I just want to remain on record. I have said before that I thought whoever replaced Shula would have a pretty good season this year. Well apparently Saban can't. I am not convinced Saban is the answer for Alabama but we paid a hell of a lot of money for him.
Alabama just lost to Louisiana Monroe 21-14. For $4M a year you would think you could beat Louisiana Monroe. Disgusting!
While that is a bad loss and believe me as a ND fan I know bad losses, you have to feel that Saban will do what he does and that is recruit well and build the program so that by year 3 you will be back in the Nat'l championship hunt.
:idea: I agree with Terry. Saban is there to rebuild a program that was knocked low by Shula. It will take three years of recruiting to build it back up. This was only year #1...
bama <t>that program was knocked low long before Shula stepped back on campus. I think Shula was not the bad guy he was made out to be.<br/> <br/> What you see there is a few things at work:<br/> <br/> -The lingering effects of DuBose and the NCAA probation.<br/> -The still interfering boosters, an impatient fan base and an AD who may well be more of a part of the problem than anything.<br/> -The gut wrenching sting of what Coach Fran did. Coaches move on. What he did TO (not at) Alabama was terrible. He was entrusted with a job and proud program. That SOB used them as a tool to get back to TX and a big paycheck.<br/> <br/> IMHO, Shula would have been fine but it would have taken him years to build. The Bama fans don't want that. They want winning now. They pay Saban a whole lot of money to beat the likes of Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn and Florida. Louisian-Monroe and their ilk shouldn't even be a blip on the radar.<br/> <br/> I agree that he is building, but so was Shula. Things will be fine, in fact they will be better than under Shula.. but they are going to have to be patient..imho</t>
Okay, I have sobered up and cooled down a bit. As Tailback told me last year, I was on another planet and did not think Shula would be fired. I also thought that with the talent Shula brought in (as I remember it he had top 20 recruiting classes) this year would be the year we started to recover. Well something happened that caused Shula to be fired suddenly and we had yet another coach. This one is supposed to be the savior. I am still not sure that Saban is a good fit for Alabama. I have been saying that since he was hired and I still say it. Corey, you are right about that coach at A&M. However I think he may have done us a favor by leaving. I have a sinking feeling that Shula may have been our long term solution and we didn't have the patience to give him a chance. :cry:
I know Michigan State fans are bitter he left them right when he finally put a decent product on the field but most that I have talked to and Michigan fans also scoff when the discussion of Saban and his NCAA leading 4 million dollar salary come up. The highest paid coach in CFB or the FBS if you will did not blow people away up here in Michigan, winning zero championships and his highlight was taking MSU to a season in which they finally played in a New Years Day Bowl....which he didn't even coach in. He did win the NC at LSU but also remember his Tigers lost 7-19 that year to Ron Zook and a freshman Qb named Chris Leak. He was a huge flop at Miami....in other words why is this man God in Alabama?
:lol: 8) KP.....your assesment could be right or a bit premature. Saban was a disaster at the NFL level....but not so at college. He is definitely overpaid and over-lauded and Bama fans went hysterical when he came to campus. Its too soon to see what will happen......give him three years....he could possibly be what he was at LSU....BUT...the "now Saban"....may be a different individual versus the "old Saban" at LSU. By that I mean that he has an ego the size of the constellation....and he has a cantakerous and acidic personality as well. When at the Dolphins; Saban would walk the halls and never, ever, say hello to anyone that crossed his path and would not speak to his staff until he wanted to.......no social contact with his players or office people....a very weird trait that earned him a lot of dislike among the media, the Dolphin organization and his players. I highly doubt this is the same Saban that won at LSU.....the $$$ he now earns, coupled with a fat buyout....make him imune to the thought of being human.....he knows he is set for life....no matter what happens. Does Saban want to be the old....or is he comfortable with the new?...we'll see
Well, even though I don't care much for the guy, I think Saban will get it worked out at Bama. However, I think Shula would have done a good job had he been able to continue. [Same probably can be said about Zook at UF.] WRT the decision to hire Saban ..... at least Bama didn't hire Randy Shannon!!
