A Real Alabama Fan

I guess that's why they play....

2011-12-18T07:40:00.002-05:00

OK...I admit it. I was wrong about the meaningfulness of Alabama's season. After a wild final two weeks, Alabama backed it's way into the BCS championship game and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

After Alabama's ugly, self-inflicted overtime loss to #1 LSU on 4 November, Alabama's season seemed all but over. On 12 November, Stanford lost to Oregon. On 18 November, Oklahoma State lost to Iowa State. On 19 November, Oregon lost to USC. Alabama slaughtered Auburn on 26 November, and Oklahoma State did the same to Oklahoma on 3 December. Despite having the last laugh, because of a pathetic loss to an woefully inferior team, Oklahoma State was unable to secure enough votes to overcome Alabama at the #2 BCS spot. Through the failures of the rest of the top 3, some savvy politicking, and a strong performance on a nationally-televised game against Auburn, Alabama survived to fight another day.

I have spent my adult life hating the hopeful catch phrases of those fans that have faith until the very last moment, such as "on any given day..." and "that's why they play the games." I prefer the realism and disappointment mitigation of proactive expectations management. I guess I learned that the game really does matter. It's not decided on paper, on radio, in booths, or in TV commentary. If it was, Oklahoma State would be undefeated and playing LSU for the BCS national championship. I still hate the phrases, but maybe I gained a little more faith.

Alabama received a little help this season. In two weeks, we'll see if they take advantage of it.

Absolutely meaningless...

2011-11-18T08:14:00.009-05:00

Alabama is 9-1, currently number three in the BCS standings, a mainstay of CBS and ESPN college football broadcasts, one of the teams involved in the latest "game of the century," and the subject of innumerable national sports roundtables, radio talk shows, news articles, and blogs. In two weeks, however, Alabama's football season will be rendered absolutely meaningless.

Alabama lost to the only team that mattered on the schedule, and is now reduced to observing the relevant teams from a distance, hoping one will lose, and that the victor will not be voted past them in the BCS. In my opinion, Alabama's time in the sun for 2011 is over. If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, they play LSU for the national championship. If Oklahoma wins, they will play LSU. If not Oklahoma, Oregon will play LSU in a rematch. If Alabama wins out, they will likely play in the Sugar Bowl, against the likes of Houston or Cincinnati, in what will be the least watched, most boring, meaningless Sugar Bowl in recent history. I would even go so far as to suggest that a match up like that could bring the same, or similar, results as the Alabama-Utah game in 2008.

Regrettably, this will one of the rare times in college football history that a 12-1 team wins absolutely nothing. Alabama can't win the SEC West, the SEC, or the BCS. Optimists will say that a bowl provides 3 extra weeks of practice, additional recruiting, and prime time TV revenue. There is also the little pittance of shared monies within the SEC for post-season success. While slightly relevant facts at best, it's not reality. Alabama gains virtually nothing. LSU gains everything. Money, recruiting, and national exposure. Alabama players get a vacation in New Orleans and pride in a meaningless victory. If you're not challenging anyone at a conference or national level, you're accomplishing nothing.

Dreamers are holding their breath for Arkansas or Georgia to beat LSU. It won't happen. Arkansas is a larger version of Oregon, whom LSU slaughtered in week one. Georgia is a Cinderella team in a division of slipper-less Cinderellas. The reality is that LSU will play Georgia in the SEC Championship game, and will emerge as SEC champions. LSU will fill the coffers of departing seniors with even more talent from this year's recruiting pool, and train them in upgraded facilities from BCS earnings.

Whether you like the BCS system or not, a loss ends everything. In this case, it's a loss to a division rival - in fact, the seventh loss to LSU in the last nine games. The 2011 Alabama season is over. Pride is all that's left. Revenge against a four-loss Auburn team means something in Alabama, but nowhere else. A Sugar Bowl victory against Houston or Cincinnati means something to Alabama fans, but no one else. I recall the 2005, 2008, and 2010 seasons, in which Alabama lost the only meaningful games on the schedule. The result was a forgettable Cotton Bowl victory over Texas Tech, a notorious loss to Utah, and a meaningless blowout of Michigan State. Looks like this year will be the same.

We have seen the enemy, and he is us....

2011-11-13T07:29:00.004-05:00

After watching ten games this season, I have finally discovered the source of the problem with Alabama's offense. It's not consistency as some have suggested. It's not negative plays at critical moments, although that has been a tactical problem on key plays to be sure. It's not blocking, playcalling, or any of the other standard explanations. It's not even special teams or field goal kicking. It's AJ McCarron, and to a lesser extent, Coach Saban.

In ten games, I cannot recall a single downfield, normal, vertical pass over 20 yards to which McCarron has connected. He has overthrown, and/or thrown over the receiver's wrong shoulder on every single play. I firmly believe that he is completely incapable of making a downfield throw or any play over about six yards that is not designed for the receiver to gain the necessary yardage after the catch. He does not have good vision downfield, a strong arm, or the ability to make a play when necessary. He is Greg McElroy, without natural leadership ability. His lack of ability shows just how bad Phil Sims must be, and how bare Alabama's quarterback cupboard really is.

This offense clearly lacks leadership. Against Florida, McCarron failed to gain three inches on three plays from the three-inch line and settled for a field goal. Against Miss St, he needed 3 inches on 4th down and gained one. As the quarterback, McCarron is tasked with managing the offense and playcalling, motivating the offensive players on the field, and making a play or two on critical 3d down and distance plays. From what I've observed, he accomplishes none of these. When I see Alabama huddle, it's Trent Richardson that is clapping and attempting to inspire the players, not McCarron. There is no indication whatsoever that the offense responds to McCarron, evidenced by the lack of production, and the apparent lack of unit energy, motivation, and drive. The offense seems to move despite McCarron, not because of him. Any spark from the Alabama offense is provided by Richardson and Lacy behind a seasoned and disciplined offensive line working independently of McCarron.

Of course, Saban doesn't expect, or want McCarron to do anything else. My guess is that Jim McElwain and McCarron want to do a little more on offense. Saban, however, is satisfied with the Jarrett Lee/Matt Mauck offensive model of a great defense doing its job to place a strong running game in a field position battle to win the game by close margins. Saban quarterbacks are limited to basic and predictable downfield throws out of traditional play-action and shotgun formations, to the same receivers, on first down. In other words, everyone in the stadium can predict Alabama's pass offense. Saban prefers screens, slants, quick hitches to receivers behind the line of scrimmage, and other low-risk, high percentage plays. Without a legitimate downfield passing ability, it's easy for good opponents to defend it. It's then up to running backs to gain almost impossible yardage against 7-8 man defensive fronts.

Alabama has been bailed out time and again his season by athletic individualism and the mistakes of other teams. It has capitalized on the fact that most other SEC rivals are incapable of moving the ball against Alabama's defense. As a result, Saban's offensive philosophy and McCarron's deficiencies have been overcome by the tremendous independent efforts of Alabama running backs and offensive line. The only game in which it didn't work resulted in a loss that likely rendered Alabama's season virtually meaningless (unless you feel that Sugar Bowl participation without winning the SEC is meaningful).

This is Stallings 2.0. Great defense, terrible offenses run by mediocre game managers, and "a win is a win." I'm not asking for ridiculous scores in the 50s. I'm asking for an offense that can actually throw the ball downfield. I'm asking for an offense that doesn't rely on field goal kicking to win games. I'm asking for an offense that can provide the slightest bit of excitement and productivity from someone other than a running back. With Alabama's defense, it's not opposing teams that present the greatest challenge to success...it's Alabama itself.

A much larger problem

2011-11-11T08:11:00.005-05:00

Tony Barnhart prepared a great piece that identified the problem that has become modern college football, but through civility and restraint failed to adequately describe just how bad it is. College football is no longer a "sport." It's no longer a way to get a college degree and represent a school on a football field and add to a rich tradition. It's a business. It's a corporation. It's become a college's primary source of income.

Universities reluctantly, and privately, realize that revenues from tuition and books published by professors and academics don't build dorms, sell tickets, ensure TV contracts, or add to the sizes of stadiums. Football builds campuses and attracts athletes. All other collegiate matters, including academics, have become, or are becoming, a collateral aspect to its operations. To cash in on this trend, colleges don't hire coaches, they hire corporate CEOs - Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, etc - to manage these money-making machines.

To monitor this corporate profit model, colleges hire "compliance teams," whose sole purpose is to ensure no NCAA rules are violated in its daily operations. Compliance personnel have exploded in size, complexity, expertise, and importance in the last decade in response to the spiraling importance of profit over all other pursuits. In a modern college football program, compliance personnel are as important, if not more so, than the head coach.

Throw in the social changes associated with college football - a general degradation of family and social values, increasing numbers of low income athletes from sketchy neighborhoods and backgrounds without any real parental mentorship, players focused solely on football and a football career with little or no interest in completing a degree program and graduating - and the situation becomes an explosive powder keg. College football is becoming nothing more than a corporate NFL mill in which to train the few future football professionals it will produce. League officials are contemplating paying college athletes above and beyond a free education that many don't receive, based on how much the program supports the budget - which should be none of the athlete's business. Athletic departments do almost anything to cover-up misconduct that might impact football profits. Rules violators that 20 years ago would have been immediately fired or severely punished in other ways, are given slaps on the wrist, allowed to stay if successful, and the issue is swept under the rug. It all boils down to this: universities used to base responses to misconduct on accepted social and moral principles, but now base them solely on profitability and financial analysis. Greed is king...morality is extinct.

It's true that Paterno was fired in a very sudden and public fashion. But he was fired in 2011. The incident upon which it was based occurred in 2002, and has been going on since. He was kept around because of his name brand, his number of college wins, his success, his recruiting, and his ability to secure TV contracts to air Penn State games. Paterno also made a relatively modest salary, which also may have played into the school's financial equation. No one is immune. Paterno was fired. Bobby Bowden is suing Florida State for millions based on a contract dispute. Other higher-name coaches are still involved in litigation years after the incident upon which it is based was concluded.

College football is sick. The symptoms started in the 70s, and have increased in severity ever since. Now, the situation is terminal. The bad news is that there's no going back. Now that colleges have abandoned principle and morality for greed and profit, and even the academics realize that college football profits cannot be ignored or marginalized, the taste of money is too sweet. Pooh stuck his hand a few too many times into the honey pot, and now, instead of learning his lesson and simply getting his hand out and never doing it again, he's looking for a bigger pot and experts to get him out of that one too.

People get ready.....

2011-10-15T08:45:00.003-04:00

Alabama's undefeated. LSU's undefeated. Alabama plays a bad Ole Miss team, with four offensive starters suspended, and a mediocre at best Tennessee team without their starting quarterback. It doesn't matter who LSU plays. Both will remain undefeated. They will meet on the field in the afternoon of 5 November 2011, in what will likely be one of the most watched, reported, and opined college football games in the last 20 years. Under any circumstances, it will decide one half of the BCS championship game a month early.

Alabama fans have been methodically lulled by the media into a sense of superiority to the rest of college football and of parity with LSU because of dominating defensive performances, explosive rushing statistics, and lopsided results against the same foes. Alabama is a good team, in a year of few really good teams - there is no doubt about that. But as much as I hate to say it, LSU is far better. Alabama starts slow, often giving up big plays on defense in the first quarter to inferior teams until corrections are made. They typically struggle offensively, having gone 3-and-out on 55% of their opening drives. LSU doesn't. They score first, stop immediately, and other than being in top tier of penalized teams, don't make mistakes. They have freak athletes at almost every skill position, and a mistake-free quarterback that can throw downfield. AJ McCarron is a mistake-free quarterback, but lacks the ability to accurately deliver vertical passes over about 12 yards. LSU now has Jordan Jefferson, the absolute worst quarterback to ever don pads, EXCEPT against Alabama, when he turns into a combination of Montana, Marino, Elway, and Brady.

