What do you think about this?

[AUwareagle84 0]

Ok. I don't post very often, but I just wanted to get everyones take on what this Bama fan said on another Message Board.

He has claimed to know everything about the whole freakin search.

What do you think about this?

Here's the link

I told ya'll I'd give you a synopsis of what transpired for Alabama to land Nick $aban. Here it is.

The week after the Alabama vs UT game, $aban's agent contacted Alabama officials to inform them that Nick would be interested in talking to them about the head coaching position if it were to come open. At that time, Mike Shula had full confidence from his superiors and there was no reason to believe that there would be a coaching vacancy, however there were beginning to be some rumblings within power circles that Shula was over his head and it was becoming obvious. Anyone who watched Alabama underachieve could not deny it. Then came the loss to MSU and that is when the powers that be started reviewing their options. The week after that game, Mal met with Shula and told him that there had be signs of improvement the following two weeks. He didn't dictate that Shula had better win but back to my point earlier, it was obvious the team was digressing instead of progressing. Bama played better but lost to a good LSU team and for the most part it looked like the problems had been addressed. Then came the Auburn game. Shula horribly mismanaged that game and Dr. Witt and Mal were both so furious that they stormed out of their skybox before the game ended.

Let me go back a little. Mike Price brought in an OL coach named Bob Connelly who taught the zone blocking scheme that is ideal for a spread offense. Shula retained him when he came and it became painfully obvious to everyone (except Shula) that the zone blocking scheme was not working for the pro set that Shula wanted to run. It was clear in 2004 that a new OL coach was needed and Shula never addressed it. Also, although Shula had an "OC" in Dave Rader he chose to call the plays himself and quite frankly was not very good at it. Back to the Auburn loss; Mal held a meeting with Shula the Monday after the Auburn game and told him that he needed to address the problems with the O-line and with playcalling and (or as my source told me, gave him an open book test with the answers). There were also serious issues in regards to discipline and S&C that needed addressing. Shula did not demand S&C participation and left it up to his assistants to oversee player participation, however he did not back up his coaches when the players were not attending as they should. They met again the next day and Shula's plan was to move the OL coach to centers and guards and to move the ST coach (who has never ever coached the O line) to tackles. He also told Mal that he would not give up playcalling duties. Mal told him that was not acceptable and to present another plan to him the following day. Well, Shula came back the next day and gave him the exact same plan. What was really happening is that Shula was getting bad advice from Ray Perkins (who was Shula's coach at Bama and was positioning himself to be AD when Mal retired.) Perkins was telling Shula to stand his ground because they wouldn't dare fire him. In the meantime, Mal and Dr. Witt were making contengency plans. On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, Shula scheduled a players meeting for that night and attended that meeting and informed the players that there would be no changes and that all the coaches would be back next year. He was fired shortly after that meeting. What many don't realize is that Shula knew what he was doing and was trying to force Mal's hand because Mal had been trying to call him all day long and Shula wouldn't answer his phone. In the days preceeding the firing, $aban's camp had reiterated that they were interested in the job but would not talk further until there was an official opening. Once that opening came, talks progressed fast and $aban told Bama that if they would wait until the end of the NFL season that he would be theirs. At that time, Jimmy Sexton started leaking Spurriers name about the job and that was done in order to try and keep the attention off of $aban for as long as possible. There was really never any serious flirtation with Spurrier and contrary to reports he was never offered the job.

There is a group in the Alabama AD that I call the "rats". these guys consist of a bunch of good ole boys who have jobs because they know the right people and would rather protect their jobs than do what is best for Alabama. These "rats" were putting pressure via there powerful (BOT) friends on Mal to look at other options because they "thought" $aban and Sexton were just using Alabama to get an extension. The reason I put "thought" in parentheses is because these guys actually knew that $aban would come if Bama waited (and Mal and Dr. Witt were willing to wait) and they also knew that they would be out of a job if $aban came. Mal went to New York for the NCAA awards ceremonies and while there he met with three people (and you can call me crazy if you want but my record speaks for itself) Greg Schiano, Bob Stoops, and Rich Rodriquez. RR was very interested in the job and he was immediately positioned as the #2 guy if something should fall apart with $aban. Unfortunately, the "rats" convinced their BOT buddies that we could not take the chance to wait on $aban and we needed to get RR while we could. We offered him and he agreed. Now this is where it is pure speculation on my part but I really believe that Mal helped "sabatoge" the RR deal because he allowed him to go back to West Virginia to think it over, and thus allowing WV to counter offer. Thank god RR turned it down because #1 it allowed Mal to get back in control and it allowed the "rats" to be outed. After RR decline, Bama got together a powerful group to "support" Mal and keep the "rats" at bay. That group consisted of Joe Namath, Gene Stallings, Lee Roy Jordan, and Billy Neighbors (One of those guys is who I was getting my info from). $aban's camp once again said that things could happen if we would just wait. So we did. During the meantime, the contract was essentially drawn up between Sexton and Bama officials with the only thing holding the announcement being Dec 31. During this time Nick was already putting out feelers to guys he was interested in bringing in as assistants. On Jan 1, Mal and Billy flew down and Joe met them there. They met with Nick and his family and all plans were for a formal announcement on Tuesday, however, Nick thinks very highly of Wayne Huizenga and Wayne asked that Nick wait one more day to make the decision, which was never a decision at that point. Yesterday afternoon Nick signed some documents that were akin to promissory notes and then last night around 8:30 Nick signed the contract. Nick is in Tuscaloosa now and has already toured the facilities this afternoon. Press conference will be tomorrow at 10 am.

