P'cola Dolphin
Practice Squad
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2007
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Most of the opinions about Mike and what happened at Alabama are skewed by a lack of knowledge about the details of his tenure there or Alabama fans tired of losing after a decade of hardship brought on by two NCAA probations and five coaching changes. Mike actually did pretty well at Alabama and quite frankly, its impossibe to know how well. If you were invited to a Poker Tournament and only were allowed four cards to play with and your opponents all have five, and you win half the time -- is that a great job? A good job? Or are you a .500 player? That literally is the Mike Shula Story at Alabama. No one knows if he can coach or not. But UA was tired of the uncertainty and when Saban became available, they jumped at the chance.
The NCAA imposed a two year bowl ban on Alabama and the loss of 26 scholarships. It can be argued it was the second harshest penalty ever doled out by the NCAA. The sanctions were so steep, Coach Franchione bailed in horror. Mike Price, the sixth or seventh choice, was the only coach with the nads to take the job at the time. Then we all know what happened. At that point, UA's options were limited. They went the "loyalty" route and took a guy they knew wanted the job, no matter the circumstances. So Mike took the job one day and was thrown into a fire the next.
He was hired in May of 2003. After Spring Practice. His first game was in 100 days and he didn't even know his kid's names. Fran recruited to a spread option offense and Price changed it one Spring to a pass happy West Coast throw-a-thon. So the kids were now learning their third offense in one year, with no Spring Practice. Then the schedule was among the toughest ever. Seriously. Who else plays a ten win Northern Illinios team, a Timmy Chang led nine win Hawaii team on the road, a ten win Ole Miss team led by Eli Manning, a Matt Jones led Arky team that beat Texas on the road, Tennessee (who beat Miami in Coral Gables the following week), Oklafreakinghoma who played for the BCS Title that year, LSU who won the BCS Title that year, Georgia who was a top ten team and Auburn? What kind of schedule is that? With the kids learning their third offense in one year? And no Spring Practice? Yet, UA still lost to Tennessee in five overtimes, lost to Arkansas in OT after having a huge second half lead, gave Auburn all they wanted, had Oklahoma on the ropes ... Oh, did I mention his star QB separated his shoulder in the first quarter of the first game? That the THIRD string QB had to start and play a whole game, which was won over Southern Miss? So UA finished 4-9. It was a crappy year but really, how much of that was Mike's fault?
2004 looked brighter. And Bama started out 3-0 and looked extremely impressive in each showing. And then disaster -- Mike's middle name at Alabama -- struck. Brodie Croyle was lost again, this time for the season. Then Alabama lost the backup QB to injury. Then the first tailback. Then the second. Then the third. Then the starting tight end. Then the second. Then the third. Then the starting fullback. Then the backup. I am not kidding. The entire offensive skill position set was down to the third guy. Except wideout. But with a third team QB, and no running game, what good did that do? Yet, somehow, someway, UA stayed in most games. It was a miracle. There were no good wins but despite this unbelieveable hardship, most of the games were tight. He even had Nick Saban's LSU team on the ropes. Auburn was in trouble. So was UT. Mike Shula played the last two games that year, against undefeated Auburn, with a third QB, a fourth tailback who was a 170 pound true freshman, a walkon at fullback and a fourth team true freshman at tight end. And led at the half. UA finished 6-6 following a loss to Minnesota (with the same lineup) but nearly pulled it out at the end. But, really, how much of that was Mike's fault?
Would 2005 be the year Mike finally got some breaks? In spades. A great senior class of defenders (signed BEFORE the NCAA probation) and a finally healthy Brodie Croyle revealed that if you actually gave Mike some healthy, good players, he would win. A crushing road win over Spurrier. An absolute butt kicking of Urban Meyer's Gators, 38-3. But then, typical Mike Shula disaster struck. UA lost its best playmaker for the season that day against UF. Alabama would still reel off another five victories in a row without him but the offense, still precarious due to the NCAA sanctioned roster, struggled. Yet, UA found a way to win. When the glue of the offensive line, the only senior offensive lineman was lost in Week 9, UA was out of gas. They still gamely took a great LSU team to overtime but lost for the first time in Week 10. UA and Mike Shula was ranked #3 in America at the time despite enduring incredibly debilitating NCAA sanctions. But without its senior leader upfront, and playing behind just a terrible offensive line, UA would give up 11 sacks the next week and lose to Auburn, a cardinal sin at Alabama, particularly when UA fans felt they were the better team that season. Shula regrouped and beat Texas Tech on New Year's Day in the Cotton Bowl to finish #8 in America at 10-2. It was the Tide's first New Year's Day win since 1996.
