Dawg Fan, First let me say that the game last night was a classic game even though we lost. The better team won last night. As I stated yesterday, Georgia is loaded with talent to an extent that will take Alabama and Coach Saban a few years to match. That being said, we nearly won the game. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we would have deserved to win the game. We were out played all night, but we hung in there. Football games are won in the trenches and the game last night proved that point. Our defensive line could not stop the run. We knew that was going to be our weakness before the season started. Our starting nose tackle was going to be a true freshman converted offensive lineman, but he got injured a couple of weeks before the season started. However, I was surprised at the pressure we were able to get on your QB. Our offensive line could not stop your defense or open holes and I give full credit to your defense. John Parker was anything but on the money last night. He had a very poor showing, but has struggled all year. Congradulations on a good win and a hard fought game.
Now as for BAMA eating our own, you are flat wrong. Bottom line is that BAMA was dominate for many years and teams were jealous. They now revel in BAMA's hard times and hope that we will not return to an elite contender. I doubt seriously that you were ever a true fan. True fans don't waiver and definitely don't rejoice in a teams tough times. Let's take a look at BAMA \"eating our own\". Obviously this acertion started post Coach Bryant for reasons I previously stated. So Let's take a look at the coaches since Bryant. Coach Perkins was a good coach, but decided to coach in the NFL. There was no eating of him I think you would agree. Next came Bill Curry, he was not one of our own, nor did we eat him. He had a successful career at BAMA, except for beating Auburn. Yes, I know, you are going to want to bring up the brick through the window. It's ashame that a university and all of it's fans are judged off of the actions of one person. The facts are never reported correctly on this situation either, We did not fire Curry, he quit to take the Kentucky job. He made an unwise decision to fly up to Kentucky to interview the week of the Auburn game. Instead of preparing his team for the biggest game of the year, our arch rival he chose to go interview for another job. He then came back and told the university that Kentucky offered hime this and tried using it as a negotiating tool in his contract negotiation. Bad move. Instead of belling up to the table and offering him a raise we came back with an offer of NO raise and took away his ability to fire his coaches. (Hint, Hint) We then did what we thought was right and went after one of our own, Coach Gene Stallings. Great move, great coach. He was very successful. When he retired we again weighed the fact of being a BAMA boy heavily into the decision. We promoted Mike Dubose from defensive co-ordinator to HC. Bad move. He was not ready to be a head coach at a major university. His first year he went 4-7. His second year he went 7-4. His third year he went 10-3. His last year he went 3-8. That record alone would have been reason enough for any school to fire him and if you are honest you would agree here as well. However there was more. He got the university into a sexual harrassment suit and was apparently cheating in recruiting. HERE is where we messed up big. Mark Richt wanted the job and threw his hat into the coaching search, but BAMA would not consider him because they were afraid to hire another coach without head coaching experience. You guys made the right move and hired him, and please don't misread this as me saying we could have had him if we wanted him. We would have had to convince him to be our coach instead of yours. Instead we went out and hired Deniss Franchione, which at the time I questioned. He was a good coach at the time, but he was not loyal and his heart was in Texas. We all know the story there. In walks Mike Price who I think could have been a good coach, but could not maintain the kind of moral integrity that a head coach needs.
Now to your eating of Shula. He did come in a time of dire straights. We fired Price only a short itme before the season was to begin. All of the good coaches were either already just hired or did not want to come into a situation where they would only have a few weeks to prepare the team. We again turned to one of our own, despite knowing he did not have the experience. We gave him an opportunity because he was one of our own. Mike was a good PR man, but not a coach. After Franchionehad gone 10-1 the season before from Shula went 4-9 his first year with a team that was mostly intact. The next year he went 6-6. Then in 2005 he went 10-2, but had almost zero offensive production and counted on the defense to win the games. 2006 was ugly, real ugly. So ugly that Duke was leading us in the fourth quarter at home. Discipline issues were running rabid. Our star line backer was arrested for carrying a stolen gun and possesion of drugs just prior to the season starting. He served a one game suspension, but was allowed to play the first game since it was Hawaii and we needed him. ANother starter was suspended as well, but again allowed to play. Their suspnsions would be served againt Louisiana Monroe. Players were not being required to participate in workouts. Our team had no discipline and our offense was non existant. Mal More went to Shula and told him he needed to make some changes, but Shula refused saying only that he would change some responsibilities of the coaches. He decided to place coaches in charge of coaching positions they had never coached instead of firing them. Mal supposedly told him that was unacceptable an for him to get back with him on what he was going to do. No other changes were made Shula was fired. So a coach goes 26-23, his teams get worse as the season progresses, and there are major discipline issues, but he should be retained? I don't think so, only are rivals do. Dubose had a .51 winning percentage and Shula had a .53. Again, that record alone would get him fired at Georgia or any where else, but then throw in the othe factors such as discipline issues, the team being unable to score, looking unprepared, getting worse instead of better as the season progresses and it was a no brainer. If he was such a great coach, why hasn't another university apporached him about being their head coach? He had to go and anyone who knows anything about football would agree. So how exactly is it that we \"eat our own?\" We don't.
