Hey folks - as a member of the DawgNation community, please remember to abide by simple rules of civil engagement with other members:
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Comments
I don't know if titles are what attracts upper classman to stay at Bama. There has to be something else. Bama always has great athletes, a cut above the rest. Obviously, player development is important. But Bama always seems to have more upper classman than other teams. Maybe it's just an intuition, though. What is Saban and his crew doing to keep guys in school? I would assume Kirby knows the tricks since he worked for Saban for so long. Of all the players leavibg for nfl, many are projected in the lower order where the money is not as good. And if you leave early, without an education, and you wash out after a couple years on different teams practice squads, what do you have?
I agree with you @ATD. Must tip my cap to Saban and Alabama. Seven championships is no fluke. He's legit and so is his team. I will say (and Herbstreit made this point often last night) that what sets Alabama apart is their commitment to the team and to the common goal. Devonta Smith is the best player in college football and he lets his PLAY do the talking, not his mouth (memo to George Pickens). Najee Harris is one of the best running backs, if not the best, in the country. Again, he lets his play do his talking, not his mouth. Mac Jones was the epitome of consistency all year. No off game against Arkansas or Mississippi State. When receivers were open, he didn't miss them. When they needed five yards from him running, he ran for five yards. Patrick Surtain didn't even get any post-season awards, and yet the guy was NEVER out of position. And when he made a play, he just ran back to the huddle to make another one. No standing over a tackled player, or sticking his chest out and strutting all over the field. I looked at him play this year and compared him to Tyson Campbell (who was supposed to be almost his equal) and there is just no way. Surtain is head and shoulders above Campbell, and we'll soon find that out when the NFL comes calling. But with Alabama, the mantra is just play the game, win the game, get your championship trophy and go home. When UGA develops that kind of team-above-all-else culture, and finds guys who say they came for a championship and plan to stay until they either get one or their eligibility expires, maybe then, THEN, we will be champions. I admire Saban. He fishes for players in the same creek we do but somehow, the fish he catches always taste better than ours. Go Dawgs!
I think it's a combination of several things on why more players come back. Titles are one thing but player development is where Saban shines probably more than any other coach on the planet. Players trust his advice. Why not come back another year if you can become a better player, have better skills, and command more money in the NFL?
But, Kirby has had many guys come back over the years - including a bunch for 2021 - that makes me think he is doing something right on the development side. Players have more to prove with the Dawgs. I go back to the "process" that Bama has that instills a winning attitude to such a degree that players, fans, and the entire organization not only believes they will win - they expect to win and they deserve to win. They believe they are the best at Bama. I don't see that in the Dawg's organization. Too many doubters and too much hesitation. Dawg fans have seen so much disappointment, frustration, and unmet expectations over the years that when we actually DO win against an equal or better opponent we are relieved, shocked, and thankful. That mindset has got to change, because it permeates through to the players, coaches, fans, and the entire organization.
That poor white middle linebacker chasing smith there made me laugh til my ribs hurt last night.