My, that was something.
Thank you for another excellent edition of the Grades, Commissioner, befitting an excellent effort by the Tide. For those of us who could not be in New Orleans to personally witness number 14, it was interesting to hear what it was like first hand.
The word I have heard the most, indeed the one that my son sent me by text message from the game itself, was “redemption”. Because my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Baugh, a wise woman, said you should always look up a word you hear a lot in the dictionary, I looked up redemption. The meanings run from the sublime (redemption, of course, forms part of the bedrock of Christian theology) to the odd (paying ransom to get back a kidnap victim is technically called redemption) to the sort of silly (getting credit for lottery tickets, coupons, and buying back your stuff from a pawnbroker are all examples of redemption).
The overall sense of that word was appropriate for what happened in the BCS Championship game. This edition of the Crimson Tide’s fall from grace on November 5 was as unexpected as it was disappointing. It was not the loss itself that was necessarily so disappointing, as was the sense it was at least partially self-inflicted. Ill-timed penalties, failures in execution, unforced errors, head-scratching coaching decisions, yes, even lack of discipline, cost the team, coaches and fans. They lost their ranking. They lost an undefeated season and a chance to win another conference championship. They lost respect in the eyes of the college football world. What the team did not lose, however, was their own honor, self-respect, and determination.
It took a lot of effort, mental and physical, from the players to continue to perform at a high level when it seemed that all of their goals were out of reach to earn that redemption -- it also took a certain amount of luck. When the season was complete, there was no serious question about who were the two best teams in college football. When the BCS Championship game was complete, there was no question who was the very best team. Alabama not only redeemed itself, it did so in resounding fashion.
Cecil Hurt insightfully remarked in his editorial column after the game that the difference between November 5 and January 9 was that after the former Alabama could not wait for a chance to play LSU again while after the latter you had the sense the LSU wanted nothing to do with Alabama. (Uh, Cecil said it a little more elegantly than that). This is becoming a mark of how Saban-led teams finish the season. I am not sure that any team in college football would have wanted to play Alabama last year on the day they played Michigan State.
I would mostly agree with the grades.
Officiating. That was kind of refreshing. I thought Mr. Novak and his group from the Big 12 were outstanding. Sure, they might have called a couple of late hits out of bounds and there was some uncalled holding along both offensive lines, but mostly they let the players play. This was not a single crew like we have in the SEC, they sent allstars. We didn’t have endless officiating conferences such as are commonplace in our conference games. There was no ugly controversy or constant video review. In fact, unless I’m forgetting one, I believe every review that occurred confirmed the ruling on the field. Wish I could say the same for SEC crews at other bowl games. Our apologies go out particularly to Ohio and Utah State. You deserved better.
Coaching. A+ indeed. Not only was the game plan pitch perfect, keeping this team together and believing in itself and its coaches since the November 5 disaster, was masterful. Saban and his staff may have done a better job at some point in their shared history, but I can’t say what it would be. I expect Coach McIlwain did not get to enjoy it even for the duration of the flight to Fort Collins, but I hope the rest of the staff got a break from the 24-hour rule to enjoy the beat down they scripted. It was a masterpiece from the opening kickoff.
Offense. A.J. Mccarron corrected a number of shortcomings from the November outing. I believe, however, that the bigger adjustment was in coaching and playcalling. This team still had some slight failures in execution – McCarron and Smelley just missed connecting on a wide open wheel route, Gibson did not catch a ball with his hands and therefore missed a catchable ball on the goal line, Fluker failed to react quickly to speed rushes once or twice. But on the BCS stage, this is quibbling. Scoring over 20 points (especially against a defense with as many talented players as LSU brought to the Superdome -- not to mention a team that you managed on 6 points on at home about 8 weeks before) deserves the highest grade available. How nice is it to say that you won the National Championship game and that you could have made it worse?
Special teams. Oy vey. I will freely admit that when our drive stalled and we sent the long-suffering Cade Foster out for a field goal attempt my heart stopped for a few seconds. It did not really return to normal rhythm until the first down measurement was complete. I’m sure I turned a fair shade of Kentucky blue. No one in the room with me even noticed. I am in the front rank of those who say that our place-kicking game did NOT cost us the win on November 5. But it surely provided the victory Monday night. That said, I’d mark it down to a B+. A block is a full letter grade reduction. Didn’t we doink an extra point in the last championship game? Perhaps it is some odd kicking tradition that I am unaware of. With that said, our kickoff coverage was more than adequate and we even kicked off the football into the dadgum endzone at least twice. Our punting game was better than LSU’s and that’s saying something . A+ for everyone involved in punting and kickoffs. The gallant and now absent Maze set the tone with his punt return.
Defense. I purposely saved this for last. I only agree with an A+ as the grade for this group because I don’t know of a higher grade. I do not much believe in spending time discussing whether this or that team is the greatest “in history” because I don’t think you can accurately compare across eras in football. What players achieved when they all played practically every down of the game just doesn’t measure against the era of nickel and dime defensive specialties. And how do you compare a team that never had to face a forward pass to a modern team? Do you seriously challenge the record of the 1925 Tide defense that gave up exactly one touchdown in the whole regular season? What of the fact that they played many fewer games against less comparable competition? The 1930 team gave up two touchdowns all year. (For the record, this defense gave up 9 touchdowns all season, only 3 rushing). Equipment changes, physical changes in the athletes…. I just don’t think it makes sense.
Having said all that, there is no question that if you do try to make a listing of the greatest defenses in Alabama history, this group belongs on it. They led the nation in all four major statistical defensive categories. It was an incredible group of athletes with an amazing level of God-given talent. That talent was employed and developed by players with an incredible work ethic and will to win. On most teams, players like Kirkpatrick, Upshaw, Hightower, would be single stars that you built an entire defensive scheme around. Not this year, not at Alabama. Perhaps the highest tribute to them is that with all that talent, all that experience, you did not have squabbling and ego clashes that festered in the public eye, at least. That’s a tribute to them, their maturity, and their coaching. Perhaps the best measure of this team is that even when put in awkward situations, they held LSU (suggested by some to be the best college football team in two decades and which averaged over 40 points a game outside its meetings with Alabama) to 9 points in two full games and an overtime period. Incredible. I’m going to enjoy rewatching some of this year’s games and remembering this season, because I’m not sure I’ll get to see a better defense again.
There was a sense from comments made by LSU’s players and a lot of pregame punditry that LSU had really just arrived in New Orleans to eat a couple of banquet meals, visit with some sick kids, pick up the Crystal football, and then have arguments about whether theirs was the greatest team in college football history. Make no mistake, LSU was a quality football team. On last Monday night, though, it was ill-prepared, confused, and exploited not only in its weaknesses, but also in its strengths. Coach Miles said he “never saw this coming”. He probably wasn’t the only one. I think the Alabama football team did. I believe they had seen it coming ever since the gray dawn of November 6. They redeemed themselves in historic fashion.
LSU was a great team. Alabama, right now, is a great program. This group, Saban’s first full recruiting class, was 48-6 in four years. They led in four of the six losses. That is not the best four year winning percentage in Alabama history, but it is close, and it is the most total wins in four years, because teams get more opportunities now.
It is interesting how long college football season seems to last when you when the championship. The stadium celebration is not until January 21. Thinking all the way back to fall practice in August seems like years ago. Lewis Grizzard once wrote: “college football season is the best time I live”. Nice when it extends this long. See you at A-Day. Oh yeah, Roll Tide.The Correspondent From The Tire Store
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