Alabama Football: Looking back before moving on

Transitions can often benefit from the perspective of a look back to what came before. Alabama Football is at its annual transition point. The 2022 team is no more. What the 2023 team will become is far in the distance.

Compared to other fans, Crimson Tide fans have less experience dealing with disappointment. The attitude that permeates every season is a National Championship or a failure … with little attention given to the in-between.

The Alabama Football program should never lower its expectations. The burden of being the greatest college football program of all time is heavy. But lessening the load is not an option.

What we Alabam fans can do is not be stuck in any unsatisfying present. Instead, we can celebrate the Crimson Tide’s recent past and what that past portends for the future.

Some Alabama Football Milestones

To the tweet above, we say yes, yes, yes, and yes. Let’s look at the combined career numbers for the last four Alabama Crimson Tide starting quarterbacks.

• 271 Touchdown Passes
• 27,550 Passing Yards
• 41 Rushing Touchdowns
• 2,520 Rushing Yards

Bryce Young was the passing yards leader with 8,356 yards. Jalen Hurts was the rushing yards (1,976) and rushing touchdowns leader (23). Tua Tagovailoa was the passing touchdown leader (87). And Mac Jones orchestrated the 2020 offense to the third-highest average points per game total in the history of college football.

Countering claims about the demise of Alabama Football are some other facts. Thanks to PrideofTheTide.com for emphasizing this to the college football world.

• Alabama’s last five SEC game losses have come from a total deficit of 15 points. Ten of those 15 points were in four road losses and three of those four losses came on the game’s last play. For the record, the 15-point loss to Georgia in last season’s National Championship game is not included because it was not technically an SEC game.

Sometimes lost in the sound and fury over Alabama Football Coordinators is how their jobs are different at Alabama compared to many schools. No Defensive Coordinator runs ‘his’ defense in Tuscaloosa. It is always Nick Saban’s defense and with Saban, a DC shapes each season’s defense into the latest version of Saban’s system.

The situation is somewhat different with the Alabama Football offense. An OC is given more leeway, but never to the point of replacing Nick Saban’s offensive goals with their own. Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian provided fresh concepts for the Crimson Tide. To maybe a lesser extent, so did Jim McElwain, Brian Daboll, Mike Locksley and Bill O’Brien – but they all ran an Alabama Football offense.

Whatever is right or wrong with Alabama Football goes back to Nick Saban. No coach comes close to Saban’s record against ranked opponents. The GOAT has a 69% winning record against top 25 teams. As long as Alabama has Nick Saban every season will be a championship run.