Melick: Saban wants Greg McElroy to throw caution to the wind
By Ray Melick -- The Birmingham News
November 03, 2009, 5:45AM
Alabama Coach Nick Saban and Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy (12) watch second-quarter action against North Texas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (The Birmingham News / Mark Almond) Alabama coach Nick Saban has made it clear he's not happy with the Tide's passing attack the past few weeks.
Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said Monday he has been pleased with the passing game.
If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a disconnect some*where along the chain of com*mand, somewhere either between Saban and offensive coordinator Jim McElwain, or between McEl*wain and McElroy.
Come to think of it, I can't say that I know better, because every link of the chain between Saban and the players is off limits.
But what we do know is Saban has made it clear he wants his quarterback to quit focusing so much on "taking what the defense gives" and be more willing to take some chances and throw the ball downfield, even if it results in an incomplete pass or, worse, a turn*over.
"It's a point of emphasis for us," Saban said last week. "We need to do it. Just because we don't have success doesn't mean it doesn't have an effect on the game. We used to play the Raiders :shrug: when I was in pro ball. They'd have two fast guys. They were going to throw them the ball five or six times in a game and they were going to run deep down the field and you had to cover them.
"But then that guy that's playing them, whether they catch it or not, it makes him play different all the other plays in the game. It's not just about the results sometimes. It's about how it affects everything else."
In other words, if Alabama is going to get back to cracking open opposing defenses -- starting with LSU on Saturday -- McElroy has to give them something more to worry about than just stopping tailback Mark Ingram and the Tide running game.
But McElroy says he believes the passing game has been fine the past three weeks. He said he hasn't thrown deep because the defenses haven't given him the chance to throw deep, and McElroy is justifi*ably proud of having thrown only three interceptions, tied for fewest in the league.
Saban, however, sounds like a coach who would rather see a few more risks being taken.
"To me, you want to play aggres*sively and think (about) what you have to gain -- that's your motiva*tion," Saban said. "I know it's easy to say, but that's what we would rather focus on rather than cre*ating a lot of fear and negative mo*tivation about 'here's what's going to happen if you don't,' or 'I'm going to threaten you with what's going to happen if you don't.' "That doesn't work with my kids. It doesn't work with my play*ers. It doesn't work with anything.
. . . We've been in some big games before, and so have our players.
They need to understand what they need to do to have success in those kind of games, and worrying about what you're going to lose is not one of them."
If there is a disconnect between what Saban wants and what his of*fense has been giving him, don't expect it to become public.
Or to last.
"We have the weapons (to attack downfield)," Saban said. "We have the plays to do it. We just need to do it. We're going to do it. That's no criticism of anybody."
It's just a point of emphasis that Saban expects to produce more points.
By Ray Melick -- The Birmingham News
November 03, 2009, 5:45AM
Alabama Coach Nick Saban and Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy (12) watch second-quarter action against North Texas at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009. (The Birmingham News / Mark Almond) Alabama coach Nick Saban has made it clear he's not happy with the Tide's passing attack the past few weeks.
Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy said Monday he has been pleased with the passing game.
If I didn't know better, I'd say there was a disconnect some*where along the chain of com*mand, somewhere either between Saban and offensive coordinator Jim McElwain, or between McEl*wain and McElroy.
Come to think of it, I can't say that I know better, because every link of the chain between Saban and the players is off limits.
But what we do know is Saban has made it clear he wants his quarterback to quit focusing so much on "taking what the defense gives" and be more willing to take some chances and throw the ball downfield, even if it results in an incomplete pass or, worse, a turn*over.
"It's a point of emphasis for us," Saban said last week. "We need to do it. Just because we don't have success doesn't mean it doesn't have an effect on the game. We used to play the Raiders :shrug: when I was in pro ball. They'd have two fast guys. They were going to throw them the ball five or six times in a game and they were going to run deep down the field and you had to cover them.
"But then that guy that's playing them, whether they catch it or not, it makes him play different all the other plays in the game. It's not just about the results sometimes. It's about how it affects everything else."
In other words, if Alabama is going to get back to cracking open opposing defenses -- starting with LSU on Saturday -- McElroy has to give them something more to worry about than just stopping tailback Mark Ingram and the Tide running game.
But McElroy says he believes the passing game has been fine the past three weeks. He said he hasn't thrown deep because the defenses haven't given him the chance to throw deep, and McElroy is justifi*ably proud of having thrown only three interceptions, tied for fewest in the league.
Saban, however, sounds like a coach who would rather see a few more risks being taken.
"To me, you want to play aggres*sively and think (about) what you have to gain -- that's your motiva*tion," Saban said. "I know it's easy to say, but that's what we would rather focus on rather than cre*ating a lot of fear and negative mo*tivation about 'here's what's going to happen if you don't,' or 'I'm going to threaten you with what's going to happen if you don't.' "That doesn't work with my kids. It doesn't work with my play*ers. It doesn't work with anything.
. . . We've been in some big games before, and so have our players.
They need to understand what they need to do to have success in those kind of games, and worrying about what you're going to lose is not one of them."
If there is a disconnect between what Saban wants and what his of*fense has been giving him, don't expect it to become public.
Or to last.
"We have the weapons (to attack downfield)," Saban said. "We have the plays to do it. We just need to do it. We're going to do it. That's no criticism of anybody."
It's just a point of emphasis that Saban expects to produce more points.
