Ryan Grubb wanted to talk about Alabama’s response to adversity. Instead, he created another problem for Kalen DeBoer’s program. The Crimson Tide OC spoke to reporters Monday about the team’s 50-36 comeback against Florida State. Grubb praised his players but brought up Bama fans’ antics, too.

He brought up the fans who booed during the rough opening stretch. That comment spread quickly. By Monday night, Grubb had walked it back.

“The University of Alabama football team runs deep…my commitment to this program is rivaled only by my brothers, whom I lock arms with every day,” Ryan Grubb said in a statement. “I will always back my players…always. I normally speak very directly and don’t cut words. That said – I should have worded my statement today more carefully.

“This is a special place with an incredible fanbase that all of us are thankful for. I have been spoiled by our great fans, who are a sense of inspiration for our players. I let my loyalty and passion for my players affect my choice of words and offend some people that I certainly would have never intended to – the Crimson Tide faithful – and for that I apologize.”

Alabama’s offense started the Florida State game with two straight three-and-outs. The Seminoles, meanwhile, scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions and built a 15-point lead. Some fans inside Bryant-Denny Stadium responded with boos. Grubb remembered it.

He told reporters that Alabama’s players showed no quit, then added that there had been some “boo birds” in the stadium. He followed that by telling his players that if they had quit as quickly as some Alabama fans did, “we wouldn’t have won that game.” The remark immediately shifted attention away from what Grubb had actually been trying to praise.

Alabama had just completed a comeback in which the offense scored on nine consecutive possessions after its opening two punts. Still, there was some context behind Grubb’s frustration. Alabama has not started games cleanly this season.

The Crimson Tide have been outscored 21-20 in the first quarter through three games. Against Florida State, the offense managed only 4.9 yards per play in the opening quarter. The Crimson Tide also struggled early against Kentucky before pulling away. The offense eventually exploded against FSU.

Keelon Russell finished the game with 320 passing yards and three touchdowns. Alabama produced 567 total yards and scored 24 points in the second half. The Tide did not simply survive Florida State. They took control after halftime and closed out a 3-0 start. That comeback was exactly what Grubb wanted his players to remember. The fans, however, were reacting to what they saw before that turnaround.

Even the great Nick Saban had his share of problems with fans at Alabama

Alabama has been a demanding job for generations. Nick Saban arrived in 2007 and immediately found out how little patience Alabama had for setbacks. His first season included a 21-14 home loss to Louisiana-Monroe.

The upset became one of the first major talking points of his tenure. The former HC even called it the most “humiliating” loss of his career. He finished that season 7-6. Two years later, Alabama was national champion. Even after Saban reached the top, Alabama fans kept finding ways to test him.

The 2010 season is one example. Alabama entered the year as the defending national champion but lost 35-21 at South Carolina. The loss came against a ranked SEC team, but the bigger issue was the standard Saban had set at Alabama. The goal was no longer just to get the program back on track. Alabama was expected to stay at the top. Even after a decade of winning, Saban was still held to that standard.

That was even more obvious in 2018. Alabama went into its game against Louisiana-Lafayette ranked No. 1 and won 56-14. There was no competitive crisis. There was no close game. Yet Saban’s postgame frustration centered on something completely different. The student section was only about half full.

Saban publicly criticized the attendance and questioned whether the atmosphere around the program was still matching the effort of his players. That is the part Ryan Grubb is now experiencing. In all, there will always be things to talk about at Alabama, even if the team accomplishes everything.