Alabama football fans are now happy; the collective opposition, it seems, is not. I'm amused by all the media articles that would like to rain on our parade with dismal speculation concerning Saban's future with the Tide. Some say that this chapter in our football history cannot end well--that either 1) Saban will not meet expectations and will, therefore, get the boot or 2) Saban will meet expectations and eventually leave U of A. The one variable that these naysayers do not account for, however, is the fact that Tide recruiting is off to an impressive start for Saban, and--provided that these recruits pay dividends for the program--Saban is not likely to leave a job as the winning coach of the most storied program in college football history. I agree that if Saban under-achieves he might be lynched; but were I Mal Moore (Bama's AD), I would not plan for that contingency given the present circumstances. The more likely scenario is success in terms that Tide fans can live with, and this will not likely precipitate Saban's departure. Saban has left Michigan State; Saban has left pro football: both times he left for what he perceived to be greener pastures. There is no upward mobility from a successful head-coaching position at the University of Alabama--for evidence of this, see entries on Bryant and Stallings.
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So what should Tide fans expect? Personally, I'm hoping for a 9-3 record. I will be happy with 8-4. I think that 7-5 under a new system is certainly excusable, especially given Bama's tough schedule. 10-2 wouldn't exactly shock me, but anything 10-2 and up would certainly qualify as fairy-tale status in my book. Then again, Tuscaloosa has been the land of fairy-tales over the last few months. Back in November, most non-Tide voices said a decent coach was beyond the realm of reasonable expectations, but look what happened with that.
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2 comments:
"I've found that pretty much everything in life is a sham." I think your previous observation may apply to the new coach... time will tell.
A. Jones
In his first seasons elsewhere, Saban made progress that measures up to my current expectations, and he's done it with less to work with than what we have at Bama this year. Expect us to have the sleeper offense in the SEC this year. Defense looks like a problem on the surface of things; but Saban has a knack for making something out of nothing when it comes to defenses, and we stole FSU's second best coach (behind Andrews, and I'm considering Bowden in that assessment) and made him our D coordinator. The only bump in the road I see is the team's process of adapting to a new system. I stand behind the statements made in this blog. My preseason prediction: 8-4 in the regular season.
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