The offseason couldn’t have been worse for the Alabama football team.
The Crimson Tide finished the 2002 season with loads of pride as the team – although in the midst of a three-year probation – finished with a 10-3 record and a promising future.
But then the string began to unravel. Head coach Dennis Franchionne left the Tide for his “dream job” at Texas A&M. Alabama then stole Mike Price from his perch at Washington State only to see him embarrass the University before coaching a game.
The joke around the Southeastern Conference was, “Let me guess. It was Mike Price, in the hotel, with a stripper.”
After the firing of Price, Alabama was adamant on hiring a former Crimson Tide player or coach, and the University found its man in former quarterback Mike Shula, who lacked head coaching experience.
Alabama lured Shula from the Miami Dolphins where he served as quarterbacks coach. He now has the daunting task of turning around a program that has seen three head coaches in 10 months and rests in the heart of a football-oriented town that puts more pressure on its head coaches than the Democrats put on George W. Bush.
“It has been a whirlwind experience for everyone,” Shula said at Alabama’s Media Day. “We have needed time to hire staff, get playbooks ready, set schedules and every other little thing that must be done to prepare for a season. The only difference, this staff had less than three months to prepare for a season.”
Shula said he was surprised by the positive reaction he and his staff received from the players after the wild offseason.
“I am amazed and awed at the resiliency of this team,” he said. “After all they have been through, they have accepted this staff and me from the very beginning. Any player among the senior class could have transferred without losing eligibility. None did. That speaks volumes about Alabama football and what it means to play for the Crimson Tide.”
The Crimson Tide return starting tailback Shaud Williams, who averaged 7.1 yards per carry on his way to 921 yards last season. He is nominated for the Doak Walker award this season, which is given to the nation’s best back. Williams said the offseason was rough but it brought the players closer together.
“It was a hard time for all the players, but we just tried to be there for eachother,” Williams said.
The Crimson Tide took another blow during fall camp when All-SEC linebacker Brooks Daniels left the team for “undisclosed medical reasons.” Daniels produced back-to-back 100-plus tackle seasons and was expected to be among the league’s best players.
Daniels’ departure will place a burden on the already thin Alabama lineup.
“Overall, depth will be an issue at many positions,” Shula said. “But I think our first 22 will be pretty good.”
At quarterback, the Crimson Tide will feature one of the young stars in the SEC, Brodie Croyle. The sophomore threw for 1,046 yards as a freshman last season behind senior Tyler Watts. He was considered by many publications to be the No. 1 ranked quarterback out of high school in 2000.
“[Croyle] has a strong arm and can move around pretty well,” Shula said. “I’m looking forward to watching him develop at the quarterback spot.”
Alabama will not be able to play in a bowl game because it’s on probation. Last season the Crimson Tide scheduled a thirteenth game at Hawaii to act in place of a bowl game and did the same for the 2003 season.
“I have talked to the seniors,” Williams said. “And although we can’t play in a bowl game or for a national championship, we want to be remembered as the group that helped the program be the best that it can. We are under the radar. Everyone is doubting our team and program, and that just motivates us as players to prove ourselves.”