That guy is the wacko, we don't have two more years of scholarship reductions, and Jim Leavitt didn't turn us down, he was never offered. Shoot that messenger. :-)
RTR LC --- Joel Perry <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The way the brash and crass Crimson Tide Nation is > easing along and nodding > endlessly to every word from the new boy king, Mike > Shula, it may as well be > the periwinkle populace. > Those maniacal and menacing fans -- and we're being > extremely gracious here, > folks -- have been humbled and handcuffed by some of > the worst > decision-making in recent memory. From the wackos > with the Tide boxes and > toilet paper to fat-cat boosters in those god-awful > crimson sport coats to > Joe Sixpack who praises Coach one week and burns his > lawn the next, there is > peace among Tiders far and wide. They have no > alternative. > This is what happens when school presidents, > athletic directors and > influential boosters get involved by reactively > duct-taping problems instead > of proactively eliminating them. This is what > happens when the coaches hired > by those same administrators make poor decisions > that affect the whole of a > storied program. This is why Shula, who by all > rights should be in way over > his head in Tuscaloosa, suddenly has the easiest job > in America. > Who would've ever thought "easy" and "Alabama" would > ride in the same cart? > Not Dennis Franchione, and certainly not Mike DuBose > or Mike Price. Yet > Shula could lose more than he wins in his first > three years at the Capstone > and still be safe. > The program has been dragged through enough muck and > mire to last three more > coaching hires. Extramarital affairs, lies, deceit > and sexcapades -- a hell > of a resume to run the country, but no way to run a > football program. So the > Tide is left to a young man who never has been a > head coach. Who never has > recruited and doesn't know an NCAA manual from a > Jackie Collins novel. Who > has toiled the last 15 years as a somewhat obscure > NFL assistant but now has > been dropped into a desperate situation -- with two > more years of > scholarship reductions staring back at him. > There's an eerie sense of calm in Tuscaloosa, but > for all the wrong reasons. > "He'll have a long leash on the field," one > prominent Alabama booster says > of Shula. "And he can thank those other three > (coaches) for that." > In the aftermath of DuBose, Franchione and Price > mistakes, both the > administration and Tide Nation are desperate for > stability and sensibility. > But at what point does it become more important for > a university to retain > its pride and prestige off the field instead of its > power and performance on > it? The only coach worth a spit since Paul "Bear" > Bryant retired in 1982 > (there have been seven) is Gene Stallings, who won a > national title in 1992 > and retired after the '96 season. The last three > have humiliated the > university to the point of becoming late-night punch > lines. > Did you hear about Mike Price's 2003 season slogan? > "Win one for the > stripper." > After all that, it couldn't be clearer: Mike Shula > is bulletproof. > He still hasn't met half his players. He still > doesn't know some of the key > employees in the football offices, a few of whom run > the day-to-day > operations. He can't evaluate talent or teach until > August, and neither > Franchione's nor Price's offense will be remotely > close to the one Shula > wants to use this fall. Different formations, > different terminology, > different philosophies -- it will all be rolled into > three weeks of > preparation before the season opener against an > underrated South Florida > team whose coach, Jim Leavitt, just happened to turn > down Alabama hours > before it panicked and hired Price. > If Shula loses over the next three years, it will > have little to do with his > coaching ability and more to do with what he is > sweeping up. If he fails to > recruit well, it will be because of the negativity > brought about by the > previous instability. And if Alabama yanks the cord > before his six-year > contract is complete, it will be admitting it made > yet another mistake in a > monotonous soap opera. > "The circumstances are what they are," Shula says. > "They're not going to > change." > As strange as it sounds, those circumstances make > his life more comfortable. > No one knows what the Shula era will bring: a return > to glory or another > coach torn apart by the pressure of following the > Bear. Shula's most > significant coaching responsibility in the NFL, > offensive coordinator for > the Bucs, ended after four years because the unit > was more predictable than > productive. One NFL personnel director says Shula > was shackled by then-coach > Tony Dungy's desire to limit turnovers and win with > defense. Whatever the > case, Shula faces a boatload of sketchy recent > history -- both his and the > university's -- with a handful of mulligans in his > pocket. > No Alabama coach in more than 70 years has won more > than eight games in his > first season. Shula played on the last team to win > eight under a first-year > coach -- Ray Perkins in 1983. Shula also > quarterbacked the first losing team > after Bryant, finishing 5-6 in 1984. If he learned > anything from that > season, it's that there's always salvation at the > end of the road: the Iron > Bowl. The Tide beat Auburn, 17-15, that year, > salting away a bitter campaign > with an emotional farewell. > How secure is Mike Shula? For now, the Auburn game > doesn't even matter. > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics > Discussion List > > "Welcome to RollTideFan! 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