So, "just let Richardson bang through them" some will say. You don't "bang through" LSU's defense. Richardson's rushing numbers will be anemic, trust me. LSU knows that the way to defeat Alabama is making AJ McCarron win the game - which he can't do. Alabama does not have the individual skills at receiver to counter LSU's freakish, and more experienced, secondary. In previous games, Alabama has been able to absorb the opponent's initial thrust, then make adjustments and slowly counter throughout the remainder of the game with superior depth and conditioning. It's not going to work against LSU - they are just as deep, if not more so, and just as conditioned. If Alabama gets behind too far too early, Richardson and the standard rushing gameplan must be abandoned, and a redshirt sophomore with a history of overthrows and misses will have to win the game.

People, get ready. Cinderella's slipper cracks on 20 days. Make reservations for the CapitalOne Bowl, unless the BCS people have the brains to keep Alabama as the #2 SEC team without going to the SEC Championship game. If the Lord told me I had to spend 30 minutes with either Satan or Les Miles, I'd have to think about it for an hour or so. I despise LSU far more than my control of the English language will allow me to describe it. But, they are going to win on 5 November, and there is nothing that anyone in the Alabama nation can do about it.

Sorry folks...

2011-09-25T09:06:00.007-04:00

I was in Bryant-Denny for Saturday's Alabama-Arkansas game. I heard the crowd, felt the energy, and saw Alabama's apparent dominance of every aspect of the game. I was happy with Alabama's performance, and the score of the game. The national championship team I watched was not in Tuscaloosa, however, it was on CBS that evening, in Morgantown, West Virginia, soundly defeating the Mountaineers. Ater watching Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, and Boise State, it is clear to me that Alabama is fourth out of four. In short, Alabama is not capable of doing what the other teams do.

Yes, Alabama won in dramatic fashion. There were big plays, wild plays, and atypical plays in terms of Alabama's offensive style. But for all the excitement and defensive dominance, Alabama national-level deficiencies were readily apparent. When it came time to line up, helmet-to-helmet, and punch the ball into the endzone, Alabama couldn't gain 3 inches in 3 running plays and settled for a field goal. Oklahoma, LSU, and Boise State would have scored a touchdown. Alabama averaged a little over 31 yards per punt. LSU's average against West Virginia was 47 yards, and they downed 4 punts inside the West Virginia 10 yard line. While Alabama had a lot of quarterback hurries and some good hits against Arkansas, they mostly occurred after the ball was thrown. In fact, Alabama is near the bottom of the league in sacks. Arkansas even had three new starters on the offensive line, and still held Alabama's rushers largely at bay. Oklahoma sacked FSU's quarterbacks five times.

Despite the notoriety of Alabama's secondary, teams have had early-game success in longer yardage pass plays. Penn State completed several passes over 15 yards, as did Arkansas. There were missed assignments, as in the case of the long touchdown that was negated by a holding call, and missed tackles, as in the case of Arkansas's first touchdown. There was also the long screen play to Trent Richardson that miraculously missed the outstretched, but wrongly positioned, arms of a savvy Arkansas defensive end and narrowly escaped being intercepted. The outstretched arms of defensive ends at Florida and LSU will be positioned correctly. If one looks closely, Alabama's offensive line is not performing very well at all. AJ McCarron was pressured by Arkansas' rush at least 6 times, and sacked on two others. Successful running lanes and gaps are produced far more by the individual skill of Richardson and Lacey than the offensive line.

I'm not saying they are a bad team. They are in the top four teams in the country, but they are a clear fourth out of that group. The rapidly increasing difficulty of Alabama's opponents will more openly expose the weaknesses that the previous team have only identified. The 2011 Alabama team will not go undefeated. They will not win the SEC West, or even represent them at the SEC Championship game. Oklahoma is deep with upperclass experience. Boise State has senior talent and a favorable schedule. LSU is eerily reminiscent of the 1992 and 2009 Alabama teams, with a workmanlike offense, mediocre, game-managing quarterback, and all-world defense. While Alabama's offense and defense seem unstoppable against weaker competition, they will not stand up to the challenges of the other conference elites. I predict losses to both Florida and LSU this season.

If you're an Alabama fan and want to make reservations for New Orleans, you're going to have to wait for Mardis Gras because Alabama won't be there this bowl season. I recommend looking at a city in Florida shortly before, or after, New Year's Day. I hate LSU more than the Taliban, and Les Miles more than Satan, so it's hard to admit this. It's ironic that the BCS Championship is in Louisiana, the year LSU wins the national championship.

How far we've come.....

2011-07-08T20:43:00.002-04:00

Most Alabama fans are probably lost in the whirlwind that has been the Saban-led revival of Alabama football the last 4 years. They are hopelessly stuck in the micro-level world of inaccurate and brilliantly marketed recruiting services, the absurd puffery of preseason magazine articles, in some instances written six months before the teams even begin summer workouts, ridiculous bronze statues of coaches, and the obnoxious pride and bragging that defines what a "fan" really is. What they are not considering is the macro-level impact of all of this.

Coach Saban is turning Alabama into an NFL mill, where Alabama has to beg individuals with questionable backgrounds and values to attend classes for three years so they'll get a better shot at the NFL than someone at another school, under another coach. There is no individual loyalty, school pride, or any of the other attributes of previous teams (and smoking cigars after beating TN and singing Yea Alabama in the locker room doesn't even come close to it either). Alabama is involved in an increasing amount of allegations, investigations, and questionable behavior that barely skirts the NCAA rules. Added to the situation is the current push to pay players, which will finally send college football into the abyss. Players get a free education at the nations best state and private schools and many special fringe benefits, whether the administration would admit it or not. In my opinion, that's enough - the school's budget concerns or annual income is none of the players concern. The average non-athlete student leaves owing approximately $40,000 in student loans and struggles to get a job and repay them. What Saban and others are creating is a corporate atmosphere of money, greed, and profit, where it's all dollars and sense, devoid of all the subjective passion and loyalty that have historically made college football great.

I will follow Alabama football because my family has been following Alabama for a century, and I am a 1995 graduate. I will follow it because of my loyalty to the University of Alabama. I don't, however, agree with the path it has chosen for football, the atmosphere that is being created by Nick Saban, and I will not worship coaches or players. Alabama did well before them, and will do well long after they are gone.

The United States has spent decades sacrificing macro-level national identity, community values and mores, religion, and other social issues for micro-level immediate self-gratification and pacification. It seems Alabama is on the verge of doing the same thing.

What we have learned....

2010-10-10T09:07:00.008-04:00

The happy time at Alabama is over. It was fun while it lasted, but it had to end. Yesterday, it ended in one of the poorest performances I've seen from a Saban-coached team. South Carolina played an almost perfect game, and it's necessary to give credit where credit's due. For Alabama, there were a multitude of missed tackles, a 17-yard punt deep in Alabama territory, two 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalties, a missed extra point, a missed chip shot field goal, an inability to stop South Carolina on three separate third-down and long situations in the fourth quarter, a dropped pass on third down, and only 1 sack. In one game, Alabama has become just another irrelevant team in the SEC west struggling to beat the division leaders. In preparation for what I think will become a 2-3 loss finish to 2010, it's important to identify what we've learned from yesterday's performance.

Alabama's defense is not even close to previous Saban units. It doesn't matter how many stars you place next to a player's name on Rivals or Scout, it does not equate into defensive success. There is no substitute for experience. South Carolina has 16 seniors on their team. Alabama's defense is currently leaderless, cannot cover, cannot tackle, cannot provide the slightest bit of pressure, and is eerily reminiscent of Coach Kines' "bend but don't break" units of the Shula era. Alabama had third and 10, 12, and 9, and failed to stop any of them in the fourth quarter. Alabama had only one sack the entire game, and South Carolina had more sacks in this game (8) than Alabama has had all year. There was no evidence of any defensive adjustments at halftime, and it showed. While Alabama benefited from South Carolina's mistakes (the boneheaded safety and the improbable interception), neither can be attributed to defensive play. This defensive unit is going to struggle against LSU and Auburn, and will likely limp into some mediocre mid-tier bowl in December.

You can have Ingram and Richardson in the same backfield and still have a bad offense. Alabama hoped to employ the same, worn-out plays to beat a team that had prepared specifically for two weeks to counter them. A year later, Alabama runs wildcats and throws screens and dump-off passes, thinking South Carolina hasn't learned their lesson, or is incapable of stopping them. Not only did South Carolina stop them, Alabama had a hard time running them. A single South Carolina RB had more yards than Ingram and Richardson combined. McElroy was sacked eight times and lost over 50 yards. While Marquis Maze appeared to have the hot hand, they rarely threw to him. There was no evidence of any offensive adjustments at halftime, not that any would have helped given the fact that Alabama played catch-up all day with little or no chance to overcoming any deficit on offense alone.

McElroy is incapable of doing anything he's not told to do. McElroy's main strength is running plays from a playbook with few turnovers. He never takes risks, he never throws down field if a dump-off receiver is open, and is incapable of taking the game on his shoulders. He would never make the throws Garcia did to Jeffery because he would never risk it. He holds onto the ball for 8, 10, 12 seconds, looking for a receiver, negating good pass blocking by the OL when he's eventually sacked. He never throws the ball away, for the reasons above, which usually results in sacks and losses of five or more yards, and is then incapable of getting the additional 10-12 yards necessary on subsequent downs.

The success of this Alabama team depends on its response to this adversity. It could respond with another run of victories, but I don't think it will. I think this particular team has reached its peak, and will nosedive into mediocrity in the next two months. Five more teams have bye weeks before Alabama to prepare the way South Carolina did (although most aren't coached by Spurrier). I think they will struggle against Tennessee and Ole Miss, will have another catastrophic loss to the likes of Miss St, and will lose to both LSU and Auburn. Ingram, Jones, and others will leave early for the NFL, and the "process" starts all over again in 2011 with an entirely new group of players. What we've learned is that success doesn't last, and that one single loss exposes a team and relegates it to the long list of irrelevant teams struggling to be relevant.

As a post script comment, I'd like to add that scheduling personnel responsible for this six bye week farce, if they are still around, need to be fired.

Great Expectations

2010-08-01T23:04:00.006-04:00

There is a new attitude among Alabama fans in the wake of the incredible 2009 football season. Not only is there the same unrealistic fanaticism and grotesquely subjective expectations as every other season, but Alabama fans are now emboldened with a sense of entitlement from the gracious, and mostly over-fluffed media coverage Alabama has received the last 6 months. For them, Alabama has reached a plateau of success that is unassailable by anyone, anywhere, that has anything negative, or even modestly cautious, to say about the football program. The recent success has rendered Alabama football, Coach Saban, and the fans, untouchable. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Some of you may know that I love to post counterpoint issues on the TideSports general forum. The past 3 years, I have been the voice of reason and rationality on a rabid forum of "going undefeated every season, and if they lose, they're going 11-1" types. My views have been largely tolerated because of the almost decade of mediocre, and sometimes embarrassing, football performances that kept fans in the realm of reality. Recently, empowered by the national achievements of the past season, moderators have targeted my posts for hyper-scrutiny and immediate suspension for the slightest infraction. The subjects of my posts have not changed, the sense of entitlement from the moderators has. After all, why would a forum have to countenance a counterpoint poster when everyone is blowing sunshine up Alabama's backside? The objective exchange of ideas and debate has been replaced with subjective and unrealistic fanatic-based censorship.

As a student of history, I have seen this situation played out on the world map many, many times. An entity grows in stature and popularity, pinnacles in success, and falls flat on it's face. As Alabama fans, we've seen it happen in our own community. Alabama reached untouchable success in the 60s and 70s under Bear, had intermittent success under various coaches during the 80s and 90s, and flattened out into mediocrity in the first half of the 21st Century. Alabama is back on a high and will not stay there. No one ever does.

Alabama will likely be a preseason #1, with a target on it's back larger than in any season since it's inception. Ask USC, Oklahoma, and Texas how easy it is to repeat as national champs. Ask Texas what happened after they lost to Texas Tech in Austin. Check how many times a team has gone wire-to-wire #1. Alabama plays in Fayetteville, Knoxville, and Baton Rouge this season. They are replacing key starters on a defense that was mostly responsible for the success last season. Many, if not of all of the fans to which I am referring will say "the back-ups are just as talented". They will say "Tennessee is nothing this year" or "Tennessee is in shambles". They will say "Alabama has a pretty good record in Baton Rouge". Or worse, they will rant the same ignorant things about rival coaches, stadiums, or fans that I heard before last season. Here's reality...Alabama had to block TWO field goals to win against Tennessee AT HOME. Alabama was losing most of the game against LSU AT HOME. Alabama had to produce an improbable 80-yard drive to beat the same Auburn team they'll see this season (with a better QB).

