Shifting Gears in Fayetteville

Something very subtle may have happened on a rainy Saturday in Fayetteville. We may have seen the Crimson Tide shift into business mode. After a sloppy performance against WKU, I was getting a little concerned with focus. I was further concerned when it became evident to me that Tyler Wilson wasn't going to play. I started worrying that the team may be thinking they could let up. They didn't have to be worried about one of the best QBs in college football. Instead, they would be facing a back-up freshman QB. Then, my concerns seemed to be on the path to confirmation in the first quarter Saturday.  There was some sloppy play, including some shouldn't-ever-happen penalties. Things that a team that is disciplined and focus should never do. Ever.

Then, they settled down. They got serious. They realized who they are. They are the Alabama Crimson Tide. No, that does not mean that opponents give up the minute the team bus arrives. It means that they are held to a higher standard. A standard that they must own, each man for himself, as well as collectively, as a team. It is a standard passed on to them by all who have worn the crimson and white before them. A standard born by a tradition of excellence. They accepted that responsibility Saturday afternoon.

The 2010 team never did. They coasted through thinking that showing up and showing out as individuals was enough. It wasn't, and it never will be. This is a team sport. I'll take a team of average players, that understand what it means to be a team, over a team of individual superstars anytime. Wearing that Alabama uniform is a privilege, and having your name on it is an honor. Never forget, though, that the name is on the back.

This is a team of exceptional talent. The missing ingredient in any team of exceptional individual is that of sacrifice. Each man on that team must sacrifice himself for the greater good. Sometimes he must sacrifice his own desires and needs for the team. Sometimes, he must sacrifice his identity. The guys in the trenches do that. The guys that play on the scout team, week in and out, getting their team mates ready. The whole will only be greater than the sum of the parts if, and when, the parts sacrifice themselves to the whole. That is what it means to be Alabama. That is the sacrifice this team made Saturday afternoon. A sacrifice they can be proud of.