So once again, I just don't know what to say. I don't think I could reiterate any harder my feeling about Connelly, Ungerer, the play calling, the O-Line in general or Chris Capps in particular, the poor decision making, the perplexed look on Shula's face, and etc. It's been discussed many times here, and I just don't have the energy to say it again. So instead, I'd like to thank the seniors that stuck it out and played their hearts out through one of the worst periods in Alabama history only to be let down so spectacularly by a program and university that should have done better. It's hard for me to think that these guys will never know what it's like to win a title, much less beat Auburn, but that's the reality for them and they'll have to settle for knowing the feelings of a fan when your team wins and not the feeling of being a part of it.
I've complained a lot about the team's performance here, but with only a few exceptions (I'm looking directly at you Capps, and sometimes you Bino), these past several seasons have been the Tide teams that I've come to love the most. Through the 80s and 90s when I was coming through middle and high school and really starting to understand the game, I was a fan of Alabama first and the players on the field second. Guys like Bobby Humphrey, Jay Barker, and David Palmer all stood out, but I loved them because of the jersey they wore. I've always felt that the Alabama jersey made a player special, not the other way around, but these past few seasons I really felt like we've seen a lot of players who can hold their heads up high and say they did something for Alabama while Alabama was letting them down. Guys like Shaud Williams, Brodie Croyle, Ray Hudson, Wesley Britt, Tyler Watts, Ken Darby, Roman Harper, Anthony Madison, Charley Peprah, Demeco Ryans, Spencer Pennington, Freddie Roach, Triandos Luke, Le'Ron Mclain, Tim Castille, and all the other guys that are slipping my mind right now are always going to hold a fond place in my heart, even if a lot of the games they played in caused me nothing but anger and frustration. So thanks for giving me a reason to love Alabama when Alabama was busy giving me every reason not to. I'll be back with some venom for the coaches tomorrow.