For his efforts, in the offseason, Mike was given an extension and a massive raise. While most of UA at that point was sold on Mike, there was always uneasiness about him. He was not a good communicator with the media and fans. He didn't inspire confidence in the faithful. However, the evidence actually on the field looked good. Kind of. At this point, was Mike one of America's best young coaches? Or was he 20-17? Maybe the answers would come in 2006.
The UA program felt pretty good about 2006. The national media pegged the Tide for a 7-5 mark. UA felt like 9 or even a repeat of 10 wins was possible. However, the QB had moved on to the KC Chiefs. Several star defenders were lost -- Demeco Ryans and Mark Anderson (I think everyone realizes what kind of loss that was now) and Roman Harper (starting for the Saints before an ACL tear) and all conference MLB Freddie Roach and undrafted free agent Anthony Madison (who made the Steelers' roster) all were gone. And now we come back to that dreaded probation.
The Tide was restricted 26 scholarships from the recruiting classes of 02, 03 and 04. The first two classes were recruited prior to Mike. Mike signed the last restricted class in 04. But those two pre-Shula classes were now the oldest, veterans on the 2006 Alabama team. They were the seniors, the junors, the leaders. And let's be frank -- they were talentless. An argument can be made that the 02/03 recruiting classes at Alabama were the worst ever signed by UA in fifty years. At the end of the 06 season, not a single Tide senior was named to a first or second team All SEC squad. For the first time in 50 years. The offensive line, a sore spot throughout Mike's tenure, featured a true freshman, a newly converted defensive tackle, a quality center, a hobbled right guard and the suckiest kid in the league at right tackle. There was no one else. Franchione signed a grand total of THREE offensive linemen in THREE years at Alabama. There was only one senior OL on the whole roster. And, not surprisingly, that group was undependable all year. Sacks were down but they could not run block. And with the Sr. runningback in a mysterious slump, and no blocking .. What do you think happened?
Yet, who did Alabama, under that set of conditions lose to? Florida. The National Champs. UA led them on the road in the second half. LSU. The Rose Bowl Champs. UA led them on the road in the second half. Tennessee. Again, a high quality opponent on the road. UA led in the second half. Arkansas. Another high quality team this year. UA's freshman kicker (the starter was injured) missed FOUR chip shot field goals. Any one of them would have won the game. That game was also on the road. And they lost to Auburn. The cardinal sin. Again. But, again, who had the better squad? And was that Mike's fault? Mike inherited this junior and senior class, the worst ever at Alabama. Was Mike supposed to beat Auburn's juniors and seniors with his freshmen and sophomores? Is that the expectation? So UA lost to Auburn.
I should mention, of course, the loss to Miss State. It was inexcusable. It was the one game Mike couldn't lose because UA chose Shula over Sly Croom in its coaching search in 2003 and had taken a lot of national heat for it. (The race thing.) And, NCAA sanctions or not, UA had the better squad and was playing at home. Mike was basically fired that afternoon. He could have saved his job with a win over LSU or Auburn but that was unrealistic based on the makeup of the squad's. I would guess the first contact real contact between Sexton and UA happened that week. However, it was the first time since 2003 (Mike's first year) that UA had lost to a clearly inferior team. Mike's teams might have looked bad against inferior teams at times but he had not made a habit of losing those games. This 2006 season was the microcosm of the whole tenure: a series of closely played losses to squads with superior talent thanks to an uneven playing field due to NCAA sanctions.
So is Mike Shula a great coach, a good one or a bad one? I don't know. And I have seen it from a distance and up close. I know he was put into an impossible situation. To be honest, he was given the Alabama job, Ole Miss' players and then won at an Ole Miss pace. That is basically exactly what happened to Mike Shula. That is not to say he would have been hugely successful on a level playing field. If he had "typical" Alabama talent, I don't know what would have happened. But anyone that tells you they know exactly what would have happened is simply lying or clairvoyant. Mike had won ten games in a year where he had good seniors (recruited BEFORE the sanctions) and a good senior QB. It wasn't a fluke, its the SEC. You play somebody good every week in that league.
If our Fins hire Mike Shula, I don't think its a mistake. I think his tenure at Alabama can be painted to be a success in many respects. He dang sure left the program in much better shape than when he found it, something Nick Saban may not have done with our Dolphins. There was enough good and bad during the Shula tenure at UA to give "both sides" ammunition.
He is an absolute class act like his father. He recruited pretty well. Not awesome, but pretty well. His teams did not quit. They had reason to. They were undermanned more than UA fans care to admit but its a fact. Basically, UA ran out of patience. And it wasn't so much patience with Mike. It was patience with the whole ten year cycle brought about by the two probations and the four coaching changes. UA was ready to win and win big, damn the circumstances. So they go hire the best coach they can buy. Was it fair to Mike? Absolutely not. Was he given a fair chance? Probably not. His oldest kids at Alabama are redshirt sophomores with a sprinkling of true juniors. Considering he inherited the worst back to back recruiting classes in UA history, is that a fair chance?