My advice to all of you entitled "This is Alabama football" fans buying into all the media hype about preseason rankings and potential 2010 success is this...just see what happens if Alabama loses a SINGLE game this season. Alabama will be just another big football program (like Stoops at Oklahoma, etc) spending most of the season trying to politic it's way into the championship with 1-2 losses. The media and voters will drop Alabama like a hot potato, and we'll be left with those of us that remained realistic about expectations. My expectations might not be great, but they are realistic and attainable.

There are no more Sabans

2010-03-02T20:08:00.002-05:00

Life is good right now if you are a fan of football at the University of Alabama. Recruiting is the best it's ever been, the team is dominating conference opponents, favorable media coverage is at an all-time high, and Coach Saban is a Hollywood-style superstar. The immediate future looks bright. Immediate success is seemingly inevitable. Enjoy it while it lasts, because glory is fleeting and there will never be another Nick Saban at Alabama. When he does leave, Alabama will likely slip back into mediocrity.

Football has changed. The landscape now is that of sleek, financially and personally driven, CEOs that run businesses instead of coaching young athletes. The successful coaches recruit around the clock. They have mission statements, processes, and goals. They deal with the macro-level generalities and micro-level minutia as if it were a large corporation. The problem is that there are very few of these individuals, and their numbers are finite and not re-produceable. Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer, and Nick Saban are it. One has already left for greener pastures, one is facing early retirement, and the other is enjoying the pinnacle (and twilight) of his career. There are no "the next Sabans or Urban Meyers" in the pipeline. When they are gone, the success enjoyed by their teams is over. Look at USC, who went from Pete Carroll to Lane Kiffin. Yes, new coaches will be hired. There will be recruiting success. New offenses will bring excitement. But no matter which Brian Kelley, Turner Gil, or Paul Johnson is hired, it will not be the same as Nick Saban.

Saban is the best coach since Bear Bryant's glory days. His recruiting is brilliant. His processes and practice style exponentially increases his player's abilities. He's a genius with red/grayshirts. He hires, and keeps, quality assistants. He graduates players. He is accountable and inspires coaches, players, and fans to be their best. But when he leaves, it all comes to an end. A new coach will bring inferior processes and styles, because compared to Saban they all are. He will not recruit as well. There will not be as much national excitement in the program as there is now. NOTHING will be the same.

Enjoy it now, because it won't last. There will be a day when a Sabanless Alabama falls back into mediocre competition with the other mediocre regional programs in the league. It will be a time when other teams take the limelight and relegate Alabama to .500 seasons and mid to low-tier bowls. It won't happen for lack of financial or fan support. It won't happen for a lack of passion or love for the school. It won't happen for the lack of game attendance. It'll happen because there are no more Sabans.

Just the beginning?

2010-02-28T08:39:00.003-05:00

Immediately after Alabama won the 2009 national championship, Coach Nick Saban declared that this win was "just the beginning." He, and most of the Alabama nation, feel that the current success will lead to consistency in the future and possibly more championships. But none of them have stopped to think of the cost. This might be "just the beginning" of short-term sustained success on the field, but it is the beginning of the end of Alabama football as we know it.

The Alabama football program is steeped in the tradition of tough players that came to play for a legend, were loyal to the school, and were passionate about playing for Alabama against all the traditional foes. There have been many Alabama players that played professionally, but only after 4 years of college, and numerous personal sacrifices for a cause they actually believed in, and that rose above the avarice of the world. It began in the Coach Stallings era, and is ending right before our eyes - never to been seen again. Coach Saban is filling the rosters with players with one goal, and one goal only - to play in the NFL. Their loyalty to any particular school goes only far enough to satisfy desires for playing time, TV coverage, and the ability of the head coach to ensure more NFL scout exposure. They will leave college for professional football at the first opportunity, with little regard to their education or commitment.

While this will lead to on-the-field short-term success and make the fans happy, it will slowly diminish the things that distinguish Alabama from programs like FSU, Miami, and USC, who exist only to facilitate the passing of ineligible players from high school to the pros at little or no cost to themselves. Alabama will join the ranks of these professional "farm teams" as factories for players instead of the institution that it has always been - a sculptor of young men loyal to a school and a cause larger than themselves. As long as Alabama wins, most fans don't care how or at what cost.

Yes. I will be as happy as everyone at the inevitable success that this change will produce. But, I will also be sad at the collateral, and conveniently ignored, affect on the tradition that is Alabama football. I will regret changing Alabama from a program where players play with broken legs to one that the Joe McKnight's of the world use selfishly to achieve worldly wealth. Call me naive or idealistic, but I have believed my whole life that Alabama stands for something personal - something greater than the pursuit of individual wealth or glory at a higher level. This recent success might be "just the beginning," but the cost of achieving that sustained success is the beginning of the end.

What being "back" really means in college football....

2009-10-03T08:40:00.004-04:00

Alabama fans are as excited as ever about the prospects of Alabama's return to the national college football stage. I recently read two newspaper bylines that describe the source of the excitement; "Alabama solidified its return to prominence" and "The Crimson Tide is rolling once again." The problem is, these bylines were written on 1 October (SI.com) and 23 October (Washington Post), 2005. It was a time of success and being unbeaten. It was a time of media coverage and the eagerness of garnering more and more first place votes in the weekly polls. It was a time of fan giddiness and boasting, and of pictures of Alabama players on Sports Illustrated covers declaring "Bama's back." Then came 12 and 19 November 2005.

On 12 November 2005, in a charged and raucous climate in normally sedate Bryant-Denny Stadium, with impressive flyovers and coin tosses, Alabama lost to LSU for the third year in a row. On 19 November, Alabama lost to Auburn in similar fashion. And while Alabama won it's bowl game, it was the beginning of the end. In 2006, Alabama went 6-7, losing to Tennessee for the 9th time in 12 seasons, Mississippi State, and LSU and Auburn for the 4th time in a row.

In 2007, fans were once again rejuvenated at the prospect and potential of hiring Nick Saban, who would undoubtedly bring new championships to Tuscaloosa. Alabama was "back" once again. Then came a season that saw one of the most embarrassing home losses in Alabama football history (LA Monroe), losses in the last four regular season games, including the 5th in a row to LSU and Auburn, and a 7-6 record.

In 2008, Alabama started 12-0, and was "back" yet again. Alabama finally beat Auburn and LSU, and fans were poised for excitement and a possible national championship run. Then, Alabama lost the only game that really mattered in terms of a national championship, and rather embarrassingly in a meaningless non-BCS Sugar Bowl matchup to an upstart Utah team.

The point of all this...NO TEAM IS BACK until they hoist a championship trophy above their heads after beating ALL their opponents. Fans that embrace the idea of being "back" in week 5 of a given season, after playing one SEC game, and engage in premature boasting and bantering with opposing school's fans with similar records in September, are fanciful fools. Fans that exclaim "Alabama's back" when there is so much football to be played and questions about the team to be answered, with the spectre of injury always around the corner, do not respect the realities of college football. Perhaps those that proclaim that "Alabama is back" should be responsible for printing corrections or retractions when the season proves otherwise.

The other Saban effect....

2009-03-30T10:08:00.003-04:00

Yes, Coach Saban is winning more games. The Alabama fanbase is more confident (sometimes overconfident - see post below), and interest/passion for the program is as high as it has been since the days of Bear Bryant. But there is another effect that is much less obvious or tangible that is having as much, or more so, impact on Alabama's football program. It's renewed national respect and prestige.

In the last three weeks alone, I have read multiple articles from national media sources in which Alabama football is referred to as an "elite" or "premiere" college football program. Alabama is again listed in the same breath with USC, Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, etc. Although Alabama is, and has always been so, these words were deep in the grammatical abyss of adjectives and descriptors during the Franchione, Shula, probation years. Coach Saban has overcome his pre-hire credibility gaffes and returned Alabama to it's natural position as a permanent member of college football's national security council.

Out-of-state players, who until as little as 3 years ago wouldn't even mention Alabama as a possible destination, are saying they will give Alabama "a look." Top players are increasingly attending Alabama camps. More coaches are attending Alabama's coaching clinics. Alabama is slowly getting back into the NFL draft business. All the program's elements taken for granted during Bear's reign are returning for the same reason they existed then - an extraordinary head coach.

For 4-5 years, Alabama was easy fodder for sports radio talking heads and those in the written media with anti-Alabama agendas. Alabama was mired in mediocrity with no real possibility of climbing out. Coach Saban has changed all that. Now, even those that dislike Alabama or Coach Saban respect what he has done and show deference to Alabama's chances in almost every game. A limited few even chose Alabama to beat Florida in the 2009 SEC Championship game, the thought of which was absurd just 1-2 seasons ago. Joe Rose, former Dolphin player and most profound Saban-hater, has conceded on his Miami sports radio talk show that he is a great college coach. Even the reviled ESPN, who has actually marketed Alabama more than most teams with coverages of practice, player profiles, interviews with Coach Saban, and game broadcasts, was forced to accept that Alabama is a better venue for Gameday coverage of the spring game than their beloved Florida.

All of this is because of Coach Saban. Sure, players like Andre (although I mention his name with the same contempt that I would Benedict Arnold), Terrance Cody, John Parker Wilson, and Julio Jones have been a big part of this impact. This truth remains - those players would NOT have been the same under Shula or any of his predecessors. Coach Saban has singlehandedly brought Alabama back to the forefront of college football. He has singlehandedly restored Alabama's national respect and prestige. He is creating a new tradition and record that is attracting those out-of-state players that are not aware of Alabama's former glory days. His efforts will impact everything from BCS voting to effective relationships with national high school coaches - elements of a successful college football program that are every bit as important as winning. As long as Coach Saban is at Alabama, this less-recognized effect of his presence will continue and there is no limit to what he can accomplish.

Here we go again....

2009-03-18T22:48:00.003-04:00

It's inevitable. There's nothing any of us realists can do about it except vomit. Every single spring, college football fans forget every glaring and recurring issue with their team that was a major concern just 2-3 months ago, and make bold predictions about wins, championships, and glory. For Alabama, gaping holes in the offensive line, a fatal lack of depth at key positions, breaking in Greg McElroy (there is NO QB competition), a failure to run effectively against big, strong, quick SEC defenses, and end-of-game lapses against Florida and pitiful execution against Utah are ancient history. Even though the same players that were the problem a mere 3 months ago are the same players that will start in August, pictures of freshmen in tight under armor shirts, YouTube videos of "beasts" pancaking 120-pound high schoolers, and baseless stories about recruit impact from shameful recruiting services fuel an annual rammer jammer frenzy that ignores reality.

It doesn't matter what anyone says about DJ Fluker. It doesn't matter what his nickname is. It doesn't matter how much he eats or how big his shoes are. He is NOT going to immediately replace an all-conference NFL first-rounder in his freshman season in the SEC. The offensive line we all saw against Utah is the one we are all going to see against VA Tech. While he may contribute and make some impact, it will not be enough to solve the blocking/protection issues in 2008. This is a potential problem that could be a chronic and systemic issue all season and significantly impact the team's success. The 2009 recruits are IRRELEVANT.

It doesn't matter that Julio is a sophomore and has a year of the offense under his belt. His freshman accolades don't matter. Marquis Maze's 3-5 catches this season don't matter and prove nothing. It is another year of basic 2-receiver routes, with regular double teams. Alabama doesn't scheme receivers, and never will. It boils down to superior route running and the ability of the QB to deliver the ball. Julio is not the best route runner, and no one knows how McElroy will perform. This is another area of potential mediocrity that could seriously compromise the season. The 2009 recruits are IRRELEVANT.

