The Crimson Pride

 by bamafaninknox 

As the clock died down in the fourth quarter of the annual Iron Bowl, the University of Alabama had just suffered  their sixth consecutive loss to in-state rival Auburn. The loss, which which  incited anger amongst sports talk shows across the state, pushed Alabama to a 6-6 record. The Tide lost their last four games after their blowout win over Tennessee, and their postseason fate remained uncertain. However, last night the Crimson Tide improved to 7-6 with a 30-24 win over Colorado in the PetroSun Independence Bowl. Now, some questions remain. While the class of seniors, with the likes of D.J. Hall and Wallace Gilberry, two highly distinguished members of the Crimson Tide , move on to careers and the NFL, Nick Saban will now turn to what he does best — recruiting. 

At 7-6, some Crimson Tide fans across the nation are collectively wondering what they have gotten themselves into. Is Nick Saban really worth 32 million dollars? The answer to this question is quite simple actually. Nick Saban won 6 regular season games with players who have exerted very poor team loyalty and very poor work ethic at times this year, and very good aspects at other times. Nick Saban transformed a middle-of-the-road player like Darren Mustin into a future leader of society. Nick Saban played with the cards that he was dealt, but in reality he was dealt a very bad hand.

In a time where supreme talent and versatility is vital to survive in the Southeastern Conference, the players who showed up to play for Nick Saban this year just didn’t cut it. While none of the blame can be thrown upon one person, the sporadic play of quarterback John Parker Wilson greatly played into the team’

s lack of success down the stretch. The fact of the matter is that Alabama could not compete with anyone if their entire team was not firing on all cylinders. Example: Louisiana-Monroe : 21 Alabama : 14. 

While Nick Saban’

s regular season is over, he now has an even greater task in front of him. Now he must rebuild the team, seemingly in its entirety. With a lot of seniors graduating this year, Alabama will have quite a few depth chart openings when spring practice opens. First things first though, Nick Saban must recruit. 

Currently ranked 3rd on Rivals.com, Alabama is well on their way to a fantastic 2008 recruiting class. Many other top prospects are rumored to be favoring the Tide. Should the Tide land the number one prospect in the land, Foley, Alabama Wide Receiver Julio Jones, Saban might win himself the 1st ranked recruiting class in the nation. This would be stellar and monumental in Alabama’

s history, given their sub-par past in recruiting. 

While nothing is certain in this crazy world we call college football, a lot stranger things have happened. Can Star Jackson come into the Capstone and make an immediate impact on the Crimson Tide? Not likely. Will the 2008 team look a lot different than the 2007 team? Certainly. Nick Saban has only had ten months with this Alabama team. They stuck with LSU, they clobbered Tennessee, and they are producing a great amount of interest from prospects. Given time, the hiring of Nick Saban will undoubtedly prove to be well worth 32 million dollars.