It will be fine without Nick Saban, I promise

The following is an open letter to fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide…

Dear Tide Nation,

It's ok, I understand.

It's OK to be afraid of the future, as Nick Saban now dominates the commercials and the ESPN College GameDay desk just as he dominated the SEC for over a decade. Saban and his double handful of rings aren't gone from our lives on fall Saturdays yet, but now we have to share him with the rest of the rabble out there who don't know what it's like to have championship parade plans renewed every year.

It's OK to be afraid of Saban's successor, a guy we hadn't even heard of until last year, from a place we're not even sure is actually in the United States. Kalen DeBoer is a West Coast guy, that's for sure—he renovated Saban's fancy office to look like an Apple Store instead of the mahogany men's locker room of a country club. And he's also in the middle of renovating our beloved Crimson Tide.

It's OK to be afraid to throw the ball. A wise man once said that there are three outcomes when you throw it across the yard, and two of them are not good. But apparently that's the direction of the future, throwing the ball through the air rather than just hurling it down opponents' throats. Saban and Co. had already half-committed to this newfangled offensive philosophy, but we all better get ready for a lot more passing and a lot fewer 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust runs.

It's OK to be afraid of the future, because one is all too aware of the past. Unless you just jumped on the bandwagon (and if you did, welcome!), you remember all too well the depths the Alabama program descended into after Coach Bryant left this mortal coil. Alabama spent the better part of two decades trying to replace Bryant — and only a former Aggie named Stallings came close, but the slapstick attempts to uphold the legacy that came with it left us all with a much more bitter aftertaste and a much better understanding of the NCAA's investigative reach.

It's OK to be afraid of all this, dear Tide fan. Any change brings with it an unhealthy mix of resistance and skepticism. You won't find anyone admitting it today, but there was a small group of people who wondered why Alabama spent so much money on Saban early in his tenure in Tuscaloosa. There were those (cough, cough… me) who rightly said that Saban, if anything, underpaid in his original eight-year, $32 million contract. That Lord Saban would match that investment tenfold in time. Now we have a gem of a home in Bryant-Denny Stadium (which wouldn't have gotten all those amazing renovations without Saban's winning streak) and have reclaimed our rightful place on the college football throne. The only downside was having to shell out for new flagpoles for all the National Championship banners and long-term planning for another National Championship statue.

It's also OK if DeBoer doesn't set the world on fire this season. Saban was the best college football coach of all time, going 7-6 in 2007 — and he had to beat Colorado in the Independence Bowl to do it. We're not predicting DeBoer's Crimson Tide will head to Shreveport to face Coach Prime and the Buffaloes in 2024, but don't start collecting “For Sale” signs to pile up on his lawn in case the Tide stumbles at some point this season. In the days following Saban's surprise resignation on Jan. 10, there was a veritable talent search — programs practically pitched tents outside the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility to lure our guys away.

It's OK, Tide fans. Alabama is still Alabama, after all. Jalen Milroe is a legit Heisman Trophy candidate. The defense is still set up to be stingy. DeBoer quickly turned things around before too much talent left and is already recruiting like the threat we had when Saban was the undisputed ruler of the living room.

Take a deep breath, think long term, and enjoy the ride the Alabama football program takes you on this season. It might even be oddly refreshing to take a brief break from Joyless Murderball – if only to appreciate the absolute decade of dominance we enjoyed not too long ago.

It's ok, I understand.

Your friend,

DW