This is an opinion column.
Wearing a hoodie and baseball cap, Kalen DeBoer took the podium.
He smiled. A real challenge, and his first post-practice press conference at Alabama got off to an encouraging start.
Farewell, Tinhorn.
And welcome to a kinder, gentler day in the cave of rat poison.
Need tangible proof of the new era in the press room? Nick Saban's successor was asked about the identity of the starting quarterback after the first spring training on Monday.
And he lived.
“Someone had to do the first few reps with them today when we lined up and we called them that and Jalen did it,” DeBoer responded in part. “So he’s doing everything he can along with the other guys that have gotten those first few reps.”
Not a finger touches the podium. No death stare on media relations. No animal sacrifices. Just a serious answer and move on to the next question.
A new day indeed.
The second floor interview room gained an infamous reputation for years. Step on a landmine of Saban questions and grab a shovel. That's the thing about asking the newly resigned coach a question. It had to be precise and worded in a way that avoided unnecessary comparisons or hypotheses.
It was truly an experience like no other coach. And when the request veered off course, SportsCenter had the footage. It didn't have to be a “bad” question, just a question that lacked discipline could draw ire.
In any case, that is not the case now.
DeBoer stood before a packed room Monday and greeted the esteemed press with a “How are we doing?” and that beaming smile. Flanked by the sponsored bottle of lemonade, there were several clues to the past in the room. The traditional water bottle warning from Cedric Burns — Saban's longtime assistant — was not part of the DeBoer routine.
If we're honest, it's a bit bigger too.
An old minor league baseball roster in 1998 listed DeBoer at 6 feet 3 inches tall. That's correct.
There was also an unintentional nod to the past at one point as DeBoer ran through some of the tentpole maxims for the program.
“Winning, I know this is a results-oriented part,” DeBoer said, echoing his predecessor, “but we really focus on what the winners do.”
The process is alive.
But a large portion of them retreated to South Florida.
The new era will include the availability of assistant coaches beyond those required for bowl games. The media windows will be open for the first time since Saban closed them several years ago.
This means a little more insight not only for the authors, but also for the readers. So that's all you need. Which is nice.
At the same time, something was missing from DeBoer's 15 minutes of time at the microphone on Monday.
Call it Stockholm Syndrome, because I've covered Saban standing in the same spot for more than 14 years, but the threat of a meltdown always added a dose of adrenaline to the proceedings. Sure, that had mellowed out a bit in his final years, but those pressers had the potential to go off the rails at any moment.
Honestly, it was kind of fun.
Kept you on your toes knowing you were one word away from internet shame. Some people jump out of planes for this rush. We raised a microphone.
Twisted, I know.
But those days are over. Not dead and buried two meters underground, but disappeared. GONE.
With improved access, unimaginable under the previous regime, it will undoubtedly be easier to do our work. It will be cool to have human interactions with assistant coaches.
But some of us will miss the pun that asks a question in the chess game with Saban.
And the real weirdos will write wistfully about the times we experienced some old-fashioned ass-munching on live television.
Michael Casagrande is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.