News Article: How it Went Down, CNS's Decision, Deboer's Hire

[BamaMoon]

@tusks_n_raider you feel what you feel and nobody can say otherwise.

My only caution is to realize this isn't just "an Alabama" problem. It stings more because it ushered CNS retirement, but I was certainly coming in the next few years anyway.

And, I'd also say the former players who are speaking out should probably consider IF NIL and the portal had been available in their era they would have likely succumbed to its allure too.

And in a weird sort of way NIL and the portal level the playing field (which was probably the NCAA goal) but it also means every team has these distractions and will have to figure out how to compete with these things going forward.

 

[Cruloc]

“But I want an Oompah-Loompah right now, Daddy!!!”
”Alright Wonka…how much for an Oompah-Loompah?”

We were all shocked at that character’s insensitive, narcissistic selfishness when the movie first came out…..but now we have a society filled with enabling parents of nasty little Veruca Salts

And that's it exactly....its not just the kids. Coaching, in allstar baseball, all parents think their kid is a superstar. This was 12 year olds in park ball allstars. Every Monday after a tournament turned into a different parent acting like their child was wronged because he didn't play as much as they thought he should.

I volunteered to coach this and wound up in a storm of entitled parents. They don't instill anything in their kids about taking a failure or adversity and working through it to be better. Don't let your kids deal with hardship or have any difficulties of their own making to overcome......tell them they are special and wonderful and shouldn't have to deal with such things.

The generational entitlement is killing everything. Where is the teaching of humility, of hard work through adversity, perseverance, struggling with something new but sticking to it, etc etc etc.

 

[CB4]

And that's it exactly....its not just the kids. Coaching, in allstar baseball, all parents think their kid is a superstar. This was 12 year olds in park ball allstars. Every Monday after a tournament turned into a different parent acting like their child was wronged because he didn't play as much as they thought he should.

I volunteered to coach this and wound up in a storm of entitled parents. They don't instill anything in their kids about taking a failure or adversity and working through it to be better. Don't let your kids deal with hardship or have any difficulties of their own making to overcome......tell them they are special and wonderful and shouldn't have to deal with such things.

The generational entitlement is killing everything. Where is the teaching of humility, of hard work through adversity, perseverance, struggling with something new but sticking to it, etc etc etc.

Not to pile on and sound like the old man screaming at the clouds, but it has filtered into the business world as well. The notion of putting in the time, effort and hard to work to “climb the ladder” is lost on many. And like coaches in college sports, many of the people in corporate leadership give them “what they want” in order to get them. They really haven’t proven anything at that “level” (much like the 4-5 star HS player making demands during the recruiting process).
In the past years I’ve interviewed many new college grads and recent grads that have been in the workplace for less than two years that truly believe they should be in an executive position with your company with nothing to support that belief….other than they’ve been told they were “special” most of their life.

 

[teamplayer]

And that's it exactly....its not just the kids. Coaching, in allstar baseball, all parents think their kid is a superstar. This was 12 year olds in park ball allstars. Every Monday after a tournament turned into a different parent acting like their child was wronged because he didn't play as much as they thought he should.

I volunteered to coach this and wound up in a storm of entitled parents. They don't instill anything in their kids about taking a failure or adversity and working through it to be better. Don't let your kids deal with hardship or have any difficulties of their own making to overcome......tell them they are special and wonderful and shouldn't have to deal with such things.

The generational entitlement is killing everything. Where is the teaching of humility, of hard work through adversity, perseverance, struggling with something new but sticking to it, etc etc etc.

Courts and lawmakers continually rule that we are not allowed to discipline kids or hold them accountable any longer. The kids only do what they are allowed to get away with. I continue to hope for a back to basics movement in our public schools, but there are just too many laws and judicial rulings to strike down. It is very sad, but it is so bad that it has become comical. We laugh to keep from crying.

 

[rolltide_21]

"I mean, that Tuesday was hard," DeBoer said. "We're flying back from the game, and you're just trying to get yourself back. I was texting kids on the plane just about how I felt about 'em, how strong I felt, especially the guys that were done with their careers. You're working through all of that."

This is what stood out to me. He's a player's coach who builds relationships. I have no doubt that in the new reality of CFB we have the right guy. He will win the conference if not a national championship.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Not to pile on and sound like the old man screaming at the clouds, but it has filtered into the business world as well. The notion of putting in the time, effort and hard to work to “climb the ladder” is lost on many. And like coaches in college sports, many of the people in corporate leadership give them “what they want” in order to get them. They really haven’t proven anything at that “level” (much like the 4-5 star HS player making demands during the recruiting process).
In the past years I’ve interviewed many new college grads and recent grads that have been in the workplace for less than two years that truly believe they should be in an executive position with your company with nothing to support that belief….other than they’ve been told they were “special” most of their life.

Those dang participation trophies as kids are coming back to bite, aren't they? LOL!

 

[rolltide7854]

on the plus side, we did beat the best team evar for two sec titles

Not bad for a "second tier" team.

 

[tideindc]

Maybe... I don't know but it's certainly killed CNS's spirit and close to breaking mine too.

It seems like it has happened so fast too.

It feels like things started changing around '21....maybe before then but it became really noticeable in '21

I know many of our former players that are in the NFL aren't impressed with what's been going on because many are vocal with criticism.

Feels like the 2015-2020 teams were the last ones filled with players who took great pride in playing for Alabama and maybe more so for CNS.

Either way at least they were playing for something external to 'getting theirs' like this current group of players.

