šŸˆ Paul Finebaum: Will Nick Saban's assault on Crimson Tide fans hurt him or will they say, 'Thank you,

Interesting that Finebaum (quoting Kevin Dunevant) should bring up coach Bryant. Yes, Bryant always shouldered the blame himself. (I didn't ever get the idea, post Utah, that Saban was trying to blame everyone but himself.) It was not unheard of, though, for Bryant to lambast the fans. After the undefeated 1966 season Bama went into a state of decline (by its standards) from 1966-1970. During this period Bryant and the team were roundly criticized and the argument that "Bear's gotten old" started to be heard. Bryant actually toyed with the idea of stepping down (he had USC's John McKay lined up to come replace him) and buying an NFL team with some friends. He decided to stay, however, and said words to the effect that if you weren't supporting Bama now you weren't a real Bama fan and the hell with you.

It must have been a slow day for Pondscum to have nothing else to write about.
 
What Coach Saban said didn't bother me. What Finebaum said didn't bother me.

I really don't care. Paul is making a mountain out of a molehill because there is nothing else to talk about.

Doesn't bother me. :)
 
IMO, what he(Saban) said is that some were disappointed, fans and players, because we didn't make it to the 'ship and had to settle for Utah. Which is true. Some, not all, here on this very forum trashed the Utes for not being worthy of playing us.

Saban said that the lack of enthusiasm was present with the fans and the players. It makes sense to me.

In regards to the F Bomb article, some may take Saban's comments in the wrong way, like he was trashing the fans. I don't.

Also, if Saban praises us for filling the stadium on A-day, it shouldn't hurt our feelings if he calls us out for being less than ecstatic about an opponent who is/was "beneath" us. Look what happened when we(fans/players) did.

Do this remind anyone of the comments?
**LANGUAGE**
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPkECmTlr5c[/ame]

That is all.
 
It shouldn't bother none of us fans that sometimes Saban lets us have it. I'm as guilty as can be with trashing Utah and not thinking they belonged on the field with us. And watching the Sugar Bowl on t.v I would've never guessed that there were more Bama fans there than Utah fans.

I agree with Saban that we do have tendancy to have expectations higher than any other fan base in America. So, with that if we're not as excited as we should be at a game, at A-day, or whenever then we deserve to get ripped by Saban because we expect Bama to win every year and to make it to big time bowl games, but at times we're not as supportive and excited as we should be.

Finebaum just needs to make controversary which is okay too.

Cory
 
Last edited:
I may be in the minority here but I thought Saban was outta line. Bama had close 50k fans at the Dome. None of those fans were the reason we were woefully unprepared;) Saban should offer a refund on the 2k trip I took to N.O. as opposed to giving me a partial blame for the loss. The place was quite from a Bama standpoint because we got our asses whipped from the opening KO! It got pretty loud when we closed to with 4 just after halftime but apparently the fans let Utah cruise right back down the field for another TD.:swear:
 
I may be in the minority here but I thought Saban was outta line. Bama had close 50k fans at the Dome. None of those fans were the reason we were woefully unprepared;) Saban should offer a refund on the 2k trip I took to N.O. as opposed to giving me a partial blame for the loss. The place was quite from a Bama standpoint because we got our asses whipped from the opening KO! It got pretty loud when we closed to with 4 just after halftime but apparently the fans let Utah cruise right back down the field for another TD.:swear:

I agree. I can't comment on the Sugar Bowl crowd (since I wasn't there) , but it's hard for any fan base to be the spark that brings 'em back when you turn around and it's 21-0. Our crowd had nothing to do with crappy tackling, missed FG's, JPW having to scramble for his life, comments made by Antoine Caldwell on the coin toss that appeared to be taunting, etc...
 
While it isn't our job as fans to get the team ready, I can't help but agree with CNS. I think about Kentucky basketball crowds and how they seem to literally lift the team up when its going badly. They love their Cats hoops so much that they really do consider themselves part of the process. Do we love our football Tide any less than they love their hoops?

If you go back and read what he said, he isn't dumping all of the blame on the fans. He is saying that, collectively, coaches players and fans did not take the sugar bowl very seriously. Just go back into the archives on this forum and read some of our comments about that game (including mine). We acted as if all we had to do was throw our helmets out there and we'd win.

This head coach is a different breed than most. He expects nothing less than the best effort anytime his team is representing U of A, and he's expecting it from us fans as well as players and coaches. From his comments about other sports I believe he wants us to compete that way in them as well. IMO he is right.
 
I agree. I can't comment on the Sugar Bowl crowd (since I wasn't there) , but it's hard for any fan base to be the spark that brings 'em back when you turn around and it's 21-0. Our crowd had nothing to do with crappy tackling, missed FG's, JPW having to scramble for his life, comments made by Antoine Caldwell on the coin toss that appeared to be taunting, etc...


Crappy tackling...when the team struggled we saw a lot of this. That is mental toughness and something Saban is working on. I see the progressing in several important areas. I like what I see.

Can we please have a stable kicking game...PLS!!

Stable OL group that has time to gel. We needed layers of line that are use to playing with each other. Only solution for that.