No matter what anyone says, freshmen are no match for seasoned, experienced players. Being a "beast" in a tight under armor shirt against 120-pound linemen at Briarwood Christian compared to facing an LSU or Florida defensive end, or a Tennessee defensive back is like comparing the Sun and Moon. One cannot simply plug a recruit into a position because of some published 40-yard dash speed or a ridiculous YouTube video of a high school game. Player development takes time. During this development, these players make mistakes. Many times, these mistakes result in opponent touchdowns, long runs, or missed coverage assignments. The 2009 season is no different. The 2009 recruits are IRRELEVANT.

If you haven't figured it out, the 2009 recruits are irrelevant for expectations/predictions of success in 2009. They may have an impact. They may have a significant impact. It is not sufficient to base win predictions and expectations on under ANY circumstances. The team we saw last December is the team we'll see in August. February 4, 2009 didn't change anything for 2009. What it did was ensure that future Alabama teams will be deeper and more talented than previous Alabama teams and other teams nationally. It means that the future is bright at Alabama. The same issues that plagued the 2008 team continue in 2009 until further notice.

Being positive, giving unproven players the benefit of the doubt, seeing the glass half-full, and being hopeful as spring emerges is ridiculous folly. Understanding, conceding, and embracing weaknesses is a much stronger basis for expectations. A realistic fan acknowledges that Alabama's depth issues continue, the starting roster is dominated by young players, the offensive line is a rebuilt project, and McElroy is unproven (the Auburn pass is COMPLETELY, TOTALLY, AND ABSOLUTELY IRRELEVANT for evaluating his potential). The prudent fan will understand these limitations and make predictions within them instead of the annual "Alabama is going undefeated" nonsense. I just don't understand why we have to do this every single year.

Andre Smith...all that's wrong with college football

2009-01-12T11:01:00.011-05:00

While most Alabama fans were dreaming sweet dreams without care in preparation for Alabama's first Sugar Bowl in 16 years, Andre Smith and members of his family were busily contacting NFL agents to greedily fill their coffers. While fans were donning their favorite shirts, placing magnets and flags on their cars, and spending hard-earned money to attend a game out of pride and loyalty to a college football program dear to their hearts, one of its most important players was betraying them all. Andre Smith's absence in the Sugar Bowl was the most important reason Alabama lost, and one of the most grotesque examples of the greed and avarice that has come to represent college football and all sports.

I'm an idealist. I like to think that there is something higher and better than the pursuit of money and a lifestyle of prostitutes, parties, and debauchery. I like to think that there are more stories like that of Pat Trammell than Andre Smith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Trammell). Trammell, one of Bear's favorites, was an all-american QB, a role model for young players, and a fantastic representative of the state of Alabama. He graduated from medical school. He accepted deserved accolades with class and restraint. He embodied all that is positive in the human existence. There was no outward manifestation of personal glory or gain, and no obvious vices. Unfortunately, as is the case with many good people, he was taken from us at an early age. That WAS Alabama football.

That was then, this is now. Over the years, coinciding with other social changes, the motivations of players has changed. The purpose of playing the game has changed. The fallout is an environment of greed and selfishness that has permeated all sports. The innocent goals of representing a community, high school, or college has given way to "what's in it for me." It's become a means to an end, and the end is self-gratification. What's worse, whole families have become involved as pseudo career managers, and involve young kids in sports for the expressed and sole purpose of becoming professional athletes for their own selfish goals.

Fans have also succumbed, offering all kinds of excuses as to why these decisions are prudent with complete disregard for their impact. In the blog hyperlinked as part of this entry (click the title to access), the author is most concerned with whether Smith will be a "future Lion" rather than considering any social or moral implications of his suspension. Indeed, the NFL and the scum associated with its operation is a primary cause of this digression. Agents, more money than the EU, and decadent lifestyles offered to young men that are not old enough to understand the nature of their decisions or make objective evaluations are at the core of this breakdown. But no matter how infective these temptations are, it all boils own to the character of the individual as to what decisions they make and why.

Pat Trammell would not have disappointed Bear, the school, and the fans on the verge of a major bowl game by doing anything worthy of a suspension. He would have risen above in a moment of character and acted for the benefit of the common good instead of himself. Fans that support this nonsense and are fans of professional sports will argue many reasons why things are "different" now: professional sports are much bigger now; there is much more money at stake; the majority of players now come from depressed areas; it's just "good business." Those things might be true, but character, responsibility, loyalty, and dedication have not changed. They are, and have been for eternity, the bedrock of ethical human existence.

Andre Smith's actions leading to his suspension are despicable under all circumstances, situations, and conditions. NO financial gain is worth sacrificing one's character. NO material benefit is worth compromising one's convictions. The only consolation for me, he will be remembered not for his blocking in many of the memorable games of the improbable 2008 season, but that he was suspended for the Sugar Bowl and left for the NFL early. We've all been betrayed before, when someone at Alabama pleaded that payers "hold the rope" and didn't follow through. I guess Andre was at the other end.

The state of the program...

2009-01-12T10:13:00.012-05:00

It's that time of year again, when fans selectively bury the bad memories and obvious weaknesses revealed from the previous season, and focus on recruiting, spring practice, early enrollments, and next season. But, no matter how far you bury them, and under what material they are buried, Alabama has some very obvious weaknesses that will continue to plague the 2009 season. In addition, the initial Saban onslaught has been absorbed and the rest of the league is starting to catch up.

The impact of Alabama's offensive line losses cannot be underestimated. Because of greed, avarice, and the selfish pursuit of "cribs," fans were given a rare gift of clairvoyance in seeing the next offensive line. The result, 8 sacks and completely ineffective pass blocking. In the absence of some JUCO replacements, 2009 will resemble the notoriously porous offensive lines of the Mike Shula era. Combine that with a new quarterback that this author feels very strongly will be JPW incarnate, and the big, athletic defensive lines of rival teams appear ominously on the horizon.

Despite a #1 recruiting class last year, and at least a top 10 spot this year, Alabama remains paper thin at many key positions. Other SEC teams, such as LSU, Florida, and Georgia, have secured top 10 recruiting classes for 5 years during Alabama's probation/Mike Shula period, and are only now emerging as consistent winners with adequate depth and experience. Despite a ridiculous "win now' mentality, it will take at least 2-3 more years to get to a level at which Alabama can consistently challenge on a national stage - a bit earlier in the SEC. Any other opinions on that matter are complete and utter nonsense.

Saban's return to college football at Alabama took the league, and nation, by storm. His quick success in recruiting and on the field forced rival schools to reevaluate their coaching timelines and make some tough personnel decisions. In the detritus of this reevaluation, four succcessful SEC coaches are now unemployed. At first, Alabama benefited from this vacuum and took advantage of the coaching chaos in dominating recruiting and beating some teams in flux on the field. Unfortunately, the league has been forced to react to the "Saban factor" and hire coaches that can compete with his work ethic and success. Tennessee has hired a high-potential young coach that brought in some high quality assistants that will rally the talent that is already on the roster. They have also added Ed Orgeron to the mix, who is considered a fantastic recruiter in all circles. LSU took advantage of the Tennessee shake-up by hiring John Chavis, who will undoubtedly turn LSUs taciturn defense into a dominant force. Any stupid comments by Alabama people regarding the weaknesses of Tennessee's defense the last 2 years have forgotten the 12-2 record they amassed over the previous 14 games. While Auburn seemingly made a temporary hire in Gene Chizik, he is only a economical gap-filler until Petrino or some other coach on the short list can be hired.

The transition of Houston Nutt to Ole Miss will have strategic impacts in the SEC West. Nutt is Saban' equal in coaching, preparation, and play calling, and is at least his equal in motivation. Furthermore, he has plenty of talent and a good QB to challenge the SEC's elite teams. With him at the helm, Ole Miss will join LSU as the bane of Alabama's existence.

The short-lived euphoria of Saban's SEC conquest is over. Other teams are slowly catching up in coaching and recruiting. Other teams are discovering that Saban's offenses aren't really that good or effective, and that in at least one game a season Alabama will be unprepared to play. They are also discovering that the roster is still paper-thin and that there are ways of overcoming the starting 22. They have figured out that Alabama's kicking game is the worst in the league if not the nation, and that although exciting, the return game is dependant on taking dangerous risks that sometimes are disastrous. Fans will continue to base everything on wins and losses to Auburn and other rivals out of their preeminent desire to boast to other rival fans, but the recurring issues at Alabama are far more important.

Saban's process will continue to develop, and Alabama will continue to improve. So will other teams, under equally good coaches and staffs. The gap that was temporarily formed this season will rapidly close, and all the same issues at Alabama will be the cause. Unless the process addresses these issues, the gap will disappear completely. Remember, all glory is fleeting.

The calm after the storm...

2008-12-26T09:51:00.003-05:00

Well, it's official. I take Alabama football far too seriously. As the SEC Championship game waned and the clock diminished, I was more disappointed than after Alabama's loss to ULM last season. It seemed for me that the more success Alabama had, the worse the disappointment when they lost. Instead of being happy for a 12-1 season, congratulating Florida and their fans, and being satisfied for losing only to the eventual national champion and the previous Heisman trophy winner, I felt hatred, frustration, and envy. I was not, and am not, happy with 12-1...at least, not 12-1 with that kind of loss to the same Florida media superheros that have been winning everything for 3 years.

Maybe I wanted it for the Seniors. Maybe I wanted it for myself. Maybe I was caught up in the Alabama hysteria. Whatever it was, losing to Florida in that fashion, to those players and that coach, was the worst possible ending to this season. The media knew Alabama was going to lose. The prognosticators and sports radio personalities knew Alabama was going to lose. The general public, to a lesser extent, knew Alabama was going to lose. And they were all right.

The loss to Florida negated all other Alabama accomplishments this season - dominating Clemson, the "blackout", ending all the streaks, etc. It tarnished a special season to the point of rendering it unremarkable. For those that argue it helps recruiting, Saban doesn't need any help - he can secure the #1 class after going 7-6. For those that argue that it put Alabama into the BCS, that is a paper tiger. The Sugar Bowl against Utah is one of the most boring match-ups this year - Alabama can't pass the ball and Utah people won't travel or party in the Quarter. For those that argue that this is a positive step in the "process," I submit that Alabama losing to the league's elite is just more of the same. Lastly, for those that think that Alabama is back to beating everyone they are "supposed to beat," the SEC had one of it's worst years in recent history. For me, beating traditional rivals, especially a game to LSU that they could have won with a better quarterback, is not enough.

I am satisfied that Saban has the program moving in the right direction, and readily admit that Alabama will soon be back to being the team to beat in the West, if not the conference. As Kirk Herbstreit accurately concluded, "This is the least talented team Nick Saban will have at Alabama." Unfortunately, that truth does not console my disappointment at how this season ended. And now it's on to an ignominious Sugar Bowl against an opponent that no one outside of Utah, maybe even some in Utah, follows or cares about. If Alabama loses, it's another billboard loss to a giant killer. If they win, it's a ho-hum victory against a team they are supposed to beat, and more disappointment. I guess I can forget what could have been this year and move on to recruiting, Spring practice, and next season.

The calm before the storm....

2008-11-21T15:51:00.001-05:00

It's week 13 of the 2008 college football season, and time to take a deep breath before the plunge. The next 3 weeks sit in judgment of Alabama's football success. One opponent is a laughing stock, the other makes everyone else look that way. One opponent is the annual SEC West in-state rival that is hated, reviled, and is the target of what is hoped to be 6 years of vengeance. The other is a rarely-played SEC East opponent that is respected more than disliked, and sees Alabama as a necessary speed bump in their 43-point per game offensive juggernaut.

To get to this point, Alabama has defied the odds, the analysts, and the predictions. Coach Saban has apparently instilled his brand of attitude, commitment, and discipline in taking a 7-6 team that barely beat Colorado last season to the brink of a BCS bowl in 12 months. Veteran players have accepted the responsibility of leadership and played to their potential. A group of talented true freshmen have significantly and effectively contributed to every aspect of the team. Fate or luck has also intervened, with Alabama suffering no significant injuries or other attrition of an already shallow roster. For the first time in years, Alabama is playing through adversity instead of being a victim of it. The defense is capable of winning the game if the offense is not. The offense has been able to score enough points with sufficient time of possession to overcome opponent scoring. The team is capable of overcoming special team mistakes. As a result, Alabama is winning close games that it would have lost in recent years.

