Alabama Football: For the 2011 Team, It's Not a Question of Can, but Will

Alabama now has so many of Nick Saban's top recruiting classes in place that it's no longer a question of can Alabama win another championship, but do the they have the will do it?

Will. It's such an important word with so many meanings. When will they put all together again? Will they win it all? Do they have the will to finish those games they didn't last year?

At Alabama right now, that word takes on a different meaning with defensive leadership. Dont'a Hightower has recovered from his injury, finally played a game without that brace on his knee and is back at the linebacker spot where he will provide the defensive leadership to the front lines that could make everything happen.

One thing that each departing Alabama player left to the remaining ones in their "will" was their spirit of always seeking to be the best and to get a little better each day.

Last year, Alabama lost it's will to win. It didn't show up for the South Carolina game and let the LSU and Auburn games slip through their fingers.

The staff at Alabama is trying to remind the players of that everyday with a simple poster, which the coaches constructed to help focus their will on what went wrong last year and to dedicate themselves to not letting it happen again.

The poster is black on top with a 24-0 scoreboard in the background in the second quarter and the bottom a blaze of orange with the same scoreboard showing the final 28-27 score. In the middle are the words NEVER AGAIN.

It's on the wall going into the locker room and they will see it every time they enter that space.

Cheap psychology? Motivational mumbo jumbo? Who knows if it will help do the trick, but it sure will get their attention.