Greg McElroy: The pain of disappointment could help Alabama turn things around
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show on Tuesday, where he started off by saying that everything will be fine following the Crimson Tide’s loss to Tennessee this past weekend.
Asked why he believes that will be the case, McElroy pointed to the “pain of disappointment” from the loss as being a catalyst for change.
“Sometimes suffering the pain of disappointment is the only thing that gets people to change behavior,” he said. “It’s easy to go and sit there and harp on the players, and I’m sure Nick Saban after the Texas game went in there and raised hell and said, ‘We can’t do this, we can’t do that, we can’t do this.’ He was probably real ticked off at how the guys played. But the guys can ultimately look back and say, ‘Coach, we won. I don’t know what you’re so upset about. We won.’ But when you fall short, and when you actually lose games, that’s when it starts to change behavior.”
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Making the College Football Playoff is obviously the goal, and Alabama has done so more than any other team with seven appearances. Four of those seven appearances have come after the Crimson Tide suffered a loss in the regular season, including last year when they finished runner up to Georgia. Two of those four appearances ended with a national title.
McElroy pointed to those examples from past seasons, noting that Alabama has typically responded well coming off of a loss under Nick Saban.
“More often than not, dating back to 2011, Alabama is 29-1 in the regular season following a loss,” he said. “The only loss came in 2019 when Mac Jones and company went to Auburn and lost in the Iron Bowl. Every other game in the regular season Alabama has won since 2011, including three national championships, including a national championship runner up. So, more often than not, a loss has woken the team up.
“It’s unfortunate that you have to suffer the pain of disappointment in order to change your behavior, but now I get the sense and I’m sure that coach finally has the team’s attention and hopefully he does because I’ve got news for you: LSU woke up this weekend and they’re gonna be a tricky game on the road. Ole Miss, as we’ve talked about already, will be a difficult game as well.”
As Greg McElroy mentioned, Alabama has a tough road ahead if it is still to find success, but the opportunity is there. A Nov. 12 matchup against Ole Miss will be critical, as the Rebels now sit in first place in the SEC West.
But before that, the Crimson Tide will host No. 24 Mississippi State at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday in Tuscaloosa.