Thursday, November 30, 2006

Spurrier to Alabama?

This rumor is juicy only because he's the biggest name in college football coaching (yes, ahead of Carroll, Weis, Meyer or any of them). Let's see... Pros: More money; more prestigious program. Cons: Dick move to S. Carolina. Yep: I think he'll go. Thoughts?
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36 comments:

Brian in Oxford said...

If Spurrier could make SC relevant, then in 5 years they'd be a more prestigious program anyways, especially if 'Bama just keeps spinning its wheels.

11/30/2006 01:58:00 PM
jhawkjjm said...

Con: Higher expectations. At SC he has a built-in excuse if he fails. Not so at Bama

11/30/2006 02:02:00 PM
RevScottDeMangeMD said...

Sounds like Dan might still be bitter about Spurrier leaving Florida...

11/30/2006 02:08:00 PM
Anonymous said...

I seriously doubt Spurrier leave. He prefers to build up a program. Remember Florida before Spurrier got there? Wasn't the prestigious program it is now. Also, Alabama is always getting investigated because of problems with alumni. Spurrier won't want to put up with taht. Besides, futurelegend is right, you have a very short time to succeed at Bama.

11/30/2006 02:12:00 PM
Anonymous said...

You all talk like winning is the most important thing. Spurrier will go where he gets paid more. That's how life works. Your family won't care in 50 years if you made SC into a national power. They'll care if they can purchase a yacht with the inheritance money.

And in 5 years he'll be talking to Al Davis thinking, "You know, I really think I have a better perspective on this NFL thing."

11/30/2006 02:28:00 PM
Trey (formerly TF) said...

I think this is a ploy to get the money and facility upgrade he wants.

11/30/2006 02:36:00 PM
Anonymous said...

That's a good point, he's not in the same league as Carrol, Weis and Tressel in terms of hype. As a Florida alum, he probably doesn't notice.

11/30/2006 02:45:00 PM
rafael said...

Spurrier is definitely a good coach. South Carolina had no business being in several games this year, yet they were competitive.
I DON'T think Spurrier particularly cares about money at this point. I doubt he coaches more than 4 years and he'd have a much easier time at USC than PMS Univ.

11/30/2006 03:04:00 PM
Trey (formerly TF) said...

Where arWhere are you guys located? Probably not from or around the South, the guy is still and will always be a HUGE name. Yes, talking head gush over Weis, Tressel, etc. They are good coaches and should be, however, your talking about the guy who CHANGED how college football was played at the major level, by implementing a large scale passing game. Before that it was three yards and a cloud of dust, everywhere. Yes there were some coaches that threw it around, but no one exploited defenses by taking shots down the field like he did. Give the guy talent he can out X and O anyone at the college level. And, even if he is hated, he’s still an iconic figure in the south. Sorry this isn’t relevant to many of you in the NE, MidWest, West Coast. But I can say that most people feel the same way about things those areas care about. I.E. – Yanks/Sox in the NE.

Joe (Dayton)

11/30/2006 03:07:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Didn't he say that he didn't want to coach somewhere with huge expectations? How, exactly, does Bama fit in with that. Shula was 10-2 LAST YEAR and got fired. You think the ol' ball coach wants to go through that?

He'll "listen", and then SC will up his salary, and he can stay there, play as much golf as he wants...and if he ever gets that team to 10 wins, it would be almost as good as winning another NC.

11/30/2006 03:11:00 PM
Anonymous said...

"he's not in the same league as Carrol, Weis and Tressel"

Yeah, they are in different leagues alright - (they are not up to his league, my friends). Spurrier's teams dominated college football like no other teams have done.

Carroll is pretty close to his in CFB land, Weis has yet to prove he's anything (other than a good assistant in the NFL), and Tressel - pleease!!

Spurrier hasn't even had time to get his kind of talent and skill palyers at SC (THIS WAS ONLY HIS 2ND YEAR).

Give him just one of the talent guys the others have had: Leinart, Brady, Bush, Smith, or Ginn and he would embarrass every team out there - guarenteed.

11/30/2006 04:01:00 PM
Anonymous said...

...And that comes from a Vol alumni who loathes the Visor!!!!

11/30/2006 04:01:00 PM
Anonymous said...

No matter what he once did, he's not the biggest name in college coaching anymore. That's all.

11/30/2006 04:06:00 PM
rafael said...

Ouch, can't agree with the casual dismissal of Tressel, Sla.

