In sports, teams tend to take on the personality of the head coach. During the Nick Saban era, that meant guys who played with fire, passion, and outright anger. Under Kalen DeBoer, Alabama has played timid, soft, and with finesse instead of power.
Why?
Because that echoes what they get from DeBoer on the sideline.
DeBoer seems like a nice guy. He's easy to like. But not a single fan of Alabama football wants a nice guy coaching this team. I don't believe many who have come in contact with Nick Saban over the years would have ever described him as "nice."
He was a football psychopath, and it was his way or the highway. Fans have been wanting to see something, anything, from DeBoer that's even a distant cousin of fire and passion. The way Alabama played against Florida State should have pissed him off. It sure pissed me off.
He should have been losing it on the sidelines, ripping his players for not giving maximum effort, something he said wasn't an issue in practice. That's hard to believe, because another fact of sports is that you play how you practice. And any talk of the physical nature of the Crimson Tide's fall camp was clearly poppycock.
On Monday, DeBoer stepped to the podium to face the music. His press conference was more illuminating than it usually is. He seemed frustrated and disappointed. As he should've. Alabama fans far and wide have the same feelings.
"What the guys need to do is cut it loose," DeBoer said. "They need to go play. Block out the outside noise, whatever that is...Play with an edge because we've got something to prove. There's obviously a piece this weekend where we fell short of what we're capable of doing. Don't overthink this. Just go out there and ball out."
Kalen DeBoer has to show passion if he wants his players to play with an edge
It's all well and good to say you are passionate. To say you are angry or disappointed. It's a whole other thing to show it. And that's something that Alabama's players and coaches have to do moving forward. Because fans are tired of hearing about it. It's time to show, not tell. Put up or shut up.
If DeBoer wants fire, energy, and passion on the field, he's got to bring that on the sidelines. Get angry. Cuss someone out. Throw your headset. Do anything but look aloof and uncaring. Because that's what has translated onto the field. And it's poison to the culture that looked so rock-solid for so long.
In just 14 games, that culture has come crashing down. Alabama doesn't look like Alabama anymore. Rival fans are taking victory laps on the death of the dynasty. And that should make everyone in the locker room angry.
Because it makes me angry. This team is too talented to play like it did against Florida State moving forward.
If there isn't immediate improvement, it'll be DeBoer who needs to worry about being cut loose.