Shula making it easy for Tuberville

[DKW 86 7,437]

http://www.al.com/sports/mobileregister/nm....xml&coll=3

Shula making it easy for Tuberville

Sunday, September 17, 2006

TUSCALOOSA -- Tommy Tuberville must be living right.

Has any Auburn coach ever gotten more help from his rival across the state at the Capstone?

Saturday night, minutes after Tuberville's third-ranked Tigers finished a huge win over No. 6 LSU on CBS, it became obvious that Alabama coach Mike Shula was committing yet another public relations blunder, this one likely the most stunning in his tenure at his alma mater.

Tuberville wakes up this morning with a team that should be ranked No. 2 behind Ohio State, a coach who now controls his own national championship destiny. Shula, meanwhile, wakes up today with some serious credibility questions.

Compare and contrast all you'd like, for recruits certainly will. Some Alabama fans will undoubtedly bury their heads in the sand, spew the line about being 3-0 and drink deeply out of their pitcher of Crimson Kool-Aid, but Shula's program looks like a crew without a captain today.

Shula can't do anything about what's happening on the Plains, at least not until Auburn makes the trip to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nov. 18. However, his credibility issues have been self-inflicted.

When Alabama's defense took the field in the first quarter Saturday night against Louisiana-Monroe, linebacker Juwan Simpson stood on the sidelines, dressed out but not carrying his helmet. Demarcus Waldrop, a junior from Pinson Valley, started in his place.

As was widely rumored Thursday and Friday, Simpson had company on the suspension list. Sophomore running back Jimmy Johns and sophomore defensive back Lionel Mitchell did not play against Louisiana-Monroe either, though, like Simpson, both players were dressed out.

Shula would not specify why they were suspended, saying only that seven players violated team rules over the summer.

In fairness, Shula did provide an explanation of sorts after the win over the Warhawks. He said two players -- one was wide receiver DJ Hall and the other is unknown -- were suspended for the opener against Hawaii. Two others -- offensive lineman Kyle Tatum and an unnamed player -- were suspended for the win over Vanderbilt. The final three offenders missed Saturday night's game.

If that explanation is truthful -- some will believe it and others won't -- Shula could have saved himself and his program a lot of grief by revealing that plan in August. The fact that he chose not to is baffling.

Perhaps that "deer-in-the-headlights" look that Shula commonly sports on the sideline has nothing to do with his relative inexperience as a head coach. Perhaps the look is a genuine I-have-no-business-here expression, proof that a picture might indeed be worth a thousand words.

Shula said he didn't think it would be "fair" to suspend all seven players from the opener. He went on to add that privacy of the suspensions are important to him because they are "personal." No one's arguing that, but given the publicity that accompanied Simpson's arrest, Simpson's status needed to be addressed long before Saturday night.

Imagine the heat Tuberville would be taking today had linebackers Kevin Sears and/or Tray Blackmon, who did not play in Auburn's games against Washington State and Mississippi State, played Saturday against LSU and then resumed their position on the suspension list prior to Buffalo's upcoming trip to the Plains. Neither Sears nor Blackmon, by the way, played against LSU.

Unlike Shula, Tuberville gets it. He always has known how to use the media to get his message across. To date, Shula has proven to be ignorant and/or uncaring about perception.

Simpson told a television reporter that he would "give myself an ice cream cone" if he were in charge of his own discipline. Then Shula took a ton of criticism when Simpson collected nine tackles against Hawaii. During the press conference following that game, Shula said Simpson "has been great since everything's happened," adding that the senior linebacker has "worked hard to prove himself to his teammates and coaches."

Shula apparently wasn't being entirely truthful. Two weeks later, just when most were ready to move past the Simpson story, Shula found a way to thrust the whole sordid matter back into the spotlight.

Unless Shula learns from his mistakes, he could be headed for a terrible fate. Don't think for a minute that the fans with the crimson-tinted glasses won't talk about Simpson and the rest of the seven rule-breakers when and if the losses start piling up as early as Saturday in Fayetteville against Arkansas.