On the other hand, this team has not played through adversity in a game in which its own character is the measure of success. In other words, the games in which Alabama had to come from behind to win, and there aren't many, the opponent's mistakes had as much to do with victory than Alabama's performance. Without Jarrett Lee's 4 interceptions and his inability to see an open Brandon Lafell streaking across the middle in overtime, LSU would have likely won the game. Some will say that Alabama's defense was the reason for the interception, but something tells me that Tebow, Bradford, etc, would have fared a bit better. While it's true that Alabama contained Georgia's Matthew Stafford for one half, he had over 250 yards in the second half and Alabama was outscored 30-10. John Parker Wilson has not shown a propensity for consistent effective passing capable of coming from behind and winning a game. The running game has shown weakness in games against physical teams. The bottom line is that Alabama has dominated portions of opponents.

I am extraordinarily happy with the team's performance at this point of the season. To feel any differently is to confirm a popular national media opinion that Alabama fans are the most delusional possessors of unrealistic expectations in college football. But, with this kind of success, the fall from the top becomes longer and much more bitter. A loss to Auburn would negate any previous accomplishments, and irrevocably stain any subsequent ones. A loss to Florida would summarily relegate Alabama to media has-been status in a wave of "I told you so." It is a common sports cliche to label a team as "peaking" if they show resilience and success in the last part of the season. Florida has peaked or is peaking. Alabama has still not, in 11 games, played an entire game at a consistent level. It might happen against Auburn, or Florida, or against a BCS opponent in post-season play. The hope is that it eventually will happen.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

2008-11-18T08:14:00.000-05:00

I sat in the stands, watching a dominating defense combine with an adequate offense, an unremarkable workmanlike quarterback, and a monolithic, defense-centric, program building coach go undefeated in the SEC and play for a national championship. No, I'm not talking about Coach Saban or the 2008 Crimson Tide. I'm referring to Coach Stallings and the 1992 Alabama football team. Sixteen years, four failed coaches, and millions of dollars later, we're right back to where we started.

Although this season started with what appeared to an offensive resurgence, Alabama has slipped back under it's security blanket - a strong, physical running game, and a dominating, smothering, fundamentally sound defense. The offseason departure of Major Applewhite and hiring of Jim McElwain as offensive coordinator was a veiled effort to improve Alabama's offensive production. In short, it hasn't happened. The improvement this year is the consistency of a veteran, injury-free offensive line, an increased number of effective running backs, the effective contribution of true freshmen, and the drastic reduction of catastrophic game-changing mistakes by John Parker Wilson. It's not schemes. It's not new plays or formations. It's simply the maturity of veteran players and the contribution of younger ones.

Critics of this author, and there are plenty of those, will give trite responses like "this is Alabama football," or "Saban is using the players he has," or "Wait until Saban gets the players he wants," or even "go cheer for another team." They may be right (except for the latter, which is ridiculous). In my opinion, this is the exact offense Saban wants and will run as long as he is coach. The only way it changes is by adding bigger lineman, bigger, faster running backs, and slightly better JPW-like quarterbacks capable of managing games with few mistakes while producing adequate passing yardage. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that as wins are the ultimate goal over style, finesse, or offensive prowess. Saban will continue to build what I expect to be one of the dominant defenses in college football history, and will primarily rely on them to win games. In effect, Saban's best offense is a good defense - identical to Coach Stallings.

It doesn't matter whether it's sixteen years ago or today. It also doesn't matter whether it's one-and-a-half million dollars a year or four million. It doesn't even matter who is walking the sidelines or how many stars the offensive recruits have. There will be no downfield passing game. There will be no effective passing production. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

My Fourth Saturday in October...

2008-10-27T19:06:00.000-04:00

I've been to Knoxville many times in October to watch Alabama play Tennessee. There have been many different results, memorable events, happiness, and disappointment. This year proved no different.

I arrived at the Knoxville Hilton at around 4am, to a rousing group of about 20 Alabama fans. As soon as they saw my Alabama hat and sweatshirt they yelled "Roll Tide!" and welcomed me into their group with high fives and fist knocks. We discussed the game for about 5 minutes, and after determining that these were the nicest rammer jammers I'd ever met, I went inside. The desk clerk, clad in a Tennessee golf shirt and surrounded by Tennessee banners, checked me in and said "Roll Tide."

I awoke on Saturday to one of the most beautiful Knoxville mornings I've ever seen. Cool weather, changing leaves of varying colors, and a lobby full of Alabama fans. We spent the afternoon in the lobby bar with Alabama people are all backgrounds, pedigrees, and ages. One-third of the perfect weekend had already occurred, Auburn losing badly to West Virginia on Thursday night, and fans were excited about completing the triumvirate and the prospect of 8-0.

When I got into the stadium, I had a feeling that I have not had in a long, long time...that Alabama was going to win. For 12 years, the spectre of failure and snatching defeat from the jaws of victory hung over every Alabama coach, player, and fan. I was almost irrevocably scarred by the 2000 season, in which a highly-touted Alabama team embarrassed themselves, the school, and the state of Alabama over eleven tumultuous weeks of football disaster. Since that season, I have been plagued with doubt and hesitation in being optimistic in even the smallest of football expectations. But then, it happened, in Neyland Stadium, Section PP, Row 28, Seat 36 (pictured above, right before Alabama's last touchdown), surrounded by thousands of Alabama fans.

For the first time in a decade, I was confident that Alabama would win. When Javi fumbled on the 5, I knew Alabama's defense would hold them. When Alabama struggled with a few 3-and-outs in the first quarter, I felt that they would eventually come around. Gone was the nagging spectre of failure. Gone was the feeling that disaster was around the corner. Gone was the doubt toward coaches, gameplans, or playcalling. The feeling was much like that of the latter games of 1992, when everyone knew the team was going to do whatever was necessary to win. After Saturday night, I feel very confident in saying that this Alabama team can win whatever they want, provided there are no more injuries and that Cody is at least 80% for the LSU game.

Under no circumstances is this to be construed as acquiescence toward rammer jammers or their nonsense. Alabama is young, shallow, and is one injury away from a precipitous fall. They play some very tough games, and against LSU, is a talent/personnel underdog. Florida is a much better team, and I'd equate an SEC Championship game against them to an almost impossible task. But none of that matters....I think Alabama can win. That hasn't happened in a long time.

I thought it was time....

2008-10-20T19:53:00.000-04:00

This is the first post-Stallings era season that I have felt Alabama could actually beat a good team on the schedule. It is the first season in which I was confident that Alabama could play well enough on a consistent basis to compete with the teams that have become the league's elites in Alabama's absence. Just when I felt it was finally time to exorcise the demons of 12 years of digression, mediocrity, incompetence, disappointment, embarrassment, and failure that have fueled hesitation and pessimism, Alabama emerged from the locker room for the second half against Ole Miss. The next 30 minutes of football, if you can call it that, were so reminiscent of the years that have irrevocably affected my ability to be the slightest bit optimistic, that the exorcism will have to wait.

For the third game in a row, Alabama's Jekyll and Hyde offense has completely imploded in the second half. Actually, an implosion would require at least some energy force that Alabama's offense did not possess. In 30 minutes, Alabama barely managed embarrassing yardage, few first downs, and was so completely unproductive and inept that instead of "offense" one should use the word "offensive." Once again, as in days of old when fans also complained of ineffective offenses and strong defenses that were asked to save the day, Alabama's defense did just that - coming up with 2 critical 4th down stops that all but won the game.

Despite the appearance of a team that has turned the corner in recruiting, conditioning, practice, work ethic and attitude, and in staff cohesion, and who has looked dominant in the first half of almost every game, this Alabama team is no different than so many before that have beaten themselves with breakdowns in offensive execution and intensity. Gains in the first half are negated by impotence in the second. Comfortable leads regularly dissolve into slim margins in waning moments that fill local cardiac units.

Coach Saban angrily says "we didn't finish" after every game. John Parker Wilson says "we didn't execute." Others have said "we're close." In the end, it's the same thing as it's always been - Alabama's offense struggles, and the defense is called on to win the game. The thrilling and explosive first half offensive plays are overshadowed by the opposition's inevitable and predictable comeback in the second half. If Alabama was not ahead by 24 points in every game going into the locker room, their record likely wouldn't be 7-0.

One thing's for sure...Alabama's defense is good. In fact, it's great. They do everything they are asked to do, and more. Perhaps it's because of Saban's passion for defense. But they are young, inexperienced, and not very deep. Sooner or later, a good opposing coach with talented players is going to figure it out. Eventually, Alabama's offense will implode in the first half, and the defense will not be able to win the game. When that happens, we're all right back to so many disappointing days and seasons the last 12 years. Until Alabama overcomes this seemingly endless offensive impotence, Alabama fans scarred by the last 12 years will continue to live with hesitation and doubt.

What I’ve learned after 5 games

2008-10-03T09:50:00.001-04:00

As a realist, I must constantly adjust my views of Alabama’s football team based on current events. After 5 games, I have learned a few things that I neither predicted, nor expected, that have contributed significantly to their early season success.

1. Saban is a college football genius. While this does not really qualify as something I have “learned,” the level of his genius and the extent to which he affects a program is amazing. He comes in and demands the amount of authority necessary to accomplish his goals. He uses that control to clean-up the roster, recruit who he wants, and implement his process. He negotiates the Chic-Fil-A game (twice) to market Alabama nationally in the first game of the season to high-profile Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina recruits. He convinces people that hate to him to love and embrace him. He is the right coach, at precisely the right time and place, with precisely the right tools and goals to do whatever he, and all Alabama fans, wants.

2. Freshmen, at least THESE freshmen, can make a difference. I am more excited about Mark Ingram than I have been about an Alabama running back in quite some time. He has shown maturity and patience in taking advantage of a great offensive line and gaining yards is one of the most significant reasons Alabama is 5-0. He has proven to have the potential to be a “franchise” back that can win a game on his own. In addition, he appears to have had a major impact on Glen Coffee, who is feeding on Ingram’s energy and success and has become a much better back this season from previous seasons. Julio Jones’ contributions need no commentary.

3. It really was Major Applewhite. Saban knew Applewhite was not the answer, so he allowed him to move to Texas under honorable circumstances that appeared to be a loyalty or voluntary move. With McElwain at the helm offensively, it is easy to see in retrospect that conflicts between what Saban wanted to do and what Applewhite wanted to do caused fatal deficiencies in an offense that never really developed. In hiring McElwain, Saban has apparently eliminated those conflicts and this team more closely resembles the traditional Saban power running but balanced football team.

4. Pendry is not that bad. I have blamed Pendry for many of the problems of this team, including his meddling in the offense. It has become apparent that his meddling, if it occurred, was at Saban’s behest because Applewhite was not running the offense effectively last season. This season, with McElwain effectively and competently running the show, Pendry has quietly put together one of the best offensive lines in the league, if not the nation, that is the key to Alabama’s record. It is yet to be seen how he would respond with significant starter injury, but to this point he has proven to be an asset of the coaching staff.

5. In an era of spreads, run-and-shoots, and other high octane offenses, defense still wins championships. Alabama’s defense has been smothering, stifling, and dominating. They have shut down all levels and positions of offensive stars, and have controlled every line of scrimmage in every game. They are the reason Alabama has won 5 games, in the manner in which they’ve won them. They set the tone for each game, usually taking the opposing team out of their game plan in a catch-up role (such as Georgia). The brilliant addition of Cody as an experienced JUCO player to anchor a young defense has made the difference in going from slowing to stopping opposing offenses. If no starters are injured, this defense will continue to provide the opportunities for Alabama’s offensive threats to produce big plays.

This is only October, and there is A LOT of football to be played. Alabama has difficult games against Ole Miss, Tennessee (and yes, that is going to be a tough game), LSU, and Auburn. Many, many things can happen between now and then. Alabama could lose to Kentucky, and the media love affair will come to an abrupt and unceremonious end – as will the BCS/poll hysteria. Alabama’s starters and about 6-8 #2 rotators are good, after that depth and talent drops precipitously. If there is a single starter injury in any of the key positions (QB, OL, DL), this season will change drastically. As of right now, however, it has become clear that Saban was the man for the job and ANY money necessary to secure him was well worth it. Nothing can stop this team and program’s ascendency now – whether it’s this year or in the near future.

