But with Brian Daboll now directing the Tide's offense, Hurts may be asked to stretch the field. Although Hurts said Daboll "doesn't want to change too much," the coordinator has his own philosophy and it involves using the ground attack to set up high-impact, vertical throws.
In the scrimmage, Saban noted that there were "a lot of big plays, a lot of explosive plays throwing the ball, especially play-action passes."
In an article by Pro Football Focus that was published in 2012 before Daboll called his first game for the Kansas City Chiefs, the website's author examined Daboll's previous three seasons as an NFL coordinator and wrote that in 2011 with the Miami Dolphins he "has been more liberal with his pass game, as shown by a lower completion rate, a higher depth of throw, and a higher sack rate.