If you are not on the field, you sit on the bench
In an attempt to better rest his players and to have more control over his team, North Alabama Coach Terry Bowden is requiring his entire team to be seated during the game. If you noticed during last week’s home opener, every player on the sideline was seated. The players are not only required to sit, but they actually have to sit in their assigned seats.
At first, The Matador thought this rule was bizarre, but in retrospect it actually makes sense. In the words of Bowden, “It helps us be more organized on the sideline,” and it keeps “the players rested.”
Some of the players get Bowden’s approach, but don’t necessarily appreciate it, “It is hard to sit down with the game going on, but it is good to be able to rest our legs. It was a little difficult at first, but we’re getting used to it.”
Defensive end Albert Russell admits, “I did think it was a bad idea at first.” “It didn’t seem to work very well in the first game, but it was much better this past week. We seemed to be much more organized for the Carson-Newman game. There are times when you can’t see the game if the offense is in front of us, so I’ve learned to listen to the crowd to know what happens. I can tell a difference in how fresh it keeps us by conserving that energy.”
North Alabama defeated Carson-Newman 31-14, perhaps Bowden is on to something.
