We've looked at the negatives - and oh, boy, is there a plethora of negatives for Alabama football right now. A summer of optimism was completely flushed away after one single afternoon in late August.
We aren't sunshine pumpers here at Bama Hammer. We like to believe we call it as it is. And the reality is, things look bleak for Alabama and Kalen DeBoer moving forward.
But bear with us for a little ray of optimism. It may be a reach, but hey, there's at least 11 games left in the regular season, and throwing in the towel right now would make for a miserable remainder of the college football season. We reserve the right to change our mind on that, though, and quickly.
Let's hop in the rewind machine and go back 35 years to 1990. Gene Stallings was hired as the Alabama head coach, replacing Bill Curry, who, while disliked by the fanbase, had just led the Crimson Tide to the 1989 SEC Championship. So the cupboards weren't completely barren when Stallings took over.
Stallings' tenure at Alabama started about as badly as you could imagine. Alabama started 0-3 in 1990, including a loss at home to Southern Miss despite opening the season ranked No. 13 in the country. The Tide rebounded by winning seven of their final eight regular-season games, including an Iron Bowl win over Auburn for the first time since 1985.
Alabama capped off the 1990 season by getting blown out by Louisville in the Fiesta Bowl, 34-7, to finish a disappointing 7-5.
Fast forward to 1991, and Alabama, after beating Temple in the season opener, got blown out 35-0 by Florida in Gainesville. Through 14 games at Alabama, Stallings had amassed a record of 8-6 and had then been outscored in two of the last three games by a 69-7 margin. It was a far cry from the heyday of Coach Bryant, and plenty of fans were already calling for Stallings' head to be on a spike.
Kalen DeBoer's record through 14 games at Alabama? 9-5.
What happened next for Stallings? Alabama didn't lose another football game for two calendar years, amassing a 28-game winning streak that wasn't snapped until a 17-all tie against Tennessee in October of 1993. The unbeaten streak would last all the way to 31 games, until Alabama lost to LSU in November. Along the way, Stallings captured the 1992 National Championship.
We'll find out quickly if Kalen DeBoer has what it takes at Alabama
People have already formulated their opinions. They're probably right. It's an overly optimistic viewpoint on things to believe that DeBoer will have some sort of epiphany and Alabama turns into a real contender moving forward after a disappointing loss in Tallahassee.
The soul-searching should have occurred in the offseason, but this team looks exactly like the last one. Poorly coached, undisciplined, and frankly, indifferent.
But the season is not over. Alabama now has at least one, and perhaps two, "get right" games on the schedule. They'll face Louisiana Monroe and Wisconsin at home in back-to-back weeks. A bye week follows before a trip to Athens to face Georgia.
The game against Georgia will tell the tale. If Alabama plays with the same indifference they did against Florida State, they won't just lose to the Bulldogs. They'll get embarrassed. A blowout loss likely sends the season spiraling to depths unseen in Tuscaloosa in 18 years.
Alabama doesn't have to beat Georgia to prove it can still compete for a playoff berth. But they have to be competitive. They have to fight. The coaching staff has to show some fire so that the players can play with energy and emotion. Even if that results in a close defeat, the path forward will be clear.
Otherwise, not only will this season be over for Alabama, but a whole lot more.