Bray Hubbard's performance vs. Wisconsin should serve as a lesson for Alabama fans

I get it. I do. I was chief among you in offering criticism for Alabama safety Bray Hubbard for his poor performance - and glaring lack of hustle - against Florida State in Week 1. I advocated, like a lot of people, for Hubbard to be benched. It's a good thing Kalen DeBoer doesn't listen to me or the voices of the masses.

Because the Bray Hubbard we've seen the last two weeks is among the best safeties in America, which is exactly the player he was expected to be in the preseason.

It wasn't just the two interceptions of Wisconsin QB Danny O'Neil. He was excellent in coverage otherwise. He ran downhill with reckless abandon, delivering massive hits. There was no timidness in his performance. He was in attack mode all afternoon. And as one of the team's leaders, the rest of the defense followed.

Watching Hubbard yesterday, and he popped on tape. You can see it in the above clips. He looks like a totally different player than he did two weeks ago in Tallahassee. It's not a coincidence that Alabama has looked like a completely different team the last two weeks, either.

Bray Hubbard is a lesson in patience for Alabama fans

It's been a nice redemptive arc for Hubbard the last two weeks. He'll need to continue that high level of play as Alabama begins a brutal stretch of SEC games.

Hubbard is a shining example of patience. He's not the only one. Ty Simpson received plenty of criticism for his performance against Florida State. Ryan Williams, too. All took on starring roles against Wisconsin in Week 3. All three look to be massively important players for DeBoer and the Crimson Tide moving forward.

Players are going to have bad games. It happens. The effort level shouldn't wane like it did, but Hubbard has taken full ownership and accountability for it. He's using all the criticism to fuel him moving forward.

"Say what you want, I don't care," Hubbard said. "At the end of the day, I go out every week and play my hardest. I did it today. You can call me soft. Your opinion is your opinion at the end of the day. I know how I play. It fires me up."

He hasn't just talked about it; he's been about it. He's let his actions speak louder. Now, Hubbard is leading the charge for a resurgent Crimson Tide defense that has turned a 180 from Tallahassee.