Carroll and Tressel are the two best coaches in CFB based on ability and results.

Spurrier would be top 3 with them based on ability..and he'll get the results soon..at Carolina.

Weis is only up there on results, not ability.

(I think the difficulty with Tressel is that he's far more reliant on defense than Carroll or Spurrier are, and that tends to lessen the shine)

11/30/2006 04:19:00 PM
Anonymous said...

What's hilarious about this whole thing is that the media seems to have jumped at every chance to push Spurrier out of SC. First with a week long second-by-second report of Spurrier leaving to coach Miami, and now the SAME THING with Alabama.

Spurrier has gone on record as saying he has no interest in the job. He has a better chance at winning at SC anyway, mostly because he's already put in 2 years of work here. I seriously doubt he will toss his work in the toilet to go be the next coach eaten by Bear Bryant's shadow.

This underrated SC team is literally three batted up passes caught for TD away from being 10-2 and playing LSU in the SEC title game this weekend, rather than 7-5. All three of those losses were by 7 or less points. (Yes, I said LSU, because one of those wins would have put LSU ahead of Arkansas.)

11/30/2006 04:33:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Additionally, I agree with tf. There are facility upgrade talks, and plans to further expand Williams-Brice to seat another 8000 or so.

11/30/2006 04:36:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Something else I forgot to mention. Spurrier has said from Day 1 at SC that he wants to do things here that the critics said can't be done, and do things that have never been done at SC.

He can't do any of that in Alabama.

11/30/2006 04:39:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Weis=Spurrier=overhyped quarterback position coaches.

Hey, I know Spurrier as a ridiculously bad NFL coach. Am I supposed to just forget that he's lazy, arrogant and overconfident? I don't think so.

And America still remembers him this way, or he wouldn't have taken a job with SC, eh?

If you want a good laugh, just search for "Redskins" on his ridiculously slanted bio here:

http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports
/m-footbl/mtt/spurrier_steve00.html

11/30/2006 04:44:00 PM
Anonymous said...

It is confirmed that Alabama has formally asked SC for permission to talk to Spurrier. Alabama seeks talk with Spurrier about head coaching job.

That still doesn't mean Spurrier wants the job.

11/30/2006 04:48:00 PM
Anonymous said...

I'm not meaning to dismiss bob stoops or anyone else, just grabbing three coaches that are hyped more than Spurrier on the ABC/CBS TV shows. It's not systematic, and it isn't meant to be.

Yes, he might be very good, but after the Redskins, that's a hard argument to take seriously.

11/30/2006 04:48:00 PM
Anonymous said...

rafael said:

(I think the difficulty with Tressel is that he's far more reliant on defense than Carroll or Spurrier are, and that tends to lessen the shine)

- Great point...and Tressel probably does deserve more credit and I shouldn't have casually dismiised him.


Ma4tt,

I like the golf course argument (which trust me, will play a role in his decision) but I'd say it's a push because ALA does have the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail - not too shabby group of courses!!!

11/30/2006 05:08:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Awesome post m4tt! I wish I could do a decent Spurrier imitation.

11/30/2006 05:14:00 PM
Bear said...

http://www.wltx.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=44661

Now they're saying he's not going.

11/30/2006 05:27:00 PM
Bear said...

Lazy Link

11/30/2006 05:29:00 PM
Mega said...

Leave the 'Skins out of this. The only real problem with the Redskins is Daniel Snyder and his ego.

11/30/2006 05:40:00 PM
Anonymous said...

On the way home from work, while listening to local sports talk radio, it was reported that a player from the team, speaking anonymously, said that Spurrier held a team meeting in which he told the players not to listen to "That Alabama talk", and he wasn't leaving. "We have a championship still to win."

11/30/2006 06:04:00 PM
mrmom61 said...

He's in the golf course capitol of the world.Nuff said

11/30/2006 06:05:00 PM
Anonymous said...

futurevince,

"So while the RTJ trail is a wonderful group of courses I think Augusta is probably the trump card if golf courses is a factor in his decision."

- SO TRUE, I stand corrected!!!

11/30/2006 06:17:00 PM
MP said...

Doesn't his commitment to friend Lou Holtz mean anything?

11/30/2006 06:38:00 PM
Anonymous said...

