Alabama Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb landed himself in hot water on Monday after comments he made about fans booing during the team’s win over Florida State. Grubb has since apologized, but the apology may have missed the mark just as badly as the original comments did.

When asked about the boo-birds early in the game against Florida State, when Alabama was struggling to move the football, Grubb’s response was as blunt as it was ill-advised.

“I told the guys, I said, shoot guys, If you’d have quit as fast as some of your fans, shit, we wouldn’t have won that game.”

That came off about as poorly as you’d expect. Calling out fans at any point after a win, a loss, you name it, is something you never do. Whether that’s at the high school, college, or pro level, it’s never going to go over well with any fan base, and especially the fan base at the University of Alabama.

What Grubb missed in his comments and his apology

The truth is, what Grubb clearly missed when he made this statement, and in his subsequent apology, is that the fans weren’t booing Keelon Russell. They weren’t booing the offensive line. They weren’t booing the wide receivers or the running backs. They were booing him.

Later in the day, Grubb released a statement through Yea Alabama, essentially apologizing for the remarks he made earlier:

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But the one thing missing from his apology was really the whole point. Grubb didn’t acknowledge the fact that the fans were never booing the players. The fans were never booing Kalen DeBoer. The fans were never booing Russell or the offense. They were booing Ryan Grubb, as they have in the past.

Why Alabama fans were frustrated in the first place

If what happened in the first quarter and a half against Florida State happens against South Carolina, Mississippi State, or anybody else on Alabama’s upcoming schedule, the fans will boo him again. The fans are tired of seeing screen passes on back-to-back plays when the down and distance calls for something else. They’re tired of slow starts that Alabama fans know will catch up to the Crimson Tide if it continues.

You can’t do that against a team like Mississippi State, where they have Kamario Taylor. You can’t do that against Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs. You can’t do that against Texas A&M, Tennessee, and LSU. That is why Alabama fans were booing.

I understand that Grubb put up 50 points. I understand that Alabama’s offense, especially with a young quarterback, has looked good. But this is why the fans reacted the way they did. Whether that’s right or wrong is not for me to decide. What is wrong is calling out the fans.

Grubb has officially apologized. Hopefully this situation blows over, and everyone can put it in the past, because Alabama just scored 50 points and ran Florida State out of Tuscaloosa a year after the exact opposite happened. The Crimson Tide got their revenge. Now on to South Carolina.