Monday night in Miami the Alabama football team did what if has done all season. Dominate.
They did what they’ve done for the better part of the last 12 years. Suffocate.
But this team is different. Nick Saban told us so, with the look on his face and with the words he spoke. Following Alabama’s 52-24 drubbing of Ohio State, Saban was clearly beside himself with pride. And it had nothing to do with the personal accomplishment of winning his seventh National Championship. Don’t get me wrong, the man is proud of the accomplishment as he should be. But the joy on this night was that of a proud parent.
In this, the most unusual and challenging football season anyone can remember, Saban challenged his players in a way that not even he had done before. And they accepted. Completely.
He asked them to be more selfless. He asked them to be better teammates. He asked them to be accountable to each other even more than normal.
This is an Alabama team absolutely loaded with talent. Three offensive players were deserving of the Heisman Trophy. On any given year, Mac Jones or Najee Harris could have walked away with college football’s most prestigious individual award. DeVonta Smith won it. Anyone who didn’t vote for Smith either wasn’t paying attention or had an agenda. He’s the best player in college football.
But this team is special for reasons beyond their talent. It is rare, especially in today’s “look at me” world, for such talented players to be so supportive of each other. To buy into a common goal. To choose to put team goals above individual ones.
The Crimson Tide probably had enough talent to win the 2020 National Championship with talent alone. But they chose not to take that route. They chose to be different. They chose to be exceptional. They chose to be a team.
To be called the “ultimate team” by Nick Saban is the ultimate compliment.
The individual awards piled up at the end of the year. They could have been a distraction. They weren’t. Not for this team. Nothing was going to get in the way.
“This is just the most together, committed group I think we’ve ever had the opportunity to be associated with,” Saban said. “I think that’s special. I think all these guys on this team will remember being part of this team for the rest of their life because it’s a really, really exceptionally special experience.”
Under Saban, Alabama has won six of the last twelve national titles. One day he will retire and look back on all the accomplishments. He’ll smile. Maybe he’ll be thinking about the seven (or more) championships and the teams that won them. But that smile will be there in large part because of one group of exceptionally talented young men in an exceptionally difficult time. He challenged them to be different. He asked them to be special.
They delivered in ways that not even he could have imagined.
Crimson Classics: The Blackout, Alabama Dominates Georgia in 2008
Georiga chose to wear blackout jerseys against Alabama in 2008. The color turned out to be appropriate as the Bulldogs and their fans were left mourning the outcome. Alabama dominated the first half, cruising to a 31-0 lead at the midway point. Georgia had a strong...
Nick Saban Says Tua Will Overcome Injury and Succeed in NFL
Alabama Head Football Coach Nick Saban says Tua Tagovailoa will overcome his injuries and will be a successful NFL quarterback. You can watch his conversation with Hannah Storm below:
Mama Called, Watch the Documentary on Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant
"Mama Called" is an excellent documentary about Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. The film was produced by the University of Alabama's Center for Public Television & Radio.
Nick Saban Talks About How Alabama is Dealing With the Coronavirus Pandemic
Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban gave his thoughts Thursday on how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting the 2020 college football season. Saban answered questions during a media press conference about the team is dealing with the situation now, and the plans they have...
Kirk Herbstreit Will Be Shocked If Football Is Played in 2020
Kirk Herbstreit says he'd be "shocked" if there is a 2020 football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "I'll be shocked if we have NFL football this fall, if we have college football. I'll be so surprised if that happens," Herbstreit said on ESPN radio Thursday....
Crimson Classics: TJ Yeldon’s Game Winner Against LSU in 2012 – Called by Eli Gold
Alabama was undefeated when it marched into Baton Rouge to play the LSU Tigers in 2012. The Tide didn't have its best day, but the offense put together one final game-winning drive to get the victory. The scoring play, a screen from AJ McCarron to TJ Yeldon will long...
Tua Tagovailoa Medically Cleared For All Football Activities
Former Alabama Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been medically cleared for all football activities. Just four months after a season-ending hip injury at Mississippi State, Tagovailoa has now been given doctor's approval to throw, drop back, roll out, and run. A scan of...
How To Watch Alabama’s A-Day Game
Alabama's A-Day Game will be broadcast online and on TV this year, but in a different format than in previous years. The A-Day Game is a public scrimmage and is considered the 15th and final practice of the spring. You can watch the complete game online on SEC...
Get To Know David Ballou & Matt Rhea
On Tuesday, Nick Saban officially announced David Ballou and Matt Rhea as the newest additions to the Crimson Tide coaching staff. Let's take a closer look at the two coaches and what their roles will be at Alabama. David Ballou's official title is Director of Sports...
Alabama Hires New Strength & Conditioning Coach
Nick Saban has found has man. Less than a week after Scott Cochran left the Crimson Tide to become the Special Teams coach at Georgia, Alabama has a new Strength & Conditioning Coach. David Ballou, who has held the same position at Indiana for the past two years,...
The Sky Is Falling! Experts Claim Cochran’s Exit Signals the Beginning of the End
Many football talking heads (and some Alabama fans) insist that the departure of Scott Cochran signals the beginning of the end of the Nick Saban era at Alabama. It is their contention that Cochran knows that Coach Saban will be hanging it up soon for the easy life of...
Charlie Strong Joins Alabama Staff
Charlie Strong has joined the Alabama Crimson Tide coaching staff as a defensive analyst. Strong visited with Nick Saban last week on the Alabama campus. The meeting caused much excitement among Alabama fans, many hoping that the defensive expert would join the...