didn't he say he would stay at WVU as long as they would have him?

Actually he hasn't come to Bama yet. Actually a lot of fans are starting to get very nervous, because he could pull a Butch Davis on us. For those who don't know (and that would be all of you, since only those closely connected to the program knows), Butch Davis had a "handshake agreement" to become the next head coach @ Alabama after Coach Mike DuBose was fired in 2000. He was all but hired, and then pulled out at the last hour (literally, the last hour) to become the head coach for the Cleveland Browns of the NFL.

Rodriguez is figured to be a 90% lock, but there still hasn't been any announcement of a press conference, which is a very unorthodox thing to NOT announce considering this was supposed to be the day he was going to be announced. Personally, I have my doubts.

And yes, he did call in to a radio show and said, "I plan on being the head coach at West Virginia for the rest of my career if they'll have me." He never said, "I will be the head coach next year at WVU." This is known as "coach speak," and is a tactic that involves making sure you say something without really saying anything. "If they'll have me" could be interpreted to mean that if WVU doesn't offer him a nice contract and guarantees him facility upgrades, that means WVU doesn't care to "have him."


**EDIT** I'm now actually believing that Rocriguez may actually be an 80% lock to stay @ West Virginia. Looks like Bama got played by Rod in order to get a fatter raise. Looks like he did in fact pull a Butch Davis. I won't really know anything for certain until 0300 EST though.

I was right, the feelers I was getting were correct. Rodriguez is staying at West Virginia. I can't give you any media links, but I have first hand information of this.

They just announced it on the radio that he is staying. Fuck your couch bama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the_finger: the_finger: the_finger:

[quote="Chronic Diarrhea":fe941]I was right, the feelers I was getting were correct. Rodriguez is staying at West Virginia. I can't give you any media links, but I have first hand information of this.[/quote:fe941]

by 1st hand info he means He's sucking off the AD

[quote=Nyck]by 1st hand info he means He's sucking off the AD[/quote:7402a]

I doubt our AD even knows yet. He's a bumbling idiot...

Press conference is at 5:30 ET for an official anouncement from him. Does ESPN even check its sources. They said he aggreed to the job last night. Every local tv station over here reported that espn's info is false.

[quote="Cpt. Obvious":a570c]Press conference is at 5:30 ET for an official anouncement from him. Does ESPN even check its sources. They said he aggreed to the job last night. Every local tv station over here reported that espn's info is false.[/quote:a570c]

espn never said they agreed, even though the link looked like it, the actual story said they had come really close to a contract and that it would be offered today but nothing was signed

West Virgina or Alabama COUSIN FUCKERS VS COUSIN FUCKERS

hyuk....

Jk, now where to for ala-bammy beer:

Actually the ESPN Network reported that he agreed to the deal. Espn.com said that they were close. Espn360 said that he agreed to the deal also.

An un-proven shithole coach probably. The most likely candidates now stand as Jim Grobe @ Wake (would be a mistake, one season does not equal Jesus), Paul Johnson @ Navy (mistake, steroid scandal + rape allegations + playins 6th tier programs does not equal Jesus), and God knows who else.

There have been some interesting things I've heard about Bob Stoops, but that possibility is quite laughable and I'd be shocked if he came here. Nick Saban still might not be entirely out of the question. Despite what the ESPN fgts say, Nick Saban was our first choice to begin with. I posted here several weeks ago that Spurrier would be the next head coach. There were a few moments which Spurrier was sincerely interested, but decided he didn't want to put another move in with his family. He's out.

Personally, I would love to see us try to go after Jon Gruden. He was able to do what seems like the impossible to do, and that is turn around the Oakland Raiders fanchise. Immediately after he left, the Raiders went back into tard mode. Now of course he is struggling @ Tampa right now, but that is not necessarily his fault. His acquisition to become the next coach @ Tampa involved giving away 8 draft picks. To make things worse, the big contracts demanded by established superstars such as Warren Sapp, John Lynch, and Simeon Rice, backlogged Tampa's salary cap and put them into a position where they are now, and that's a position that sees a demolished offensive line and sporadic defense. It was only a matter of time before Tampa crashed.

Most big time teams actually suffer this trend. Most Super Bowl teams draft solid talent, build them up, and then when those players establish themselves as superstars, they demand high contracts. The original team is compelled to keep these marquee players to please the fans and sell jerseys and put butts in the seats. Eventually, this backlogs the salary cap to make things difficult. Teams then either have to trade away other players to make up for it, causing big gaps in other parts of the team, or trade away those players. The Dallas Cowboys are a prime example of this. In order to keep Aikman, Smith, Sanders, and Irvin, they had to let go several guys on the defense and offensive line to keep those guys. Eventually the salary cap caught up with them, and it has taken over a decade just to maintain some mort of stability.