Realism vs. Pessimism

2008-07-13T21:20:00.000-04:00

There has been much debate as to what qualifies as Realism. Many posters call realism "pessimism" because the negativeness of reality is often something people don't want to hear or acknowledge, but it isn't. Because of the negative nature of reality, there is a very fine line between realism and pessimism. To accurately describe the difference between the two, some definitions are in order.

First, realism is defined as a concern for fact or reality and rejection of the impractical and visionary. In other words, realists are concerned only with facts - those elements that are factual, or based on real, quantifiable absolutes. In rejecting the impractical and visionary, realists eliminate all emotion, idealism, fantasy, or passion. Realism is pure objectivity. The factual realities of any given situation, and an objective acceptance of it, is the essence of the realist existence, and supersedes all personal loyalties, desires, or interests.

Pessimism is defined as an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions, or possibilities, or to expect the worst possible outcome. By definition, pessimism requires and individual to choose to emphasize or focus on negativity, or expect negativity despite personal beliefs, facts, or reality. In doing so, pessimists employ subjective emotion by affirmatively choosing to focus on negativity, even if facts and reality suggest otherwise. Realists will accept positive aspects, conditions, or possibilities if the facts and reality support it, pessimists will not. Pessimism is wholly subjective.

The primary reason some fans think realism and pessimism are the same can be illustrated by the 2008 Alabama football team. The realist looks at the roster and sees young, inexperienced players, with a serious lack of depth at key positions, and substantial questions as to whether the senior players can develop sufficiently to be competitive in the SEC. The pessimist sees precisely the same thing. The realist looks at the schedule and sees road games against Clemson, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, and LSU, in what are empirically the hardest stadiums in which to play, and is concerned about making it through without injury to an already thin rotation. Again, the pessimist sees the same thing. As a result, realist and pessimist posters are generalized under one definition for what appears to be similar views.

However, if the offensive line performs so well against Clemson as to disprove the realities of prior experience, observation, and game performance, the realist will acknowledge this improvement and assert that the reality has changed - the offensive line is better than previously thought and may perform better in other games. The pessimist will make no such admission. If John Parker Wilson emerges as a leader or provides unprecedented consistent game performance, the realist will acknowledge that the quarterback position might not be as significant an issue as previously thought. The pessimist will not.

Finally, the realist will make what appears to be a positive prediction if the facts or realities call for it - such as my prediction that 2009 will be the year Alabama starts consistently contending nationally. The pessimist will not. I base my prediction on the fact that Saban's process will be in it's third year, most of the Shula players will be gone, Saban will have recruited adequately to put his system in place, the young players will have much more game experience (including in the harsh SEC away venues), and the offensive coordinator will have a year's experience calling plays in the SEC. The pessimist will continue to predict the worst possible outcome.

The realities of the 2008 team are these: the offensive line is a significant question as to development and game performance; the team is young and inexperienced; immediate effectiveness of a new offensive coordinator is an unknown; JPW has not proven to be a leader or a consistent performer; the schedule is among the hardest in the modern era; there are significant depth issues at key positions; and, Alabama has to rely on freshmen that have never played a down of college football for success against some of the best teams in college football stocked with talent, depth, and experience. Until the reality changes, or these facts are disproved, I am predicting the 2008 Alabama team wins 7-9 games. The pessimists will make similar predictions. If the situation changes, I'll acknowledge the changes and reevaluate. The pessimist will not. That is the difference, and it is significant.

The worst part of the year

2008-06-22T09:48:00.000-04:00

As a realist Alabama football fan, my worst hated part of the year is January to July...known as the "offeseason". Fans use this period to purge bad memories from the previous season, to bolster highly speculative predictions for the next season, to comment on the hiring of new coaches, and to follow the enrollment of recruits from the February class. It is a period of empty speculation, trash-talking, grossly unjustified optimism, declarative statements, delusion, and hallucination.

Most fans use this period to look ahead, and to purge bad memories or losses from the previous season. To accomplish this, fans tend to negate weaknesses, gaps, or issues from the previous season that still exist through what they think is intellegent and logical explanation or reasoning about how players are better, coaches are different, and rivals are weaker. It is usually groundless, baseless, unsupported by any objective evidence, and nothing more than the subjective desperation or desire for Alabama to win.

Examples of the riduculous assertions made during this period of time are that Alabama's young players are more mature and better players than other SEC team's young players; that Alabama's new coordinators are better than other SEC team's new coordinators; that Alabama will succeed with new personnel and coaches and other SEC teams won't; that 90,000 people in Bryant-Denny are more intimidating than 90,000 in Athens, Knoxville, or Baton Rouge; that 2008 recruits are going to completely fill depth gaps with SEC-caliber experience in away stadiums; that Alabama can magically win the division or the conference, similar to every other year's prediciton. All of this is subjective nonsense supported by nothing other than a blind, mindless desperation that Alabama win football games. Aggravating the situation are the publication of preseason polls, "players to watch", and other magazine articles that engage in equally baseless speculation about which team will do this and which team will do that.

Finally, fans anxiously await the arrival of recruit enrollment because they are neither satisfied or are bored with the current players nor think they can win without an infusion of new players. Fans watch videos of recruits outjumping other players, running 40-yard dashes, hitting some 135-pound high school player, or wearing a crimson colored shirt on some press conference or visit to another school. None of this is relevant in determining a player's potential, or how he will respond the speed of SEC play.

College football would be much better off if the "offseason" was eliminated. Fans would be much more realistic in their expecations, college football would be a much classier sport, and people would be more satisfied with the status quo. Since Nick Saban is the head coach, and the program is headed in the right direction much quicker than expected, the staus quo is just fine.

What's really important...

2008-06-08T10:32:00.001-04:00

I recently returned from an 8-day trip to France in which I visited all the American Normandy invasion sites, including the American cemetary in Coleville on the cliffs above Omaha Beach. While I was there, I was given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has changed my perspective on many things.

After spending the day touring all the sites, we ended our tour at the American cemetary. While walking reverently through the meticulously placed and maintained rows of white crosses and stars of David, admittedly looking for Alabama boys on my way to General Theodore Roosevelt's cross, I came upon Sanford Mitchum. A cursory look at the cross told me that Sanford was a Private with the 4th Infantry Division that landed on Utah beach, an Alabama boy, presumably a poor country boy based on the fact that he had no middle initial, that died 5 days after the invasion on 11 June 1944. At the base of the cross, sitting in silence, 3 beautiful white lillies, facing toward the sea.

What struck me about Sanford Mitchum was his life. He grew up during the Depression, had little or no money or material goods, was probably drafted into military service, went through basic training and received more clothing and money than he had ever had, was destined to participate in the D-Day invasion, and was killed shortly thereafter. He never had a chance to live life, to realize his potential, to marry and have kids, to be an adult, to enjoy the good things about life on this Earth. We will never know what kind of person Sanford Mitchum would have been, or how he would have contributed to this world because he gave the ultimate sacrifice.

After walking through the cemetary, we toured the visitor's center. While watching a short video about the invasion, I noticed an elderly man and about 6 others talking with museum personnel. I didn't think anything about it until he turned around and I noticed that he was wearing an Alabama hat. He was also carrying 2 miniature United States flags. A few minutes later, he passed me in an area filled with glass cases containing invasion memorabilia. I said "Roll Tide" and he turned to me, smiled, and he and all the members of his family that were accompaying him said "Roll Tide" in repsonse. I talked with them briefly, and learned that this was the first time the man had returned to Normandy since he was there during the invasion in 1944. He had returned to place flags at the crosses of two friends that were killed on Omaha beach.

This experience made me think about what's really important in life. The things that I find important on any given day, and the trivial matters with which I contend, are inconsequential compared to the sacrifices made by Sanford Mitchum and many others on the beaches or hedgerows of Normandy, and the devotion to friends shown by the old man and his family from Alabama. On that day, the status of Alabama's football program, or it's facilities, recruits, or coaches, shrank to complete insignificance, and was trumped by the spirit of mankind, selfless service, and sacrifice. Something tells me that after that experience, it will on most other days as well.

What A-Day will really show us

2008-04-02T20:39:00.000-04:00

The long-awaited second iteration of the Alabama A-Day game under Coach Saban is only days away, and Alabama fans are anxiously awaiting the results to gauge how the regular season will develop. The problem is, it won't do any such thing. In fact, it will offer absolutely no insight into how the 2008 Alabama team will perform against some of the conference's, and indeed the nation's, best teams.

Sometime next week, Alabama fans will begin to descend on Tuscloosa in record numbers, reminiscing about past glory, discussing the current players and the exciting potential of the 2008 recruiting class, and speculating about the 2008 season and beyond. They will look to next Saturday's performance to confirm their predictions, or will defer any opinions or speculation until after the game to have something upon which to base their predictions. Unfortunately, nothing that occurs in the game has any relevance whatoever as to how Alabama will perform on the field in 2008. As most of you know, the #1s play the #2s on both sides of the ball. In other words, the starters that the coaching staff has determined have the talent to start and best compete in the SEC play the guys that they beat out. So, by definition, the starters are competing against players that are of lesser ability and/or experience. They are also playing against players that they are familiar with athletically and socially, in their home stadium in which their are NO away fans. There is no CBS broadcasting, no pressure, and no ramifications or national impact for "losing".

NOTHING will be gained from the A-Day game other than seeing the new McElwain offensive schemes and how it will incorporate Alabama's current players. Players like Terry Grant and others will likely have some big numbers, and there will be the perverbial no name guy that has a great performance that will temporarily spawn newspaper articles and moderate excitement. None of the individual or team performances will provide the slightest insight into how Alabama will play in Athens against the #14 defense in the country, or against Clemson, who has the #16 pass defense in the nation. Most of the the 2008 signees, upon whom some fans are relying for instant contribution, are not even enrolled yet. Some players, including veterans and starters, will not be playing or will have limited contact because of injury.

Enjoy it, have fun, and take in the beautiful Alabama campus in the Spring. But do not waste one single solitary minute trying to apply A-Day performances to SEC games during the regular season, or relating what you see next Saturday to anything that you will see this Fall. This game is important to fans, but other than recruiting, is ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS for anything else.

March Madness of a different kind

2008-03-29T09:33:00.000-04:00

Well, it's that time of year again. No, not the excitement and pageantry that is the NCAA basketball tournament, but the moment that Alabama football fans lose their collective memories, forget everything they've read and learned over the previous season, and start their annual crusade about how great Alabama is going to be. It's March Madness of a different kind.

Every season over the last 15 years (excepting a couple), Alabama fans slowly and grudgingly admit during the season that things aren't as good as they thought, and that they aren't going to win the SEC Championship. It usually takes about 3 months, and reality usually takes hold about the time Alabama plays LSU. These fans FINALLY accept the reality that other fans had been advocating since the previous March, and things go much more smoothly in terms of expectations, possible losses to Auburn, a bad bowl game, and all the other detritus of a mediocre college football season.

Then, it hits. Complete memory dump. In a normal recruiting year, the tonic is 3-4 top recruits that are part of the Alabama recruiting class, followed by the inevitable media articles about how they'll contribute, how Alabama is "back", and other nonsense. Fans completely and utterly forget any talent deficiencies, strength of rival teams, difficulties of away schedules that they admitted the previous season, and jump back to their default position - Alabama could win the West and maybe the SEC..."stranger things have happened" they say. This year, it's made exponentially worse by the fact that Saban brought in the #1 recruiting class in the nation that included 4-5 star players at almost every position. Although many fans acknowledged that most of these players will redshirt or will not significantly contribute immediately, the madness has taken over. All of a sudden, an 18-year old that just bought his first Gucci hat at a mall in south Alabama is miraculously going to be first-team SEC at a position he has neither played at the college level, nor is physically ready for. He can expertly ignore the 92, 746 Georgia fans in Sanford Stadium in Athens with ease. He scoffs at the 92,000+ fans in Baton Rouge because of his experience playing some Alabama high school in front of 8,000 people under the "Friday Night Lights". I call it "madness" , but it's actually more like ridiculous nonsense.

