Some people close to the program who have intimate knowledge will tell you that there were multiple reasons that CMS was fired.
People can shout "dont blame Shula for this one" all they want to, but then some people believe in the tooth fairy.
Folks, when Saban said that he saw this one coming, there is a reason for it...and it was not coaches or preparation...it was the way the players practiced and the attitudes they have. As another poster said, the program needs an enema...Saban is giving it one but the results are not instant...right now the solution is being administered. It will take a couple of seasons to flush the system...and then we will be very good.
LSU was in a similar situation when he got there. They had some talented players, but there were some problems as well. They lost to UAB...a team that was not as good in 2000 as La. Monroe is today.
Is there any excuse for losing to ULM? No, not really...but it happened. You guys know that I am not one to pull any punches when it comes to questioning Saban...but I am not going to question him on w's and l's. We lost our best offensive players year before last, and our best defensive players over the past two years. We have no depth and little talent. S&C takes time to improve...think back to Fran's first season and the strength difference in the second season...it takes time to get bigger, stronger, and faster...and it takes time to get top recruits in. We will have a top 5 recruiting class this year and next year. Next year we will be a top 20 team. Year after next a top 10.
Shula held the keys to the program for 4 years, but he did not drive it. We have less raw talent on the field now than we had when Shula took over in 2003, even if we have higher numbers. It takes time.
Think back to 2005.
On defense we had:
LE 92 W. Gilberry
RT 99 Jeremy Clark
RE 47 Mark Anderson
35 DeMeco Ryans
MLB 8 Freddie Roach
WLB 42 Juwan Simpson
NB 3 Jeffrey Dukes
LCB 1 Ramzee Robinson
FS 41 Roman Harper
SS 26 Charlie Peprah
RCB 9 Anthony Madison
Half of those guys are playing in the league right now. Almost all of them graduated over the previous 2 seasons, and most of Shula's recruits that replaced them could not start for any team in the SEC.
On offense we had:
QB 12 Brodie Croyle
FB 33 Le'Ron McClain
RB 34 Kenneth Darby
WR 81 Keith Brown
WR 11 Matt Caddell
TE 83 Travis McCall
LT 72 Chris Capps
LG 63 Mark Sanders
C 59 A. Caldwell
RG 61 B.J. Stabler
RT 58 Kyle Tatum
Brodie was lightyears ahead of JPW in many respects. Le'Ron and KD were very good. Even the OL were better across the board than what we started today...some of those guys had retained some of the S&C ethic from Ben Pollard.
We could pull McLain and put in Castille at FB. Does anyone think JJ or Huber are better than either of those guys?
Saban is trying to make chicken salad out of something not chicken...particularly as it pertains to his system. It will take time.
A player from 1992 told me before the season began that we did not have a single player on defense and only 1 or 2 on offense that would have made the 2 deep in 1992. That speaks volumes. Saban is the right man for the job, but IT TAKES TIME.
