Alabama Football: Players Must Get Their Minds Right To Contend For A Title In 2015

Any Alabama football fan knows that the Tide has the coaches with the knowledge of schemes and the players with the ability to execute those plans to contend for another SEC title next season as well as a spot again in the College Football Playoff.

The pads and equipment have been stored away temporarily after spring practice and the A-Day game but the players must maintain and perhaps even elevate their mindset up until fall practice and beyond. We always hear strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran telling everyone to get their mind right. Those aren’t just words. The players must follow that.

The earlier part of the spring was a rough one for Tide fans and even more so, the players. I like to call the week that was littered with injuries, suspension, arrests and dismissals “the week from the hot place”.

Most of that is behind them and they have started to move forward. More than likely the time kickoff for Wisconsin rolls around, the players will have everything in go-gear and working toward the goal that we all know they can achieve. They just have to maintain that feeling through the entire season and not get complacent thinking they can just show up and win.

Some of the former players have noticed that in the past few season so this isn’t just a blogger coming up with this out of the blue.

In an interview with Al.com, former Tide player and current New England Patriot talked about this very thing. They must listen to Coach Saban and the staff as well as the senior guys on the team that has been around for a while. Whatever it takes to keep that hunger, do it.

Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban and his team celebrate with the trophy after the 2014 SEC Championship Game against the Missouri Tigers at the Georgia Dome. Alabama defeated Missouri 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports

“Just try not to stray away from what we did and set up when we were one of the first recruiting classes to come in with Nick,” Hightower told AL.com. “The success we had with Julio (Jones), Mark Ingram and Mark Barron…(try) not to be complacent. Going off these past few seasons, you definitely can’t tell that. You don’t want these young guys to come in and be complacent.”

Chance Warmack also told Al.com that he has talked to his younger brother Dallas and his teammates about following “The Process”. “It just all goes back to the mentality,” Warmack told AL.com. “Coach Saban instills greatness in everybody and brings the best out of you as a player and as a person. It reflects on the field. It’s not going to be hard for them to understand that.”

Rival fans like to poke fun at Coach Saban’s “process” but if you look at his time at Alabama, it’s pretty difficult to question it. After his first season, there’s been a constant flood of ten-win seasons, conference titles, and national titles. Some years were better than others but the good results were still there.

If the guys want to hoist another championship trophy at the end of the season, listen to the senior leadership from players and most importantly, the coaching staff. It’s obvious they know what works and to go back to what Coach Cochran says, “Get your mind right” and you will close out this next season as a champion on the field.