Greg McElroy knows that Bill O’Brien did not have the most popular tenure at the University of Alabama as its offensive coordinator. However, he still thinks O’Brien’s 2 years in Tuscaloosa were underrated and that he did “more with less” compared to some previous regimes.
He reacted to the news O’Brien would be leaving for another stint in New England Tuesday morning on Always College Football. Below is what he had to say.
“Several have cited the fact that Bill O’Brien struggled in the red zone, Bill O’Brien has struggled to create a consistent run game, all these other things,” McElroy said. “Y’all, Bill O’Brien was the coordinator of the Crimson Tide in 2021, a season that saw Bryce Young throw for nearly 5,000 yards, or account for nearly 5,000 yards, 47 touchdowns, 7 interceptions; you name it they did it, with 2 great wide receivers on the perimeter, and couple that with a somewhat inconsistent offensive line. I think he did more with less than what some of the previous coordinators have done.”
You can hear McElroy’s full comments below.
This will be a polarizing take for Alabama fans. McElroy, obviously a former Alabama QB, may field responses that say Bryce Young and his ability to create on offense would make any coordinator look like a genius. Conversely, Alabama did not quite have the offensive talent it has had in the past in 2022, which plays to McElroy’s later point.
Others will say O’Brien was not necessarily a bad OC, just a poor fit at Alabama, a school that doesn’t take anything less than legitimate competition for championships every season. Alabama’s offense, even with Young, was simply not championship level in 2022. The Crimson Tide averaged 477 yards per game in 2022, good enough for No. 11 in the country. That’s objectively good, but still not quite enough for a top 4 finish.
Does McElroy have a point or is he off base?
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Hahahaha did more with less at Alabama? Hahahahaha (deep breath) hahahahahaha
That is beyond ridiculous. Less than who? The KC Chiefs?
1-2-1-2
The rating of the recruiting classes BoB had to work with...
I can only imagine how many gump fans face palmed it when they read the headline to this article...
A few of us thought Golding was the bigger problem. When Bama scores 49 points in regulation and still loses I don’t see BoB as the problem.
This is a bad take by McElroy (see: Bryce Young), but both coordinators needed to go.
McElroy needs to go into concussion protocol.
Bill O’Brien was hardly the biggest problem Alabama had, if he was a problem at all.
I would say that he is an NFL guy in that he does better with developed talent rather than developing college guys.
Good luck finding his replacement and you can’t have Monken.
Rara is blocking his departure.
Rara and me both!
So, it is Bill O'Brien's fault that Alabama had 3 subpar players on the OL, no TE capable of playing the position and no WRs with breakaway speed?
It is O'Brien's fault that Alabama gave up 56 points and 30 points to Tennessee teams that UGA effectively shut out?
“Conversely, Alabama did not quite have the offensive talent it has had in the past in 2022, which plays to McElroy’s later point. . .”
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Really? That certainly proves that for a while now Alabama’s “top tier” recruiting was only an illusion and the automatic five star upgrade given by the recruiting services wasn’t really earned. The reality is that historically, with the exception of Saban, their coaching staffs were problematic. What we may be seeing is a team that has historical difficulty finding top tier coaches and that, sooner rather than later p, will be right back in the good old days and a list of coaches just like Perkins, DeBose, Franchione and Kines. Stalling’s championship was lightning in a bottle. Nothing is going to change except Saban departing before it is too late to preserve his legacy. Darn NIL.
It is true that there were no back up receivers to Williams and Metchie when they went down. The 2022 receivers were average at best. So I guess Greg is correct.
If you are 3 deep at every position with blue chips and still hit the portal looking for starters, the problem isn't the players.
McElroy has a point. When Bama needs to go to the TP for a starting RB, LT and receivers, the problem is deeper than just play calling.