Im not convinced we have a weightroom or conditioning staff. I suspect photoshopping.
We have linemen who have been in the program now for three years or more who weigh 240-250 lbs. We have a (small) DE that was supposed to "grow into a DT" who has LOST 30 lbs. CeCe also KNEW he HAD too move inside, whether he had the skillset or not, and LOST weight. And its not like these guys look ripped like the lost fat. They still look soft and underweight.
Im struggling to think of any part of the program that is functioning right now. Maybe RB recruiting and development....I guess. Most parts of the program are absolute dumpster fires like recruiting and strength and conditioning.
Hee Haw better get some Saban in him. Its hard to be bad cop when you started out as good cop. Right now he looks pretty Zookish without the great recruiting. I see a lot of kids taking it easy for three years, trying not to get hirt, then busting their butt in the weightroom before the NFL combine.
We continue to find ourselves in a curious, seven-year-plus swoon. One phrase comes to mind, and it covers a lot of factors...programmatic consistency or the lack thereof. Speaking of Mac specifically, I think that he is trying to correct the deficiencies, but has not been as successful as needed or in a timely manner to get us on the road back more swiftly. Breakdowns like Saturday either distort the clock on repairs and upgrades or further reveal shortcomings in areas like recruiting and overall talent of the current team, ability to successfully compete against conference rivals and the upper echelon teams in CFB, etc.
I agree that if you look at the team and the component position groups and coaching staff, RB is certainly stable with a good upside. Questions abound with the other groups. Like many have stated, conditioning used to be a factor that was always in our favor. I'd hate to think that we have traded that in some way in order to keep up with the frills that are so important nowadays. Has to be a balance struck somewhere.
To follow your last paragraph, I like that Mac cares, but I also believe that after the wooing is done and the kids you recruit are on campus, it's infinitely better to be a hard @ss and then lighten up as the players understand and buy in to your way of running a program and meeting your demands than vice versa. Don't know if this is the case, but Saturday in Knoxville certainly can't be considered evidence to the contrary. Right now, we know we don't have a roster full of elite players at all of the position groups. The only way in my mind that you overcome that in the span between recruiting cycles (in which you look for the next class being superior to the last ones), is to develop a toughness, a togetherness, and a stronger will to offset what is lacking in talent. This doesn't guarantee wins necessarily, but without it, you may as well be guaranteeing losses. We've got a ways to go.
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