2009 Alabama Crimson Tide

[Bamafan3723]

"Fear the Process" already has given us a loss. Take it off the thread title.

[bkrich83]

Quote: Originally Posted by trobinson97

Lol, Jistic was right, he DID sound like a douche when they asked him the question about his statements about being undefeated in a real BCS conference as opposed to the MWC. Why would you say something like that? That's the type of locker room material that really makes a team wanna kick your *** and turn popular opinion against you. He apologized but tried to make it seem like people were wrong for calling him out on it. Ehhh, I don't like coaches doing stuff like that, 18-22 kids I can understand, but he's too damn old to be acting like that.

You know more often than not, imo he does come off as a douche. I don't really think that's a bad thing. The guy is a football coach, and that's all he really cares about. He's not in to the press conferences and the PR stuff and that's obvious. I'd rather have a coach that puts football first and PR/Presser stuff second than vice versa.

He's done a fine job at Bama but it's apparent they aren't quite ready for prime time. But they don't seem too far off either.

[Spectre]

I don't get this Fear the Process thing, care to explain?

[Olson-for-Heisman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spectre

I don't get this Fear the Process thing, care to explain?

I think he meant to say "progress".

[Coach Bryant]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spectre

I don't get this Fear the Process thing, care to explain?

The process is Saban's plan for turning Alabama around.

[Olson-for-Heisman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach Bryant

The process is Saban's plan for turning Alabama around.

Utah threw a huge monkey wrench into that process.

I kid I kid.

[Coach Bryant]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

He's done a fine job at Bama but it's apparent they aren't quite ready for prime time. But they don't seem too far off either.

They have a came a long ways this season, and far exceeded my expectations. It was a disappointing way to finish the season losing to Utah. For whatever the defense didn't play with the same fire last night like they did in the other 13 games they played in, and no doubt losing Andre Smith was a huge loss for the offense. Anyone who watched Alabama play this season knows that wasn't Alabama's best ball last night. No one is getting into the fetal position in Tuscaloosa right now. It was a great season, and a good foundation was laid by this team. Now its time to build on it, and thats what Saban will do.

[Coach Bryant]

Quote: Originally Posted by Olson-for-Heisman

Utah threw a huge monkey wrench into that process. I kid I kid.

Actually I think losing to Utah may be a blessing in disguise. Nick Saban will remind the players of this loss every single day, and how poor they played until next season starts.

[Coach Bryant]

A lost Sugar Bowl: What happened?

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/01/...t_sugar_b.html

Quote:

A few random thoughts as I exit New Orleans (man, I'm going to miss the food) ... The college footballing nation is in love with Utah today. It's to be expected after a 31-17 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama that has surprised more people than it probably should. Yesterday afternoon on ESPN, new analyst and former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer (hardly an Alabama fan) said he thought Utah had pretty much no shot in this game. His words came with the ticker saying more than 89 percent of fan voters were picking Alabama. This sort of thing was common, but if you were paying attention to the Crimson Tide's actual team these past few weeks and the circumstances surrounding this game, it really shouldn't have been. For the first time all season, Alabama just wasn't ready. Blame Andre Smith if you want -- and that was an enormous distraction that obviously affected preperation and the actual game -- but not enough is known about that situation to be able to fairly lump this onto one absent player, even if he is the best one on the team. (If anything, the fact that officials went into bunker mode -- in the glare of a BCS bowl game -- and wouldn't clear up any of this only served to feed a media circus surrounding Alabama's team. This mysterious issue could have been diffused rather easily. Instead it dominated headlines and conversations for days at very high-profile event.) That wasn't the only thing. though. With or without Smith, Alabama seemed to still be going through the motions down here. It starts with players, who are people just like me and you. They groaned to themselves when Utah was the announced opponent, just like most fans. In fact, one prominent player was overheard in the locker room after the Florida game as saying that if Alabama drew Utah he might as well not even show up. That guy showed up and played poorly last night. He wasn't alone, though. Attitudes like that -- taking this game for granted -- appears to be what got Alabama beat. For this first time this year, the Crimson Tide felt entitled to a victory it didn't have to earn. The focus and preperation that had been a strength all season just wasn't there this time. Alabama arrived in Atlanta with a feeling of invincibility that all unbeaten teams possess. Utah had that confidence. Alabama no longer did. And the Utes were a good team. They were fired-up, prepared and well-coached. Should they have steamrolled the Tide like they did in the game's first 11 minutes? Probably not. But from the time Alabama's team arrived in New Orleans, there was an uneasy feeling around the Tide that hadn't been there all year. It just didn't feel the same. Sure, Nick Saban said all the right things about Utah (and he was proved correct), but for the first time this year, he just couldn't get it out of the players. My theory before the game is my theory now. This was the first time all season that Alabama wasn't playing for a title of some kind. With no spoils to be gained, the Tide's lone motivation was not to lose. That's not advised against a good team that wanted to be here and played like it. One wonders if Alabama's team felt the same way.

Congrats to Utah for playing winning football! It appears that #1 ranking did go to Alabama's head.

[bkrich83]

Quote: Originally Posted by Coach Bryant

A lost Sugar Bowl: What happened? http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2009/01/...t_sugar_b.html Congrats to Utah for playing winning football! It appears that #1 ranking did go to Alabama's head.

That falls on the players and Saban then.