is about challenge. Bringing in a whole bunch of Washington West Coast guys seems almost arrogant in a way--as if "we're going to change Bama football to our way, instead of adapt to Bama's and the SEC's way." If you're going from Washington to the Big 10, maybe that's fine. The SEC is unique in its culture, though. And quite stubborn. It's a very physical brand of football, which the WC is not known for.
And Bama doesn't really need to be fixed or reworked. It ain't broke. Even as Saban edged toward retirement, the program hasn't gone down as much as it's been caught up with by UGA. Its recruiting is still elite. Bringing in a group lends itself to groupthink rather than listening and adaptation. Think of when you've personally gone into a new business culture, even as a manager. Generally you need to learn their culture before imposing yours, or you won't succeed. You can probably think of guys who flamed out when they came in and demanded everyone else adjust.
Even the new DC, a South Alabama guy, is there because he once coached with DeBoer. As if, "Hey, didn't I coach with a Southern guy at Indiana? Perfect!" Folks criticized us taking Bobo as OC when we could have searched nationally. Kane Wommack has almost no big-time experience. And he may know the Alabama high schools, but they may know him as the guy their best athletes probably didn't have time for.
DeBoer does bring back a couple of Saban's guys. They'll need them, but how will the chemistry work out on that staff?
DeBoer is a good coach. He may be able to have a lot of success just on the foundation Saban leaves him, along with his own coaching talent. But he really needed TRob to stay, and that's his first big recruiting miss. It gets tougher. DeBoer is venturing where angels fear to tread--the realm of DaBear. He should prepare for culture shock.
And Bama doesn't really need to be fixed or reworked. It ain't broke. Even as Saban edged toward retirement, the program hasn't gone down as much as it's been caught up with by UGA. Its recruiting is still elite. Bringing in a group lends itself to groupthink rather than listening and adaptation. Think of when you've personally gone into a new business culture, even as a manager. Generally you need to learn their culture before imposing yours, or you won't succeed. You can probably think of guys who flamed out when they came in and demanded everyone else adjust.
Even the new DC, a South Alabama guy, is there because he once coached with DeBoer. As if, "Hey, didn't I coach with a Southern guy at Indiana? Perfect!" Folks criticized us taking Bobo as OC when we could have searched nationally. Kane Wommack has almost no big-time experience. And he may know the Alabama high schools, but they may know him as the guy their best athletes probably didn't have time for.
DeBoer does bring back a couple of Saban's guys. They'll need them, but how will the chemistry work out on that staff?
DeBoer is a good coach. He may be able to have a lot of success just on the foundation Saban leaves him, along with his own coaching talent. But he really needed TRob to stay, and that's his first big recruiting miss. It gets tougher. DeBoer is venturing where angels fear to tread--the realm of DaBear. He should prepare for culture shock.
