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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — For every problem big or small, every situation on and off the field, Alabama has a guy ready and willing to help. At least that’s the reasoning behind the eight analysts the Crimson Tide keeps on its coaching staff.
While they are not allowed to recruit or directly coach players on the field, analysts play a vital role at several major college programs. Oftentimes serving as personal scouts, their jobs primarily revolve around providing input on anything from evaluation to scheming and tendencies.
At Alabama, it’s all of the above.
“We have guys that do nothing but break down film,” Alabama head coach Nick Saban said. “We have guys that do nothing but draw plays, and we have guys that make contributions based on their knowledge and experience formulating a game plan. They’re somebody that other guys on the staff certainly respect, so I think that experience is really, really good. And I think it’s a great learning experience for all of us.”
Read: Why Alabama's loaded backfield is a "good problem to have"
Alabama added two new analysts this offseason, welcoming former coaches Chris Weinke and Dan Werner to its staff. Both offensive minds, the duo will work with newly hired offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who has hired in February after spending the past 17 years in the NFL.
“I think those two guys, having coached in high school and college, certainly helps a guy that’s coached in the NFL be able to balance some of the things that will help us have a well-rounded, pro-style offense that has the college elements that helps you take advantage of some of the college rules,” Saban said.
Weinke, 44, comes to Alabama after spending the past two seasons as the quarterbacks coach for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. Weinke, who won the 2000 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for Florida State, played seven seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers. Before coaching with the Rams, he served as the head coach of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., from 2010-14.
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“We’ve always had a lot of respect for Chris Weinke," Saban said. "The guy was a great player. He played a long time in the league. He’s very knowledgeable. He’s very smart. He was a great high school coach at IMG. He went to the NFL and got a couple good years of experience in the NFL. So we thought he’d bring some knowledge and experience and certainly be helpful to us off the field and helping us with game plan.”
Werner, 58, is someone even more familiar to Alabama. Previously serving the past five years as Ole Miss’ offensive coordinator, he helped the Rebels pull off back-to-back upsets of the Tide, beating Alabama 23-17 in 2014 and 43-37 in 2015. Werner almost made it three straight victories, as Ole Miss jumped out to a 24-3 lead last season before allowing Alabama to come back for a 48-43 victory. In last year’s game, the Rebels gained 522 yards of offense, the most by any Tide opponent all season.
“Do I need to tell our fans or anybody on our staff the issues that we’ve had with their offense that last couple of years," Saban said. "I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for what they do, how they coach it. I think it’ll help us on offense and defense to have a guy around here that can add some knowledge and experience to the way they do RPOs. Some of the things they did in the passing game. So I’ve always had a lot of respect for Dan and we’re glad to have them here to help.”
Alabama has had plenty of success with its analysts over the years and promoted Mike Locksley to a co-offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach this offseason. Co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach Tosh Lupoi was also a former analyst.
“We’ve learned a tremendous amount from all of those guys,” Saban said. “I think that’s the No. 1 thing. I think their knowledge and experience and I think they’re very much respected. I think we need different types of people.”
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