In terms of talent, Alabama's football team is EXACTLY where it was on 1 December 2007. The starters and primary contributors were on the team then. While the 2008 recruiting class is sure to leave it's mark on the Alabama legend and will challenge for conference and national success, it WILL NOT be this year. Most will redshirt. Some will play special teams. A few will play at strategic positions in games, but will not be anywhere near the SEC competitive level necessary to win in the conference's loudest, most difficult away venues. Of course, there might be 1-2 that are sufficiently developed to step in and contribute immediately. But history has shown that even these phenoms will blow coverages, miss tackles, and run the wrong routes. They will not be ready to fill Alabama's needs in 2008. In my opinion, the best thing these recruits will contribute is to significantly increase competition in practice.

Here's a great example. Clemson has 15 of 22 starters and 52 lettermen returning from a 2007 team that won nine games and finished in the top 25 of both major polls. However, they are replacing 4 senior offensive lineman. The Alabama fan overcome by March Madness will say that Clemson will struggle because their replacement linemen are not experienced and not developed enough to fill the gaps left by the departing players. Then, they will say that Alabama's inexperienced and undeveloped players can easily step in, contribute, and completely ignore SEC away stadiums. It makes no sense, is contradictory, is woefully subjective, and is COMPLETE NONSENSE.

A smart man once said "those that forget the mistakes of the past are condemned to repeat them", which has been proven on the world stage time and time again. It appears that Alabama fans have never heard this quote. The same issues that Alabama struggled with in 2007 will persist in 2008, and NO RECRUIT is going to change that. While I agree that the offensive line should be better, and the McElwain hire could make a difference in run yards production and 3d down completion rates, we'll have to wait and see. One thing I can say with impunity, that Alabama's schedule is extremely difficult and to suggest that playing in Athens, Fayetteville, Baton Rouge, and other SEC away venues "doesn't matter" is foolish.

The difference between grads and fans

2008-02-16T10:05:00.001-05:00

Over the last year, I have noticed a distinct difference in the attitudes and expectations between Alabama football fans that graduated from the university and those that did not. In short, graduates tend to accept the status quo with more deference and patience and non-graduates tend to be overly optimistic.

First, let me say that there is absolutely NO difference whatsoever between graduates and fans regarding passion, loyalty, dedication, pride, and love for the football team. Being a graduate is certainly not a prerequisite for loving the team, attending the games, or being a fan. In fact, non-graduate fans typically spend more money for tickets, t-shirts and hats, and travel expenses associated with away games, and cheer louder at the home games. Graduates tend to be more subdued and aristocratical. The distinction is evident only in expectations for the team and the ability to understand and accept reality.

Generally, fans that graduated from Alabama love the school. Yes, they love the football team, but they also love the campus, the buildings, the bars, the restaurants, the apartments and dorms they inhabited while they were there, and the beautiful natural areas in which they exercised. They remember professors, where they studied in the library or wherever else, where they sat or hung out during the day, where they had lunch, etc. They have social and academic memories in addition to the trips to Baton Rouge and everything associated with the Third Saturday in October. Their passion and loyalty is tied to the school, not the football team. It will always be there and will remain at the same level or increase over time REGARDLESS of how the football team performs. If the football team is successful, it just serves to increase their pride and passion. If they aren't, other than some disappointment, nothing changes. The graduate is always proud of their attendance and the accomplishment of carrying on a family legacy or starting their own by graduating from the University of Alabama. In other words, graduates don't need Alabama football to win to be proud of their school. They are more patient, quicker to acknowledge weaknesses, are far more humble against more talented rivals and situations that appear to be probable losses, and tend to have more realistic expectations. They are more civil with opposing fans, and do not engage in the typical profane and argumentative verbal and electronic altercations that so often and unnecessarily occur. They are much more satisfied and happy with the status quo, even in times of woeful mediocrity, because they understand the cyclical nature of Alabama football and realize that they will always rise from the perverbial ashes. As a result, the graduate is completely satisfied with 7-win predictions and predicted losses to SEC rivals that are FAR supperior in talent and depth because they know that it is temporary.

On the other hand, non-graduate "fans" are generally associated with Alabama solely because of the football team. They grew up in parts of the state that are loyal to Alabama football, or their families were Alabama football fans since before they were born. They are tied to Alabama football because of Bear Bryant and his accomplishments, or passionate hatred of Auburn football. They have no connection or interest in the bricks and mortar part of the university, and their only connection to the school is attending games, tailgating, and following recruiting. As a result, their happiness and satisfaction is tied exclusively to the success of the football program. They need Alabama to be successful to be happy. They work with, are related to, or live in close proximity to Auburn, Tennessee, and Georgia fans, and need Alabama football success to maintain a position of superiority, boasting, etc. If Alabama is not successful, as in Alabama's 6 losses in a row to Auburn, it makes daily co-existence with these rival fans almost impossible. To counter this, non-graduate fans tend to erect defense mechanisms. They generally tend to be overly optimistic, to have unrealistic expectations based on the facts and to be vocal about them, to over-estimate young player development and participation, and to carry-on with old rival traditions against rivals that have long-erased any record deficiencies against Alabama. There is comfort in this because that's what's always been done. It helps them to cope with the real weaknesses and bleak outlooks. They have to do this because their alternative is unacceptable to them. They cannot and will not admit obvious weakness or probable loss to rival fans. They can't, because it's all about football. For them, the quality, credibility, and reputation of the University of Alabama boils down to 3 hours on a football field on any given Saturday. In extreme cases, some non-graduate fans are so tied to the fate of the football program that their self-worth is dependant on beating Tennessee or Auburn. In those cases, the defense mechanisms are at the extreme - 13-0 predictions every year. For them, it is physically impossible to acknowledge Alabama weakness or strength in a rival, and they tend to resort to physical altercations with those that do.

Of course, there are exceptions to this. There are non-graduates that are well-aware of Alabama's weaknesses and show class in patience and self-control by waiting the TWO TO THREE years it will take for Alabama to be consistently competitive. There are also idiot graduates that squawk all day about Alabama winning the SEC in 2008, and declaring that 15 2008 signees with signifcantly contribute in 2008. There will always be disagreements as to which approach is better for the program. But for the non-graduate fans, the graduates that acknowledge weaknesses, probable losses, and have realistic expectations Sunday through Friday will be in Bryant-Denny or any SEC away venue on Saturday, drinking just as much as you, cheering just as loud as you, and wearing just as many elephant trunk hats as you. At the end of the day, everyone is cheering for the same team.

What I learned (or confirmed) on National Signing Day

2008-02-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

There were several things I learned (or confirmed) by the results of National Signing Day that I might have known, but didn't necessarily heed during the recruiting process.

First, good coaches, good recruiters, good staffs know EXACTLY what they are doing, and know EXACTLY who they are going after and how. If there is unexplained silence, acquiescence, or the appearance of a lack of interest in a certain player, it's for good reason. In the case of Jarrell Harris, who seemingly was an auburn lock and did not appear to be on the Alabama radar for some time, there was an apparent underground effort to sway his allegiance by some of the best and most aggressive staff members. Posts on message boards, blogs, and recruiting services led one to believe something completely different.

Second, misinformation is incredibly contagious, spreads like wildfire, and is usually worthless. There is so much speculation, either to increase blog hits or for proprietary reasons for the recruiting services, that it is hard to determine what is accuate and what is not. Most of the time, it's all inaccurate. Julio Jones is the best example: Every day something new would be released about a comment he made or a shirt he wore that supposedly gave some insight into his state of mind about a certain school. I'll admit that I was a victim of this, even against my better judgment. On signing day, Julio signed with Alabama without hesitation. At a banquet that night at the new Bryant Denny Stadium atrium, when asked how long he had known Julio was coming to Alabama, Coach Saban replied, "about 3 months." Wearing a school's shirt, comments from a player about liking snow, and rumors from someone that works at Alabama Power that apparently "heard something" means absolutely nothing.

Third, reliance on newspapers, reporters, bloggers, and self-appointed "in-the-know" types for serious, legitimate recruiting information is foolish and grossly misplaced. Reliance should be on the coaches and them alone. They develop relationships with these players and their coaches almost constantly, they know what positions need to be filled and by whom, they evaluate recruit talent as part of their daily duties, and they do this for a living. My pathetic ability to accurately speculate or make informed player judgements is an insult to their talents and hard work. It's one thing to have fun and track recruiting based on the recruiting services and engage in light debate on players and recruits, but the over-the-top speculation and innuendo I experienced on message boards and newspaper articles was ridiculous, unnecessary, and counterproductive. I will not let myself blunder into this nonsense again.

Finally, recruiting is a PRIMARY function of a head coach. In fact, a coach recruits far more than he coaches on the field (12 months vs 4). It is a PRIMARY part of the hiring process and is an absolute requirement for a successful program. When a coach is hired, his ability to recruit is a major consideration. When he then hires assistants, their recruiting ability is a major consideration for the head coach. As a result, if a good head coach is hired, the rest will take care of itself. Alabama hired a great coach, and the rest took care of itself.

Why I HATE the Super Bowl

2008-02-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

I am a college football fan. I love the University of Alabama. I don't even acknowledge that professional football exists. For me, there is at least the illusion that college football is played for passion and loyalty and the love of the game, which is why I watch organized sports. There is no such illusion with professional football. However, I do understand people that did not attend college, were nurtured in communities or areas with little or no college football, and are tied to geographic ares such as Boston and Green Bay in which NFL allegiances are formed at birth. These choices are usually beyond their control, so I mean no offense to them.

This morning, I sat down with a cup of coffee to catch up on morning news as usual. Instead, I was forced to watch a 30-minute segment on Super Bowl cooking, betting, and commercial ads. It was not limited to one network, so turning the channel was not an option. Fox, MSNBC, CNN, and even the Weather Channel were all talking about some aspect of the Super Bowl. The problem is that NONE of it was about the actual game. Everything related to fans, fan gratification, fan recreation, and fan enjoyment.

The Super Bowl has become more commercial than it is competition. In the old days of Bart Star, Paul Hornung, and Staubach, the Super Bowl was just a game between the best, hardest-hitting teams in the NFL/AFL. It wasn't about the price of commercials, papparazi-style club reporting on whether Tom Brady is wearing a cast on his ankle or shoulder, or other non-football related nonsense such as gambling websites or the optimum BTU level for "Super Bowl" stuffed green peppers. Yes, there was the occasional Joe Namath or celebrity presence, but the side stories associated with the game were just that.

In the modern era, their is far more passion for Super Bowl parties, how big your TV screen is (to the point that Best Buys' latest commercials are based on buying a new TV for the Super Bowl), what food you will cook, the cost and pop-relevance of the halftime show, and other nonsense. In other words, the modern Super Bowl is all about fan-gratification, marketing, and profit. It mirrors every other aspect of modern American society, whose values and priorities have completely departed from those that made this country great.

Super Bowl attendees will pay between $2400 and $20,000 for a ticket (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs07/news/story?id=3217487), which I think it absolutely ridiculous. What's worse, they'll pay it with impunity. Most of these fans probably haven't given even a fraction of that in charitable donations, or the equivalent of that in personal time to helping their communities. In my opinion, it's because the people that Americans look at as heros and role models have become irreparably skewed.

The greatest generation (Depression/WWII era) admired authors, scientists, influential and virtuous political and religious leaders, military leaders, and other members of society as their role models and heros. Although outlaws and rebels were viewed with interest and charm, such as John Dillinger, they were seen as social pariahs . The pride of this country used to be our industry, our production, our legal and government system and laws, and our family values. Today, NFL and other professional athletes have replaced these individuals as our heros and the role models for most Americans. Celebrity worship and the pageantry of halftime shows is the source of our international pride and influence. Instead of striving for educational, civic, or societal contribution and accomplishment, Americans strive to wear certain clothes, drive certain cars, and own certain houses based on their admired professional athletes. These athletes appear to have genuine philanthropic pursuits by starting foundations and other organizations to support various social programs, but if you dig deep you'll find that much of it is in response to court-ordered community service and advice from accountants to avoid federal income tax on multi-million dollar salaries.

