From what I understand, Dooley and company were convinced he needed more leg strength and were overworking him. Whenever he kicked last year he was suffering from leg fatigue.
I can't remember where I heard or read it though, so take it for what it's worth.
Your statement is as true as they come. Alabama lost to Texas A & M last year because of turnovers which then turned johnny into JOHNNY FOOTBALL. Nobody was screaming for Saban's head after the loss with 5 turnovers.
It is really hard to believe how bad we were at this fundamental aspect of the game under the previous coaching regime. I regularly see high school games where both sides manage the clock and time outs effectively. The fact that we couldn't just screamed incompetence.