FWIW…. A friend’s son was a starter on the Clemson team that crushed us in 2019 in the championship game ( horrible, I know!). After the game, the players shake hands, etc on the field. He went over to one of our defensive stars to offer consolation and wish him well. To his surprise, the Bama player had a big smile and said “ I’m doing great. I’m gonna be a millionaire very soon!” ….which even he felt was odd immediately after such a loss.

So with all the money these kids are making in college now, getting a majority of players focused on team goals won’t be easy. Coach Saban left at the right time. Hopefully Coach KD has the magic touch required.

 

[bamaga]

To me, this had to really bother Nick. For him to say this, and still be in campus, still around the football facility says something. I am curious his treatment when he sees players in the hallways.

 

[davefrat]

Think of how much money Thurston Howell III could have made had NIL been a thing during his college days.

It keeps me up at night.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Maybe... I don't know but it's certainly killed CNS's spirit and close to breaking mine too.

It seems like it has happened so fast too.

It feels like things started changing around '21....maybe before then but it became really noticeable in '21

I know many of our former players that are in the NFL aren't impressed with what's been going on because many are vocal with criticism.

Feels like the 2015-2020 teams were the last ones filled with players who took great pride in playing for Alabama and maybe more so for CNS.

Either way at least they were playing for something external to 'getting theirs' like this current group of players.

They finally broke him. NIL/Portal is what ultimately did it. All of the recruiting restrictions, the rules changes to handicap defenses, none of that worked. He just adjusted and continued to dominate.

But you can't adjust to unrestricted transfers and unregulated direct pay to players.

It was a good run. It was a great run. But the powers that be finally got their way. Ironically, it will destroy the game.

 

[Saban4Ever]

to cut the kid some slack, is it possible Downs wanted out because of the 80%? Don’t know. Just considering it a possibility

Saban was a fan of the kid. Big fan.

I think it was more of Caleb Downs's dad wanting him to go elsewhere since Saban was gone and Ohio State was offering more $$$ and the dad knows one of the coaches there as a friend. From what I have heard, Caleb wanted to stay at Bama. It is too bad his dad is making decisions for him.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I think it was more of Caleb Downs's dad wanting him to go elsewhere since Saban was gone and Ohio State was offering more $$$ and the dad knows one of the coaches there as a friend. From what I have heard, Caleb wanted to stay at Bama. It is too bad his dad is making decisions for him.

And that decision may come back to haunt him as well. Granted, he should excel anywhere he goes but you just never know when a change of scenery turns out to be a bad fit that impacts performance on the field. I do wish him luck except when we play them.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Sure…but the moon landing never happened

It happened in a studio. I saw pictures online, so it must be true.

 

[Ledsteplin]

They finally broke him. NIL/Portal is what ultimately did it. All of the recruiting restrictions, the rules changes to handicap defenses, none of that worked. He just adjusted and continued to dominate.

But you can't adjust to unrestricted transfers and unregulated direct pay to players.

It was a good run. It was a great run. But the powers that be finally got their way. Ironically, it will destroy the game.

Definitely a big part of it. But also his age making it difficult to hire coaches.

 

[TideEngineer08]

Definitely a big part of it. But also his age making it difficult to hire coaches.

Yes. The brain drain off his staff caught up to him. But looking back, player attitudes were rotten in too many areas and it did them in each season. Don't get me wrong - all three teams never quit. They always fought back in each game they lost, and fought back during the season as well. But these three teams were also, by star rating, three of the most talented teams of Alabama history.

I'm not trying to say every player was selfish, just that it was pervasive enough to tank every season. It's no coincidence that 2021 was the closest NIL team to a championship. It had not yet taken hold. You can point to many issues over the past 3 seasons. Coaching talent drain. Injuries. But I believe if the attitudes had been similar to the prior era of Alabama football, there would have been at least 1 and probably 2 more NC trophies in the case right now.

 

[twofbyc]

Those dang participation trophies as kids are coming back to bite, aren't they? LOL!

I saw this 20 years ago. New hires, within a week, saying they wanted mid level jobs even though 1)they had no experience and 2) 50+ of their coworkers had the experience and the skills they didn’t have. It wasn’t “being aggressive”, it was that they were “special” - at least that’s what they’d always been told.

 

[rolltide7854]

Those dang participation trophies as kids are coming back to bite, aren't they? LOL!

The first year my son played baseball at 8 years old his team went 2-16. We had a team party and then they handed out trophies to all the boys. My first thought was why are they getting trophies for finishing last. This was almost 30 years ago so it has been going on for a long time.

 

[CB4]

I saw this 20 years ago. New hires, within a week, saying they wanted mid level jobs even though 1)they had no experience and 2) 50+ of their coworkers had the experience and the skills they didn’t have. It wasn’t “being aggressive”, it was that they were “special” - at least that’s what they’d always been told.

My late father called them “90 Day Wonders”. After 90 days they would “wonder” why they hadn’t been promoted to company president?

 

[Ledsteplin]

When a player sees other players on various teams getting loads of moolah, and some showing off a Lambo, it's hard to blame them for asking, "How much can I get?" And in this new age of NIL, I don't see that as a problem. I'm pretty sure Bama players aren't the only ones asking. The problem is what a player does with the answer they get from their coach. This is where character flaws and bad attitudes rear their heads, if they don't like those answers. Add a wide open portal, and it's an issue proponents of NIL didn't see coming. It's a huge problem the NCAA and conference leaders need to address. I bet there's a lot of head coaches saying, "Thank you!" to Coach Saban for his comments.