At least Bill Herman doesn't have to worry about Shula taking his gig one day. Herman, in case you're wondering, is the marketing director for Don Shula's Steakhouses, LP. As we've learned repeatedly, marketing and public relations aren't exactly Mike Shula's strengths. Here's betting Shula could serve a mean dessert, though.

Ice cream, perhaps, on top of a waffle.

[Ranger12 46]

Dang! That sportswriter ain't drinking none of that crimson kool-aid.

I wonder what happened to the story that Simpson had already been punished by scrubbing toilets at the jail? Guess we all now know what a lie that was. Also, how do you suspend players, but yet have them dress out, what was the purpose in that if they are not going to play? I'll tell you what the purpose was. Since Shula did not make any official comments about the suspensions until after the game, he was going to make sure he did not need those guys first before he "suspended" them. I can guarantee that if LA-Monroe would have played UAT close like Hawaii and Vandy did, there would not have been any suspensions this past Saturday involving Simpson either.

[jumbo 0]

I think its great that Shuler decides to suspend the 2 best players for a game that 50 members on this board could have suited up and won!!!!!!!! He is a joke and I love it

[runswithscissors 33]

personally, i would really like to think you are wrong but what ranger12 said does seem to make sense. i've always said that if a player gets in trouble with drugs, they should bypass any suspension and just kick them off the team, no matter who it is or what team it is. i understand that some would argue "well they're young they will screw up", but when you have kids on a team and these kids are on a national platform as a representation of your school, i wouldn't think thats the image you want to have. in regards to the simpson issue yes, i do believe he should have simply been kicked off of the team. i just strongly disagree with anyone who does drugs being on a college football team. however, since he is still on the team and with the national attention that the story got i think i would disclose what is going on with his situation. now for the other guys, fine whatever, stick with the "handle it in private" tactic. but in simpson's case, if he wanted to whine that his dirty laundry got aired and the other guys' laundry didn't, well everyone already knows what he did and he shouldn't have done something as stupid as he did. just my 2 cents....

[Ranger12 46]

personally, i would really like to think you are wrong but what ranger12 said does seem to make sense. i've always said that if a player gets in trouble with drugs, they should bypass any suspension and just kick them off the team, no matter who it is or what team it is. i understand that some would argue "well they're young they will screw up", but when you have kids on a team and these kids are on a national platform as a representation of your school, i wouldn't think thats the image you want to have. in regards to the simpson issue yes, i do believe he should have simply been kicked off of the team. i just strongly disagree with anyone who does drugs being on a college football team. however, since he is still on the team and with the national attention that the story got i think i would disclose what is going on with his situation. now for the other guys, fine whatever, stick with the "handle it in private" tactic. but in simpson's case, if he wanted to whine that his dirty laundry got aired and the other guys' laundry didn't, well everyone already knows what he did and he shouldn't have done something as stupid as he did. just my 2 cents....

Brother, the sooner some of your comrades start to come around to that way of thinking, the sooner the pressure will be on Shula to do the right thing or else UAT's program is going to go south and it will take a long time for a decent coach to get them back to where they are used to being.

[runswithscissors 33]

personally, i would really like to think you are wrong but what ranger12 said does seem to make sense. i've always said that if a player gets in trouble with drugs, they should bypass any suspension and just kick them off the team, no matter who it is or what team it is. i understand that some would argue "well they're young they will screw up", but when you have kids on a team and these kids are on a national platform as a representation of your school, i wouldn't think thats the image you want to have. in regards to the simpson issue yes, i do believe he should have simply been kicked off of the team. i just strongly disagree with anyone who does drugs being on a college football team. however, since he is still on the team and with the national attention that the story got i think i would disclose what is going on with his situation. now for the other guys, fine whatever, stick with the "handle it in private" tactic. but in simpson's case, if he wanted to whine that his dirty laundry got aired and the other guys' laundry didn't, well everyone already knows what he did and he shouldn't have done something as stupid as he did. just my 2 cents....