[AUwareagle84 0]

He updated us with info from the very beginning of the search. We all thought he was crazy, but he posted that last night. I was honestly getting sick and tired of hearing him talk, but I guess he was right.

MissSportsTalk.com is a member of Scout.com. I'm a very active poster on it, and hope it's not deleted because it's just spectulation.

I'm also one of the very few AU fans we have on this other site.

[TigerOne 1,152]

I think that is very accurate, $aban said one of the people he talked to was Stallings "to see what he thought"

[TitanTiger 20,511]

I think it's a lot of bulls**t with some truth sprinkled in here and there. I just find it funny that in every "insider" account, the PTB at Bama manage to come off like they are these master strategists, pulling every right string and deftly making just the right maneuver at just the right time to make everything fall into place just as they wanted it to. But nothing really works that way, especially in the realm of big-time college football.

And what has the Bama administration done in the past to earn such belief in their abilities? Hire Mike Dubose? Please. Franchione? You mean after four other coaches turned them down? Price? Give me a break. The guy is obviously a good coach, but according to people in the know, his private life "issues" weren't that secret. Shula? I'll give them a pass only because the Price fiasco put them in an impossible situation.

Suffice it to say, the PTB at Bama have a history to look back on. And it inspires no such confidence of deft handling of a coaching hire that this yokel seems to imply.

[saniflush 0]

I think it is too long to only be one paragraph.

[Guest Tigrinum Major]

When I see a stream of conciousness like that in one jumbled mess, I instinctively ignore it.

[TitanTiger 20,511]

Yes. Someone should have told him this was his friend:

[quietfan 233]

The week after the Alabama vs UT game, $aban's agent contacted Alabama officials to inform them that Nick would be interested in talking to them about the head coaching position if it were to come open.

So, if true, according to him, $aban was beginning to undercut Mike Shula's position as far back as late October, huh? Classy, Nick...classy!

No wonder Don Shula isn't too happy with you.

[DKW 86 7,441]

FWIW I do totally feel that $aban was cutting off CMS legs as far back as October. The deal was basically over 12-22-06 and the denials were pure hogwash. $aban did some very serious lying to cover his tracks.

[SouthLink02 8]

I dunno if I believe he went THAT far back as the paragraph suggests but I do NOW believe that $aban went after Bama early

[DKW 86 7,441]

2006 Miami Dolphins Schedule

Date Opponent Time/Result SIRIUS Radio

Away Home

Sep 7 @Pittsburgh Lost 17-28

Sep 17 Buffalo Lost 6-16

Sep 24 Tennessee Won 13-10

Oct 1 @Houston Lost 15-17

Oct 8 @New England Lost 10-20

Oct 15 @N.Y. Jets Lost 17-20

Oct 22 Green Bay Lost 24-34

Oct 29 Week 8 BYE

$aban is now 1-6 and looking like the biggest loser in the NFL. He has lost to some of the worst teams in the NFL. He took a very easy schedule and completely sucked.

2006 Alabama Schedule

Date Opponent Location Time/TV

Sept. 2 Hawaii Tuscaloosa W 25-17

Sept. 9 Vanderbilt Tuscaloosa W 13-10

Sept. 16 Louisiana-Monroe Tuscaloosa W 41-7

Sept. 23 Arkansas Fayetteville, AR L 24-23

Sept. 30 Florida Gainesville, FL L 28-13

Oct. 7 Duke Tuscaloosa W 30-14

Oct. 14 Ole Miss Tuscaloosa W 26-23 (OT)

Oct. 21 Tennessee Knoxville, TN L 16-13

Oct. 28 Florida International Tuscaloosa W 38-3

So lets think about this. Rumors say that $aban called Sexton and got the word out that he was interested if Alabama was looking after NFL Week 7. At this point he is 1-6 against one of the easiest schedules in the NFL. He is probably realizing that he is a failure in the NFL.

and Shula have not set the world on fire. They lead almost all game and then screwed up and lost to in ot on a bad kick. They lead for most of the game. Trailed Duke but won. Barely beat a fired up in OT again. Lead most of the day.

If the rumor is true, $aban was well ahead of the loss. The loss that ultimately cost CMS his job. I am suspecting that there is a little bit more than meets the eye here. Like maybe $aban didnt really make the first call. Either way, I doubt CMS was getting full support from the Tide PTB after the UT loss.

[WAR-MATT 2]

FWIW I do totally feel that $aban was cutting off CMS legs as far back as October. The deal was basically over 12-22-06 and the denials were pure hogwash. $aban did some very serious lying to cover his tracks.

That's what I heard as well. The $ amount is what made me think it wouldn't going to fly. But I guess thumb removal is expensive these days.

[quietfan 233]

And I wouldn't much blame Don Shula if he took that knife out of his son's back, saved it, and put it to use the next time St. Nick starts looking for greener pastures.

[WAR-MATT 2]

Chris Keys?