AS YOU KNOW, WHAT EVERYONE HAD
TO GO THROUGH TO GET TO THE
FINISH LINE.
BUT, JOE, COULD I -- I KNOW IN
CONGRESS YOU APPEAL TO THE
SPEAKER FOR 30 SECONDS.
COULD YOU YIELD ME 30 SECONDS
HERE SO I COULD SAY SOMETHING TO
WILLIE AND EVERYONE ELSE IN
AMERICA?
>> THE GENTLEMAN FROM ALABAMA IS
YIELDED 30 SECONDS.
>> I’M BRACING MYSELF, PAUL.
YES, GO AHEAD.
>> ALABAMA FOLKS RIGHT NOW MAY
NOT BE THRILLED WITH JOE
SCARBOROUGH, BUT I REALLY
BELIEVE THAT ALL YOUR FRIENDS IN
ALABAMA OWE YOU A DEBT OF
GRATITUDE, BECAUSE 13 YEARS AGO,
WILLIE, YOU’VE HEARD ME TALK
ABOUT THIS WITH YOU AND OTHERS
IN THE INNER CIRCLE HAVE, BUT
JOE SCARBOROUGH DID SOMETHING
THAT CHANGED COLLEGE FOOTBALL
AND CHANGED THE DYNAMICS OF
WHERE WE ARE TODAY.
JOE SCARBOROUGH WROTE AN OP-ED
IN THE BIRMINGHAM NEWS
EXCORIATING THE ADMINISTRATION
IN TUSCALOOSA FOR HIRING A BUNCH
OF LOSERS AND HE DEMANDED THAT
THEY DISPLAY EXCELLENCE.
HE GAVE THEM TWO CHOICES, STEVE
SPURRIER OR NICK SABAN.
HE CAME ON OUR PROGRAM AND
ENUNCIATED THAT.
AND THEY FOLLOWED HIS LEAD,
WILLIE.
13 YEARS LATER, EVERYONE IN
COLLEGE FOOTBALL, THEY DON’T
HATE DABO SWINNEY, THEY SHOULD
HATE JOE SCARBOROUGH, BECAUSE
YOU BROUGHT NICK SABAN FROM THE
MIAMI DOLPHINS TO THE UNIVERSITY
OF ALABAMA.
AND THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD
HAS NEVER BEEN THE SAME BECAUSE
NICK SABAN DID SOMETHING FOR
FOLKS WATCHING FOR
FOLKS WATCHING WHO DON’T FOLLOW
COLLEGE FOOTBALL, HE WENT TO
ALABAMA WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD
THE GREATEST COACH IN COLLEGE
FOOTBALL HISTORY, PAUL BEAR
BRYANT, AND NOW NICK SABAN IS
CONSIDERED THAT.
THE FACT THAT ANYBODY COULD
SUPPLANT BRYANT IS REMARKABLE,
THAT ANYBODY COULD REPLACE
BRYANT AND SUPPLANT HIM AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AS THE
GREATEST COACH OF ALL TIME IS
EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE, SO
ALABAMAIANS SEND A CHRISTMAS
CARD TO JOE SCARBOROUGH THIS
CHRISTMAS, HE DESERVES IT.
>> THAT’S AWFUL LY NICE, PAUL,
THE BASIC ARGUMENT WAS -- AND
YOU CAN EXPLAIN THIS BETTER --
THIS IS NOT JUST ABOUT ALABAMA.
THIS IS ABOUT ANY COLLEGE
FOOTBALL PROGRAM OR ANY WHITE
HOUSE OR ANY SOUTHERN BAPTIST
CHURCH OR ANY SCHOOL, MY
ARGUMENT WAS VERY SIMPLE.
THEY HAD ABOUT 47 HANGER ONNERS
WHO HAD TOUCHED THE CLOAK OF
BEAR BRYANT.
I LOVED BEAR, SERIOUSLY, AND IF
LEROY JORDAN DECIDED ONE DAY HE
WAS PISSED OFF AT A COACH, THE
COACH HAD TO GO AND BOW AND
SCRAPE AND SCRAPE TO LEROY
JORDAN OR YOU COULD NAME 30
OTHER PEOPLE WHO WERE JUST LIKE
THAT, AND MY ARGUMENT WAS
SIMPLE.
GET A GUY LIKE SABAN WHO’S TOUGH
AS HELL, WHO’S NOT GOING TO
LISTEN TO ANYBODY, WHO’S GOING
TO GO IN AND HE ANSWERS TO THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY, AND
THAT’S IT.
AND A GUY LIKE SABAN WILL GO TO
THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY,
OH, YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT I’M
DOING?
OKAY, FINE, I’LL LEAVE, BUT OF
COURSE HE HASN’T LEFT BECAUSE
THEY LET ONE MAN RUN THAT
PROGRAM, AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE,
PAUL.
YOU’RE RIGHT, IT’S MADE A HUGE
DIFFERENCE, AND NOBODY WOULD SAY
IT 13 YEARS AGO.
>> WHAT’S INTERESTING, JOE, IS A
LOT OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL PROGRAMS
WERE RUN THE SAME WAY AS ALABAMA
WHERE YOU HAD THESE MEDDLING
BOOSTERS.
I ASKED NICK SABAN ONCE, HE WAS
OFFERED THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
JOB, THIS IS EIGHT YEARS AGO.
THEY OFFERED HIM MORE THAN
$100 MILLION TO COME THERE.
HE SAID THERE’S NO WAY I WOULD
GO THERE.
