Thanks 65. This may get a little long, so I'll apologize beforehand. I'll share that my initial encouragement regarding Mac, what he has accomplished, and what he is doing to re-build parts of the program has diminished. I've mentioned before that a colleague at work who is a Bama alum and letterman congratulated me when Mac was hired, saying that there was some feeling among the Tide faithful that Mac was liked as an OC and many thought he might be the heir-apparent to Saban. Since that time, that conversation has not been positively revisited and no doubt the two beat-downs in the SECCG at the hands of Bama has been influential. Even though I believe we competed some better this year (compared to last) despite roster limitations, we are not close to being able to compete with the top team in the SEC at this time and I believe that goes beyond the roster to include some of the coaching that is there to see.
When I see us consistently making fundamental and technical mistakes (e.g. DE's losing contain on pass rush situations, OL failing to get to the POA, lock up and make blocks on G Scheme plays, TE's not sustaining blocks, wrong routes/reads by QB and receivers, missed tackles mainly due to failure to break down after pursuit and play at a lower pad level, etc.), not to mention head-scratching play calls at crucial times (too many to name), mediocre to poor Special Teams performance and execution (e.g. punts fielded inside the 5 yard line), and being caught in zone coverage and subsequently burned by play-action, the problems are not limited to the players. To those who keep saying "Mac needs time," I say that he was (and should have known that he was) behind the clock when he was hired. That may seem unfair, but I don't think many outside the AD's office felt that he was coming in with the luxury of developing a 5-year plan (or longer) to get us back to where we once were from a SEC and national competitive standpoint. Defense has been and thankfully continues to be a strength, but we were promised an effective offense to work hand-in-hand and it has not happened.
To date, the consecutive SECED crowns have been the high water mark and as many point out, they are necessary to get into a position to compete for and win the conference outright. I appreciate that we have made this step, but thus far, we have gotten on the porch, so to speak, only to have the door slammed in our face. Thus, we are currently the best of a declining Eastern Division, but others among us are giving indications that we might not hold that title for long if you put any stock in the value of recruiting and the numbers of elite players (read as able to make an impact, not just fill a position, in 1-2 years) that are committed. It is hard for me to be impressed with what I see from Mac in this area. While I do think we get some good players, most need time to grow and develop before effectively and consistently competing in the SEC and although I have no data to back this assertion up, I can't help but believe that our reliance on players who likely have the heart but not the requisite developed physical skills or attributes is a factor in an injury list that is comparable to a M*A*S*H unit patient roster. I am also hard-pressed to believe that he and the staff are utilizing all available resources when it appears that we are making a mad dash to flip recruits and/or get started on "Plan B" players at this late date. I may be wrong (and hope I am), but this approach reeks of either sloth, arrogance (belief, perhaps, that the program sells itself or that our two seasons under Mac are that impressive), lack of an effective plan and organization carried out by a staff that can get it done right, or a combination thereof.
I initially enjoyed some of Mac's witticisms, but they grew quite tiresome, cliche, and stale for me, especially when we collapsed at the end of his first season. His pressers became (and continue to be) mostly BS sessions that provide little information outside of coachspeak ("yeah, we need to fix that," etc.), or at least that is my perception. I see little sense of urgency in his public demeanor and I can't help but believe that has an impact on what others looking to invest in the program as well as those who we compete with see, assess, and in the case of the latter, use against us. To his credit, and I've said this in other posts, I think he does care for his players and wants the best for them, but I question the accountability he requires of them and, perhaps, his staff considering how much of the same negative things that we see over and over again. Either Mac is too tender-hearted or he lacks the killer instinct and drive necessary to elevate us to a higher competitive level in my honest opinion. In the world of big boy college football, you either eat the bear or he eats you and right now I believe Mac is chewed-up to about his waist. You probably won't see a lot of rival coaches bashing Mac, and there's a reason for that. In coaching, everybody likes you if they can or are beating you. Even if he were a high school coach and I was looking for a job, I would not care to join him based on his body of work these last two years and what my eyes tell me. I can't help but think he hit the lottery when he was hired and is too complacent and no assistant worth their salt will want to become a part of that unless it is a stop gap.
I could probably go on, but I've been longer than most will want to read as it is. I'll conclude by repeating the required "hope I'm wrong," but barring what happens on NSD, I've seen little to convince me that there will be a 180 degree turn as quickly as I hoped for.