Spurrier isn't overrated for this reason: He alone as a coach wins 2-3 games a season, regardless of the quality of his players. He schemes and calls plays that frustrate the opposing team. SC in the last 2 years has beaten teams that thought they should have won, and they won those games ONLY because of Spurrier. Name another coach that wins games only because of the coach. Stoops wins because of better talent, Tressel wins because of better talent, Carroll wins because of better talent, Weis has mostly won due to playing weaker teams.

The only coaches that are on the level with Spurrier are those who win games with less, and NOBODY fits that description.

11/30/2006 06:39:00 PM
Trey (formerly TF) said...

Ferentz is a great coach and one hell of a recruiter.

However:

1) Spurrier won an ACC title at Duke. DUKE! That was their only ACC title in the last 44 years.

2) Spurrier went 9-2 and finished 1st in the SEC with a 5th string QB,severely reduce amounts of scholarships (thanks to NCAA sanctions), and the team's only offensive weapon gone (Emmitt Smith) in 1990.

Ya, he hasn't made South Carolina a powerhouse, but the guy's past speaks for itself. He's a damn good college coach.

Joe(Dayton)

11/30/2006 08:46:00 PM
TJ said...

I cannot imagine Spurrier doing this. Unless he thinks the SEC East is too hard and recruiting is more annoying than he remembered.

He's got a great thing going at USC--he's loved for making the program relevant, the Outback Bowl is considered a great season, beating UF, UT, or UGA makes you golden, ...

I'll grant you that Alabama is more attractive than Miami, but he would not be loved there--these are proud SEC fans with their own traditions; they won't sell out to Spurrier too easily. A couple Outback Bowls and he--Spurrier!--would be fired. Lose to Auburn a few times (Spurrier never could consistently solve UF's big rival--FSU) and the boosters are calling for your head.

Absolutely no reason for him to do anything other than stay right where he is.

11/30/2006 08:52:00 PM
Anonymous said...

I've said it on the 500 other posts that Dan has made about Spurrier that none of us cared about - Alabama should only consider one name:

Romeo Crennel.

I've laid out the case for Crennel already in other posts and I think it's a no brainer. I don't think Spurrier will take the job he's just applying pressure to SC to get the facilities that he wanted upgraded.

They need new blood in the SEC - Is Spurrier going to be brought up everytime an SEC team has an opening?

Crennel - has the NFL connection (ala Weis, Carroll), he's got the Super Bowl rings so he has the pull with recruits, he's got charisma, players absolutely love playing for him (for the most part), and he's a defensive guy - something that'll come in handy in the SEC.

So again - RAC for Bama.

11/30/2006 09:23:00 PM
Anonymous said...

I've said it on the 500 other posts that Dan has made about Spurrier that none of us cared about - Alabama should only consider one name:

Romeo Crennel.

I've laid out the case for Crennel already in other posts and I think it's a no brainer. I don't think Spurrier will take the job he's just applying pressure to SC to get the facilities that he wanted upgraded.

They need new blood in the SEC - Is Spurrier going to be brought up everytime an SEC team has an opening?

Crennel - has the NFL connection (ala Weis, Carroll), he's got the Super Bowl rings so he has the pull with recruits, he's got charisma, players absolutely love playing for him (for the most part), and he's a defensive guy - something that'll come in handy in the SEC.

So again - RAC for Bama.

11/30/2006 09:23:00 PM
Bear said...

FutureLegendVinceYoung

Fran left to go to A&M for two reasons. One, Alabama was just hit with those sanctions, and he didn't want to be there during those times of reduced scholarships and no bowl games. Two, A&M was his 'dream job'. That's where he always wanted to coach, so he left as soon as he could.

f'nbryan is right in saying that the way that Shula coached this year warrented his dismissal. He's a GREAT head coach as the face of a program, but he's a very bad play caller.

I also think that Rich Rodriguez would be a better fit, not only for his offense, but for the potential years that he could give them.

11/30/2006 10:56:00 PM
rafael said...

lmao
Spurrier would want to become an Alabama legend??

He's a Florida legend already and could be the same at South Carolina.
Alabama hasn't been relevant nationally in almost 15 years. They are a middle of the pack SEC team...just because Tom Berenger coached them decades ago does not mean they should automatically be viewed as a premiere program now. In the West, it is LSU and Auburn and then a revolving door of scrubs. Get used to it.


Oh, and to whoever said Tressel, Carroll, etc. only won because they had superior players...um...Tressel won 4 national championships in I-AA. Superior players!?

12/01/2006 08:26:00 AM

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