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Pooh
(68.156.6.35) on 10/6/2004 - 1:51 p.m. says: ( 4 views
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"We've been saying this for years"
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Tide fans should live in real world
Sports Columnist Neal McCready
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Now that the delusions about a 7-0 start and a blood
feud in the Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M are dimming
under reality's light, some Alabama fans are openly
wondering if Mike Shula is truly the coach to lead the
Crimson Tide back to national prominence.
There's no clarion call to get rid of the second-year
Alabama coach after Saturday night's embarrassing home
loss to South Carolina, but more than a handful of Tide
fans have brought up names such as Steve Spurrier or
Urban Meyer on Internet message boards and talk radio
programs.
If it weren't so pathetically sad, it would be funny.
Urban Meyer? Yeah, he's leaving Utah for Alabama when
Notre Dame and every other major power will have him
atop their wish lists. Sure he is. And Spurrier? Let's
see, you're Spurrier and you can choose continued
retiremengolf, the Miami Dolphins, Texas, North Carolina
or Alabama. Of those five options, Alabama is no better
than fourth.
Here's a question for those in Fantasy Land: What
exactly did you expect from Shula? He was fired from his
only coordinator position after Tampa Bay lost a
low-scoring NFC Championship Game to the St. Louis Rams,
has a whopping 18 games of experience as a head coach
and the same 18 games of college coaching experience
period, for that matter. In other words, he's learning
on the job and making predictable mistakes along the
way.
Much of Alabama's fan base doesn't want to hear it, but
the Crimson Tide isn't exactly loaded with talent.
Forget NCAA-mandated scholarship limitations, which are
certainly an issue. Dennis Franchione and Mike Price
didn't stockpile Alabama with a wealth of skill players
or linemen. Other than Brodie Croyle, out for the season
with a knee injury, there isn't an SEC-quality
quarterback on campus. Anyone who watched Alabama's
spring practices with an objective eye knew the Tide
would be in trouble if Croyle went down.
To be fair, some Alabama fans are dealing with the
reality, but the vocal fans who missed the news flash
that the 1970s are over are struggling to cope with
recent developments. See, probation hurts. It's supposed
to.
Some argue that the Tide would be 5-0 today if Croyle
were healthy. That could be true and it's certainly an
intriguing discussion. Of course, the Chicago Cubs might
be the defending World Series champions if someone else
had been sitting in Steve Bartman's seat last October.
The New Orleans Saints might be contenders and not
pretenders if Peyton Manning were their quarterback and
Bill Parcells were their coach. We'll never know.
Unlike those what-if debates, you can bet on the
following: Objectively, Alabama will be favored in two
of its remaining six games and a sub-.500 season will be
accompanied by frustrated fans openly clamoring for a
change in Tuscaloosa. Shula's one supposed strength --
recruiting -- is going to be tested thanks to the same
fans who clamored for the former quarterback to be hired
just because they wanted an Alabama man during a trying
time.
Shula's coaching skills and Alabama fans' patience are
about to be tested. Passing grades for either are far
from a sure thing.
(Neal McCready's column appears Wednesdays in the Mobile
Register. Contact him at nmccready@m...)
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