Why the Bama optimism? This question has been asked over and over on talk radio, blogs and message boards. There are a few reasons—some of them are actually sound.
Alabama underperformed last season. Why? Bad attitudes. Talent alone isn’t enough to win games. You need the right attitudes, and we all know last year’s team had a problem. The excitement building around this year’s team is that a better attitude could help the team over-perform.
Even Saban has commented on the team’s positive attitude during fall camp.
Saban told ESPN’s Chris Low in mid-August:
But the biggest thing is that the attitude of the players on the team has been really good. They buy into what we’re doing. They work hard, and the team chemistry has been a real positive.
That itself is reason to be optimistic. But along with the good attitudes, players are improving. Is it enough to beat Clemson?
Perhaps.
Perhaps not.
The margin of error in college football is smaller than ever. When Michigan loses to Appalachian State, and La. Monroe can beat Alabama, anything is possible.
Anything.
A few additional tidbits for this morning
The Rap Sheet has a great Saban story.
The Dallas Morning News explains why Nick Fanuzzi transferred to Rice.
RBR is running a haiku contest.
23 thoughts on “Why the optimism?”
Comments are closed.
Why the optimism ? Its a bammer trait….Go 0-12 the year before…..”Were gonna win the MNC next year !!!!” . Its every stinkin year. not just this year.. Shane had a column in 05 that said ” THE TIDE IS HIGH AND SHULA IS THE MAN”…. We all see how that one turned out.Ive read where a LOT of Bammers are already claiming the west. Sorry guys….Aint happenin.
Dude, why are you even here? Auburn fans are just as obnoxious as the rammer jammer Bama fans can be at times. I know because I come from a family full of ’em. Exactly what has Auburn ever done for you to have such a high opinion of them? I can understand the Bama side of it…they have been there and done it over and over for the whole history of the program. Auburns recent success has come from having a decent coach and stability over a long period of time. But the success has been little over the past decade, unless that 6 win streak trumps everything, which it does in the most die hard Barn fans I know. Saban is recruiting Bama out of the mediocrity of the past decade very rapidly. For the first time in awhile, Bama has a reason to be optimistic for the future. You should be happy with the Auburn program and it would seem you would spend your time being an Auburn fan, instead of being anti-Bama like most of your kind are.
Cappy, you’re optimistic because Saban said the team has a good attitude? What the hell do you expect him to say before the first game of the season, that the team’s attitude stinks and there’s no chemistry? That’s nothing but pure coachspeak. It’s as vague and meaningless as Shane saying that he could tell that Bama’s passes had more “zip” on them during the spring game. We’ll know by about 10:30 on Saturday night whether Bama has a good attitude and more zip on their passes.
Why the optimism? Why not? It’s our team we’ll praise or bad mouth them all we want.
You don’t praise your team at all. Instead you badmouth Alabama.
BamaBrandon they are not happy with their programs current state of condition. Thats why they are here hyping up their success before its over and hyping up Alabama’s decade of misfortunes.
Alabama underperformed in Stallings first year. Barnies laughed. Barnies said he would never bring us out of the slump.
When every game you lose in one season is by a touchdown or less in a coaches first season playing every team to the wire, that’s a positive sign.
Remember 2001 when almost every game was lost in the 4th quarter then we turned it around the very next year?
I guess underperforming is thumping Tenn and winning your first 4th quarter game in 4 years and losing the rest at the last minute in your first season.
Sure beats going 4-7.
LCN…Youve busted me……It sux to be preseason top 10. It really sux to be picked to win the west. Dang…It sux to be Auburn. I could always wish we were like Bama, unranked preseason. Not even picked to win the state. Wow……Im envious.
Ballplay, it also sux to have the best record in the SEC in conference play since 2000…it sux to have 4 players drafted in the first round of the NFL draft…it sux to be a 30 pt favorite over a team that beat Bammer 3 games ago. The hilarious thing is that the bammers think the only thing Auburn has accomplished in Tub’s tenure is beating them.
LCN, you bammers are so blinded by your own self pity that you simply can’t stop yourselves from bragging about “close losses” and “moral victories”. If Bear heard these bama fans bragging about losing to La-Mo and Miss. State by “only” a td or less, he’d roll over in his grave. 3 of Auburn’s 4 losses last year were on the last play of the game. Who cares???? They were losses, there’s no pride in the fact that it was close. Likewise, Auburn beat Florida and Arkansas on the road on the last play of the game. You know what those are called??? WINS, BABY.
Indian, I honestly think you are envious. Why are you verbally downgrading Alabama’s optimism if you’re so confident your team will actually win the Western Division Title, SEC Title, and National Title? Do you secretly feel this is Auburn’s last year of preseason hope? You may say no, but psychologically, I know what you’re thinking on the inside, while doing a near perfect job of acting as Julio… or Indian? Which do you prefer to be referred to as?
I’m kidding by the way. Auburn will be fine and eventually, though maybe not this year, Alabama as well. Let us live in a peaceful world of optimism before we either hold our heads in shame or jump with joy.
Why the optimism? I object to the word “optimism” in this context. Change it to “delusional fantasies.” Then it becomes the rhetorical question that it should be.
