If only Tiffin where a man of Steele...
by Bill Ellis
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Freshman kicker succumbs to pressure…
Leigh Tiffin is no Ronald Steele. Tide fans got a reminder of what an old Alabama coach named Bryant once said about kicking being a 1/3 of football. The young freshman was seven of nine coming in to Bama's first road game. Tiffin left with three missed efforts and a questionable future.
Not that Tiffin is the only Bama man that has to look himself in the mirror this morning. Mike Shula, the headmaster himself, is going to get a lot of criticism for not allowing a kicker whose nickname is "money" to do more than watch Bama wide right away a game won.
Alabama fans watched in horror has Leigh Tiffin missed two field goal attempts to win a hard fought game. Bama pushed Arkansas all over their home field for an entire game only to see the smallest player on the field come apart under pressure. Kicking is as close to a free throw that football might have. You need a man with good fundamentals and ice water in his veins to do either when the game is on the line. Tiffin, whose kicking had been solid before the trip to Fayetteville, missed a total of four chip shots, and those misses sealed Bama's fate.
Arkansas loses all the battles but wins the war…
The outcome was like a boxer who had lost every round and then threw one good punch to win a prizefight. A 4-0 start went out the window and with Florida looming next weekend Tide fans are wondering if a big time skid is in store. Shula played the last five minutes to allow Tiffin a chance to become a hero. Shula's logic was impeccable. His troops fired off first down after first down causing the clock to become Bama's 12th man. It all seemed so perfect. Wide right.
In overtime, the Tide defense played a shaky Mitch Mustain pass to an almost touchdown interception in the first overtime. Little Lionel Mitchell pulled in a Mustain pass and almost scored. Only that he did. This morning Leigh Tiffin awoke to find he has lost his kicking job, and Jamie Christiansen awoke with a fully healed groin muscle. Shula with his professional coaching background, went contrary to the oldest rule in that sport – you do not lose your job due to an injury. He chose to look the other way three times in succession, and now bears the heat with a Tide nation that wants wins and not excuses. In the minds of many Bama fans it was unnecessary to even need a field goal to win. A little imagination with the play calling should have put big numbers on the board before the missed kick.
This one hurts and hurts badly. No way around that. Alabama fans are loyal.
But their loyalty is to their school and not to their coach. The radio waves will heat up the "Shula can't coach" argument this upcoming week. Like it or not it is a valid argument. Probation over, and a full scholarship limit on hand, the Tide still looks like a team playing not to lose instead of one trying to win. Or did they? If Tiffin makes the first kick the Tide nation celebrates into a long fun night. The difference between drinking with your buds and crying into your buds is as close as a missed field go or three.
Darby has no chance…
Clearly, the Tide has some areas to address. Ken Darby may not be a hundred percent, but he would have nowhere to run if he was. 2.5 yards per carry is less a knock on the senior than it is on the line. But when your grandmother knows when Darby is going to run, is if fair to either the line or the back to point fingers. Shula needs to hire someone to revamp his offense and then call the plays. If he doesn't he'll ruin a young quarterback whose star is rising. John Parker Wilson was 16-20 for 243 yards. He played like a fifth year senior. He showed poise and his lightning quick release found open receivers time after time.
Tide defense played well…
The defense gave up only 10 points on foreign soil. They bent under the constant power of McFadden, but didn't break. For the fourth straight game it is clear that Bama isn't physical enough at times to be dominant. Shula may insist on playing junction ball, but he doesn't have the horses to do so. I'm not sure any college team does these days. Bama plays close to brink, accepting the thinnest of all margins to win. Yesterday, that margin was called in by the Razorbacks. Mustain to Cleveland is old news in Springdale, Arkansas, and Bama found how potent it has already become in college. Too bad for the Tide – 2/3 of the game plan worked. Look for a chance in kickers. A wounded warrior comes off the disabled list to reclaim his old job, and another goes into therapy to mend a broken psyche. Whether Bama can go bowling this year is up in the air. The Tide isn't good enough to compete with an old Lee County friend, and that is going to cost Shula his job later this year, or next for sure.
