mcgufcm 4,107 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 As a college football fan, the one thing I hope for my team every year is that they show up and play well and fight every time they take the field. If you have a team and a coach that does that, personally, I can live with the results. Put in the work leading up to the game, look like you have a gameplan, look like you want to be there, and give it everything you have. That doesn't mean you win, but it gives you a shot. In Saban's tenure at Alabama (five years), his teams have done that almost every single game. Seriously. In five years, they've lost a total of 12 games. That's amazing all on its own, but here's an even more amazing stat: only three of those losses were by more than one score. All six losses in 2007 were by seven points or less, and each of Bama's last three losses (LSU twice and Auburn once) were by three points or less. In 2008, UF beat Bama by 11 and Utah beat them by 14. In 2010, South Carolina matched the 14. That's the biggest "blowout" loss in Saban's tenure. (Side note: they've lost only five times in Tuscaloosa in the last five years. Twice by 7 (LSU and LaMo in 2007), twice by 3 (LSU this year and UGA in 2007), and once by 1 (Auburn 2010). They've shown up at home in all but one game during his tenure). I find that to be an amazing feat. In the time that he's been there, I'd say there were only two games where the team just played flat from start to finish (Louisiana-Monroe and Utah). Bottom line, he's had them ready to play damn near every single time they take the field. A lot of their success has to do with personnel. No question about that. But the consistency they show, not year-to-year but week-to-week, stems from him and his coaching staff. All you can do is tip the cap and give credit where it's due. The funny thing is, this wasn't the case in Baton Rouge. He's a better, more consistent coach now than he was then. I looked at the numbers while he was at LSU. Granted that program had further to go (DeNardo left them a mess), but they lost 16 times in five years. The big difference is that only five of those losses came by single digits. Basically, they got blown out a lot (eight of sixteen losses by 15+ and five by 24+). If you include the 2003 loss at home by 12 to a vastly inferior Florida team, his teams no-showed at least once a year (losing at least one game by 29 or more every other season). That would be unthinkable at this point for Alabama. I don't know what else to say. The guy is a helluva coach, and he's gotten a lot better since his first five-year tour through the SEC. As an Auburn fan, this doesn't make me dispair. We're going to get the best of Bama at least as often as they get the best of us (that's the way it's been for over 30 years now), but I do just have to pause and acknowledge a fact: Alabama is going to show up prepared and play hard every time we play them. If we don't do the same, they'll kick the crap out of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike4AU 1,739 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 And this is precisely why all AU folks should demand the very best from the players, coaches, fans and administration. Add to that the top salaries that AU is paying, and I expect us to be in the running for championships, not drubbings by the big boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgufcm 4,107 Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 It is possible that Saban is the only coach in college football capable of this feat. Something to think about when we overreact to every bad loss. Most teams swing wildly week to week. It's the nature of 18-22 year old men. Most teams build for a particular season because they don't show up every single week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCTAU 3,361 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 He's cheating. REC is buy/blackmailing players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashandarei 0 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 Well said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUBURNJAC 53 Posted January 10, 2012 Share Posted January 10, 2012 You'de be writing this about me if I had the REC and all those "good ole boys" paying whatever price I needed to get anything at all done! Screw him, the sidewalk bama fans, and that drunk in the houndstooth hat too! If you need proof that they can DO WHAT THEY WANT AND GET AWAY WITH IT, just look at things like "the fishing trip", "the mens warehouse incedent", and the way last years recruiting class (and maybe some of this years (TJ) ended up! And as for anyone who says I'm being jealous? You couldn't be more wrong.... As a matter of fact, the thing in my life that embarrasses me most is when I tell someone out in the world I'm from Alabama and I get associated with that bunch of hillbilly trash! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgufcm 4,107 Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 JAC, all due respect, but that's just not true. Look at Miami, they cheated with impunity for years and years and years. It didn't help them show up to play ball every weekend. Or look at the NFL. Those guys get paid a lot of money, and they still no show from time to time. Paying players can stock the roster with talent (and I have no information one way or the other on Bama paying players), but only solid coaching instills the consistency they've had in Tuscaloosa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenEyedGirl 6 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 I think it's a PERFECT time for Saban to retire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarTiger 3,939 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 You'de be writing this about me if I had the REC and all those "good ole boys" paying whatever price I needed to get anything at all done! Screw him, the sidewalk bama fans, and that drunk in the houndstooth hat too! If you need proof that they can DO WHAT THEY WANT AND GET AWAY WITH IT, just look at things like "the fishing trip", "the mens warehouse incedent", and the way last years recruiting class (and maybe some of this years (TJ) ended up! And as for anyone who says I'm being jealous? You couldn't be more wrong.... As a matter of fact, the thing in my life that embarrasses me most is when I tell someone out in the world I'm from Alabama and I get associated with that bunch of hillbilly trash! SPOT ON JAC.....SPOT ON... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shire5k 19 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 Classy stuff mcg. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 My biggest criticism of Saban has still been present until this game Monday night. He ALWAYS seems to meddle a little bit in the offense to distill it down. He has so much faith in his defense, it seems that he puts the brakes on the O a little too much. But he conceded all that in this game. And it paid off. Classy post mcgufcm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CircleDrill 178 Posted January 11, 2012 Share Posted January 11, 2012 It was what it was. What it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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