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I wouldn't take this so lightly. We had 2 players "choose" not to play in our bowl game last year....I was also a little skeptical of some guys effort when we lost to Louisville in the Sugar Bowl.MJMGator;n247608 said:
SEC Media Days are here!
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GatorJ;n247648 said:
I agree, especially with underclassmen who opt to leave early.
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Concrete Helmet;n247638 said:
In your examples, the bowl games we played in were not for championships. The Bama loss was for the chance to be in the championship finals.
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WobbleGator;n247673 said:
Well would you rather have a NC ring or guaranteed muti million dollar contract? I'm not really defending Saban here, I'm worried that we will have to see some sh!tty bowl games while we wait for the playoffs because a lot of the best players on teams that aren't in the playoffs won't be interested in playing those games.
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Concrete Helmet;n247638 said:
BS. Like the opposing teams didn't have players getting the same info at the same time. If that's their excuse, then it falls squarely on the HC.
Check out this article from USA TODAY:
Nick Saban breaks out lame excuses for Alabama's lame finish last season
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ban-sec-media-days-nfl-draft-grades/30184715/
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MJMGator;n247705 said:
I think you're misinterpreting my response to your post. I'm not defending Saban. I'm more worried about the effect that it could have on bowl games and possibly CFB playoff games. I love bowl season but it is getting watered down more and more by the amount of games, the new playoff system and now by some of the best players just sitting it out because of their draft position.
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Concrete Helmet;n247737 said:
I'm sure there's always been players that mail it in because of their draft status. My point was that Saban always has an excuse when his team gets their ass beat in the postseason. Disappointment from not making the title game, defense too tired from the hurry-up offenses and now this BS. I was glad to see the guy from the article I posted call him out on it, as every coach faces the same issues, but he acts like it's only a problem for Bama...when they lose.
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I wouldn't argue with that. I'd love to see a rookie minimum wage without a guarantee and possibly some kind of small incentive for guys who return AND get their degree. Dreaming I know, but think of the effect on both CFB and NFL. Win win situation if you ask me.MJMGator;n247748 said:
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MJMGator;247705 said:
And he gets taken to task by Dennis Dodd on this article:
http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaaf/wri...labama-are-too-important-powerful-for-excuses
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GatorJ;n247837 said:
"Our team chemistry from the SEC Championship Game to the playoff was affected by something," Nick Saban said.
Sure was, Nicky. It was called getting out coached and killed up front by a superior OSU team...with a third string QB.
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MJMGator;n247844 said:"Our team chemistry from the SEC Championship Game to the playoff was affected by something," Nick Saban said.
Sure was, Nicky. It was called getting out coached and killed up front by a superior OSU team...with a third string QB.
Agreed. As has been mentioned, it's one thing to point to a meaningless bowl game--especially if you had much higher expectations and came up just short of the NC game--and claim that the team and its NFL bound players lost some of its focus. But this is the playoff. Doesn't get any bigger than that, unless you win and go to the finals. His excuses, coupled with those of the past few seasons definitely come across as lame.
Just look at Harvin in the 2008/09 NC game. Pretty obvious that this guy is not the best teammate, and seemingly a down right cancer. Not to mention he was hurt. And yet Meyer got the most out of him en route to an MVP performance in the championship game. We also had a couple of OL, Murphy, Spikes, Tebow etc that could have been distracted by their NFL status. Instead, UM kept them in check.
What strikes me about Saban's continued pattern of excuse making and whining is that he used to be much different. I remember after the 2008 SECCG he clearly gave us credit and said he hoped we'd win the title game. It was also mentioned the following year that he spent every day in 2009 thinking about that game and getting his team ready to play a rematch. Quite a different tone now. Makes me wonder if the pressure and expectations in Tuscaloosa are becoming unsustainable and he feels the need to justify every year that they don't win it all.
The fact is, while he is arguably the best or top 2 in the game, he fails to look at how much he's benefited at times by outside circumstances and how lucky he's been in several of those years. In most cases, 2011 doesn't happen. The loss to A&M in 2012 would also normally be a season killer because of where it fell in the season. Not to mention his being on the favorable end of "lost focus" when Dunlap got his DUI 5 days before the SECCG in 2009, or McCoy's injury in that year's title game. The truth of the matter is he's only had one perfect season. So he's always needed a few things to bounce his way to get the rings he has. Making excuses when certain circumstances go against him is fairly ridiculous.