You know Urban got blitzed at Bama his first year and it made you pause a little about where the program was going with his offense....which couldn't do anything that day. However....you somehow knew or felt he was worth having the patience for. Maybe Saban is that kind of guy but the point is at the money he is being paid he has to be and had better never repeat what happened in T-town yesterday. I know if he has only Michigan State type success he will be booted out of town.
kp, I assure you we did you a HUGE favor. _ennis might have done better at Alabama than he has in Texas, but he would NEVER have gotten you over the hump. The guy is a loser, and we should have seen it. We did the crime, and now we are about to finish doing the time. I hope to come back to football relevance after this time in the hole. Saban is expensive, but in the end I think you will be back where you want.
the acidic personality <t>first of all... i dont think Fran would have returned Alabama to greatness. What he did though, was leave the program and its most vulnerable time..and bolted right before a key recruiting class in the bigger recruiting picture for Alabama.<br/> <br/> I think Saban will win.<br/> <br/> You better get use to that acidic personality, its going to get worse when they start winning big... and Bama fans don't care one way or the other if you like them or their guy... and like ND, they have painted themselves in a corner.. he IS their guy now.<br/> <br/> He's going to win, and he's going to be a motherf***er about it too. Enjoy it now.<br/> <br/> IMHO, Shula would have been the guy to rebuild long term and improve the image of Alabama as the 'evil empire of the south.'.<br/> <br/> Saban is going to build long term, but he isn't the diplomat that Shula is/was. Some of you should enjoy your day in the sun..IMHO, Darth Vadar is about to return.</t>
When Saban arrived at MSU, the team was on probation with George Perles leavng the cupboard pretty bare. Within 3 years, State was competing for the B10 title. LSU was not in great shape when he took over the program and he turned them into national champions. Nick's an outstanding college coach and will put Bama back into elite status by 2009. He will not win any awrd for charm though. If I recall, his nickname at State was "Nick the Prick" ...
Corey, That is the part I have the most problem with about Saban. You see, I think most Alabama fans do care about how we win. Don't get me wrong, I relish the thought that Alabama will get back into the NC picture and soon, but I want to do it with a little style. Bryant and Stallings had it, I think Shula had it. Saban? Saban has only been here 1 season, less than a year so maybe I am quick to get down on him but Alabama has to have had more talent than UL-M. I don't know,there is just something about Saban that is a little too slick, I guess that's the term. We'll see. Winning covers a lot blemishes but I just get the feeling that Saban will be here for about 5 years and then move on. I would really like to have a long term solution.
Interesting conversation here. I agree with Corey that the problems at Alabama were not Shula's fault. The NCAA probation is designed to make it difficult for teams to contend at the top level and it takes several years to recover, the Gators know the feeling well from the middle 80's. A coach needs time to rebuild from a NCAA probation and I don't think that Bama gave Shula that time. Will Saban do it, who knows? I have a feeling that if the attitude that comes across pretty clear in this topic is Saban's mode of operation that it could come back to haunt him. Only time will tell.
Once again <t>I see no difference. The same game, difference coaches. I hope Saban's recruiting is the difference because the game day coaching is not. Alabama did not outcoach Auburn, and for $4M a year we should have.</t>
The offseason will be a might uncomfortable for Saban if Bama does not win the bowl game. As they say in the south....the dew is off the Lily. :wink:
Interesting <t>because about a month ago, the various experts and 'voices of southern football' had proclaimed that Alabama had finally received a return on that $4 million investment and it was worth every penny.<br/> <br/> Its for that reason, their lack of integrity, that you won't hear them calling for Saban to give the money back (ala Weis at ND)...but they got cheated of about $3mil this year.<br/> <br/> Saban's recruiting prowess is what will, or should, right this ship...but make no mistake, this ship is listing because of Saban, not Shula.</t>