I've seen this comment a few times over the last week but there hasn't been a thing mentioned about it from campus. (as in the SID office) Honestly, I don't have a problem either way. The media, on the other hand, seems to. Two thoughts on this. One, if an asst. coach is doing his job on the field and isn't getting the "mic time" that Dodd is talking about here it will not effect his job ( or job possibilities) one way or another. Dodd may think that the media exposure would boost a guys career, but I'd challenge him to look around and find one example where a coach has been hired for a reason other than his coaching ability. Two) This is yet another example of the media's self-perception in today's era. They've developed an attitude where they think they are the "cat's meow." "It all starts and ends with us." "We are due respect whether we've earned it or not." Dodd, and they way he comes across in practically every article he writes, is a prime example of this. I've seen such a dramatic shift in their "perceived self-worth" over the last decade that I'm reminded of a drowning man trying to keep his head above water. In this case, the media is that drowning man and the water is none other than the WWW. It's high time they come to the realization that they aren't in the information business anymore...they are good only for an opinion and most of those are without fact or a shread of logical discourse. With the exception of just a handful of writers/reporters in today's genre' I've lost every bit of respect for the profession. Several decades ago we went through (as a nation) the period of "yellow journalism." In today's times, we are just dealing with hundreds of "hacks." Last thought. As a Bama fan, I feel comfortable stating that if there is a problem that develops at a certain position, the fans aren't going to want to hear an explanation from that coach, but from the HC. There are still information avenues with this new coaching staff. The flow of information has dried up a bit, but most of that is because of the time and season we are in right now. Honestly, I haven't had any questions or thoughts come up that I haven't been able to get answers for...Saban's staff or not. FWIW, he's adjusted to the climate at Bama very well. As example, one of the lesser known players on the '61 team was walking through the Ath. Dept this last week. Coach Moore and this fellow passed Saban and Moore started to introduce this former player. Before he could, Saban said, "You are _____ from the '61 team. Nice to meet ya!" Our schools have two different mentalities when it comes to football...he has already demostrated the ability to accomodate when he needs to.
We found that we sometimes got evasive spin from Nick, interview after interview. Often we wanted to hear news from the coordinator. You are an insider, Terry. The average fan gets his information from the media and much of what they are used to will dry up. Especially information from practice. Worse, the local media gets annoyed at the lack of stories to write and start being more agressive and often negative. So the fans start hearing things they don't like. And when reporters catch Saban talking secretly to an NFL team at his Georgia fishing camp, they spill it without giving him a second thought. The good thing about Nick's interviews is that he will get into the mechanics of football and likes to describe defenses and plays. It makes for a more educated fan--football wise, but it is frustrating to get so little news about players, team news, and the other coaches. You get only what Nick wants you to hear. Explain. I don't think I'm going to like this.
Without question there's a difference between Bama and LSU when it comes to football. The main difference is that Bama is far superior to LSU when it comes to football. Every aspect of the Bama program is superior to LSU: the tradition, the facilities, the players, hell, the HEAD COACH . . . who are we kidding? Saban is like Socrates compared to Miles, who would be privileged to be allowed to learn at the feet of Master Saban. Too bad for LSU . . . as Saban and Bama rack up the :crystal: year after year, we poor little LSU football fans will sigh and wistfully remember our One-Half of a National Championship that we won in 2003. Of course, if we did the right thing and sent the :crystal: to it's rightful owner SabanBama, the guy who is responsible for winning it, then maybe we wouldn't even have that 1/2 of a NC. But, of course, anybody can buy a Bama hat and T-shirt, and, we are free to jump on the Hurricane SabanBama Bandwagon and cheer for a winner, because we are sure going to get tired of watching the Purple and Gold lose to Hurricane SabanBama for the next 30 seasons or so. "ROLL TIDE ROLL! SABANBAMA RULES!"
I would LOVE to sit next to you for the Bama game in Tiger Stadium next year. You and I may have to go make a post on the "Been to jail" thread when we got back though. :hihi: :thumb:
You bring up a point here that I didn't consider. After reading this post last night it did get me to thinking a bit... I'm, as well as most of my friends, tend to look at games differently than the majority of the fan base. I knew this, but didn't take it into consideration when I responded earlier. (I guess I live in my own world, at times. :thumb: ) Normally, when I see breakdowns in different segments of the team I know why or can at least point to the breakdown. Most fans probably don't follow the games as much as I do. Sure, they watch them every Saturday but I doubt they'll watch them 2-3 times the following week to study different aspects. I don't see that having an effect on how the media portrays the staff or the team in the upcoming seasons. Agressive and negative have been facets of their MO for years now. Will they jump on this bandwagon if the team is winning but they can't get a lot of face time with the coach? Possibly, no, make that probably. However, those that won't get that face time have already dug their graves with some of the comments they've made already. I'm reminded of an email exchange I had with Neil McCready. I simply mentioned to him one day if he would take the time and show some respect to the football programs in the state (UA and AU) he'd find his job easier and his readership grow. His reply was basically, "why should I show a program or their fan base respect?" Clearly, it's his intention to pen negative articles no matter which team, or who, it's about. I think that'll sit well with the older fan base. (by that I mean those who grew up before the 80's.) The younger crowd...well, to say the least most of them are an embarassment at times. You are right about that football talk going over well...a good point of that is a good majority of the fan base at Alabama understands the basic elements of football. I've heeded your warnings about this and look forward to see how it eventually plays out. I feel you've read that the wrong way. It would take a dissertation to explain the thought process I had when I wrote that. Simply put, dating back to the days of integration within the state, the football coach at Alabama is more widely known, within the state, than the Gov. is. IF there is a coach at the helm that isn't very forthright with sharing info on the team, but, the team is competitive and doing well, I feel the general fan base won't be upset about that. I may be wrong. I can't speak for the entire fan base at LSU, but, considering the exposure I've had to the Bama fan base as long as they are seeing results on the field, most couldn't care less about what an Asst. has to say. Internet posters like you and me are a breed unto ourselves. We know more about what is happening within our respective programs than the avg. fan does...probably more so than 90% of the entire fan base. While this other 10% might not like the fact they can't get "daily news," the other 90% will be satisfied with what they hear around the water cooler. In some cases, whether it is true or not. Make sense?
That is a GREAT overall reply, my quote on this little part does not diminish your body of work in the rest of the reply! The quote hit me on the head. Prior to joining TigerForum, I had next to no knowledge about what was going on with LSU sports, except what I read in the Houston Chronicle, which is pretty little. After finding TF, now I know 5 times what I used to know. I can look at some posts and tell, "That guy knows at least twice as much about what is going on at LSU as I do, WOW, he must have connections!". So, I'm in the upper half of the bottom 90%, but I'm happy to be a Tiger Fan! I'm just glad to top 10% still talk to us!!!
Boy ain't that the truth. I hear people talking about some things about our program like it's the very latest news, a week or two after I heard it here. Then, so many times they have a general idea and I have so much more in depth knowledge about the situation because of what I've read here. :thumb:
How often do you see things written in the local media that is days old...that just goes back to what I was saying earlier in this thread. The media writers see they are very much behind the times and that leads to their agressive nature. I can't understand the mentality of someone that would write something just to inflame people and get their personal satisfaction out of the emails they receive that are blasting them.
Good point. :thumb: I'd have to guess it's cause controversy sells- just like in music vids, politics, college sports is no exception. :yelwink2: Shuuut, you've been around long enough to know we have a couple who fit that description who post here. :hihi:
The sad thing is they don't realize they are being laughed at. After awhile, most learn their schtick has gotten old. Speaking of schtick, where's that Venice guy been? :rofl:
