Fall of The Crimson Line: Bama Stabbed in Leg, But Not Heart

I'm sure most of you do not understand the title of this article, but it fits well with the situation.

If it were 2005, it would have been a stabbing in the heart, that Alabama would not have been able to recover from. Shula could not have brought the Tide back to domination the following year, simply because he cannot recruit nor coach.

I was sitting in the upper-deck in New Orleans, awaiting for the game to start, when something did not feel right. Utah had a fiery look in them that The Crimson Tide did not.

If Andre Smith had played, who knows what would have happened? Mike Johnson would not have gotten hurt for sure, and we would not have had only two players in their original positions on the offensive line.

Alabama fans, this ones for you.

We have no valid excuses for our pitiful performance, because if we deserved to beat Utah, we would have had enough depth for Smith's absence to not be a factor.

On the other hand. Andre Smith does not play on defense. 21-0 sounds like a defensive failure. Sure, Andre Smith was a HUGE distraction to all of the Alabama team, as well as the coach, but it should not affect the play that much.

The one thing I complete disagree with is the statement: "Nick Saban was out coached."

When an Andre Smith goes down days before a game, it is nearly impossible to get that off of the players mind.

I have lived through one Alabama national championship, but I had not even said my first words yet.

It is time to wake up and smell the coffee, because this is not even close to the end of the road.

Alabama was stabbed in the leg. It will take some time to heal, but we are not dead.

We are Alabama, and it takes things like this to get motivated.