Witt's non-denial denial about Shula

Last night the Tuscaloosa News posted this story on its Tidesports.com website. From the story, UA president offers support for Shula, is this central quote from University of Alabama President Robert Witt:

“I signed a contract and extension for Coach Shula this year, and I can’t think of a stronger statement of support than that," Witt told The Tuscaloosa News.

You could've made a clear statement along the lines of: "Mike Shula is Alabama's football coach and will be Alabama's football coach next season." Instead, Witt chose weasel words that appear to support Shula, but really say nothing that we didn't already know.

In fact, Witt's tone mirrors the sincerity of President Bush's support last weekend for Donald Rumsfeld. That has to be ominous for Shula.

Rate the best coaches in the SEC

Reading a message board discussion on the best coaches in the SEC got me to thinking where I'd rank the coaches at this point in the 2006 season. Here's my list. Feel free to leave your list in the comments section or via email.

1. Steve Spurrier
2. Les Miles
3. Phil Fulmer (that made me sick to write)
4. Tommy Tubberville
5. Mark Richt
6. Houston Nutt
7. Urban Meyer (I'm not convinced this guy is really any good)
8. Rich Brooks
9. Bobby Johnson
10. Sylvester Croom
11. Ed Orgeron
12. Mike Shula

In fairness to Shula, any of the bottom four or five coaches are about even. I don't think anyone would say Shula would be in the same class of coach as Spurrier, Miles, Fulmer, Tubberville, Richt, Nutt or Meyer. Although, Meyer might be a fraud. I'm not convinced his system or coaching methods are solid. We'll find out over the next few years.

One thing a poster said on a message board was that it isn't fair to rank coaches until all things are even.

I'm sorry, but this is real life, you don't get everything fair. Vandy never has it even with Bama, Duke never has it even.

What was it that JFK said in his Moon speech? Why does Rice play Texas?

We can only judge a coach by what they do. It isn't like car racing where every little change is regulated by NASCAR. Football is a game of mismatches and coaches that overcome mismatches excel. Coaches that can't, are fired.

Greatest Lineman Ever examines Alabama's O-Line; NOT EXCITED ABOUT BAMA's PLAY

John Hannah was the subject of Ray Melick's column in the Birmingham News. It is an interesting analysis of blocking schemes and why Alabama can't score.

A few of the major points:

• "I can read stances and know what they're going to be doing - pass or run or a sweep," the former two-time Alabama All-America selection and 10-time NFL All-Pro said. "And if I can see it from the stands, then you know a defensive lineman on the field can see what I'm seeing."
• As for the red zone, Hannah says, "I don't have any great ideas. It's just when you're out in the open field, you've got a lot of field to work with. But you can't use the McNally approach if you want to score from the 3-yard line. You've got to run powerball."
• "But, honestly, I'm not excited about seeing Alabama play the way they are playing," Hannah said. "Everyone is frustrated. You'd think as the year progressed, they'd get better. But they're not coming around as fast as you'd think."

What does it mean for Shula's tenure at Alabama when a true legend like John Hannah says something like that?

MORE ON OFFENSIVE LINE WOES: This game breakdown story posted on http://memphistider.blogspot.com/ provides a very serious look at the breakdowns on the O-Line.

TEAM STATS AND NOTES vs. MSU
- 67 Total Offensive Plays resulted in 30 Positive Plays and 37Negative Plays (Positive Play is netting plus four yards or converting First Downs). A staggering 55% of our plays vs. MSU were negative plays(Lessthan 4 yards gained or failure to convert on 3rd down/4th down).

* Note: In the second half, the drives on offense lasted 3 plays, 7 plays, 5 plays, 3 Plays, 4 Plays, and 3 Plays. Alabama had the ball only 22 offensive snaps in the second half spread over 6 separate drives.

