Frustrations boiled over for Alabama fans early during the Florida State game on Saturday. Ryan Grubb's offense misfired on back-to-back drives with consecutive three-and-outs to open the game, and there were some unnecessary boos from the crowd.
Things clicked after that. Alabama's offense produced nine consecutive scoring drives en route to a 50-point afternoon and a two-touchdown victory. Grubb, never one to mince his words, delivered a comment about the boo-birds during his press conference on Monday that ruffled some feathers and drew a further wedge between himself and a large section of the Crimson Tide fanbase.
"I told the guys, I said, ‘Shoot guys, if you’d have quit as fast as some of your fans, shit, we wouldn’t have won that game," Grubb said.
Grubb's comment immediately blew up all over social media. What he said wasn't necessarily wrong, but the delivery was off-putting. In particular, his use of the phrase "your fans" instead of "our fans" didn't sit well with people who continue to believe that Grubb has never embraced coaching here.
Grubb initially joined Kalen DeBoer when he was hired from Washington after Grubb didn't get the head coaching job for the Huskies. But after just a few weeks in town, he bolted back to Seattle to be the OC of the Seahawks. He joined the staff in DeBoer's second season after he was relieved of his duties in the Pacific Northwest.
We know we weren't his first choice. The way he talked about the fans further drove that point home.
Alabama OC Ryan Grubb releases an apology over his comments about Tide fans
The negative reaction to Grubb's quote was immediate, and it was enough to prompt Grubb, either on his own or after being prompted by DeBoer or even Greg Byrne, to issue an apology on Monday night. That came via Yea-Alabama:
"My passion for The University of Alabama football team runs deep...my commitment to this program is rivaled only by my brothers who I lock arms with every day. I will always back my players...always. I normally speak very directly and don't cut words. That said - I should have worded my statement today more carefully. This is a special place with an incredible fanbase that all of us are thankful for. I have been spoiled by our great fans who are a sense of inspiration for our players. I let my loyalty and passion for my players affect my choice of words and offend some people that I certainly would have never intended to - the Crimson Tide faithful - and for that I apologize. I look forward to moving on and giving everyone something to cheer about! It's a blessing to be here at Alabama. I truly appreciate everyone and am looking forward to a great Saturday. Again, my sincere apologies...and ROLL TIDE!!!"
Grubb's comments serve as an unnecessary distraction as Alabama's preparation for South Carolina begins. That should be the sole focus, not a public apology after a silly statement prompted by fans going over the top and booing because they were frustrated with the play-calling and yet another slow start on offense.
Booing your own team - or coaches - is silly. It's especially silly when you're a fan of a program like Alabama. This is a program that hasn't had a losing season in 20 years. You have nothing to boo about.
We all get frustrated in the heat of the moment. Alabama fans were frustrated early on Saturday. The game was delayed by two hours due to lightning to begin with, and there was a lot of pent-up energy in the stands as the Crimson Tide sought revenge after last year's embarrassing loss to Florida State.
Grubb should have taken note of that. He should have thanked the fans for waiting out the delay and still producing an energetic environment. He should have been more careful with how he said what he said. He could have put it a different way. The simple swap of "your" for "our" would have caused a much less significant storm.
In the end, there are no winners here. The disconnect between Grubb and Alabama fans is real.
More games where Alabama's offense clicks as it did over the last 33 minutes of game time against FSU will change that. Success is an effective cure for frustration.
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