04/19/24
November 27, 2006
Alabama has fired Coach Shula: Crimson Tide, 10-2 last year, this year they're 6-6. Does he deserve being fired?
Alumni may have been a bit premature in calling for his head, despite going 0 for 4 against Auburn. After giving him a contract extension through 2012 last May, you would have thought that next years record would be the one to tell just how good his recruiting was, given that the entire team would have been signed during his tenure. Ironically, Dennis Franchione saved his job at Texas A&M with the upset of Texas this last Friday.
posted by mjkredliner at 09:22 AM on November 27, 2006
Yes he does, he's 0-19 when trailing after 3 quarters, his teams are terrible on the offensive side of the ball and credit goes to joe Kines for the great defensive schemes. Good riddance I say, Mike is no Don Shula!
posted by crimsonblood at 09:33 AM on November 27, 2006
Luckily for Texas they lost to A&M and probably saved Franny's job for another year or two, and they don't want Franny to leave, he's the best weapon UT has, I hope he stays at A&M for a long long time, UT will continue to dominate, in spite of Mack Brown's poor coaching ability.
posted by crimsonblood at 09:50 AM on November 27, 2006
Looks like he gets to fight with Dave over who gets to run the steakhouse. Or maybe the Bengals will hire him.
posted by mick at 09:58 AM on November 27, 2006
Crazy. MSU, UNC, Miami, 'Bama, and possibly even PSU and/or FSU could all be open this offseason. Big openings in big conferences (NCSU in the ACC too, and I assume some other second-tier schools in top-tier conferences) could make this a crazy offseason for coaches- Schiano will have both Miami and 'Bama throwing tons of money at him, for example.
posted by tieguy at 11:00 AM on November 27, 2006
Coach Shula to the University of Miami. The last name is enough to merit deity-respect down there.
posted by PublicUrinal at 11:03 AM on November 27, 2006
PubUrinal: If Shula couldn't get er done at Bama, forget it at Miami. You've identified what got Bama in trouble in the first place: thinking the name "Shula" was predestined for automatic winning. It doesn't work that way in football, nepotism works in the real world of politics and business, where you can skate by with no accountability or massive f-ups and still keep your job, i.e. the name "Bush".
posted by crimsonblood at 12:53 PM on November 27, 2006
Actually, George Bush kept his job because he was re-elected. But this isn't PoliticsFilter.
posted by Venicemenace at 01:10 PM on November 27, 2006
tieguy, UNC has found their man (former Miami guy Butch Davis) already. The State job search should be interesting, though.
posted by mbd1 at 01:18 PM on November 27, 2006
Crimson: I'm certainly not arguing qualifications or anything, but the name might just sell. I just wonder if UM will pull a Vikings and just go for the coach that is most likely to keep the players out of trouble, not the one most qualified to run a winning program. But given the discipline administered by the school administration after the FIU incident, I don't think that will be the case.
posted by PublicUrinal at 01:34 PM on November 27, 2006
Not that the Wolf Puppies will land Bill Cowher (at least not yet), but just to stoke up the ol' rumor mill, he does own a house here in Raleigh and his kids attend a local school. Ya know, just sayin'.
posted by NoMich at 02:24 PM on November 27, 2006
There is also a Bowden spawn that will be looking for a job at the end of this season.
posted by irunfromclones at 02:26 PM on November 27, 2006
mbd1: oh, I know; I'm doubly bitter because (1) I wanted him back in Coral Gables and (2) he's going to be beating up on Duke for years to come. So a lose-lose for me. But nevertheless it opened up the offseason's carousel and brought a national-championship caliber coach back into the ACC- not something that happens very often, and which should have a long-term impact on the national balance of power, as it signals that the ACC is getting deeper. Urinal: Even the old man got very little slack towards the end of his tenure with the 'Fins; no reason to think that the son would get any attention whatsoever from the 'Canes. The alums there will want someone who left their last college employer on a high note, or (worst case scenario) someone like Davis or Spurrier who weren't great at their last/current positions but who proved they could win in the past when given the right tools. Shula the Younger has neither of those excuses. NoMich: I don't see why the Wuff Pack shouldn't land Cowher- he is an alum; his wife is moving down the road; he is having a terrible season this year; and he's got very little left to prove in the NFL. The only big reason I see for him not to make the move is the paycut he'd take, which admittedly would be huge. (Take my reading of the situation with a grain of salt; I thought Davis would be insane to go to Chapel Hill.) The excellent Dave Sez suggests that Grobe could move from Wake to 'Bama. Probably a smart move for him- he'll never be hotter than he is right now, unless miraculously he wins a national title next year.
posted by tieguy at 02:47 PM on November 27, 2006
Any coach considering the Bama job should be committed to a mental institution. All you have to do there is compete for the SEC title every other year when you're not 10-2.
posted by iamthelummox at 03:25 PM on November 27, 2006
Any coach considering the Bama job should be committed to a mental institution.
The problem is that anyone considering any Div. 1 coaching job in a revenue sport should be committed to a mental institution, so wanting the Bama job merely means you should be fitted for a slightly more restrictive straightjacket than the ones already hanging in your closet. posted by tieguy at 04:03 PM on November 27, 2006
The SEC has five of the top 25 and three of the top 9 (and your not one of those schools). When you combine that simple fact with the long and storied history at Alabama and It would take a ballsy coach to succesfully fill that role. There are coaches who just want to walk into a title and then there are coaches who want to build their team from the ground up. I always have respect for the guys that come in and build their school / franchise from the bottom up.
posted by kyrilmitch_76 at 08:21 PM on November 27, 2006
I live down the street from the Switz.
posted by igottheblues at 12:04 AM on November 28, 2006
It's Bear hunting season again!
posted by manics21 at 08:51 AM on November 28, 2006
Shula, a former Alabama quarterback, was winless in four tries against Auburn, his team's biggest rival. That, plus his overall record since taking the job (just a bit over .500) says it all. Mediocrity has been the norm at Alabama for some time now, and the program needs a shot in the arm to get back to being a national power.