This is an opinion column.

Time for an off-beat Saturday mailbag while everyone dreams of spring.

The Super Bowl is eight days away and all Seattle had to do to reach the big game was send former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb to Alabama. The de-evolution of the Tide’s offense continues to fill up my inbox, but we’re also discussing Auburn’s plan to run the ball with quarterback Byrum Brown, Alabama incoming freshman EJ Crowell, Navy football and, of course, a new Space Force Academy in Huntsville.

Speaking of outer space, naturally, we’ll kick things off with Ron Artest.

Thomas writes …

I’m living in Atlanta, and read your column every now and then, but you sometimes write like you’re having hallucinations. Just saying. Have a good sober weekend.

ANSWER: This is a true story, and I have witnesses. Metta Sandiford-Artest, aka Metta World Peace, aka Ron Artest, once asked me at a Lakers practice if I was on ecstasy. I was not eating beans at Lakers practice, but it remains one of the three funniest moments of my career as a sportswriter.

B-Man in Duluth, Ga., writes …

Wow, you certainly nailed it with your column! I don’t expect you’re sipping beers after work with Kalen DeBoer or Ryan Grubb anytime soon, however, you are absolutely right — if a new offensive line coach does not produce a running attack that works, and BETTER pass protection, these guys are toast.

And, rightfully so.

Let’s not forget that the 2025 version of the Tide’s offensive line was supposed to be one of the most talented in the country. And the NFL, apparently, thinks a lot of Ty Simpson, so … if the last half of the season did not convince anyone the play calling was atrocious, maybe your column will.

Adrian writes …

Seattle’s running attack has had a lot of impact on Sam Darnold’s success as well. He’s been very comfortable not having to do more than he is capable of. Maybe Alabama should look to its history when complementary offense was its forte.

ANSWER: DeBoer and I do not drink beers together, no, but I’m not opposed to pouring a Bud Heavy for Alabama’s coach every now and then.

Grubb seems like a Triple Hops IPA guy, but I could be wrong.

I really do have the smartest ball-knowers for readers, though. Wiser words have never been written when it comes to the difference between this year’s offense for the Seattle Seahawks and Grubb’s version of the Tide.

Quarterback Geno Smith had great numbers on paper in 2024 (4,320 passing yards), but Grubb still got the boot in Seattle. Smith and Ty Simpson seem like a decent enough comp to my eyes, which means the Las Vegas Raiders will likely draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with their No.1 pick.

The knock on Grubb in Seattle was an offense that leaned too heavily into the passing game. Coach Mike Macdonald wanted a balanced approach so the Seahawks could play complementary football. (That means it’s OK to punt sometimes and play defense, among other things.)

Let’s take a look at Alabama’s last national championship-winning offense. The season was 2020. Not a lot of punts for the Tide that year either, but what everyone really remembers are all the passing yards by Mac Jones and the Heisman Trophy-winning season for DeVonta Smith.

Here’s the thing about that.

Smith was always open because defenses had to account for running backs Najee Harris and Brian Robinson. Harris alone rushed for 26 touchdowns. That’s only two fewer than Derrick Henry’s monster Heisman season. For context, Mark Ingram only rushed for 17 touchdowns during his Heisman campaign.

When is Alabama going to have its next first-round running back? That’s what Alabama fans want to know. Alabama should have gone into the transfer portal and found one. DeBoer tried … and failed. Alabama officially lost its mystique with the Hollywood Smothers fiasco. Also, let’s not forget that Nick Saban grabbed Georgia Tech’s Jahmyr Gibbs out of the portal. Saban wasn’t all about “The Process” in the end.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Alabama running back AK Dear has potential. I’m hopeful, too, that EJ Crowell can quickly develop into Alabama’s next signature back. I visited with Crowell this past season in Jackson, Ala., and I love the kid. He gave me hometown burger recommendations and everything.

William writes …

A lot of smack talk from wannabe programs. So, Alabama has the worst running game in the SEC and finishes the regular season as the top seed in the SEC and goes to round two in the College Football Playoff. You know how you’re RBU? When you can leverage your running backs to rebuild your front lines and make a deeper run.

If Auburn were smart, then its running backs would in essence be pulling guards for the quarterback.

ANSWER: I’m not expecting Auburn to run the Wing-T, although I kinda like that idea. I’m a huge nerd for Navy football’s hybrid Wing-T. My high school also ran the ol’ Wing-T in 1997, so there’s a little bit of nostalgia there. (Go Shades Valley Mounties!)

I’d expect plenty of counter running schemes from Golesh. After all, USF transfer quarterback Byrum Brown rushed for over 1,000 yards last season.

Here’s how Auburn’s coach describes his offense.

“The foundation of it is everything starts with the run,” Golesh said. “We find ways to run the football. We find ways to create matchups in the running game. The run game, it sets up everything downfield in the pass game.

“We use the entire width of the field. We’ll condense it. We’ll expand it. And we use tempo to our advantage. Put defenses into a disadvantage. Try to simplify what defenses can do, and we try to create 1-on-1 matchups with as much space as you imaginably can. That’s the offense.”

Sam writes …

What if a major college football program, like Alabama, decided to get out of the NIL/portal rat race and said, “We will recruit high school players like we used to do, and pay them a decent stipend. The main emphasis will be on education. There will be no portal available for a minimum of three years and if you’re good enough, you will play football and still find a path to the NFL. We (the college) will no longer engage in this NIL/Portal madness. We will develop players and teach life lessons and you will have every opportunity to be the best you can be, at this level or the next. Sign on the dotted line!

ANSWER: Looks like we have another fan of Navy football. The service academies essentially still operate this way. The reason is because they are considered federal employees and cannot sign endorsement contracts. It’s against the law.

If Alabama did away with the NIL workaround to pay its players, then the Crimson Tide would immediately go 0-12 and become Sewanee.

I understand that many college football fans are frustrated with the unruly changes in the game, but the best answer is for players to become employees of schools. At that point, players could collectively bargain with universities and sign legally binding contracts.

The universities don’t want to risk losing their tax exemptions, though, and of course they don’t want to get into the business of paying pensions and benefits to players. The schools would rather have no rules at all, so here we are.

Hate it or not, the TV ratings are way up for college football and more schools like Indiana, BYU and Miami can compete with the SEC.

My fever dream of all fever dreams is that the President will commission a Space Force Academy in Huntsville, so we can have Space Force football. That’s probably the drugs talking, though.

MAILBAG SOUND OFF

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