The Dolphins gig would be a fair chance. Maybe he deserves it.
Go Fins!
The NCAA imposed a two year bowl ban on Alabama and the loss of 26 scholarships. It can be argued it was the second harshest penalty ever doled out by the NCAA. The sanctions were so steep, Coach Franchione bailed in horror. Mike Price, the sixth or seventh choice, was the only coach with the nads to take the job at the time. Then we all know what happened. At that point, UA's options were limited. They went the "loyalty" route and took a guy they knew wanted the job, no matter the circumstances. So Mike took the job one day and was thrown into a fire the next.
He was hired in May of 2003. After Spring Practice. His first game was in 100 days and he didn't even know his kid's names. Fran recruited to a spread option offense and Price changed it one Spring to a pass happy West Coast throw-a-thon. So the kids were now learning their third offense in one year, with no Spring Practice. Then the schedule was among the toughest ever. Seriously. Who else plays a ten win Northern Illinios team, a Timmy Chang led nine win Hawaii team on the road, a ten win Ole Miss team led by Eli Manning, a Matt Jones led Arky team that beat Texas on the road, Tennessee (who beat Miami in Coral Gables the following week), Oklafreakinghoma who played for the BCS Title that year, LSU who won the BCS Title that year, Georgia who was a top ten team and Auburn? What kind of schedule is that? With the kids learning their third offense in one year? And no Spring Practice? Yet, UA still lost to Tennessee in five overtimes, lost to Arkansas in OT after having a huge second half lead, gave Auburn all they wanted, had Oklahoma on the ropes ... Oh, did I mention his star QB separated his shoulder in the first quarter of the first game? That the THIRD string QB had to start and play a whole game, which was won over Southern Miss? So UA finished 4-9. It was a crappy year but really, how much of that was Mike's fault?
2004 looked brighter. And Bama started out 3-0 and looked extremely impressive in each showing. And then disaster -- Mike's middle name at Alabama -- struck. Brodie Croyle was lost again, this time for the season. Then Alabama lost the backup QB to injury. Then the first tailback. Then the second. Then the third. Then the starting tight end. Then the second. Then the third. Then the starting fullback. Then the backup. I am not kidding. The entire offensive skill position set was down to the third guy. Except wideout. But with a third team QB, and no running game, what good did that do? Yet, somehow, someway, UA stayed in most games. It was a miracle. There were no good wins but despite this unbelieveable hardship, most of the games were tight. He even had Nick Saban's LSU team on the ropes. Auburn was in trouble. So was UT. Mike Shula played the last two games that year, against undefeated Auburn, with a third QB, a fourth tailback who was a 170 pound true freshman, a walkon at fullback and a fourth team true freshman at tight end. And led at the half. UA finished 6-6 following a loss to Minnesota (with the same lineup) but nearly pulled it out at the end. But, really, how much of that was Mike's fault?
Would 2005 be the year Mike finally got some breaks? In spades. A great senior class of defenders (signed BEFORE the NCAA probation) and a finally healthy Brodie Croyle revealed that if you actually gave Mike some healthy, good players, he would win. A crushing road win over Spurrier. An absolute butt kicking of Urban Meyer's Gators, 38-3. But then, typical Mike Shula disaster struck. UA lost its best playmaker for the season that day against UF. Alabama would still reel off another five victories in a row without him but the offense, still precarious due to the NCAA sanctioned roster, struggled. Yet, UA found a way to win. When the glue of the offensive line, the only senior offensive lineman was lost in Week 9, UA was out of gas. They still gamely took a great LSU team to overtime but lost for the first time in Week 10. UA and Mike Shula was ranked #3 in America at the time despite enduring incredibly debilitating NCAA sanctions. But without its senior leader upfront, and playing behind just a terrible offensive line, UA would give up 11 sacks the next week and lose to Auburn, a cardinal sin at Alabama, particularly when UA fans felt they were the better team that season. Shula regrouped and beat Texas Tech on New Year's Day in the Cotton Bowl to finish #8 in America at 10-2. It was the Tide's first New Year's Day win since 1996.
For his efforts, in the offseason, Mike was given an extension and a massive raise. While most of UA at that point was sold on Mike, there was always uneasiness about him. He was not a good communicator with the media and fans. He didn't inspire confidence in the faithful. However, the evidence actually on the field looked good. Kind of. At this point, was Mike one of America's best young coaches? Or was he 20-17? Maybe the answers would come in 2006.