[quote="Chronic Diarrhea":278c0]An un-proven shithole coach probably. The most likely candidates now stand as Jim Grobe @ Wake (would be a mistake, one season does not equal Jesus), Paul Johnson @ Navy (mistake, steroid scandal + rape allegations + playins 6th tier programs does not equal Jesus), and God knows who else.[/quote:278c0]

Grobe has been building a good foundation at Wake for a few years now. I mean, he has to be doing something right, it's fucking Wake Forest for christ's sake. With that said, I understand your point, and I'd be cautious before hiring him as well. If I was a 'Bama fan, he'd probably be my last viable choice.

I didn't know Johnson was involved in steroid scandals and rape allegations. Do you have any links? I think you can be confident in his coaching abilities, however. He has gone bowling with Navy for four straight years and won back to back D1-AA titles at Georgia Southern. Remember, he might be playing "6th tier programs," but there's huge gap in talent between Navy and other schools that can actually recruit. The man can coach.

Maybe you've already read his bio, but it's worth anyother look -

[url="http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/johnson_paul00.html"]http://navysports.cstv.com/sports/m-foo ... aul00.html[/url]

Pretty damn impressive.

Interestingly enough, Gene Stallings, former coach at Alabama including their 1992 national championship team and 12-1 1994 team who almost made it back, has indicated several times that he would come back to coach in a heart beat if offered the position. He actually was making those comments in 2000 after we fired Mike DuBose, and instead went with Dennis Franchione (we all know how that turned out). Stallings has been the lone bright spot in Alabama's history since Bear Bryant retired, posting a 70-16-1 record @ Bama. He has said he never wanted to stop coaching. The reason he left was due to the AD and university president practically pissing him off and forcing him out. He is now 71 years old but is in great shape (he currently maintains his own ranch in Texas). Personally, I would LOVE to see him back. He's one of the last "old time" coaches left, with Bowden and JoePa being the only two who are still coaching.

[img]http://www.ua.edu/academic/museums/bryant/Shopping/images/Photos/stallings.jpg[/img]


By far the most well-known image of him:

[img]http://anointedhomesart.org/itemimages/16foot03m.jpg[/img]


Stallings today:


[img]http://regents.tamu.edu/images/people/regents/genestallings.jpg[/img]

Gene Stallings was one hell of a coach. Wasn't it awesome when they beat Miami that year? beer:

I'd love to see him back at 'Bama but I don't think that's the best decision to make.

I think Paul Johnson and Steve Kragthorpe are the best candidates right now.

It's basketball seasoooooooooooooooooonn!!

[quote="Sicilian_Summers":011e4]Gene Stallings was one hell of a coach. Wasn't it awesome when they beat Miami that year? beer:

I'd love to see him back at 'Bama but I don't think that's the best decision to make.

I think Paul Johnson and Steve Kragthorpe are the best candidates right now.[/quote:011e4]

I agree, he wouldn't be the best hire, because he would only be a temporary hire. Paul Johnson is rumored to be the lead candidate. I'm not sold on the guy. We'll see. At this point Bama needs to make sure they don't get embarrassed again. In any case if Johnson ends up being the coach he's going to have to do very well and do it quick, especially after Spurrier had a sizeable interest as well as Rodriguez.

And yes it was awesome when they beat Miami. NOBODY gave Bama even a passing chance at beating Miami in that game, and they handled them well 34-13

Never thought I would see the day when Alabama would have trouble getting a quality high profile coach. maybe yall could pull an Arkansas and raid the high school ranks happy: . It saved Nutt his job.

Bama has no prestige lately, and thats why.

[quote="[DAS REICH] Blitz":3f56c]Bama has no prestige lately, and thats why.[/quote:3f56c]

The prestige 'Bama built over 50+ years hasn't been lost in 4.

Alabama is still Alabama.

^true. Some guy said on sportscenter that when it comes to recruiting in the state of Alabama, Alabama has a clear edge over Auburn because the players want to play for the school with more history.

Well, it's the same reason no one wants to coach the Redskins and Yankees. The expectations are too high every year, and job security is too low to have it be considered security. Rodriguez and Schiano did the right thing in staying put. When you're loved some place, it's hard to fire you (Bowden and Paterno for example). But if you screw up, then your reputation as a good coach is lessened (Spurrier and most ND coaches in the past decade).

[quote="[DAS REICH] Blitz":e09f5]Well, it's the same reason no one wants to coach the Redskins and Yankees. The expectations are too high every year, and job security is too low to have it be considered security. Rodriguez and Schiano did the right thing in staying put. When you're loved some place, it's hard to fire you (Bowden and Paterno for example). But if you screw up, then your reputation as a good coach is lessened (Spurrier and most ND coaches in the past decade).[/quote:e09f5]

Shula was 1-11 against LSU, Auburn, and Tennessee. He was the first coach to go 0-4 against Auburn. I don't think the standards at Alabama are too high, I just think Shula was a bad coach. Most people don't realize how Bama fans actually lowered their standards when Shula arrived.

fine, you win. I'm wrong...

