Cynical

In February 2007 if recall correctly. As side note, Bama has had full scholarships for the past three years.

Not! Ray Perkins went back to NFL (Tampa Bay) Bill Curry resigned and signed with Kentucky because he didn't like the new contract being offered Gene Stallings could have stayed as long as he wanted, but chose to retire Dennis Franchione left to go coach Texas A & M (he's still there) Mike Price was fired because he was an imbecile with a drinking problem, and had a thing for strippers (he just did not know what to do with them) Mike Shula was fired because he sucked. Am I missing anybody?

*Ahem* My desire would be for Saban to take the Bama job, and for Wayne to promote Mularkey as HC. Now, many think thatwould never happen, but we are talking about an owner that gave the HC job to Wanny after JJ left. But, if does turn down the Bama, I hope he stays in Miami for a very lo-o-o-o-o-o-ng time. Saban is a great college coach, but one suck ass NFL coach.

The Bama program? It would be a lot easier than most people think.

Sure, any law or regulation can be changed. But I really do not think the university is willing to wait on the state legislature to modify the law just so they can sign a HC. When I replied, everything I read had the contract as a "guaranteed" 10 yr contract. Obviously, that cannot happen.

College and the NFL are different animals, as Saban is finding out, just as Spurrier did, and Pete Carroll should now realize. Good coaches tend to have big egos, which causes them to believe they can coach anything, anywhere, at any level. Great coaches that can keep their egos in check, allowing them to focus on what they do best, are few in numbers. (i.e Bear Bryant and Papa Joe from Penn State)

The HC of Bama would be a state employee. By law, no contract can be longer than 7 years.

I don't think I have ever read or heard anything bad about DJ as a coach from a past player. Not even "read between the lines" kind of things. Come to think of it, the only player that I can think of that complained about Levy as a coach was Smerlas. And he bitched because he got cut. And that's good. A straight up honest front office and coach, plus a team that looks to be on the rise, should attract the attention of the free agents hitting the market.

I agree. Edwards wasn't as good as PW, but he sure was a hell of lot better than Tim Anderson.

While you are there, do not forget to throw a couple of bucks the guys way. Those videos take up space and bandwidth.

Linky TIDE KEEPS ON ROLLING No matter how often Dolphins coach Nick Saban says he is not interested in the vacant Alabama coaching job, the school will not listen. A source close to the situation said that Alabama keeps on making runs at Saban and that it will not, under any circumstances, take no for an answer. One NFL head coach even said he had been told that Saban was getting closer to accepting a job at Alabama, even though he has repeatedly and adamantly denied any interest in the job. But each time he has turned down the school, Alabama has come back again and again with more lucrative offers. The school has some serious cash to throw around and it keeps offering to throw it Saban's way. The question now is, does it have enough to lure away the big fish.

Works for me.

Maybe he was banking on JP turning the ball over more. MM: I swear, Nick. He's gonna due it. Just keep giving the ball back to JP. He's going to fumble it, or throw a pick. Then we can score, and beat these guys.

3 suspended These same players were suspended once before. Apparently, the students do not "learn real good" at Aw-barn University.

Thank you. there is nothing more "infuriating" than somebody saying DF would have been the difference in that game because: A). It would have never come down to the last play or B). DF would have never turned the ball over like that The Miami playoff game the year before proves both arguments as false. Despite all the great plays DF did perform, he had just as many crappy ones that cost the team dearly.

I would give up the pro game, and just focus on the college game. There's no chance 'Bama would leave Tuscaloosa for greener pastures.

Unfair? Why? How? Butler's mismanagement of the salary cap is part of the reason the Bills have been bottom feeders for the past 6 years. So, was it "fair" for Butler to screw up the Bills salary cap and then leave?

I'll give more credit to Smith than Butler. Butler's biggest flaw was player "value". In the same two years, Butler also did the following: -Got rid of K John Carney for Wade Richey -Signed WR Tim Dwight to a contract that paid him #1 WR money when Dwight was/is clearly at best a #3 WR -Signed TE Stephen Alexander to a contract that not only stunned the player and his agent, but the rest of the NFL. -Signed Wiley to an enormous contract that he never lived up to In late 2002 / early 2003, after two years of Butler, I had read an article where there were concerns with the Chargers salary cap. The article noted that in about 1-2 years, unless something was done, the Chargers were going to be in trouble with their salary cap. As gruesome as it sounds, the best thing that happened to San Diego is Butler died, thereby turning over control to Smith.

As far as I know, they can hire or promote anybody they want. (Looking for a job? Good pay. Outstanding facilities. Southern Belles.) There is a small faction of fans that would like DC / Interim HC Joe Kines get a crack at the job, but apparently at some point in the past four years, Joe has stated he has no desire to be a HC. From what I've read, he and his staff were going to get a raise (no where what Bama was offering, but an increase none the less), and WVU was going to get serious about updating their facilities. How much of that is true? You got me.