So that is why you guys are here. Thanks for reminding us Bammers that Auburn is the symbol of everything good and awsome and we are just having ‘delusional fantasies’. Congratulations on your ranking, but you guys do remember what happened the last time you were ranked so high…
But again, us bammers are grateful for the daily reminders of how much better Auburn is. Keep up the good work!
I have been a big fan of this site for a long time but I can’t take it anymore.
Why is BallPlay Indian allowed to continue to comment on this site?
I am all for allowing someone to post their views but this is an Alabama site and his hatred for all things Alabama are too much.
Every article is about Alabama, this is an Alabama fan site. He acts like this is ESPN and the site should talk about Auburn as well.
He goes off on every thing like he is suprised.
Like I said, I am for “some” equal time but this is too much.
I am offically leaving as a reader.I was visiting your site 2 and 3 times a day for the past year. Please contact me when you decide to get rid of that joker. In the mean time, I will be clicking on the ads and buying the Alabama products that earns some one affliate dollars on some other site.
I’m sure he will never make you any money and will continue to be a pain.
I agree with you, it’s a great site, but no one can enjoy a conversation without it bursting into a heated debate.
I’m all for the freedom of speech act, but their goal is to get the Alabama fans riled up by never shutting up.
But they aren’t obsessed nor or they insecure. We are delusional for having high hopes in the future, but they aren’t morons for saying nothing will change when they have been proven wrong time and time again in the past.
Please ban these Aubum incests before Alabama makes an example out of them sending the Aubum fanbase into their graves.
A couple of things about this topic.
1. It isn’t easy to just ban someone. The blog doesn’t have the technology to restrict comments in the way a typical message board does. There are some ways you can; however, none of them really work–most ban IPs and with most all of us having similar internet service providers (AT&T, Charter, Brighthouse, etc.) that would end up banning almost all commentors. Not a good option.
2. There is the option of turning off all comments; however, I tried that and I found it hurt the blog. It lost the sense of community.
3. I don’t like banning people because I was banned by al.com during Mike Shula’s tenure. I never violated al.com’s policies; however, the forums consistently banned anyone who said Shula should be fired. Call it experience, I just am reluctant to ban people—even those who have an agenda to irritate. And I’ve found even people who are from different fan bases provide interesting posts and insights from time-to-time.
So here is the dilemma: you can’t ban people easily and there really isn’t enough time to moderate every single comment on a blog with hundreds of comments per day and still deliver content for readers. That leaves the decision to kill the comment—community feature OR try to make lemonade from the lemons.
I appreciate all our readers and our commentors. I’m sorry when anyone finds something wrong with the site—and I hope we can find some way to make our readers happy.
They’ll eventually ban themselves just as soon as Alabama finishes off where they left off before hand. The day is coming (a few weeks away) and Alabama Tech fans will have suddenly fallen off the face of the earth.
…possibly even so after LaMo gives them and their revolutionary spread offense, more than they could possibly bargain for.
BamaBrando Says:
August 28th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Dude, why are you even here? Auburn fans are just as obnoxious as the rammer jammer Bama fans can be at times.
Do we have to explaine it EVERY DAMN DAY FOR SOME NEW BOOTY WHY WE ARE HERE
Who WOULD YOU DEBATE WITH STUPID???
and YOU cant stop it!!
WAR POLYTECH BITCH!!!
IhateGeorgeW. Says:
August 29th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
…possibly even so after LaMo gives them and their revolutionary spread offense, more than they could possibly bargain for
ONE WORD GENUISE DEEEEFENSE
Cap,
I know im one of the “IRRITATERS” but seriously there are BAmmers who are the same and really its just FUN. I dont know any of these guys personally but my BEST BUDDY of 30 years is a Bammer and we do the same. I feel sorry for the guys who beleve this is anything more than a place to show your RIVILRY and talk a lil trash! I dont have any hard fellings toward no Bammers here NOT EVEN TMC1 see i said his real name….
WAR POLYTECH BABY!!!
To answer your question, we’d probably debate amongst ourselves. Those who feel John Parker is a phenomenal quarterback will argue with those who don’t. Oh well, y’all Auburn fans keep us entertained and vice versa.
cain’t wait to see miss state and lsu beat aubes ass.don;t think it cain;t happen.i bet the stupid SOBITCHES WANT have nothing to say then.finebum iknow you have something to say so come on and reply. ROLLTIDE ROLL…….TIDE BAMA WILL BEAT CLEMSON BANK ON IT.
I got something J W …whatcha drinking today?
My nickname among my friends is 5 and 6
it was Auburns record in 1991 So if you think a Losing season or a lose in a game will stop me yourtheloser2, WRONG!!!
AMONG YOURSELVES!!!???
I hear ya but I dont beleive you Tider.
You may think thats this website and I will ask CAP this. Has it ever been just Bammers??
looks like what i said a few days a go came true.what i said was BAMA WILL BEAT CLEMSON BANK ON IT ”SCROLL UP NOW WANT MORE BAMA WILL BE IN TOP 10 WHEN WE GO IN TO GEORGIA THEN WE WILL BEAT GEORGIA BY 4 BANK ON IT .