AJ McCarron thinks Alabama football's problem is NIL and TikTok, also yells at clouds

AJ McCarron is more qualified to talk about Alabama football, and the sport in general, than me. Because he played the game at the highest level and I'm just a fan with an internet connection.

His recent rant on the McCready & Siskey podcast is relatable, though, because McCarron and I are around the same age and a lot of stuff in the new generation doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us. Much like the stuff we did as kids didn't make sense to our parents.

McCarron doesn't understand TikTok and neither do I. But I also don't think TikTok is the main issue with the current state of Alabama football. I also don't understand why Ryan Williams paints his nails, but I also could not possibly care less.

"I think, for sure, the standard that everybody was used to for so long after Alabama fans went through a bunch of hell leading up to those glorious years, I think it’s definitely a different era,” McCarron said. “I don’t think you’ll see the same standard from discipline, just things that the team seems to do. It’s a new day and age. Everybody’s worried about (expletive) Tik Tok and having a reel and being on highlights for their personal self and personal gain, and how much money they can get from NIL. We just didn’t have that (expletive) back then. It was a team sport. You came together as a team because you had one common goal, because you knew that’s how you were going to make your money, was by winning."

When I heard those words by McCarron, I couldn't help but think of this moment from The Simpsons:

I, too, have felt very old man yelling at cloud about a lot of things. About NIL, about modern music. I still don't really understand "influencers" or what an NPC is supposed to be.

But all of that is just noise. It's easy to point to music blaring at practice or maybe an ice cream truck on a hot summer afternoon coming to the field, or the boogeyman NIL. Alabama has certainly fell short of the standard Nick Saban set in Tuscaloosa, but they had been falling short of that the last three seasons Saban was the coach, too. Most people are just willingly choosing to remember it differently.

This Alabama roster has obvious flaws. It would have those same flaws even if practice was held in silence. We chose to ignore those flaws, like a secondary with numerous freshmen and only one starter back from a season ago.

I personally chose to ignore Jalen Milroe's obvious flaws as a quarterback because I wanted him to be good. And he is, but he isn't as good as I hoped he would be. But that's not because he's making money via NIL.

I have a lot of disagreements with NIL in practice. I think it has done a lot of harm, but it was past time for players to earn money. I'm sure safeguards are coming down the road, but the damage has been done.

If you think these players don't care like they used to because they are making money, maybe that's true, for some of them. But tell that to Keon Sabb, who played 30 snaps against Tennessee with a broken foot. Tell that to Qua Russaw and Jaedan Roberts who have fought through injuries all year because playing for the University of Alabama means something to them beyond a paycheck.

This season has been frustrating. Fans and former players have every right to voice that frustration. But at the end of the day, all any of us can do is cheer the team on and hope they right the ship this weekend against Missouri. Win that game, get to the bye week, and figure out how to beat LSU in Baton Rouge and the Crimson Tide will be right back in the playoff race.