A harder job, no doubt. Shula's won-loss record doesn't tell the whole story. Shula was given the opportunity to stay the HC. All Shula needed to do was replace some people on his coaching staff. He refused, thinking all that was needed was to re-shuffle the duties and responsibilities. As much as I would have loved for Shula to grow into his job (as the majority of Tide fans hoped), it was becoming pretty obvious that was never going to happen. 1) Indecisive in making decisions during a game 2) Clock management - terrible 3) Specifically this year, the red zone offense was &*^*&^*)*%#$@ putrid, yet nothing was done to correct the problem. 4) He was losing control of his players. Cannot disagree with any of these points. Again, cannot disagree, except for his job safety. At this point, most Tide fans want the following: 1) Stability brought back to the program (1-2 year time frame) 2) The team being competitive (would be expected in 2-3 years) Do those two things, then the following will occur: 3) A couple of SEC West divisions champ. 4) A SEC Conference champ. Focus and complete 1-4, at somepoint: 5) A national championship will come Waking up Friday, I said to myself, I would not be surprised if Rodriguez turned down the offer (his was coaching his alma mater with successful results after all), and this was nothing more than another coach using the UA HC position as leverage at his present school. Then I saw the reports where Rodgriguez was talking to the heads of WVU about his contract and other things. At that point, I came to the conclusion he had no intentions of leaving WVU, and the UA offer was primarily being used as leverage. But, he could accept the offer as a Plan B if WVU wasn't willing to give him more concessions. The only disappointment I feel is this constant need to use UA job as a reason to get more whatever from their present school. I saw it with Spurrier at South Carolina and now Rodriguez at WVU.

Oh, yes, do tell.

For what it's worth: A Statement from Mal Moore, Director of Athletics Release: 12/01/2006 TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – University of Alabama Director of Athletics Mal Moore released this afternoon the following statement regarding the status of the search for a new head football coach: “While I remain committed to not engaging in a lengthy public dialogue on the progress of our search for a new head football coach, I want all of our fans and supporters to know that we appreciate and understand the tremendous interest in this process. “I am very pleased with where we are in this search. I know there have been many rumors speculating about candidates and timelines and, while I won’t get into specifics of who we are interested in, I want everyone to understand that we have not contacted any college coaches who have not yet completed their regular seasons. “While I do recognize the need to get a head football coach hired soon, I am less concerned with following a timeline than I am about making sure we hire the right person for the job.” The most interesting phrase: "I want everyone to understand that we have not contacted any college coaches who have not yet completed their regular seasons." Unless I'm mistaken, WVU has completed it's "regular season".

Apparently, Spurrier has said no, and now Rich Rodriguez, HC at West Virginia, is the second choice. Report: Spurrier to Stay at Univ. of South Carolina The 8 Team is following developments around the clock in the search for a new Univ. of Alabama football coach. Thursday, WLTX, the CBS affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina, reported that Steve Spurrier will stay at the Univ. of South Carolina and not come to Alabama. According to the TV station, Spurrier met with his team Thursday afternoon to tell the players he was staying put. The TV station quotes Spurrier as saying "We came to South Carolina to do things that had never been done before, including winning an SEC title," and that he's not leaving until that's done. According to sources talking to The 8 Team, as well as The Huntsville Times, The Mobile Press-Register and The Tuscaloosa News, officials at the Univ. of Alabama were prepared to offer Spurrier a contract. The Birmingham News had reported that Spurrier had told people close to him that he would remain at South Carolina. Those sources tell The 8 Team that West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez is the second choice. He has spent time at Tulane and Clemson and has recruiting experience in the state of Alabama. He has several Alabama natives on his roster. Mike Shula was fired Sunday night after four seasons. University athletic director Mal Moore said Monday that he would issue no further statements until a new coach is announced. Stay with CBS 8 News and The 8 Team for breaking developments on the coaching search. Linky In other words, they don't have a clue who the new HC will be, and they should just stop reporting a bunch of rumors.

WAKA, CBS 8 out of Montgomery is also reporting this: Sources: Univ. of Alabama Makes Offer to Steve Spurrier to Lead Football Program Breaking News from The 8 Team -- Multiple sources have confirmed to CBS 8 that Steve Spurrier has been offered a contract to coach the Univ. of Alabama football team. Spurrier currently coaches at the Univ. of South Carolina. Sources, including the Alabama Atlanta Alumni Chapter, have told us that the Univ. of Alabama has made Spurrier an offer that will make him among the top paid head coaches in college football. The apparent offer would also give him the chance to hire his son as offensive coordinator. Last week, The 8 Team reported that Spurrier was on a plane to Alabama. When Univ. of Alabama Athletic Director Mal Moore addressed reporters Monday on the firing of Mike Shula as head coach, he said he would not make a statement until a new coach was hired. Stay with The 8 Team for updates on this breaking story. Link Maybe it's nothing more than a leverage move: Spurrier contract talks

I second that. The pro game in the South doesn't generate the passion the college game does. Check out the following site: Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer The guy who runs this site wrote a book by the same name. In the book, he writes about the devotion Alabama Crimson Tide fans have for their team. He has two examples on his site: "Freeman and Betty Reese, who skipped their own daughter’s wedding because it coincided with a Bama game; Ray Pradat, the Episcopalian minister who watches the games on a television set beside his altar while performing weddings"