I WOULD HAVE TO ANSWER TO 25 OIL
TYCOONS.
I’M NOT GOING TO DO THAT.
WHEN HE SHOWED UP AT ALABAMA, HE
WENT FROM RED ELEPHANT CLUB TO
RED ELEPHANT CLUB.
THAT’S THE BOOSTER CLUB IN
ALABAMA, THE HIGH END DONORS,
AND HE SAID YOU STAY THE BLANK
AWAY FROM ME, AND HE SAID
OBVIOUSLY USED MUCH STRONGER
LANGUAGE.
NOBODY -- THERE WAS ONLY ONE
VOICE THERE, AND THAT’S REALLY
BEEN THE ISSUE IN COLLEGE
FOOTBALL FOR REALLY AS LONG AS
WE’VE BEEN WATCHING IT, JOE.
YOU HAVE TOO MANY OUTSIDE
INFLUENCES TELLING THE
ADMINISTRATION WHAT TO DO.
>> IT’S HARD, PAUL, TO SEE THE
ALABAMA, NOTRE DAME GAME BEING
CLOSE, JUST THE EYE TEST ON BOTH
OF THOSE TEAMS.
ALABAMA IS SO GOOD AGAIN THIS
YEAR.
CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THIS TEAM?
YOU SORT OF FEEL LIKE EVERY YEAR
YOU SAY THEY LOST THIS GUY AND
THAT GUY AND THEY HAD FIVE OR
SIX FIRST ROUNDERS AND SOMEHOW
NICK SABAN COMES UP WITH MAC
JONES, PLUGS HIM IN.
HE’S NOW A HEISMAN CONTENDER.
THEIR WIDE RECEIVER DEVONTE
SMITH ALSO A HEISMAN CONTENDER,
HOW GOOD IS THIS ALABAMA TEAM
THIS YEAR?
>> WILLIE, THIS MAY BE THE BEST
ALABAMA TEAM I HAVE EVER SEEN,
AND I STARTED COVERING THE
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA RIGHT
AFTER GETTYSBURG, SO IT
ENCOMPASSES A LOT OF TIME.
THINK ABOUT IT, WILLIE, I SENT
MY HEISMAN BALLOT IN MONDAY
AFTERNOON, AND I WAS PERPLEXED
BECAUSE YOU JUST MENTIONED --
THERE WERE THREE CHOICES FOR THE
HEISMAN FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF
ALABAMA ROSTER, AND THEY LOST
ANOTHER ONE ABOUT TEN WEEKS AGO
IN JASON WADDLE.
THATST HOW
THAT’S HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS.
I THINK TWO ALABAMA PLAYERS WILL
BE FINALISTS FOR THE HEISMAN,
AND NIGH GEE HARRIS WILL
PROBABLY FINISH IN THE TOP FIVE.
THAT’S HOW TALENTED THIS TEAM
IS.
WHAT NICK SABAN DID, HE FOLLOWED
THE REVOLUTION IN COLLEGE
FOOTBALL.
BY THE WAY, WILLIE, YOU
MENTIONED NOTRE DAME.
NOTRE DAME IS LOSING ITS
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR, CLARK
LEE, TO VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY,
AND I THINK THERE’S A CHANCE,
JOE AND WILLIE, THAT VANDERBILT
NEXT YEAR MAY EVEN WIN A GAME.
>> OH, MY GOD.
THAT’S FANTASTIC.
>> PAUL, IT WAS GOING SO WELL.
>> LET ME JUST SAY VERY
SINCERELY YOUR DEVASTATING DIG
THERE.
CLARK LEE IS ONE OF THE GREAT
YOUNG COACHES IN COLLEGE
FOOTBALL, HE’S FROM NASHVILLE.
HE PLAYED AT VANDERBILT.
HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT’S GOING
TO TAKE.
IT’S A BIG LIFT AND A VERY TOUGH
JOB, BUT WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT
CLARK LEE IN NASHVILLE FOR SURE.
>> PAUL, I’M SO GLAD YOU BROUGHT
UP NAJI HARRIS’S NAME.
I WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIM FOR A
SECOND BECAUSE I’VE BEEN
WATCHING ALABAMA FOOTBALL MY
WHOLE LIFE, AND MY GOSH, YOU CAN
JUST SEE THAT GUY’S CHARACTER ON
AND OFF THE FIELD.
I MEAN, THOSE ARE THE PLAYERS
THAT I LOVE.
I LOVE THE TEAMMATES THAT, YOU
KNOW, THEY SCORE A TOUCHDOWN.
THEY DON’T MAKE IT ALL ABOUT
THEMSELVES.
THEY GO TO THE SIDELINES AND
THEY’RE NOT LIKE WAVING AND
GOING CRAZY, LIKE NAJI HARRIS IS
CALIFORNIA COOL.
MORE IMPORTANTLY THAN THAT, HE’S
JUST A GREAT TEAMMATE.
I LOVE THIS GUY.
HE’S AN AMAZING ATHLETE.
HE’S AN AMAZING RUNNER.
I LOVE THE STORY I HEARD LAST
WEEK, HE WENT TO COACH AT THE
END OF LAST YEAR AND SAID WHAT
DO I NEED TO DO?
AND THE COACH SAID YOU’RE JUST
ONE OF THE BEST NATURAL
ATHLETES.
RAISE YOUR VOICE IN THE LOCKER
ROOM GET A LITTLE MORE INVOLVED.
HE DID THAT.
THIS IS A REALLY SPECIAL KID, HE
WOULD BE MY PICK FOR THE