Alabama Football: Minor setback leads to major comeback for Tide
By Ronald Moody
"And I don’t think we played in that game with the Alabama factor. So, everybody needs to understand that and respond to it. If you lose your humility, it sort of creates, ‘I’m above doing things the way I need to do them to prepare for a game and go play in a game against good competition. And if I put my own agenda ahead of the team or winning, it’s going to have some effect on my performance.’ So, if I think those things are existing in the program, I think that they need to be addressed. And they have been.”"
Which group had agendas, players or coaches? Maybe, both.
Joshua Jacobs cited mental fatigue as a critical reason Alabama did not fare well. The role of the hunted grows tiresome. Plus it calls for a perfect game every time the team steps on the field. Alabama knows it will receive the opponent’s best effort. Clemson chomped at the bit to exact revenge on the Tide after losing during last year’s CFP semifinal.
Looming draft decisions could have played a part. The situation occurred before when the Crimson Tide lost to Oklahoma in the 2014 Sugar Bowl. External clutter may have been the undoing of this team.
Did coaches have their bags packed for their next destination? “The Process” opens up viable Power 5 coaching opportunities for those who survive the grind at Alabama. At times in the Clemson game, Nick Saban was almost tranquil on the sideline. Perhaps he realized defeat was imminent.