II. INDIVIDUAL STATS AND NOTES vs. MSU
- In 67 total offensive plays, Tide players had 57 individualbreakdowns in assignment. (All 12 Drives included individual breakdowns that led to negative plays).
- Individual Breakdowns by Player:
Chris Capps = 19

Travis McCall = 7

J.P. Wilson = 6

Justin Britt = 4

Andre Smith = 4

Kyle Tatum = 3

Kenneth Darby = 3

Antoine Caldwell = 3

Marlon Davis = 2

B.J. Stabler = 2

Tim Castille = 1

Jimmy Johns = 1

* Note: Chris Capps had individual breakdowns in 10 of the 12 drives. Of Capps 19 breakdowns, he was beaten outside 12 times, beaten inside 3 times, bullrushed and ran over 3 times, and once simply blocked nobody and allowed two defenders free to the quarterback.
* Note: Britt, McCall, Caldwell, and Stabler all received 1 individual breakdown as a result of offensive penalties in the game.

- Individual Breakdowns by Position:

Left Tackle = 4

Left Guard = 4

Center = 3

Right Guard = 4

Right Tackle = 22

Quarterback = 6

Running Back = 5

Wide Receiver = 2

Tight End = 7

* Note: The Right Tackle position had 7 more individual breakdowns than the other four offensive line positions combined.
* Note: Right Tackle had a breakdown that disrupted the offensive play on almost 33% of the plays from scrimmage.
* Note: The Quarterback breakdowns included 4 poor passes and 2 throws into coverage.
* Note: The Runningback breakdowns included 2 poor blocks on blitz-pickup, 2 missed running lanes, and 1 dropped pass.

See the rest of the analysis by clicking here.

News reporter defends sourcing on Shula & Alabama story

I sent an email to the Birmingham News sports staff and it wasn't answered; however, an email to the journalist who wrote the story, Ian Rapoport, was answered. He was kind enough to respond and explain his position and how he believed his source was valid.


Thanks for the email. This segment of the story, as well as the attribution, was considered very carefully. It is information that I believe to be reliable. It is not a rumor. It comes from opinions that matter far more than mine. However, I could not be more specific on the nature of the source, as it was told to me on the condition of total anonymity. This was a decision made by several people in the newsroom.As for the comments from Paul Finebaum and Keith Dunnavant: I think both of them have earned the right, over long careers, to hold any opinion they want about anything they want. No complaints from me. Thanks,Ian

Great comments and I appreciate the quick and open response. But, as I think about it, I still have some problems with the questionable portion of the story. Specifically, while this is attributed to an anonymous source, nowhere in the section is attribution given.

In other words, the story presents as fact, what is essentially the insights of a(n) anonymous source(s). Here is the segment in question: Insiders believe he is safe. Nothing is certain, but it is unlikely Moore would fire Shula or order him to fire any assistants. More likely is that Moore would advise Shula at season's end that dismissing an assistant is painful but sometimes necessary. Moore and other decision-makers recognize the impact of NCAA sanctions and the resulting shallow recruiting classes. In fact, Shula was hired with the belief that it could take six or seven years to fully restore the program. Whatever Moore decides, the Board of Trustees likely will support him.

The story needs some type of disclaimer to explain the source of the information. Let's go with the assumption this information came from a sufficiently high source (Mal Moore, President Witt, a Trustee, etc.), there simply must be a warning sign to the reader that the following information is not objective fact, but knowledge gained from a source.

Consider as an alternative simply modifying the paragraphs thusly:Insiders believe he is safe, source(s) said. Nothing is certain, but it is unlikely Moore would fire Shula or order him to fire any assistants. More likely is that Moore would advise Shula at season's end that dismissing an assistant is painful but sometimes necessary. Moore and other decision-makers recognize the impact of NCAA sanctions and the resulting shallow recruiting classes. In fact, Shula was hired with the belief that it could take six or seven years to fully restore the program. Whatever Moore decides, the Board of Trustees likely will support him, according to source(s) believed to have knowledge of the situation.

Reporters and newspapers have a responsibility to delineate what is fact and what is reporting based on sources. That is important because sources have their own agendas and newspapers have a responsibility to help readers understand what is reliable and unreliable information.

Dunnavant joins questions over News story on Shula & Tide

Keith Dunnavant, author of The Missing Ring: How Bear Bryant and the 1966 Alabama Crimson Tide Were Denied College Football's Most Elusive Prize, joined the growing chorus of critics of this Birmingham News story on Alabama and Mike Shula.

