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The Standard
Posted on 8/31/25 at 8:54 am
Posted on 8/31/25 at 8:54 am
This was a reply to a post but I want to go a little deeper with it. Someone asked why our two best players this game were UW transfers. My reply is below.
“Maybe because they weren't recruited by Bama so they don’t think they’re better than they are. May just be me but I feel like some of the players feel like the script A on their jersey means they just have to show up.
All they’ve known their entire life (literally their entire life) is a dominate Bama. Many don’t know about what it was like before Saban. They’ve heard of the standard and talked about it but don’t think it’s the same. The standard they speak of is winning, dominating, etc. They don’t realize that’s not the standard. That’s the outcome of the standard, and we are far from THE standard.”
On that same thought I really believe this. Once we lost the alphas around 2020ish our new alphas that came after weren’t “dogs”. They were captains and leaders but not the right temperament needed to maintain the standard. Name one alpha in the past 5 years that could be in the same breath as a McCarron, Barron, Minkah? Notice I didn’t even mention the top tier such as Rolando, Foster, Allen. Just the “you’re gonna do your job” alpha types. I can’t think of any.
I can’t stop thinking about the old saying when talking about family empires. The granddad builds it. He wants more than what he currently has and believes he can do it. The son maintains it. He still knows what life was like before the grandfathers success. He works hard to keep what has been built going. The grandchild destroys it. All he knows is success and nothing of hard times. Because of this he doesn’t realize what is needed and thinks it will always be this way no matter what he does. I fear we are entering the grandchild era..
“Maybe because they weren't recruited by Bama so they don’t think they’re better than they are. May just be me but I feel like some of the players feel like the script A on their jersey means they just have to show up.
All they’ve known their entire life (literally their entire life) is a dominate Bama. Many don’t know about what it was like before Saban. They’ve heard of the standard and talked about it but don’t think it’s the same. The standard they speak of is winning, dominating, etc. They don’t realize that’s not the standard. That’s the outcome of the standard, and we are far from THE standard.”
On that same thought I really believe this. Once we lost the alphas around 2020ish our new alphas that came after weren’t “dogs”. They were captains and leaders but not the right temperament needed to maintain the standard. Name one alpha in the past 5 years that could be in the same breath as a McCarron, Barron, Minkah? Notice I didn’t even mention the top tier such as Rolando, Foster, Allen. Just the “you’re gonna do your job” alpha types. I can’t think of any.
I can’t stop thinking about the old saying when talking about family empires. The granddad builds it. He wants more than what he currently has and believes he can do it. The son maintains it. He still knows what life was like before the grandfathers success. He works hard to keep what has been built going. The grandchild destroys it. All he knows is success and nothing of hard times. Because of this he doesn’t realize what is needed and thinks it will always be this way no matter what he does. I fear we are entering the grandchild era..
8
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:00 am to GAFF
Rolando used to try and kill people on the field and sometimes off the field in his spare time. Now we’ve got our star player walking into a hostile stadium with a fricking stuffie.
The culture of this team is soft. We’re in for a long year.
The culture of this team is soft. We’re in for a long year.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:02 am to bamabenny
This team reeks. I'd rather have a Darby up the middle team at this point.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:05 am to GAFF
It always seemed like each successive group was scared to be the one to drop the ball in the dynasty.
Until around 2022...even before Saban retired.
It's easy to blame what's going on in the game overall, but the same thing is happening to everyone else too.
Teams adopt the demeanor of their leader. Saban himself didn't have the same intensity the last couple of years and it showed in the team I think. DeBoer acts like he doesn't really give a sh!t, thus the team doesn't either.
Until around 2022...even before Saban retired.
It's easy to blame what's going on in the game overall, but the same thing is happening to everyone else too.
Teams adopt the demeanor of their leader. Saban himself didn't have the same intensity the last couple of years and it showed in the team I think. DeBoer acts like he doesn't really give a sh!t, thus the team doesn't either.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:08 am to bamabenny
quote:
Rolando used to try and kill people on the field and sometimes off the field in his spare time
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:13 am to GAFF
I think the “Bama Standard” went away after 2021. It started to decline around 2018-19. We don’t have any dogs anymore. I don’t think the strength & conditioning program instills that toughness we used to have anymore. Couple that with the current state of college football and the entitlement these guys have and we just don’t have a “standard” anymore.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:14 am to GAFF
I’m not sure some people fully grasp what a grim period we’re entering. Mike Shula 2.0 with the difference being Shula had some guys who fought hard, never/ever quit and literally gave it all they had mentally/physically/emotionally for 60 minutes. Guys like Jarrett Johnson and Waine Bacon who maybe weren’t the most talented but cared.
