Alabama’s offensive coordinator has strong first year

NEW ORLEANS — The tests never stop coming for Jim McElwain.

Alabama’s first-year offensive coordinator certainly deserves a share of credit for the Crimson Tide’s eye-popping turnaround from 7-6 to 12-1.
But McElwain insists his eyes were opened during his first Southeastern Conference campaign.

“Glass eaters and fire breathers man, these defenses are unbelievable,” McElwain said Monday. “The defensive lines and the speed, you know, it is different. It is as close to the next level as you are probably going to get anywhere. You hear about it, but until you experience it each week, the defenses in this league, you name the team, it is really outstanding.”

McElwain didn’t have to wait for the season to start. He said going up against Alabama’s defense last spring was pretty deflating.

“I know this, going against what our defense does and what those guys do in that defensive meeting room, it makes you realize, you know, maybe you don’t know that much ball. You know what I am saying?” McElwain said.

The coach, who came to Alabama after one year at Fresno State, said going head-to-head against the defense in practice was tremendous preparation for the season.

“The great thing is what you see against them is cutting edge,” McElwain said. “There are things you are going to see (in games), so it helps you really prepare in the long haul and for your (offensive) guys to see those different looks. I can’t say enough about our defense. They are really good.”

Asked how he handled facing the defense when the offense is struggling, he said, “Sometimes you scratch your head and say, ‘You know, Coach, that’s a good one.’ ”

The room erupted in laughter.

McElwain joked as he sat next to quarterback John Parker Wilson during a media session that he was a bad influence on the quarterback.

“I just killed JP’s numbers,” McElwain said. “I talk to him all the time, that I’m the worst thing that ever happened to the guy, you know?”

Of course, Wilson, who leaves with every significant passing mark in school history, was a .500 quarterback going into his senior season.

Under McElwain, his third offensive coordinator in three years, Wilson gave up yardage for victories, touchdowns for management.

As a junior, Wilson ranked eighth in pass efficiency in the SEC. This year, he was fourth. Alabama ranked first or second in time of possession, third-down conversions, fourth-down conversions, rushing offense and turnover margin.

McElwain said at the start of the season Alabama wanted to create an identity.

“I think we found our niche in our offensive line,” McElwain said. “The other thing I talked about was, when you’re putting an offense together, the most important thing to do is find out what’s best with the parts that you have. I think we tried to play to our strength this year.”

It didn’t take long to see that strength was up front. Three starters — Andre Smith, Antoine Caldwell and Mike Johnson — earned a place on at least one national All-America squad.

Caldwell and Marlon Davis are seniors. Smith is suspended for the Sugar Bowl and will likely enter the NFL Draft. Wilson will graduate. Two senior tight ends will depart.

There will be more tests facing a man who passed most of them in his first season.

“We’ve got to figure out what it’s going to take for us to win. If that’s something different, it’s going to be something different,” said McElwain, who added it’s not just a new quarterback.

“We’re going to lose some offensive linemen that are pretty decent, I think, too. And a couple of tight ends that don’t get enough credit for what they do for us both in the pass and run game. There’s a lot of positions that we need to obviously develop on. Let’s think about that when we get there.”

It seems as if he’s thinking about it now.

Asked if he had fun this season, McElwain gave a serious answer.

“You know, like I said, I’ve had a great experience,” he said. “I have fun when I see these kids be successful. For the most part, they’ve been successful. But you know, a job’s a job.”

And more tests are coming.