Specifically at issue is this segment of the story: Insiders believe he is safe. Nothing is certain, but it is unlikely Moore would fire Shula or order him to fire any assistants. More likely is that Moore would advise Shula at season's end that dismissing an assistant is painful but sometimes necessary. Moore and other decision-makers recognize the impact of NCAA sanctions and the resulting shallow recruiting classes. In fact, Shula was hired with the belief that it could take six or seven years to fully restore the program. Whatever Moore decides, the Board of Trustees likely will support him.

Dunnavant said he was "reluctant to be critical of another writer," but he did question the source of the story.

"To me that sounds like something put out by the Sports Information Dept.," Dunnavant said on Paul Finebaum's radio show today.

Finebaum blasts story in Birmingham News on Alabama & Shula

Today's Birmingham News story Shula uses his father's experiences to handle turmoil drew sharp criticism from Paul Finebaum today.

The radio show host suggested the story was more like a fairy tale than a hard news story. He questioned why the largest (and used to be respected) newspaper in the state would carry such drivel.

One element of the story, which Finebaum questioned, was the assertion that University officials anticipated a six-to-seven-year recovery period. He also questioned word choice in the story and how the story read more like opinion/analysis rather than fact.

Finebaum also questioned the source of the story. He did not explore the full problems of sourcing present in the story during his first segment.

However, I sent an email to the Birmingham News this morning questioning specific problems in the sourcing (SEE POSTING BELOW). So far, no response from the sports editor or the managing editor of the News. If and when a response comes in regarding the questionable sourcing and opinion contained within the story, I'll post it here.

Don Shula defends son; Says Alabama was in disarray when Mike took over

From the Birmingham News, this story where Don Shula defends his son's performance as head football coach at Alabama. The story provides a few good quotes from Shula and then gets into an interesting possibility of sloppy reporting from the Birmingham News.

Shula said fans forget about the disarray the program faced due to NCAA sanctions and the lossess from this year's team. "There's growing pains," the NFL legend said.

Other key elements from the story:

• Mike talks about learning how to ignore the pressure.
• Prediction that Mike Shula remains safe at the University. Why? Insiders believe he is safe. Nothing is certain, but it is unlikely Moore would fire Shula or order him to fire any assistants. More likely is that Moore would advise Shula at season's end that dismissing an assistant is painful but sometimes necessary.
• Article quotes Tim Castille as a source for saying the players still believe in Mike.

One interesting element of the story is the prediction that Mike remains safe as head coach. There is no attribution other than the nebulous INSIDERS. That's a pretty broad statement and it doesn't help to identify where the reporter got his information. Attribution in a newspaper when basing information on anonymous sources should give some effort to let the reader know how the source is reliable, number of sources and other relevant information.

If these INSIDERS are within the athletic department, it should say something along the lines of sources within the athletic department or if boosters, sources close to the university believed to have knowledge of blah, blah, etc.

Is this fact or rumor being reported in the Birmingham News? Where did the reporter get the information from Insiders? And does the newspaper believe it revealed enough information about its sourcing for a portion of this article?

Mention for Alabama & Butch Davis on si.com

The rumor mill has former Miami coach Butch Davis the front-runner to get the North Carolina job. But Davis might hold out to see what opens up. One long shot possibility could be Alabama. Although coach Mike Shula's team was 10-2 a year ago, the Tide are 6-4 this season after a stunning (to Tide fans) loss at home to Mississippi State Saturday.-- Boston Globe

That rumor has been around for a couple of weeks; however, it is interesting to see the source of this particular rumor, The Boston Globe.

From the Soviet News Agency TASS: Shula should get 5-years at Alabama

Travis Reier of TASS, whoops Bama Online, said on Paul Finebaum today some interesting things which highlight how some in the media and in the Alabama football program will attempt to save Mike Shula's job.

1. Reier thinks Alabama should give Shula five years.
2. Reier thinks the "situation is still "salvageable."
3. Some staff changes will happen. Reier said "I have a hard time imagining this staff remaining intact."
4. Reier believes Shula would be retained because no upper tier coach would be interested in the Alabama job.
   

Notice the desperate way Shulacrats are trying to save Shula's job? These guys are spinning the propaganda machine here by trying scare tactics ie: Alabama can't get any better than Shula so be happy with what you've got.