The Super Bowl is not a game. It's an event. It's an experience. It's an excuse to buy new grills, clothes, and TVs. It's an excuse to drink more alcohol. It's a venue to enjoy new commercials and be entertained. It's not football. In other words, it's for the gratification of Americans and represents the current pride, power, and influence of the United States. And while you're enjoying the half-time show (which costs more than some countries' GNP), remember that our jobs are moving overseas, our borders are as porous as swiss cheese, and 1 in 75 homeowners is foreclosing (http://realtytrac.com/news/press/pressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=112). Our economy is in shambles and we pay $20,000 for a ticket to see witty commercials and halftime shows. Is it really a passion for football, or is it yet another example of the decline of our society and the lengths that most Americans will go to ignore the symptoms?

The U.S. is becoming the laughing stock of the world

2008-01-26T17:23:00.000-05:00

During the last few weeks of the recruiting circus, I am taking a break from football to address something that doesn't make any sense to me. The government is about to give a $600 tax rebate to taxpayers despite a current public debt of approximately 9 trillion dollars that has been increasing at about 1.5 billion per day since 2006 (http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock). In addition, the government doesn't want the taxpayer to put the money in a savings account or IRA or pay down credit card debt or student loans. What they want (and need) is for every rebate recipient to buy plasma TVs and other retail products in an effort to stimulate the economy.

First, most of the electronic products that will be purchased with these rebates are produced by Chinese companies that will benefit almost exclusively from the profits. Second, although some jobs will be created for Americans on U.S. soil for products that are assembled here, most of the jobs created will be in China and other far eastern countries in which most of the production occurs. Third, and most importantly, the money to fund these rebates will come from money borrowed from Saudi Arabia and other wealthy countries that the U.S. is already hopelessly indebted to. NONE of this will benefit Americans.

The reason we are in this mess to begin with is Americans spend money they don't have with credit cards, home equity lines, and other sources of "creative financing". If everyone spent only what they had as disposable income, or saved money for specific purposes and spent only what they had saved, we would not have any of these problems. Of course, they wouldn't be driving fancy cars, live in fancy houses, or wear expensive jewelry. In other words, if Americans were satisfied with what they had or what they can afford (like the depression/WWII generation, upon which we should all base our existence), none of this would be happening.

The motivation for these rebates is even more pathetic than what will be done with them. It is nothing more than a bribe to voters to vote for whoever claims to be the main proponent. Both parties are going to claim that they "crossed the aisle" to create a "bipartisan plan" that resulted in the rebates. What you won't hear is that the whole plan is to secure an election, that our children will be paying this debt generations from now, and that more foreign nationals own interests in the U.S. than Americans. It's a giant political popularity contest, funded by generations of future Americans.

This country has become nothing more than a "have it now" pop culture, filled with generations of Americans focused on petty self-gratification that have never experienced deprivation or want. It's all about image, and ignoring the nasty side effects of creating the illusion. At some point, these side effects are going to become primary effects - most likely when our kids (or theirs) are paying the bill.

I don't trust Saban on offense

2008-01-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

With the apparent imminent departure of Major Applewhite to Texas and today's interview of the fired Williams coach from Michigan State to replace him, I have to declare that I don't trust Saban's "process" as it relates to Alabama's offense.

I am fully confident that within 2 years Alabama's defense will closely resemble LSU's this year and will consistently be in the top 10 nationally. He was a defensive back, he spends most of practice time with the defensive backs, and it was widely reported that he spent most of his time in Miami with the defense. I am also fully confident that Alabama's offense will ALWAYS closely resemble LSUs this year - one or two big play guys among a group of underachievers. It will consist of great athletes, but will never dominate. It appears Saban follows the adage "the best offense is a good defense". Although he might be right, recent college football history suggests that offense is playing a more important part of successful programs.

Major Applewhite was hired after several other of Saban's choices turned him down or accepted other offers. He came to Alabama from Rice, where his offense in one year led the nation in most categories. He was hailed as a young innovative offenseive mind that could reapidly rejuvenate an already maligned system. Unfortunately, he also hired his old friend, Joe Pendry, who this author thinks has been given free reign to intervene or "mentor" based on his "wealth" of NFL experience - which in actuality is a series of firings and having one of the worst offenses in NFL history. I feel that Pendry has intervened on a number of occasions, either at the tactical level, or during game prep, and significantly increased the impotence of Alabama's offense. This "braintrust" produced average numbers (almost exactly in the middle of Div 1A - I refuse to use that new NCAA jibberish). To be fair, it might also be that Applewhite was not ready to be an SEC offensive coordinator and/or was not prepared to work for Saban. In the face of ever-decreasing offensive production, Saban apparently refused to do anything or make any changes - there was no visible sign that anything changed the entire month of November. Perhaps this is why Applewhite is considering other positions. Perhaps Saban is hard to work for. Perhaps Saban does not want the kind of offense Applewhite wants. Whatever the reason, Alabama continues to stagnate on offense. Just when it appeared that Alabama had some stability and success on the recruiting front, something like this sets them back, maybe a couple seasons while a new system is implemented with mediocre and young, undeveloped players.

You can blame Applewhite, Saban, the lack of a running game or offensive line consistency, or textbooks, but Alabama is right back to square one on offense - which is where it has been for 5 years (maybe even 10). And all this on the eve of signing day and the worst schedule in decades. In the absence of offensive expertise, Saban relies on coordinators and overwhelming athletes to accomplish his goals. As of today, it looks like he will have neither in 2008.

LSU win most undeserving

2008-01-08T00:19:00.001-05:00

I am not a "conference man". I do not support the SEC. I support Alabama. What that means is that I cheer for Alabama and against all other SEC schools. There are no circumstances under which success for an SEC rival benefits Alabama. When a rival SEC team wins the national or conference championship, or even a high-profile televised regular-season game, it helps their recruiting and they gain momentum among national writers and voters. In some cases, it is enough to sway a recruit from one team to another.

There could not possibly be a more undeserving individual to win a national championship than Les Miles. He has consistently squandered the most talented collection of collegiate players in decades with foolish tactical decisions and playcalling that led to unnecessary losses in his 3 seasons. His assistants and players have won despite him. He says the most idiotic things during interviews and press conferences, and has embarrassed the conference many times with statements similar to his "damn strong team" declaration prior to the SEC Championship game.

In 2007, it started with his outrageous and profane public comments in a fit of buzzed insecurity about LSU's rivalry with Alabama. Then, LSU was outgained in 6 regular season games. 7 teams had more first downs and better 3d down conversion percentages. LSU was the most penalized team in the conference. In 2 separate games, including Alabama, LSU had 3 or more personal fouls that led to first downs for the opposing team. Time and time again his boneheaded decisions and deficient coaching were reconciled by the miraculous acts of the only players in college football that could perform them. Most vivid was his decision to throw the ball into the end zone against Auburn with the clock running down and no time outs. At the time I was most interested in Auburn losing, but in retrospect it signaled the vile and sickening divine nature of LSUs season.

On 2 occasions justice prevailed. Losses to Kentucky and Arkansas seemingly eliminated any chance of LSU playing for the national championship. However, West Virginia couldn't beat Pitt, and voters were too squeamish to vote Oklahoma ahead of LSU. So, as had happened many times during the season, Les Miles backed in to the national championship upon the backs of those players and coaches that won despite him.

I am not a sore loser. I can readily admit that Alabama has been through some lean years and has not been a national (or conference for that matter) entity for about 13 years. My love for Alabama has nothing to do with the decision I made tonight...that as long as Les Miles is the coach at LSU I will hate them with all my heart, all of my mind, and all of my soul. I will go to Baton Rouge, I will go to Atlanta, I will go to Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama play LSU, and will wish for a win in that game above all others. As of tonight, LSU replaces Auburn and Tennessee as my most hated team, and Les Miles replaces Phil Fulmer as my most hated coach. I will support a coach that builds something from relatively nothing, such as Butch Davis at Miami following their probation, not one that is handed a championship on a silver platter and does everything possible to lose it.

What makes a "good" or "real" Alabama fan?

2008-01-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

There are several fundamental attributes common to all Alabama fans...they all support the university in various forms, including financial support through ticket and clothing/accessory purchases, contributions to academic programs or scholarship funds, or simply defending the football team in mixed company or in debate with fans from other SEC schools. However, there is a perception among a large group within the Alabama fanbase that there are other, more abstract requirements, and that a lack of these attributes makes even an Alabama graduate a fan of a rival school. These attributes include eternal optimism under all circumstances and at all costs, a blanket prohibition on criticizing players, coaches, or fans under any circumstances, blind loyalty to coaches, gameplans, and playcalling under all circumstances (usually accompanied by some claim that the complainer is not qualified to complain because he/she is not a coach or hasn't played a down of football), and most importantly, to NEVER, EVER say anything negative about Alabama.

Of course, these abstract attributes are ridiculous. Alabama graduates, friends of the university, and fans should be able to expect consistent success/development/winning, and to address obvious issues when they exist without repercussion. These fans pump thousands of dollars into the university that fund a full spectrum of athletic endeavors, including stadium expansion, athletic scholarships, and equipment purchase. They are the ones that travel great distances and spend large amounts of money to attend games. Without those funds or that support, the football program would have a difficult time maintaining the ability to function. Furthermore, the fans that pump those thousands and that support into the program are among the most loyal, dedicated fans, and have a genuine interest in the success of the football team. They are far more dedicated and loyal than other so-called "good" fans that live 100 miles from Tuscaloosa and never attend a game, but insist on hopeless optimism at all costs and condemn those who dare to question. They have every right to observe, comment on, debate, or just complain about obvious issues that impede success, which will have ABSOLUTELY NO IMPACT WHATSOEVER on their dedication, pride, loyalty, or support. They will question the QB or OL play from Sunday to Thursday, then be back in Tuscaloosa preparing to cheer at the next game the very next week.

Is football or coaching experience required? Of course not. In fact, the idea that one has to have played football or be a coach to observe that giving up a 30-yard touchdown on 4th and 3 or fumbling the ball on the 3-yard line in the 4th quarter of the LSU game caused that loss is absurd. Should the Alabama fans mentioned above have to endure an embarrassing loss to LA Monroe, at home, on senior day, without complaining just to maintain their status as a "good" Alabama fan? Of course not. The Alabama coaches are paid handsomely to win the games that they are supposed to win. Traditionally, non-conference games are scheduled as padding between conference games to heal the wounded, implement new plays, play younger players, and rest tired starters. They are not intended to supplement the already difficult conference schedule. The coaches have a duty to properly motivate, prepare, and manage the team in preparation for these games. If they don't, they should expect the same scrutiny directed at a CEO or other corporate executive. They proceed under corporate contracts, including incentives, buyouts, etc, and should be held to that standard. In addition, players receive FULL scholarships and many benefits that other students do not in exchange for playing football at Alabama. There must be accountability when players embarrass the school or the program or do not give sufficient effort to win games that are clearly winnable. Fans should not be prohibited from complaining because of the age of the player - that might affect the level or presentation of anger/concern, but should NEVER quell it.

And since some are already thinking it, the Appalachian State win over Michigan was an aberration that ultimately led to Lloyd Carr "retiring". Fans were justifiably angry, coach was accountable. Period. "Parody, blah, blah, blah" and "on any given Saturday..." DO NOT APPLY.

The answer? There are no attributes or requirements to be a "good" or "real" Alabama fan. Alabama fans that complain and have lower expectations are just as "good" as those that sit around talking about 12 national championships, how Alabama is going 13-0 every season, and never say a single negative thing about Alabama. Being really positive has no impact on the team other than comforting the one saying it. Neither is being a "better" fan than the other. They both attend games, support the school, and cheer for Alabama every single game. The idea that there are levels of support based on attitude, or that saying something negative makes one an Auburn, Tennessee, or other rival fan is ridiculous, ludicrous, and ignorant nonsense.

Alabama is a mediocre team and will struggle in 2008. NO recruit is going to help 2008.