TerryP
Staff
I can't recall if it was Wednesday or Thursday of last week I had my suspicions confirmed. It didn't sit well with me, but I clearly understood what he was saying.
After practice, one of our defensive starters made the comment in response to a question that he felt the staff had more faith and confidence than the players did in themselves.
I read that once, stopped and then came back to it again. It didn't take but a second for me to go back to the Arkansas game when Saban asked the defense if we kicked a field goal could they hold the Arkansas offense just one more time. Saban had faith in the defense that day demonstrated in volumes with his decision. That field goal choice was questioned, still is by some, but the result is in the books. A win versus Arkansas.
That remained in my mind watching UGA and FSU win versus the Tide. I kept thinking, "they are beginning to believe, but aren't quite there yet."
Then came Saturday...
That morning, between 8-9 EST I was surfing around the 'net just gathering perspectives on what people thought. You may recall an editorial I wrote a few weeks ago about the state of the UT program. With that in mind, I wondered if the fan base was beginning to believe as well. As it happens, some did, some didn't. Hell, I found myself saying a bit after 8AM that I was beginning to suspect this game might end up like UF '05 in the Third Saturday of October game preview. But, just minutes later I was still fighting that suspicion of the players buying into Saban's philosophy in the Rebirth in less than 24 hours thread.
Then came the word of the suspensions just after 9AM...
My first reaction was like many here thinking "this is going to hurt." But, a minute later thought, "this very well may be what this team has needed. This game is going to be how the coaches react and how the players buy into that reaction."
While we don't know how long the suspensions will last and know we don't have the depth two of our remaining opponents do, one thing we can be rest assured of. This team is believing how good they can be with an experience to back it up.
Before this season I thought the season would end up with 9 wins. Delusional is how I was characterized by our two Tiger rivals. But, I keep looking back to Saban's record and how his teams always improved by 3 wins in their first season. Can we take one of the two games against LSU and AU? I don't know, but I believe we can.
Now, this morning, sitting back thinking over the past week I'm reminded of a quote we all have read in the past.
“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.”
After practice, one of our defensive starters made the comment in response to a question that he felt the staff had more faith and confidence than the players did in themselves.
I read that once, stopped and then came back to it again. It didn't take but a second for me to go back to the Arkansas game when Saban asked the defense if we kicked a field goal could they hold the Arkansas offense just one more time. Saban had faith in the defense that day demonstrated in volumes with his decision. That field goal choice was questioned, still is by some, but the result is in the books. A win versus Arkansas.
That remained in my mind watching UGA and FSU win versus the Tide. I kept thinking, "they are beginning to believe, but aren't quite there yet."
Then came Saturday...
That morning, between 8-9 EST I was surfing around the 'net just gathering perspectives on what people thought. You may recall an editorial I wrote a few weeks ago about the state of the UT program. With that in mind, I wondered if the fan base was beginning to believe as well. As it happens, some did, some didn't. Hell, I found myself saying a bit after 8AM that I was beginning to suspect this game might end up like UF '05 in the Third Saturday of October game preview. But, just minutes later I was still fighting that suspicion of the players buying into Saban's philosophy in the Rebirth in less than 24 hours thread.
Then came the word of the suspensions just after 9AM...
My first reaction was like many here thinking "this is going to hurt." But, a minute later thought, "this very well may be what this team has needed. This game is going to be how the coaches react and how the players buy into that reaction."
While we don't know how long the suspensions will last and know we don't have the depth two of our remaining opponents do, one thing we can be rest assured of. This team is believing how good they can be with an experience to back it up.
Before this season I thought the season would end up with 9 wins. Delusional is how I was characterized by our two Tiger rivals. But, I keep looking back to Saban's record and how his teams always improved by 3 wins in their first season. Can we take one of the two games against LSU and AU? I don't know, but I believe we can.
Now, this morning, sitting back thinking over the past week I'm reminded of a quote we all have read in the past.
“If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride - and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards.”