[sydalicious]

I just don't believe that Spurrier is the correct choice. Due to the history between him and Bama...one wrong move (like the one he made against florida this year) and he's out and we'll be hiring another coach

[MVB]

Welcome to GoTeamsGo, Bamawinsagain!

I hope Spurrier is not Shula's replacement... ESPN is naming Nick Saban as the other most likely choice. Sports Illustrated lists Greg Schiano, Barry Alvarez, Steve Kragthorpe, Jim Grobe, Jeff Tedford, Paul Johnson as other possible choices...

See anyone you like?

[Bamawinsagain]

Bama knows that hiring Spurrier will immediately make them a contender for a national championship. Recruiting choices!! Bama wants Spurrier...Spurrier wants Bama. No one else would have this immediate impact.

Saban will stay at Miami as long as they let him. He wants to coach in the NFL and is very happy in South Florida. Miami Herald quoted today

[naclu]

To be honest, I don't know that much about most of these coaches that you all are mentioning, except I'm familiar with a few of their records.

I absolutely love Alabama football, and will be an Alabama fan until the day that I die - no matter what they do or who they hire. I love to see them win as much as the next guy. I love to see them beat Auburn AND Tennessee. I was going to school there during the last championship and would LOVE to see that happen again and again.

Also, I don't think that Shula was ready for Alabama. I don't think that he had enough energy, and I believe that he shouldn't have been so controlling with calling the plays and such. Our offensive line has been entirely too predictable and monotonous with Shula as coach. Not that this matters at all, but I did at least like him as a person.

All that being said, I am ashamed that this all basically boils down to one game - Auburn. Bear Bryant was at Alabama for right at 25 years and he didn't have a winning season every year. They let him ride it out through good seasons and bad, and look what he accomplished. As long as we keep changing coaches because we aren't beating Auburn like we should, we're going to continue to have weak recruiting and those so-so seasons when we're breaking in the new guy.

I say get rid of Mal Moore. Let the next coach do what he needs to do. Let him stick around long enough to build up some strong recruits.

Alabama is not going to jump into it's former glory in a season or two. It's going to take time to rebuild such greatness.

[sydalicious]

while coaching has an impact on recruiting...i think national recognition plays a little more. during shula's reign...bama hasn't done very well on tv. i think it would take longer than people want it to for everybody to warm up to the idea of spurrier on the bama sideline. out of all the choices...i personally think that jeff tedford from cal is a great choice. look what he's done lately.

[Bamawinsagain]

Bama will have a very potent offensive team in 2007....with even a fair coach, they will be favored and ranked highly. I certainly understand why Shula is shocked and probably disgruntled.

Don Shulas' statement will be entertaining also!....do you remember when his other son was fired from the Bengals. This is going to be a big stink...

[sydalicious]

well don shula aside...his son just isn't what alabama needs at this moment. they need a coach that will get them in gear. look at what pete carroll does at usc. when they are doing something good he's on the side jumping up and down and encouraging players. when they are down, he's telling em how to fix it and to fix it now. everytime i've ever seen shula he's on the sideline looking like eeyore looking for his tail. bama needs energy...not just from the coaches position but from their leadership players also

[desertrat]

Steve Spurrier at Alabama is a frightening prospect. We already know he can recruit and we know he can win big games. The move really makes sense for both parties. Spurrier is unlikely to win a national title at South Carolina because of the lack of resources and local talent. Alabama has a lot of great talent and will be an easier sell to Florida based athletes than South Carolina was. Spurrier likely can win with the talent already at Alabama but would be gunning for national titles within 3 or 4 years.

[sydalicious]

well the problem here is people saying that spurrier is a great recruiter. well...where are they at south carolina? if you are honestly a great recruiter, you should be able to get anybody to play anywhere. look what mack brown did at north carolina. pete carroll at usc. bob stoops at oklahoma. these coaches came in to schools that were going down and stepped in with the athletic director behind them, instead of in front, and recruited and made north carolina a contender and the other two became national champions over and again. mack continued success at texas.

[desertrat]

Originally Posted by sydalicious

well the problem here is people saying that spurrier is a great recruiter. well...where are they at south carolina? if you are honestly a great recruiter, you should be able to get anybody to play anywhere. look what mack brown did at north carolina. pete carroll at usc. bob stoops at oklahoma. these coaches came in to schools that were going down and stepped in with the athletic director behind them, instead of in front, and recruited and made north carolina a contender and the other two became national champions over and again. mack continued success at texas.

Spurrier had that kind of run while at Florida where there is much better local talent to draw from. Recruits are attracted by the school, environment, and the coaches. South Carolina comes up short here on both counts compared to Alabama or Florida.

[levinet]

Alabama fans need to be reminded of a few things:

1. Shula was a mediocre coach but had to deal with a program left in shambles due to NCAA penalties. The program is in better shape now than four years ago. It is "set up" for a good coach to make a quick impact. Thats a positive.
2. Really good coaches today demand a high capacity of "freedom" to make the kind of changes that they deem neem necessary to run their program. Bama is notorious for its eye on the past and poor vision for the future. The climate is not good for attracting the kind of coach needed without some major concessions. Thats a negative.
3. The job is not even in the top 5 in the SEC (LSU, Florida, TN, GA and Auburn are all better places to be today) because of the constant turnover of coaches in the last 10 years. Thats a negative.
4. The program is still a potential giant. Great fans, great campus, great facilities, great high school football. Anyone with vision would be able to see the potential. Thats a positive.

In my opinion Alabama will wind up hiring a really good coach from a tier below the SEC level....so that probably rules out Saban and Spurrier. Watch out for Petrino and Rich Rodriguez....which would be great hires.

[bamahammer]

do ya think that we will get a high profile hc

[rotiro]

I sure hope we don't go with a coach who's ready and waiting to be a "has been" like Spurrier. We need an "up-and-comer" whether he knows who "Bear" was or not. Some one who can motivate people, players and coaches. Somebody who will recruit a kicker and not be satisfied with a "walk-on".

[sydalicious]

Originally Posted by levinet

Alabama fans need to be reminded of a few things:

1. Shula was a mediocre coach but had to deal with a program left in shambles due to NCAA penalties. The program is in better shape now than four years ago. It is "set up" for a good coach to make a quick impact. Thats a positive.
2. Really good coaches today demand a high capacity of "freedom" to make the kind of changes that they deem neem necessary to run their program. Bama is notorious for its eye on the past and poor vision for the future. The climate is not good for attracting the kind of coach needed without some major concessions. Thats a negative.
3. The job is not even in the top 5 in the SEC (LSU, Florida, TN, GA and Auburn are all better places to be today) because of the constant turnover of coaches in the last 10 years. Thats a negative.
4. The program is still a potential giant. Great fans, great campus, great facilities, great high school football. Anyone with vision would be able to see the potential. Thats a positive.

In my opinion Alabama will wind up hiring a really good coach from a tier below the SEC level....so that probably rules out Saban and Spurrier. Watch out for Petrino and Rich Rodriguez....which would be great hires.

i agree with ya up to a point. it's not that they have an eye on the past...it's that the only eye looking to the future goes through the past. mal moore needs to realize that the only way you're going to get a program somewhere fast is to let the coach do what you hired him for. let him coach his game. obviously the old way wasn't working...that's why shula is gone. bring in a high intensity football coach, step back and let him do his thing and see where it goes. what could it honestly hurt?

[bamahammer]

someone like bobby p