Also, Shula can still salvage the situation? LOL

Not content to scare people into keeping Shula, Reier has to attack possible coaching replacements. Reier's diatribe included an attack on Nick Saban, who was "a mercenary." The diatribe also said Alabama couldn't land Petrino because well Louisville is a better job than Alabama. Of course, this ignored the fact that Petrino wanted to go to Auburn just a couple of years ago.

Reier went further to attack a possible coaching change and how it would hurt the image of the program. Of course, Reier ignored how losses to MSU injure the prestige of the program.

Finebaum says Shula's tenure at Alabama is shaky and embarrassing

Mike Shula's tenure at Alabama is "shaky and embarrassing," according to Paul Finebaum in today's Mobile Press-Register.

Finebaum's writing today is similar to his Bill Curry-era columns. He points out the new question is not IF Mike Shula will be fire, but WHEN Mike Shula will be fired.

Finebaum goes to great lengths to look at the VOTES OF CONFIDENCE Shula received from University President Witt, former Coach Ray Perkins and Athletic Director Mal Moore.

Alabama Crimson Tide rankings and Bowl Projections

The latest CBS Sportsline Power Rankings of the 119 Division 1 football programs has the Crimson Tide sitting at #54 that is down from #38 in the power rankings last week. Alabama lost to MSU last week. MSU boasts a power ranking of #84; that is up from #97 last week.


BOWL PROJECTIONS: Alabama to Chick-Fil-A Bowl
According to Stewart Mandel at cnnsi.com, Alabama would most likely play in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl on Dec. 30. You can see Mandel's entire projections by clicking here.

CBSSportsline has an Alabama vs. Miami matchup in the Music City Bowl. I'm wondering if that predictin isn't out of date with the disaster over the last couple of weeks for both the Crimson Tide and the Hurricanes. You can see the CBS Sportsline predictions by clicking here.

The buyout myth: Alabama can afford to change coaches

Alabama's athletic dept. budget numbers indiciate the University has more liquidity than some imagine.

One big reason Shula supporters (commonly known as Shulacrats or Apologists on message boards) tauntingly say Shula won't be fired this year is the $4 million plus required to buyout Shula's contract.

On the face, the argument is reasonable. However, examine the greater athletic department numbers. I'm using numbers from the NCAA on Alabama athletics (so these are from the 2004-2005 school year), but according to the NCAA statistics, Alabama's athletic department netted over $62 million in revenue.

The football program itself netted over $28 million in profit on revenue of over $43 million, according to the University's financial statement filed with the NCAA.

If anyone has a link or a copy of the 2005-2006 financial statement I'd like to take a look at it. We know the revenue numbers for football would be up thanks to the Cotton Bowl and some other enhancements (increased ticket sales revenue) for this season.

In any case, Alabama is in strong financial shape despite what some would want to say. Shula can be fired whenever the Powers That Be decide to do it.

Bill Oliver on Finebaum

Bill Oliver said no chance for a Shula firing, according to people in the know.

Oliver said team needs to focus and play like the team did against Arkansas and Alabama could win the last two games. Oliver said, "It can happen."

Yeah, right.

Other notes from today's Finebaum show include:

1. Finebaum questioned Shula's "stubborness." Finebaum asked if Shula is just stubborn and unwilling to change or is it that Shula just isn't smart enough to know to try something different.
2. Cecil Hurt's visit to Finebaum sounded very similar to his Sunday column.
3. Most callers were frustrated over the situation. Most callers expressed dismay over the lack of passion from the players.

Some Good News for Alabama

While this story in the Tuscaloosa News by Cecil Hurt contains most of the bad information from Mike Shula, you know, the we'll change but only a little stuff, Hurt's article in the Tuscaloosa News gives some good information on D.J. Hall.

Hall not looking at NFL DJ Hall, the Crimson Tide’s record-setting junior wide receiver, said Sunday that he had no intention of leaving UA early for a possible NFL career.“I’m not coming out," Hall said. “I’ve got a lot left to accomplish here."

Alabama can't explain loss?!?

According to this story from the Press-Register, Alabama coaches and players cannot explain the loss to Miss. State on Saturday.

And just what is the definition of insanity?

Let's disect the story a bit more to see if cracks are beginning to be revealed in the football regime.

