NEW ORLEANS — Like his head coach, Bill O’Brien isn’t big on social media. However, it’s hard to believe the Alabama offensive coordinator when he says he hasn’t heard some of the criticism heaped his way in his second season with the Crimson Tide.
O’Brien has become the biggest scapegoat for Alabama’s offensive inconsistencies as fans have been quick to point a finger his way while doling out blame for the Crimson Tide’s two-loss regular season. Speaking to the media for the first time since Aug. 7, the offensive coordinator shrugged off the criticism, stating he doesn't pay it too much mind.
“I don’t really pay attention to that, so I don’t know what the criticism would be,” O’Brien said during his Sugar Bowl press conference Wednesday afternoon. "We're all trying to do better. We're all trying to do the best we can as consistently as we can. I think over the last two seasons we have been pretty productive. I think we've averaged more than 40 points per game. Are there areas that we can be better at? Certainly, there are always areas we can be better at."
Things certainly could be worse for Alabama. The Crimson Tide is currently tied for fourth nationally with 40.8 points per game and ranks 12th averaging 47.5 yards of total offense. It was also able to navigate a mid-season shoulder injury to Bryce Young that sidelined the Heisman Trophy winner for a game and a half.
Still, if O’Brien is wondering what criticism he’s facing, it wouldn’t take him long to find.
A lack of consistency in the running game has been high on the list of complaints as has the dropoff at the wide receiver position. Alabama fans have also been displeased with his playcalling in the red zone, especially in losses to Tennessee and LSU.
That being said, placing all the blame on O'Brien seems a bit harsh to his players.
“I don’t think that’s fair to Coach," Alabama offensive lineman Emil Ekiyor Jr. said. "I think Coach does a really good job of putting us in good situations, coming up with a game plan that we can be most successful in and most of the time it comes down to execution. Offensively, all 11 guys have to do their job in order for the plays to be successful. A lot of the time he gets criticized for the things we didn’t execute properly. I don’t think the criticism is fair to O’Brien. I think he’s a really good coach and I’ve learned a lot from him.”
Ekiyor was not alone when it came to speaking up for his offensive coordinator either.
“A lot of people have never played in a college game before, never coached a college game before,” Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs said. “He’s coached in the NFL. He’s coached in college. I guess he knows what he’s doing.”
O’Brien joined Alabama after spending six-plus seasons as the head coach of the Houston Texans. He also spent two seasons in charge of Penn State where he was named the Bear Bryant, Maxwell Football Club and ESPN National Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading the Nittany Lions to an 8-4 record, winning more games than any other first-year head coach in the program’s previous 125 seasons.
His resume as an offensive coordinator is also pretty impressive. He called plays for the New England Patriots from 2009-11, helping Tom Brady to an MVP in 2010. He also served as the offensive coordinator at Duke (2005-06) and Georgia Tech (2001–02).
“He’s coached a lot of great players,” Alabama receiver Ja’Corey Brooks said. “He’s coached a lot of great receivers like Randy Moss. Who don’t want to listen to that? If I’m a great receiver, why wouldn’t I want to listen to that?
The biggest feather in O’Brien’s hat at Alabama has been his role in developing Bryce Young. Last year, the five-star passer became the first Heisman-winning quarterback in program history, completing 66.9% of his passes for a school-record 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns while throwing just seven interceptions. Through 11 games this season, Young has completed 64% of his passes for 3,007 yards and 27 touchdowns with five interceptions.
“I've grown tremendously,” Young said of his two years under O’Brien. “And a lot of the success I've had, a lot of the success we've had as an offense, that's credited to OB . All the stuff that he brings. How he carries himself day-to-day. Someone who comes in, and he's always teaching. He's intense; he'll get after it. But he's always teaching. There's no time where he's not pushing us to be better.
“There's so much that I've learned from him. And that's someone that I'm super close with. I have a great relationship with. So I'm forever grateful and super blessed to have had him as my coach.”
Young certainly isn’t the only Alabama player to share that sentiment.
“I love Bill O’Brien. I’m pretty sure everyone else on the offense does, too,” Brooks said. “He’s a funny guy. He’s going to tell you the truth. He’s always going to give it to you straight forward. He’s always dropping knowledge because he’s an older coach who has been through it for multiple years. I love him.”
Added tight end Cameron Latu: “Man, I tell everybody this. I love O’Brien to death. That’s my guy. The relationship I have with him is tremendous. He’s done a lot for me. And I love him to death.”
