quietfan 233 Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 http://www.al.com/sports/mobileregister/nm...54273296410.xml Tide fans should live in real worldWednesday, 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. The only thing I would add is that some Auburn fans can be just as fickle. CTT looks great to everyone right now, and I've always admired the way he's turned our program around. But if fickle fans, or meddling impatient administrators drive him off in another year, we also would have major problems getting a really good coach to come to such a cauldron of controversy. Let's respect what Coach Tuberville has built so far and keep the ball rolling on having a stable, classy, quality program. [And do whatever it takes to be sure Coaches Chizik & Borges stick around too!] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tigerdog 0 Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 Let's respect what Coach Tuberville has built so far and keep the ball rolling on having a stable, classy, quality program. [And do whatever it takes to be sure Coaches Chizik & Borges stick around too!] Amen to that brother! Preach on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BamaGrad03 0 Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 I love how, all of the sudden, our entire fan base is painted with the "message board" or "call in show" stroke. Yeah that covers everyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesfau 0 Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 I love how, all of the sudden, our entire fan base is painted with the "message board" or "call in show" stroke. Yeah that covers everyone. 108811[/snapback] It's not all of the sudden. Phyllis set the gold standard for Bama fans long ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarTim 3,456 Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aubie7 0 Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 Wow! What a great article. "You want the truth! You CAN"T handle the truth!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevroletmc 0 Posted October 6, 2004 Share Posted October 6, 2004 i agree good article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECEstudentUA 9 Posted October 7, 2004 Share Posted October 7, 2004 Anyone who thought Alabama was going to win more than 7 or so games is stupid. I said they would win 6 or so with Brodie. Now I would be happy if they would just show up and play. The whole idea about firing Shula is the last thing Alabama needs to do. Even if Spurrier wanted to come here, I dont think I would be for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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