First, "We probably had our best week of practice and the players have done all the things we asked them to do. "We have to do all the things on game day that we're capable of doing, and we're not getting it done right now."

OK, players have the best week of practice but are destroyed by an undermanned opponent. So either the game plan was flawed, the players weren't movtivated and focused or practice isn't what it should be. I'm going to guess all three.

Second, Shula remained stoic about potential moves Sunday. "We'll continue to talk about that as we go through our preparations today," he said. "I don't think there would be any major things."

No major changes spells major problems going into LSU and Auburn. This season is a disaster and it just keeps getting worse because Shula appears to be as clueless as Bill Curry on the sidelines. I would say Mike Dubose, but Shula is no Mike Dubose. Dubose knew enough when his job was in jeopardy to make changes, which led to the SEC Championship. I'm not sure Shula is smart or brave enough to do that.

NEWSFLASH: Rush Propst wants a college job!

Rubin Grant wrote this profile of Hoover's Rush Propst. The story from earlier this season points out Propst might be interested in a move to the college ranks. From the story:

Propst’s future at Hoover is somewhat up in the air. He flirted with the Valdosta (Ga.) High School job earlier this year and has openly discussed his desire to be a college coach. He said he would “jump at the chance” to be the UAB head coach as suggested a few weeks ago by Hoover Gazette columnist Hunter Ford. If he remains at Hoover, Propst said it will be for just a few more years.

“I’d like to coach four more years and that would give me a chance to coach my kids,” he said referring to his sons, Jacob, a Hoover freshman, and Bryan, an 8th grader. Both are wide receivers. “That would give me 30 years in education and 22 as a head football coach,” he added. “I want to finish my career here. I don’t know whether I want to coach at another high school.

“If I stay, I want us to continue to have an outstanding program and I hope to have another shot at winning a national championship.”

Let's make Propst (an offensive genius) a better offer than UAB. Let's welcome him to the University to help John Parker Wilson win a national championship just like he won state at Hoover.

Alabama's loss to MSU: STATE OF SHOCK

Sunday morning roundup:

WORST IN THE SEC proclaims this column by Randy Kennedy of the Mobile Press-Register.
I am sick as an Alabama fan to hear this term applied to our team. It hit me yesterday during the game that this year's Crimson Tide was horrible. So bad in fact we are like Vanderbilt and Kentucky and MSU and Ole Miss.

As for Kennedy's words, they cut right to the heart of Shula's horrible offense: Don't fault Alabama for falling short in its comeback attempt Saturday. A team can't be expected to rally from five field goals down to win.

MORE: The Tide was a 14-point favorite against Mississippi State, but only because when the betting public thinks of Alabama many still have visions of a championship program and a team that is well-coached. The 2006 Tide is neither of those.

State of Shock: game report from The Birmingham News
This story provides a glimpse at the disbelief from Saturday's defeat. "It's embarrassing," said Darby, who gained 54 yards on 13 carries. "We're all feeling bad. We know we should've won the game. We didn't play good. Bottom line."

In fairness to Darby, his low stats are in large part created by an ineffective offensive line. Remember, a running back is only as good as the "BIG UGLIES" up front and this year the O-Line coach has failed to help the line get better.


Alabama is DOWN AND OUT, according to The Tuscaloosa News.
Mike Shula provides this comment about the team and its future:
“When you lose, you have to fix whatever it takes to win football games,” he said. “There are probably some things we’re not where we need to be, or thought we would be at this time. There are some things that we started out doing well, third-down conversions earlier in the game, pass-protection earlier in the season. Those are things we have to continue to look at — personnel, scheme-wise, all that.

BUT THEN, just when you think Shula's figured out he needs big changes:

“But that could change, just like that, if we go out and play well.”

SIGH!

Shula, players promise to respond to Tough times
"We know we are going through some tough times," he said. "But I'm proud of the way these guys have handled themselves, especially the seniors. They have been the backbone of this team, and I would expect them to be throughout the rest of the year."
Senior defensive tackle Jeremy Clark said he has no doubt how the Tide will react.
"This team is going to stay together," Clark said. "We don't need to ask questions about who did this or that. We don't point fingers - never have, never will. We're going to stay positive. We're going to have a great week, correct our mistakes."