Copyright © BamaBasketball.net 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
by Bill Ellis
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Freshman kicker succumbs to pressure…
Leigh Tiffin is no Ronald Steele. Tide fans got a reminder of what an old Alabama coach named Bryant once said about kicking being a 1/3 of football. The young freshman was seven of nine coming in to Bama's first road game. Tiffin left with three missed efforts and a questionable future.
Not that Tiffin is the only Bama man that has to look himself in the mirror this morning. Mike Shula, the headmaster himself, is going to get a lot of criticism for not allowing a kicker whose nickname is "money" to do more than watch Bama wide right away a game won.
Alabama fans watched in horror has Leigh Tiffin missed two field goal attempts to win a hard fought game. Bama pushed Arkansas all over their home field for an entire game only to see the smallest player on the field come apart under pressure. Kicking is as close to a free throw that football might have. You need a man with good fundamentals and ice water in his veins to do either when the game is on the line. Tiffin, whose kicking had been solid before the trip to Fayetteville, missed a total of four chip shots, and those misses sealed Bama's fate.
Arkansas loses all the battles but wins the war…
The outcome was like a boxer who had lost every round and then threw one good punch to win a prizefight. A 4-0 start went out the window and with Florida looming next weekend Tide fans are wondering if a big time skid is in store. Shula played the last five minutes to allow Tiffin a chance to become a hero. Shula's logic was impeccable. His troops fired off first down after first down causing the clock to become Bama's 12th man. It all seemed so perfect. Wide right.
In overtime, the Tide defense played a shaky Mitch Mustain pass to an almost touchdown interception in the first overtime. Little Lionel Mitchell pulled in a Mustain pass and almost scored. Only that he did. This morning Leigh Tiffin awoke to find he has lost his kicking job, and Jamie Christiansen awoke with a fully healed groin muscle. Shula with his professional coaching background, went contrary to the oldest rule in that sport – you do not lose your job due to an injury. He chose to look the other way three times in succession, and now bears the heat with a Tide nation that wants wins and not excuses. In the minds of many Bama fans it was unnecessary to even need a field goal to win. A little imagination with the play calling should have put big numbers on the board before the missed kick.
This one hurts and hurts badly. No way around that. Alabama fans are loyal.
But their loyalty is to their school and not to their coach. The radio waves will heat up the "Shula can't coach" argument this upcoming week. Like it or not it is a valid argument. Probation over, and a full scholarship limit on hand, the Tide still looks like a team playing not to lose instead of one trying to win. Or did they? If Tiffin makes the first kick the Tide nation celebrates into a long fun night. The difference between drinking with your buds and crying into your buds is as close as a missed field go or three.
Darby has no chance…
Clearly, the Tide has some areas to address. Ken Darby may not be a hundred percent, but he would have nowhere to run if he was. 2.5 yards per carry is less a knock on the senior than it is on the line. But when your grandmother knows when Darby is going to run, is if fair to either the line or the back to point fingers. Shula needs to hire someone to revamp his offense and then call the plays. If he doesn't he'll ruin a young quarterback whose star is rising. John Parker Wilson was 16-20 for 243 yards. He played like a fifth year senior. He showed poise and his lightning quick release found open receivers time after time.
Tide defense played well…
The defense gave up only 10 points on foreign soil. They bent under the constant power of McFadden, but didn't break. For the fourth straight game it is clear that Bama isn't physical enough at times to be dominant. Shula may insist on playing junction ball, but he doesn't have the horses to do so. I'm not sure any college team does these days. Bama plays close to brink, accepting the thinnest of all margins to win. Yesterday, that margin was called in by the Razorbacks. Mustain to Cleveland is old news in Springdale, Arkansas, and Bama found how potent it has already become in college. Too bad for the Tide – 2/3 of the game plan worked. Look for a chance in kickers. A wounded warrior comes off the disabled list to reclaim his old job, and another goes into therapy to mend a broken psyche. Whether Bama can go bowling this year is up in the air. The Tide isn't good enough to compete with an old Lee County friend, and that is going to cost Shula his job later this year, or next for sure.
Copyright © BamaBasketball.net 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Last edited:
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