The taunting and "smack talk", is just something that goes on in football. It is a motivation thing. Some people just snap in and out of it, on and off the field. Caldwell was always pumped. I just usually saved it for later and did not say much at the toss...unless I knew the opponent...and sometimes they deserved a little something.;)

Sorry Delta was not trying to pick on ya or anything but your comments seem to spark my memory of the team when they struggled. The taunting with AC sticks in my head as well. At the "coin toss" and did AC know something we didn't? Seems sometimes a kicking game that was on just got the game rolling and when they failed...o boy. Not to mention the crappy tackling. Again not being ready for Utah ticked me off. I felt it. Heard it and did not figure that thinking would trickle down to our team, but it did. Smitty hurt the line but the team over all was not ready. I for one hope they do not forget that feeling and learn to focus on the task from week to week(no matter who it is). Mental toughness, something that takes time to build and it is happening.

I think Saban is just saying what he is feels. Being honest and treating us like he would a player. Does not really hurt my feelings and I will live. Maybe I am wrong for thinking that way but I could care less if he goes off every now and then. Not many know that pressure...he can vent on me ever now and then. Just as long as they keep working hard and build a winning program again. Maybe it is just me and my crimson specs.:dazed:
 
Last edited:
Bama Fan before Saban, Bama Fan after Saban.

Whatever it takes, by the rules, for Coach Saban to get everyone involved and realistically put our team in place to compete for National or SEC Titles is alright by me. He can call me a punk for all I care, he is proving his worth, so he gets my attention and respect. Heck I like being talked bad to every once in a while. :a:
 
It just never ends does it? 'Bama fans are kicked and beaten and spat upon from all corners, inside and out of the program.

To hell with all of them. It wasn't my job to keep Andre Smith from being a dumbass, was it? I have a job and do it to the best of my ability and don't blame anyone else if something goes wrong. Then again, I am 37 years old and don't subscribe to the new age thinking of nothing is ever really my fault.

Was it my job to prepare the team for the Sugar Bowl? I didn't know that it was but, according to Coach Saban, perhaps I am wrong. What did I do wrong to allow Florida to pull out a victory over us in the 4th quarter of the SEC Champ game? Notice I liberally use the word "us" because I am apparently a coach now. Did I wish too hard for a victory? Did someone know I was going to feel bad when 'Bama lost? Does my life affect Andre Smith or Caldwell or any of the other players?

Now, I have to wonder, if when I am driving home from a game we lost and I feel bad about the loss, is it my fault? Does my attitude of being upset or disappointed directly affect the ability of someone to properly prepare the team.

I have always, naively I suppose, thought that all fans of all teams wanted their teams to win and felt badly when they lost. Nope. The only people who feel bad when their team loses are stupid, irrational, unrealistic 'Bama fans. Also, and even more importantly, wishing for a win is not what being a fan is about. Being a mute, emotionless drone is what Coach Saban is after, the next generation fan.

We are the only fans in America who, before a season starts, actually have high hopes and desires and wishes for a good season. This sick attitude of cultural decadence needs to end. We, as 'Bama fans, need to be automated in our actions and all behave as one. We need to show no emotion because that can be used to illustrate that we are not educated and live in trailers, thus contributing to team defeats and the perception of us around the nation.

It is always, always reassuring to hear a man that has been hired to run "your" team chirping in his two cents of the same old, same old regurgitated bile that has been spewed onto 'Bama fans for the last 12 years.

Ooh, look at me, I was disappointed for a couple of days because we lost to Florida, same with Utah. I am the problem, and other fans like me. I have human emotions and allow them to affect me, thus causing defeats and complete unpreparedness. I am evidently not with the program.

I wonder how many games us fans will directly cause our beloved Alabama team to lose next season?

Perhaps 'Bama needs new fans; we might not be good enough. Look at how stupid we all seemed going to a spring game and filling up the stadium. That was so embarrassing as an Alabamian. Remember how all of us were lambasted and raked over the coals, by the media and rival fans, for doing that? Of course, the direct cause of that event were the unrealistic expectations of 'Bama fans and all the crazies who didn't have anything better to do on a Saturday.

You know, it is a cultural thing here at Alabama. This is not a cherished and beloved cultural thing, like so many are, but a reviled and disgusting cultural phenomenon that needs to be stamped out. Unrivaled fan support is bad, bad, bad.

Give me a break, Coach Saban. Do your job. If you will open your eyes and stop sucking up all the stereotypes you have been fed about us, just like everyone else in the nation, you may even like us.

We are football fans, we are Alabama fans, we have roots here and will always be here. If you don't like it, if it doesn't suit you, if total and unconditional support and unrivaled adoration is too much for you, hit the road.

I will not allow you or anyone else to dictate how I am supposed to behave as a fan. Keep on pushing us, keep on picking like everyone else does, keep on sniping at us in underhanded ways.

I feel that many times coaches are so used to being around teenagers, kids, that their perspective on how to speak to adults is skewed. They live in a teenager's world and 75 percent of their time is spent talking to them and being around them, they lose contact with the adult world.

Just keep on piling on like everyone else does; it is fun for you just like it is for everyone else. Just remember, you are going to be the failure if you can't make it work here at Alabama. You will be the failure, along with all 'Bama fans. But hey, we are used to being vilified and ostracized. You just had a small little sampling when you were hired of what we, as 'Bama fans, have to live through constantly. In ending, it is really gratifying to know that our coach is now against us also.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom