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Now that the smoke is clearing from the last three weeks, I wanted to provide a few observations and comments for the faithful about recent events and the future. I can honestly say that I actually know a good deal more about what goes on in T-Town than many should know. I usually leave my comments to more inane things like needling the Aubs or UT. I am a firm believer in the "less said, the better" philosophy of internet posting. Too many so called "insiders," while well meaning and numerous, post things on this board that while not harmful in themselves, should not become issues for public discussion. In many cases the information is only partially accurate. In other cases it's simply serves no good purpose to be divulged publicly. Our overwhelming love for the University and obsession with our football program leads us to the edge of pathos many times - an almost maniacal desire to know every conversation within the athletic building that comes from a desperate need to feel in control of what we cannot control. Our program exists in a shark pool. Close to home we have paper sellers and ratings mongers like Paul Finebaum who cannot profit without trouble at the U of A. Auburn doesn't sell enough papers or draw enough listeners in Birmingham or the State as a whole for that matter. Auburn lurkers may not like that, but Friday's media coverage of the CDF hire proves that Bama will always be king in the State. Further away, we have a national media that since Bill Curry packed up and proved us correct about his abilities wants to paint us and believes us to be a bunch of inbred rednecks who don't understand football. What they really want, however, is our program and fans to accept mediocrity as the current state of all programs including our own. The shots won't stop coming and the enemy within, ourselves and our incessant chatter and opinions, will keep providing fuel for the fire. I truly believe that with CDF's hire, we have something really special here. We have a great football mind who demands excellence from everyone around him. We have a man who has a consuming desire to win. We have a tireless worker. We have a coach who believes in physical football. We have a disciplinarian and an organizer. In short, we may have a rare gem on our hands. Let's try not to dirty it. I'm going to take that pledge as someone who comes here with unclean hands. The lunatics have run the asylum the last four years. The boosters, the average fans and alumni have run this program by popular opinion and the results speak for themselves. Every championship coach we have had at the University has run the program his way with unquestioned authority. I think the vast majority of us yearn for that again. CDF must, and I believe will, run things his way. That means the recruiting decisions are his. The personnel decisions are his. The game planning is his. And the results will be his. He isn't a buck passer and he'll shoulder responsibility for success and failure. We've had far too little of that the last four years. So before we start suggesting assistants or moaning over recruiting, let's know that we've seen what happens when a football program degenerates into a democracy. One other suggestion, we must temper our expectations for next year. There is an assumption that we should win ten games next season. Folks, take a look at where we are. We have players who are woefully out of shape. They are fundamentally poor. They have no understanding of the discipline and effort truly required to win at this level. They have to learn a new system on both sides of the ball. Also, beware of false assumptions about out talent level. Indeed, we have a number of gifted athletes. But a 10th of a second in the 40 can't measure desire or football sense. We've passed up a number of kids the last few years who grew up wearing crimson PJ's who proved us wrong at other schools. Worse, when the chips got down like this year, they wouldn't have folded up on us because that crimson jersey would have meant so much to them. A weeding out process is ahead. Some fine athletes who we think poorly of are going to respond and prosper under Coach Fran. Some others are going to fade away. Football is more than speed and agility, especially Alabama football. Coach Fran is going to have to find out who has the necessary tools to succeed. And we are going to have to be patient with him. Finally, I almost went apolplectic last week after the shots started on CMM after the Davis thing. Some of you REALLY know what this man has had to put up with the last year - from fighting to put our President on the sidelines to the NCAA mess exploding during our coaching search. There are countless other things that I would never repeat in publc. I don't know how we could have made it with a lesser Alabama man at the wheel. Coach Moore has proved beyond any doubt what playing and coaching for PWB instilled in a man. A man of lesser toughness might not have steered us here. Those 7 rings were not granted to him. He's still sacrificing and bleeding for our University every day. Remember that next time we get frustrated with things. Roll Tide. Thanks for your time. Better days are ahead.
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