"When I think about what I’ve done today, all I think about is the fumbles. The fumbles come to m...

"When I think about what I’ve done today, all I think about is the fumbles. The fumbles come to mind first. The fumbles affect the whole team."

Glen Coffee after rushing for 218 yards and a TD, but also fumbling twice and losing one on the UK three yard line.

9 months ago Todd Comment 16 comments 0 recs |

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Fortunately for Coffee...

Saban did not seem too upset about the fumbles in his press conference. Still, though, it’s clearly a problem that needs to be corrected.

It’s really something you hate to see, honestly, if but for nothing more than Coffee has been so incredibly productive. He has averaged over 150 yards per conference game so far, but honestly his playing time is going to dramatically decrease if he cannot protect the ball. Again, as I said in the game thread, 200 rushing yards is nice, but when you fumble inside the ten twice it largely goes for not.

by outsidethesidelines on Oct 4, 2008 9:15 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

It's just unnerving to see it...

…especially after his fumblitis last year against Ole Miss deep in their own territory cost us a score and made the game uncomfortably close (just like this week). I wonder if we’ll see more of Upchurch now.

Roll Bama Roll

by Todd on Oct 4, 2008 9:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

where can i view the press conference?

by brandonh on Oct 4, 2008 9:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

nevermind...found it here:

http://crimsonconfidential.com/news/story.php?article=603

by brandonh on Oct 4, 2008 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Coffee is

clearly the best runner we have. I’d like to think he is going to go on a streak of 150 carries without a fumble. I say work him hard on fumbles the next 2 weeks and then forget about it and tell him to forget about it. If we had benched Coffee today after his 1st fumble I do believe we would have lost.

by 5026 on Oct 4, 2008 9:47 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That second fumble

took place after he’d carried the game on his shoulders the whole day. It still shouldn’t have happened, I guess, but he had to be completely worn out by that point. It didn’t seem like they were subbing Ingram or Upchurch in for him on the winning drive. I don’t claim to know anything, and I’m sure the coaches know what they’re doing, but it’s hard for me to blame him fully for that one. The first one, however, was all him.

I bleed crimson and white...I puke Vol puke orange. RTR

by SugarBowl93 on Oct 4, 2008 10:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I have to agree on that second fumble

Coffee had about eight straight carries on that drive.

"What happened yesterday is history. What happens tomorrow is a mystery. What we do today makes a difference - the precious present moment." -Nick Saban

by HarveyBirdmanAAL on Oct 4, 2008 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even so...

… regardless of the circumstances, it is still the priority of Coffee to secure the football. Moreover, I’m not even really sure that he was that worn out. He did have a lot of carries on that drive, but even on that particular carry he really hit the hole very hard and looked pretty dang fresh.

In fact, on that last drive, he looked great in general. He had nine carries on that drive, and eight of them were successes as per the RB Success Rate, and that includes a conversion on third and fourth down. The only carry that wasn’t a success was the first one, and after that he reeled off eight straight successes.

I think it’s just that Coffee has bigger problems with protecting the football. He did it against Ole Miss last year, same goes for Georgia last week, and then the same yet again today. I don’t think it’s an issue of stamina, it’s just an issue of securing the football.

by outsidethesidelines on Oct 4, 2008 11:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And...

Just looking at the film again, the last one was really just Coffee getting careless with the ball. He had the big run, and a defender made some contact with him to the right. Unfortunately, he didn’t tuck the ball in, and he just kind of had it dangling free in his left arm, while his arm was separated from body.

Anyway, another Kentucky defender came up behind and hit the ball with a little bit of force — not really hard, honestly, just hit it with his hand — and the ball came popping out. It wasn’t that the UK defender hit him hard, but the ball was just so far away from his body and just not secured well.

Again, I love the production that Coffee has given us — and it should be pointed out that he had more rushing yards today than any Alabama tailback since Shaun Alexander in 1996 against LSU — but he’s just going to have to protect the football much better in a fundamental manner. Any time you are just dangling the ball out there, things like that will happen. A lot. Coffee has got to know, and practice, particularly in that situation, that he has to be tucked in and secured with the three points of pressure.

by outsidethesidelines on Oct 4, 2008 11:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Three in 2 weeks

That’s 3 fumbles in the red zone in 2 weeks (2 games). That’s unacceptable. Cost us a touchdown today and should have cost us a touchdown last week at Georgia if he wasn’t bailed out by the penalty. That game could have been completely different if Georgia didn’t commit that penalty and got the ball back. If this continues, he shouldn’t be given the ball in the redzone. Or if this continues, he shouldn’t be given the ball period. Any of our running backs will be capable behind our O-line.

by CSon on Oct 4, 2008 11:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

On at least two

of those fumbles, he actually got the ball outside the Red Zone and fumbled as he entered it. It’s not a situational problem, and as per OTS’s analysis, it’s apparently not a fatigue problem either. Benching him a bit might be an option in the future if it continues, but hopefully he can get the issues worked out and we can get the best of both worlds – production and ball security.

I bleed crimson and white...I puke Vol puke orange. RTR

by SugarBowl93 on Oct 5, 2008 12:03 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

One thing that I see as the problem is

he seems to almost always fumble in the redzone, which I think would suggest that he’s trying to hard to get extra yardage instead of taking what he can get. When you’re really trying to stretch it out more than necessary, that’s when you aren’t as careful with the football and lose it. At least that’s what it appears to me.

by jsholt969 on Oct 5, 2008 1:33 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

i agree totally...

if you got the 1st down,especially, protect the damn ball! Other than that, Coffee, you the man….get it done!

Tigers Hide and rooooll that TIDE!

by JiggaTide on Oct 5, 2008 8:34 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I

hope he gets it fixed before Ole Miss, we all know what can happen when you give them opportunities. I wanted to see a bit more of Ingram, he had that great run out of the shot gun draw play. I wonder if his knee is still a little banged up.

by Bens4vcobra on Oct 5, 2008 8:58 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I think...

I think he was in pretty good shape — he certainly didn’t show any ill effects on that great cut move — but with two other backs who were proving to be extremely effective, there is just really no reason to overly work Ingram. And besides, he did have 11 carries, so it isn’t like he didn’t get his fair share.

I figure Ingram will take the week off, and he’ll be completely 100% — if he wasn’t already — when Ole Miss comes to town.

by outsidethesidelines on Oct 5, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs