Stewart Mandel on Bammers

[otterinbham 0]

For the last four years, Mike Shula has been given a pass due to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his hiring at Alabama. In this, his fourth year, the team has shown little-to-no improvement and has now lost to the worst team in the SEC, Mississippi State. What is the likelihood that this is Shula's final season coaching the Tide? Who is likely to replace him?

-- Curtis, Leeds, Ala.

Back in 2003, when Alabama was going through yet another coaching change, I wrote a pretty critical column about the school and the state, saying the reason why the Crimson Tide have failed to sustain any long-term success since the Bear Bryant era is their penchant for chewing up and spitting out coaches. And now, it's happening again. No question, this has been a disappointing season for the Tide, and last Saturday's loss was horrendous. Has Shula done a good coaching job this season? Of course not. But hear me now: The worst thing Alabama could do right now is make yet another coaching change.

Most Alabamians remain in pretty strong denial about just how far the program has slipped -- and about just how directly two major NCAA sanctions and a gazillion coaching changes have contributed to that -- but think about it: Under the Bear, 'Bama was the undisputed king of the SEC. Over the past decade, however, the Tide have been no better than the sixth- or seventh-strongest program in the conference (behind Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Auburn, LSU and, at times, Arkansas). The one thing Alabama needs more than anything is stability. If it fires Shula -- who, despite what this season's record might indicate, has done a very good job recruiting and did just win 10 games last season -- who is it going to replace him with? Butch Davis? Do you really think he's going to be there for 10 years? No, he'll be back to the NFL as soon as he has any kind of success, and then you're starting this process all over again.

I beg of you, Alabama fans, to try something new for a change: It's called "patience." Get off Shula's back. I'm sure he'll make some staff/program changes during the offseason. And if things don't get better next season, then you have my full permission to hang him in effigy.