[quote="Sicilian_Summers":8568b]Shula was 1-11 against LSU, Auburn, and Tennessee. He was the first coach to go 0-4 against Auburn. I don't think the standards at Alabama are too high, I just think Shula was a bad coach. Most people don't realize how Bama fans actually lowered their standards when Shula arrived.[/quote:8568b]

YES. Exactly. In addition, Shula was 0-22 when trailing by the 4th quarter. Yes, that's right, he was unable to stage a comeback victory in his 4 years. Back in the early 90s, Alabama was known to dominate the 4th quarter, especially under Stallings.

The media likes to paint a stigma on Bama, saying that the fans are impossible to please. In reality, nobody questioned Shula until this year, which was actually too long to wait. The fans gave him considerable support, and many think Shula deserved another year (I strongly disagree with that).

The reason why we expect to contend for SEC titles is because of our talent. The talent is there (bringing in a top 10 class last season, and top 20 the other 3 seasons).

Just a few years ago, Michigan fans were calling for Lloyd Carr's head, because he couldn't beat Ohio State. You HAVE to beat your rivals in college football to keep your job. In Alabama's case, this would mean beating LSU, Tennessee, and Auburn . Bama fans don't expect us to sweep these teams every year. We'd like to at least win 50% or more of those though, and I don't think that's unreasonable.

The media also likes to forget that throughout the entire 90s, USC and Oklahoma were both in the shithole. It wasn't until the turn of the century that these two teams got back to the top. Neither team lost it's tradition, prestige, or credibility during those times. Why should it be any different for Alabama? The time frame for our inconsistency has been roughly the same (starting with 1997, the first year without Stallings).

Paul Johnson or Steve Kragthorpe may be excellent coaches. I don't know much about either guy though, but the problem with Kragthorpe in particular is he isn't a "proven winner." Yes, he has done a good job turning around the Tulsa program, but that doesn't mean you can hack it in the SEC. The SEC is a cutthroat conference. Recruiting is tough for any school here. I don't know if Paul Johnson or Kragthorpe would be ready for this kind of job and be successful. Paul Johnson hasn't needed to recruit @ Navy because military academies aren't allowed to recruit.

Either way, both of those guys would be miles better than Shula. Nobody knows about it, but the discipline issues that were going on was one of the key reasons Shula was fired. Some of the things that were going on would be disgusting to any Bama fan.

Does anybody know a lot about Paul Johnson (as he seems to be the lead guy now)? What are his coaching philosophies like? I know he runs the piss out of the ball @ Navy, but that's Navy and that's what they're known for.

[quote="Chronic Diarrhea":45793]Paul Johnson or Steve Kragthorpe may be excellent coaches. I don't know much about either guy though, but the problem with Kragthorpe in particular is he isn't a "proven winner." Yes, he has done a good job turning around the Tulsa program, but that doesn't mean you can hack it in the SEC. The SEC is a cutthroat conference. Recruiting is tough for any school here. I don't know if Paul Johnson or Kragthorpe would be ready for this kind of job and be successful. Paul Johnson hasn't needed to recruit @ Navy because military academies aren't allowed to recruit.[/quote:45793]

I think most recruiting is done by assistant coaches. The head coach is usually a "closer." A proven winner like Johnson combined with the excellent facilities, tradition, and support of a program like Alabama should be "good enough" at worst.

[quote:45793]Either way, both of those guys would be miles better than Shula. Nobody knows about it, but the discipline issues that were going on was one of the key reasons Shula was fired. Some of the things that were going on would be disgusting to any Bama fan.[/quote:45793]

Not to mention all the on the field personal fouls...

[quote:45793]Does anybody know a lot about Paul Johnson (as he seems to be the lead guy now)? What are his coaching philosophies like? I know he runs the piss out of the ball @ Navy, but that's Navy and that's what they're known for.[/quote:45793]

I don't know too much beyond his biography and other tidbits I've read about him during his few years at Navy. Apparently he's an offensive guru and his biggest strength when it comes to X's and O's is the flexibility of his system and his ability to gameplan around his team's strengths. Right now at Navy he's pounding the piss out of the ball like you said, but at Hawaii, when he had the quarterback and recievers to do it, he ran a wide open run and shoot type offense that was very successful. JPW is a moderately mobile quarterback, but he's really not suited to run a triple option attack, so I'd expect the Tide to run the Run and Shoot offense Johson coached at Hawaii.

The bottom line is, Paul Johnson wins games whever he's coaching. It's important to remember that while the competition he's playing may be subpar, but so are the teams he is coaching (talent wise). Alabama has the athletes to be on par with other teams in the SEC (aside from their god foresaken right tackle - why the hell didn't Shula try someone else?) and I think Johnson would do well there.

I agree. I've been doing some research on him and he could definitely be a winner. JPW ran the spread in high school with (now famous) coach Rush Propst.

I've heard very good things about Paul Johnson. He certainly has the ability to turn teams around like he did at Navy. He has made them the dominant academy for the past half decade. He also knows how to win big games because in the past 4 years, Navy has gone 8-0 against other academies. I would hate to see him leave because my dad went to the academy and therefore I am a Navy fan, but I think he is a great coach.

If you wanna check out his past, I know he coached at Georgia Southern, you might wanna look back to see what he did there.

I know if Rich Rod would of left then he would the first on our list.