Brother, the sooner some of your comrades start to come around to that way of thinking, the sooner the pressure will be on Shula to do the right thing or else UAT's program is going to go south and it will take a long time for a decent coach to get them back to where they are used to being.

well things haven't quite gone down the toilet but they may very well get there. i'm not there and i don't know every single detail surrounding everything, but it does all seem sort of odd to me. i wish i could say everyone is just flat wrong, but i dunno.....i have at least 5 brain cells.

[sogaaufan 27]

I thought my respect for Shula couldn't go any lower, but this takes the cake. This was the lamest attempt at damage control I have ever seen. The worst part about it is that at this point he should have just let it die. He had missed his window of opportunity on this situation and anything else he did would just draw attention to it again. I love how he picks the games the players are suspended for.

UA better wake up and do something about this guy before he pulls a Jackie Sherrill on them and destroys the credibility of this team and runs them into the ground. UA won't be Ole Miss then, they will be Miss ST!

[RadioWryn 0]

I don't think Tuberville's success has been premeditated by Shula's screw-ups, as McCready's piece hints at.

[AUesquire 1]

I thought Shula didn't comment on player suspensions. Apparently, that's just not the case. Oh well.

[CircleDrill 178]

Either there are no PR people at Bama, or Shula is just so arrogant he won't listen to what anyone says. He and his program are perceived in the media as out of control. Perception is reality.

[quietfan 233]

Either there are no PR people at Bama, or Shula is just so arrogant he won't listen to what anyone says. He and his program are perceived in the media as out of control. Perception is reality.

He apparently doesn't listen to any advice when it comes to his uninspiring offensive calls, so why should he listen to anyone when it comes to PR?

[80Tiger 899]

These guys are really starting to look bad. I mean whos suspends players, but they still dress out. The inference is if it gets bad, they will go in.

Then to wait to the third game of the season is absolutely ridiculous. It looks as if the coaching staff looks at the schedule and determines which game is the best to apply discipline.

What probably actually happened is that this came down from athletic director's office. Head coach wouldn't do anything so AD has to.

[WarTim 3,456]

I think flipper should continue to do everything just as he has done in the past. Definately works for me!

[JohnDeere 0]

Imagine that you were "for whatever reason" put in front of judge for any type of felony offense. And try to imagine, the judge asking you, "Well, son, when would be a good time for YOU and your family to serve your punishment? We really want to work around your families schedule here in this situation as not to cause an inconvience."

It could happen.

To say, "it would be unfair to the team" is a croc of bs.

In the Army the CO can give a single knuckleheard soldier an aricle 15 and take a month's pay. It won't phase him. On the other hand, take a month's pay from a soldier that has a wife and maybe 4 kids. It hurts his family, and thats the point. When he can't provide the grocery money for his family, he'll get his act together or his wife will ensure he gets his act together.

[AUTaxMan 0]

Who kidnapped Neal McCready and replaced him with this impartial, insightful journalist?

[Grider 1]

Who kidnapped Neal McCready and replaced him with this impartial, insightful journalist?

It might be time for his shots. The Crimson Kool-Aid vaccine requires annual inoculations to renew the crimson color in the lens of the eye.

[rolltoomer 0]

I think Sheila misses the point of the effect the suspensions have on the grit and resolve of the rest of the team, in coming together to shore things up because of the missing warriors.

There has to be a pride and courage and unity thing that goes beyond his perceptions.

"Fair to the team"?. Doing what he is doing is not fair to the team.

Not sure he understands what goes into making up a true "TEAM".

[ThatGuy 0]

As a Bama student who attends classes with these men(using losely) I will be the first to tell you that Bama cannot be far from another probation with these guys on the team. BUT it seems that CMG has his basketball players under control as they are really good guys to be around.