Nick Saban had a period for the University of Alabama where his teams owned college football with dominance, fear, and intimidation.
The Crimson Tide controlled the sport for over a decade, having opponents scared to play them. Alabama had coaches, players, and rival fan bases not wanting to see it on their schedules. Saban’s favorite statement was, ‘When we finish playing a team, I want them to say to themselves, I hate playing against those guys.’ The mentality made the Tide an empire from 2009 to 2020.
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It has not been that way in the last two seasons. Alabama now has teams excited to play against it. Texas and Texas A&M nearly defeated the Tide in 2022. Tennessee dropped 52 points on Alabama’s defense and won. The Tide had more talent than Louisiana State University, but Brian Kelly beat Saban in his first year in the Southeastern Conference. Alabama had too many penalties and players spoke of having ‘anxiety.’ The early Tide teams were the aggressors. They inflicted pain, anxiety, and hopelessness on the opposition, but are this generation of players ‘mean enough’ to live up to the championship standard for Alabama?
Saban is trying to end the conversation of Kirby Smart and Georgia being the new standard. Marlon Humphrey, a former Alabama cornerback, shared on Twitter how the veteran players on the Crimson Tide’s defensive line would have jumped him if he did not practice better for the LSU game in 2015. Names such as Jarran Reed, A’Shawn Robinson, Jonathan Allen, and Da’Ron Payne were serious about winning and destroying opponents. They carried the ‘hateful competitor’ attitude that Saban loves.
Story time… During this practice week I wasn’t having my best practice and the D line told @matias_geno24 if I don’t start practicing better they was going to jump me. I then practiced better 😂😂 https://t.co/h0EsK3pop8
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) April 15, 2023
Mike McCoy, a former Alabama wide receiver, said via In My Own Words for Touchdown Alabama Magazine he saw no mean players for Alabama football. He looked at everyone as ‘too nice’ and said there were not enough dogs on the team for 2021.
Alabama did not have enough guys that would get in your face and command excellence in 2022, which is why it missed out on the College Football Playoff. It has some mean guys on this year’s team, including some true freshmen, but are they the type to restore fear into the hearts of the opposition in college football? We will see. Saban has never let three consecutive years roll by without winning a national championship for the Tide. His track record is good, but he has to have those hateful competitors.
Georgia may not be the standard yet, but the Bulldogs are not playing around.
Alabama has to return to being the enforcer in the fall.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