I remember one game (I think Tennessee?) where Bama was desperately outmanned, had played so hard but came up short. They showed Johnson and Bacon on the sideline as the clock was running out. Johnson literally had tears running down his face and Bacon had this anguished look on his face.
The point is, these guys cared. They had pride. They had “pluck and grit”.
I’m not sure we have any guys like that (maybe a few) and that, IMO, is a tragedy.
I remember one game (I think Tennessee?) where Bama was desperately outmanned, had played so hard but came up short. They showed Johnson and Bacon on the sideline as the clock was running out. Johnson literally had tears running down his face and Bacon had this anguished look on his face.
The point is, these guys cared. They had pride. They had “pluck and grit”.
I’m not sure we have any guys like that (maybe a few) and that, IMO, is a tragedy.
This post was edited on 8/31/25 at 9:17 am
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:17 am to Amarillo Tide
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:24 am to Chad4Bama
Bingo
Started in 2021 with Nick F around with Billingsley. Should have used the hammer to send the message then. Instead, he selected the appeasement plan.
Started in 2021 with Nick F around with Billingsley. Should have used the hammer to send the message then. Instead, he selected the appeasement plan.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:25 am to bamabenny
I didn't see a tough "We're going to kick you arse" SEC team Saturday. They looked like a soft West coast team. I'm not sure DeBoer has the attitude to coach in the SEC.We definitely need better assistant coaches to help these players get better, if they can. I can't believe the team didn't seem to improve any from last year.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:27 am to Crimson Dreams
Kalen is Bill Curry II that never played in the NFL. All he needs is the sweater and sunglasses.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:27 am to GAFF
If you think there's any kind of a Standard down there right now - here's Ryan Williams walking in the stadium with a teddy bear for emotional support.
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Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:30 am to AlterDWI
It's a T-Rex.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:31 am to Night Vision
Good to know.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:35 am to AlterDWI
quote:
Bama wr Ryan Williams carries doll for pregame emotional support
They look like cows being led to the slaughter house
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:36 am to GAFF
The standard starts with the head coach.
He creates the standard and holds the staff and players accountable to it. He creates all the things necessary to make sure the program is meeting that standard.
He creates the standard and holds the staff and players accountable to it. He creates all the things necessary to make sure the program is meeting that standard.
This post was edited on 8/31/25 at 9:45 am
Posted on 8/31/25 at 9:55 am to GAFF
The 4/5 star tag has become a cancer at Alabama. These kids think they can just show up and win. No hunger or fight in them against lesser teams.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 10:11 am to RTRcdub
These guys talk about the Standard but they don’t even understand the Standard because they’ve never seen it in action. The Standard started dissolving probably right before the Covid year and evaporated completely right after. They have no idea the amount of effort required to play to the Standard.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 10:38 am to GAFF
quote:This and I don't think the coaching staff either a) realizes that or b) would know how to deal with it even if they did.
some of the players feel like the script A on their jersey means they just have to show up
In fairness, however, it would suck to try to coach in this new environment, where the players hit you up for more money before the bowl game, can take their ball and go play somewhere else if they think the coach is a meany poopie pants, and generally lack the emotional and intellectual maturity to understand that they have to do w, x, and y if they want to have z. It's like the NFL except with 18 year olds and few, if any, contractual obligations.
Saban's real genius, was managing emotions/expectations and convincing players to both buy into the vision and commit to doing those things necessary to achieve that vision. That's what made Wade, Thomas, Bryant, Stallings, and Saban all winners. But they had the ability to control their players - in terms of limited transfer options and no auction block for players (at least not legally and in the open) in order to do that.
Posted on 8/31/25 at 10:56 am to RTRcdub
quote:Yep. No hunger. Just entitlement. No sense of urgency, no real competitive pulse of any kind. When the dipshits did the crimson crane after scoring while still losing and the score not fully representative of how badly they were getting their asses beat, I’d seen all i needed to see of their character.
The 4/5 star tag has become a cancer at Alabama. These kids think they can just show up and win. No hunger or fight in them against lesser teams.
This post was edited on 8/31/25 at 10:57 am
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