Who Hasn’t Been Offered the Alabama Job?
Posted on 2006 under Analysis, BCS Conferences, Coaching, College Football News, SEC |20 Dec
There comes a time in a professional athlete’s career where they still think they are at the top of their game, but everyone else knows they aren’t as good as they once were. Yet no one has the heart to tell him so. Well that’s the way I am starting to feel about the whole coaching situation at Alabama. The Tide fans and School Administration think they are still an elite school, but no one outside of Alabama (well maybe Auburn) has the heart to tell them that their vacant head coaching position isn’t as attractive as it once was. Since their last National Title the Tide are 98-83 with seasons of 12, 9, 8, and 7 losses.
First we had the whole Rich Rodriquez saga. Every paper in Alabama said he was taking the job, then he came out and said he was staying at West Virginia. That had to be a big blow to the Tide’s ego, to have a coach spurn their school for West Virginia. But in reality why would he want to leave? He has a nice situation in Morgantown with two Heisman Trophy Candidates returning on offense, in a conference with a BCS bowl bid, and a good shot of winning it next year. He’ll make the same amount of money and not have to worry about getting fired after a 6-6 season.
I am going to be honest here, there have been so many names thrown out for this job that I probably will forget a few. Now I am reading fromThe Football Scoop that Nick Saban is still the man for the job, but if he doesn’t take it Bret Bielema, Jack Del Rio, or Paul Johnson are next. Bielema is the favorite among some prominent alumni. Again, why would Bielema leave Madison for Tuscaloosa? The Badgers are routinely in the top third of the Big Ten, and as much as SEC fans want to think their conference is the greatest, the Big Ten is just as good of a conference. I can say the same thing for Tommy Bowden who has been rumored in this whole ordeal. Is moving from Clemson to Alabama a step up?
I think the only way Saban (or even Del Rio) takes the job is if he admits that he wasn’t cut out for the NFL. It’s alright, Pete Carroll did the same thing and look how USC has won 1 1/2 titles with him as head coach, and the same goes with Spurrier. It takes a lot for a NFL coach to admit that, but if they can look past that ego they can still succeed.
Paul Johnson wouldn’t be a bad choice but is he really any better than what they had? He has done wonders with Navy and has turned the Midshipmen’s program back to respectability. There are plenty of other coaches that fit Johnson’s profile but none have the name value that Alabama wants. The longer they wait, the tougher it will be on the program’s ego and their recruiting class for next year. Because what recruit is going to commit to a school when they don’t even know what offense/defense they will run?
What is going to be next? Jim Tressel, Lloyd Carr, Pete Carroll? Or better yet maybe Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden might be interested. I think when it is all said and done, the Tide will have wished they kept Mike Shula because whoever will take his place will not be as good as him.
by Brian Sakowski
by Stephen, on December 21 2006 @ 12:31 am
I personally think Paul Johnson would be a great choice for Alabama. I would love to know who you believe are the “plenty of other coaches that fit Johnson’s profile?”
Let’s take a quick peek at Johnson’s coaching record:
62-10 at GSU: Johnson won 86% of his games at GSU
GSU averaged 40 points per game during the Johnson tenure
GSU won back-to-back national championships under Johnson (if you think Div. I-AA is a joke, just ask Ohio State how Jim Tressel is working out for them)
Johnson’s GSU squads broke or tied 389 individual and team school, conference, playoff or stadium records, ranked in the top 10 in 21 statistical categories and produced 31 All-Americans.
GSU produced 300 yards or more of total offense in 53 of its last-59 games and picked up 400-plus yards of total offense in 45 of the last-58 contests
What Johnson has done at Navy is nothing short of remarkable.
Johnson took over a program that had posted a 1-20 record the previous two years before his arrival in 2002. After a 2-10 mark in his first year, the Navy football program has achieved what many thought was no longer possible at an Academy, as Johnson has brought the Midshipmen back in to the national spotlight with a 26-11 (.703) record over the last three years. The Mids’ 26 wins over that time span equals the most in school history over a three-year period.
In 2005, despite returning the fewest starters in the country, Johnson led the Midshipmen to an 8-4 record, a school-record third-consecutive bowl game and a school-record second-straight bowl win. More importantly, Navy swept Academy rivals Air Force and Army to win the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for a third-straight year, which is also a Navy first.
I obviously am very partial to Coach Johnson. I would love to know the other coaches that fit the profile above.
Merry Christmas.
by Dr Sak, on December 21 2006 @ 1:55 pm
You compare Johnson to Tressel yet you neglect to point out a big reason why Tressel is so successful at Ohio State, because he recruited there for years at YSU before coming to tOSU. He already had established relationships with coaches and schools and since he was at a bigger school, he could go in there and pluck their top players instead of settling for the scraps.
Plus Ohio State was in much better shape than Alabama is now. The Tide are only a year away from having reduced scholarships, so who ever comes in next year won’t have the luxury of having that full cabinet like Tressel had at tOSU.
I like Paul Johnson don’t get me wrong but Navy doesn’t exactly play the toughest schedule. The two ranked teams they played this year, they weren’t exactly in the game. But he has done a great job with Navy, especially how he is handicapped in the recruiting aspect. I just think Bama would be better off finding someone with more of a name value.
Plus let’s not forget to mention that at both Georgia Southern and Navy, Johnson ran mainly an option oriented attack. In my opinion that isn’t going to cut it in the SEC. You might point to Urban Meyer’s offense but it isn’t the same.
The stock on Johnson isn’t going to get any higher than it is right now, just look at Pat Hill from Fresno. He stuck around a year too long, now no one really wants him. The same could potentially be said for Schiano.
So if you really want to drool over statistics (like you seem to do) then I guess Johnson would be the man. But if I were a Bama fan I’d look elsewhere.
by Scott, on December 24 2006 @ 3:35 pm
Shula was not the man to lead Alabama back. That is dumbest statement that comes from stupid people who like Mike Shula.
He does not have the fire to move people. People do not response to cardboard cutouts. A little fire Mike and you could be a
coach.