The UA program felt pretty good about 2006. The national media pegged the Tide for a 7-5 mark. UA felt like 9 or even a repeat of 10 wins was possible. However, the QB had moved on to the KC Chiefs. Several star defenders were lost -- Demeco Ryans and Mark Anderson (I think everyone realizes what kind of loss that was now) and Roman Harper (starting for the Saints before an ACL tear) and all conference MLB Freddie Roach and undrafted free agent Anthony Madison (who made the Steelers' roster) all were gone. And now we come back to that dreaded probation.
The Tide was restricted 26 scholarships from the recruiting classes of 02, 03 and 04. The first two classes were recruited prior to Mike. Mike signed the last restricted class in 04. But those two pre-Shula classes were now the oldest, veterans on the 2006 Alabama team. They were the seniors, the junors, the leaders. And let's be frank -- they were talentless. An argument can be made that the 02/03 recruiting classes at Alabama were the worst ever signed by UA in fifty years. At the end of the 06 season, not a single Tide senior was named to a first or second team All SEC squad. For the first time in 50 years. The offensive line, a sore spot throughout Mike's tenure, featured a true freshman, a newly converted defensive tackle, a quality center, a hobbled right guard and the suckiest kid in the league at right tackle. There was no one else. Franchione signed a grand total of THREE offensive linemen in THREE years at Alabama. There was only one senior OL on the whole roster. And, not surprisingly, that group was undependable all year. Sacks were down but they could not run block. And with the Sr. runningback in a mysterious slump, and no blocking .. What do you think happened?
Yet, who did Alabama, under that set of conditions lose to? Florida. The National Champs. UA led them on the road in the second half. LSU. The Rose Bowl Champs. UA led them on the road in the second half. Tennessee. Again, a high quality opponent on the road. UA led in the second half. Arkansas. Another high quality team this year. UA's freshman kicker (the starter was injured) missed FOUR chip shot field goals. Any one of them would have won the game. That game was also on the road. And they lost to Auburn. The cardinal sin. Again. But, again, who had the better squad? And was that Mike's fault? Mike inherited this junior and senior class, the worst ever at Alabama. Was Mike supposed to beat Auburn's juniors and seniors with his freshmen and sophomores? Is that the expectation? So UA lost to Auburn.
I should mention, of course, the loss to Miss State. It was inexcusable. It was the one game Mike couldn't lose because UA chose Shula over Sly Croom in its coaching search in 2003 and had taken a lot of national heat for it. (The race thing.) And, NCAA sanctions or not, UA had the better squad and was playing at home. Mike was basically fired that afternoon. He could have saved his job with a win over LSU or Auburn but that was unrealistic based on the makeup of the squad's. I would guess the first contact real contact between Sexton and UA happened that week. However, it was the first time since 2003 (Mike's first year) that UA had lost to a clearly inferior team. Mike's teams might have looked bad against inferior teams at times but he had not made a habit of losing those games. This 2006 season was the microcosm of the whole tenure: a series of closely played losses to squads with superior talent thanks to an uneven playing field due to NCAA sanctions.
So is Mike Shula a great coach, a good one or a bad one? I don't know. And I have seen it from a distance and up close. I know he was put into an impossible situation. To be honest, he was given the Alabama job, Ole Miss' players and then won at an Ole Miss pace. That is basically exactly what happened to Mike Shula. That is not to say he would have been hugely successful on a level playing field. If he had "typical" Alabama talent, I don't know what would have happened. But anyone that tells you they know exactly what would have happened is simply lying or clairvoyant. Mike had won ten games in a year where he had good seniors (recruited BEFORE the sanctions) and a good senior QB. It wasn't a fluke, its the SEC. You play somebody good every week in that league.
If our Fins hire Mike Shula, I don't think its a mistake. I think his tenure at Alabama can be painted to be a success in many respects. He dang sure left the program in much better shape than when he found it, something Nick Saban may not have done with our Dolphins. There was enough good and bad during the Shula tenure at UA to give "both sides" ammunition.
He is an absolute class act like his father. He recruited pretty well. Not awesome, but pretty well. His teams did not quit. They had reason to. They were undermanned more than UA fans care to admit but its a fact. Basically, UA ran out of patience. And it wasn't so much patience with Mike. It was patience with the whole ten year cycle brought about by the two probations and the four coaching changes. UA was ready to win and win big, damn the circumstances. So they go hire the best coach they can buy. Was it fair to Mike? Absolutely not. Was he given a fair chance? Probably not. His oldest kids at Alabama are redshirt sophomores with a sprinkling of true juniors. Considering he inherited the worst back to back recruiting classes in UA history, is that a fair chance?
The Dolphins gig would be a fair chance. Maybe he deserves it.
Go Fins!
