We Can Still Win The National Title (Snapshot of Where We Are)

fundytide said:

Thank you! Those of us that were here through the three Mikes, "hold the rope", "It's rollin, baby", Debbie Gibson, Logan Young/Albert Means/the secret witness/Roy Kramer, "fear the thumb" and other hits would do well to take a moment and reflect.

Click to expand...

For me, this has nothing to do with the Mikes, etc.

It's about now. How do we bounce back? If Saturday night's version goes to Athens, we get a mud hole stomped on us. How do we bounce back?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bamanut_aj said:

For me, this has nothing to do with the Mikes, etc.

It's about now. How do we bounce back? If Saturday night's version goes to Athens, we get a mud hole stomped on us. How do we bounce back?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

That's fine and a reasonable question/expectation. For those hinting at 'peak Saban' or time for a coaching change, step down from the ledge.

B1GTide said:

You don't think that you are "getting your money's worth" from this coaching staff? Think that there is a better staff out there? Think that Saban isn't working hard every day to improve every aspect of this program? Think that anyone could do a better job?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Here's mine:

Saban won 3 titles in 4 years. As a result, Alabama fans have lost sight of just how hard it is to win just ONE title. So you now believe that contending for titles every year isn't good enough. It isn't good enough that Saban beats HUNH teams and spread teams almost every week at Alabama - he now needs to shut those teams down completely in so doing.

Winning championships is hard and requires more than just a great coaching staff and great players - it also requires some luck. You had a lot of luck in each of your 3 championship seasons. We (at OSU) had a lot of luck last season. Ole Miss had a lot of luck (I mean, like a whole season's worth of luck) in the game this past Saturday. Stuff happens.

Saban is going to retire some day. Enjoy the ride, because it will be over before you know it.

Click to expand...

yep, and people sometimes forget this is a two way street. in each of our championship years, there were at least a few times where "luck" could have broken the other way and left us outside looking in.

we have been seriously in the nc mix late into the season in all but one of the last 7 years. that is an insanely good record.

bamanut_aj said:

For me, this has nothing to do with the Mikes, etc.

It's about now. How do we bounce back?

Click to expand...

And if you are asking this question in a healthy way, I agree. By that I mean, if your son were on this team or coaching staff, how would you approach these upcoming games?

Fans are fickle by nature. The same fan who cheers loudly on one play boos loudly on the next. They ride an emotional rollercoaster in every game, but without investing anything in the team itself - and I am not talking about $$$. Fans say that they "love" their team, but treat their team in ways that they would never treat a loved one.

If Alabama does get a mud hole stomped in them by GA, how will you react? How will you bounce back? Because sooner or later the losses will come. That is when we are all tested.

Wow...lots of bold stuff in this thread.

First, I think we need to put the knee jerk rationale of CNS being overpaid, out of touch, or past his prime away. NOW! Who else can put you a position to contend for a SEC and NC every year. Someone mentioned we've been in the NC hunt for 6 out of the last 7 years late in the year. WOW! Amazing!

Second, occasionally any team will lay an egg. How many times has Bama had the kind of negative mojo it had Saturday. 5 TOs and OM getting a free TD on an Auburnish bounce of the ball? It was one of those rare games where it just felt like "it was not our night." It happens!

Lastly, I think we should stop and appreciate how good (AND STABLE) the QB position as been under CNS at Bama until now. I really feel like about 90% of our issues right now is a result of not having the answer at QB. Frankly, I doubt this is an answer this year -- at least an answer that will allow us to contend. It happens to all programs and when there is a down year at the QB postition it will be a down year for the team/program.

B1GTide said:

And if you are asking this question in a healthy way, I agree. By that I mean, if your son were on this team or coaching staff, how would you approach these upcoming games?

Fans are fickle by nature. The same fan who cheers loudly on one play boos loudly on the next. They ride an emotional rollercoaster in every game, but without investing anything in the team itself - and I am not talking about $$$. Fans say that they "love" their team, but treat their team in ways that they would never treat a loved one.

If Alabama does get a mud hole stomped in them by GA, how will you react? How will you bounce back? Because sooner or later the losses will come. That is when we are all tested.

Click to expand...

I will pout and pitch a fit for a full 24 hours, as allowed by the 24 hour rule!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

BamainBoston said:

Some of you would totally have fired Coach Bryant in 1969.

Click to expand...

Personally, I'm not coming close to 'firing.' I just want to see how we come back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bamanut_aj said:

I will pout and pitch a fit for a full 24 hours, as allowed by the 24 hour rule!

Click to expand...

Yeah, I was pretty miserable yesterday. Totally understand.

I agree with AJ on this. Show me now. How do we correct and move forward? I have never expected (or demanded) NC every year or the year's a bust. That is crazy. I do expect for these highly talented, highly paid coaches to teach/coach this team of highly recruited, highly prized players, though. Coach Bobby Williams is in over his head and can't handle multiple jobs - just look at this record at Michigan State. There needs to be changes made on the field and I am sure CNS will make those changes. If not, then we will continue to under-achieve.

It was a loss. Surely there are things to correct with ball security right up there.

But every goal short of going undefeated is still in front of us. Take care of ULM and then lets see what type of team we have in Athens.

BamainBoston said:

Some of you would totally have fired Coach Bryant in 1969.

