re: Nick Saban's Tenure in Review: Season #8 - 2014 Alabama Crimson Tide

This team was the antithesis of the 2013 team for me. I had low expectations after the opener and those expectations seemed vindicated when Alabama lost a winnable game in Ole Miss and struggled to beat Arkansas in back to back weeks.

Then something changed. Saban got on the fan's and media's arse about their negativity about this team and it seemed to inspire the team and staff to come together and put on a run that ended with a loss in the national semifinal to the eventual national champion.

It was a year of philosophical change. Didn't quite have the best QB for what Kiffin wanted to accomplish. The front seven was getting reformed to be smaller on the edge with a bit more interior pass rush but those pieces weren't quite ready for primetime in 2014 though it would set the table for an incredible 3 year run on defense that anchored two national titles.

I loved this team. Blake Sims and Amari Cooper are good people and it was great to seem them achieve what they achieved that season.