Click to expand...

Indeed. I remember that like yesterday. Back to back five loss seasons, and they were screaming for a new coach.
Bryant then dumped the pro style offense, went to the Wishbone and won 110 games and three national titles in the next ten years.

Threads like this baffle me. We lost our qb and rb, 2 rb's with game experience(jones/tenpenny), top 3 recievers, 3 ol's, a te, jalston fowler, and our main kick returner. We are basically having to start from scratch on offense and we barely lost our first big test. This chicken little mentality drives me nuts. I for one am extremely proud of this team. They obviously made some costly mistakes and have some kinks to work out, but they fought their butts off. They showed a lot of heart and determination and could have/should have beat a very good football team. I'm excited about the potential of this team becaused they showed that their willpower will keep us in every game. I'm extremely glad that they don't seem to wanna throw in the towel like some fans, otherwise they would have been blown out of the stadium saturday.

The way Bama is recruiting, nothing is over.

During the mid-70s there was a bit of a funk following the second loss to Notre Dame at the end of the 1974 season, followed by a humiliating loss at the hands of Missouri in the season opener in 1975. Unfortunately, I remember that game like it was yesterday, and our playmakers Willie Shelby, Ozzie Newsome, big ol' Johnny Davis, looked like they were running through molasses. It was truly awful. The final was 20-7 but it was never really that close. We ran the table and finished 3rd, beating Penn St in the first Sugar Bowl in the Super Dome (I was there, bully for me).

The next season, 1976, saw 3 losses. 3 losses! It was horrible. I remember walking around campus and people were talking about basketball. That is how weird it was.

Then came 1977, 1978 and 1979, which were a succession of the best Bama teams I have ever seen. We were robbed of the title in 77, but won it in 78 and 79, as you all know.

My point is that even in the greatest of eras there are bumpy times. During the 1970s we either played for the national title or were in position to win it in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978 and 1979.

During our current era we have been in the title game or in a position to get there in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014. It is an eerily similar pattern.

Bruce014 said:

During our current era we have been in the title game or in a position to get there in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014. It is an eerily similar pattern.

Click to expand...

Add 2013 - if you beat Auburn and win the SECCG, you play FSU for the championship.

PitMaster said:

"The alumni are starting to grumble, and I'm the one starting it." Coach Paul Bryant

There is a lesson here, and it goes back to what I was saying in the OP. Coach Bryant RECOGNIZED there was an issue, a problem - then he addressed it and fixed it.

Will Coach Saban do the same? Wh have certain issues that are starting to become trends rather than one year weaknesses.

Maybe this is starting to feel like 1968-1970 to me - the difference between 68-70 and 80-82 is that our Coach went about the business of fixing our problems in 1971, whereas 1982 marked then of a REAL ERA and a True Dynasty. IF Coach Saban can admit the issues and fix them, I believe we are off and running again to more glory.

But in an ever strengthening League and SEC West, to continue as a gold standard Program we HAVE to get recurrent issues with our QB Carousel, defensive backfield, kicking game, and ball security / turnover margin.

Click to expand...

It's kinda funny that CNS saw the need for a change and hired an OC known for a wide open, more pass oriented offense and he is being criticized for it now. After 2013, that is what everybody said we needed, right? It was said that our offense was stale (even though we averaged 37 PPG) and we needed to open it up to keep up with HUNH teams. Now the general consensus is that we need to get back basics, run the ball and pass just enough to keep teams, and win with defense. The truth is when you are not winning, there is also going to be people that know exactly what you're doing wrong, and they will be quick to tell you how fix it because it's not their butt on the line. If what a Coach does or tries works - he's a genius. If it doesn't, he's a bum/over the hill/he's peaked, etc, etc.

I think we are in a transition phase. There seems to be a emphasis from CNS that we need a mobile QB, and the recruiting reflects that with Cornwell, Barnett, and the QB's were are recruiting now. I also think that weighed heavy in the decision to try Bateman. I think we're experiencing growing pains (along with replacing 9 starters on offense) but I saw a lot of things to be excited about going forward.

Another thing we always get when CNS loses is the Coach Bryant comparisons get dusted off and lobbed out there, and it drives me nuts. The era in which CPB coached and now is light years apart. CPB changed to the Wishbone 1971 and it took a few years to get things fully up speed. In fact - and this will probably be something that will make a few people run their lips out - CPB wouldn't have won a NC until possibly 1977 under today's rules. CPB won the UPI NC in 1973, but lost the Bowl Game to ND. Under the rules in which CPB coached, Saban would have won Coaches Poll NC's in 2008 and 2013. I don't say this to discredit any of CPB's accomplishments, I'm only saying it to underscore how freaking hard it is to win a NC in today's College Football. Under today's rules (meaning the bowl game counts), CPB would have went from 1966 - 1977 without winning a NC. That would be 11 years without a title, and here we are 2 years and 3 games removed from CNS' last Championship and there are actually people are throwing in the towel on him.

Coming into this game we had zero fumbles, and 2 INT's (1 by each QB). This game looks like statistic outlier, much like last year against Florida, when we had 4 fumbles (3 lost) and an INT. Nobody seems to remember how bad we actually played in that game because we won convincingly.

It's funny how winning does that.