I was watching the Carolina Panthers game last night. I have to say that coach Shula called a fantastic game. He has done an excellent job with $cam the past couple of seasons and is coaching him to a potential MVP. Do you guys think he gets another shot as a head coach? In the NFL? In college? He will definitely be one of the hottest coordinators available after the season. It should be interesting.
Question: Mike Shula as an NFL HC?
- Thread starter drfrankfree
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It wouldn't surprise me. It just didn't work out for him at Bama, that's all.
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His management style would do much better in the NFL. I'm not going to rehash his stint at Alabama. It's been beat to death here. But in the NFL, I think he could be successful with the right franchise (must have a great QB).
Don't be suprised... he's actually a good coach. Just was wrong situation at Alabama. I don't think he's a college coach, but more of a NFL type.
He's a great teacher and QB technician. I think he's got amazing talent at Carolina and is leading them well.
However, what he proved at Alabama is he wasn't very good at the game day aspects and lacked the leadership discipline to lead college-aged kids. Maybe that's better with professionals but I don't see him as a decisive leader who can find the right blend of respect and fear. He's obviously got more football knowledge than nearly anyone but I don't know if he has been able to develop the decision-making ability needed as a head coach.
Just look at the difference in discipline that occurred over the first 9 months of Saban's tenure at Bama. And I'll never forget him asking the ref if he could call timeout to decide if he should accept or decline a holding call.
It's been a long time and he's matured clearly but I would have hesitation as a GM about pulling that trigger right now.
However, what he proved at Alabama is he wasn't very good at the game day aspects and lacked the leadership discipline to lead college-aged kids. Maybe that's better with professionals but I don't see him as a decisive leader who can find the right blend of respect and fear. He's obviously got more football knowledge than nearly anyone but I don't know if he has been able to develop the decision-making ability needed as a head coach.
Just look at the difference in discipline that occurred over the first 9 months of Saban's tenure at Bama. And I'll never forget him asking the ref if he could call timeout to decide if he should accept or decline a holding call.
It's been a long time and he's matured clearly but I would have hesitation as a GM about pulling that trigger right now.
Having a 6-5, 250lb QB who can run and throw it around with the best of them will make any OC look like a genius and it doesn't hurt that he's got a defense that will dictate the terms of the game more often than not. The NFL is the land of retreads and pretty much anybody who has success, regardless of the fact it is mostly on the talent and not necessarily his acumen, will get a shot at the next step in the NFL. So do I think Shula deserves a shot? Sure, with how things go in the NFL he's earned his shot at the next step up the ladder. Do I think he will be a success? It is possible if he lands in a situation that he can salvage with a good draft or two.
He was really young in the profession when he got his first shot at being an OC in Tampa Bay and was still even younger than Coach Smart when he took over here. I don't think he was ready for this kind of job nor was his management style necessarily the best fit for a college program. It was a learning experience for him though. Not many guys in the coordinator ranks come with any kind of head coaching experience, so that is a benefit. I'm not going to be overly negative because he didn't stack up when the odds were against him here in Tuscaloosa. He was the guy who was willing to say yes when most would have said no back in 2003. And with the effects of sanctions being mostly his cross to bear, he was really a placeholder from the outset. He wasn't going to have a ton of success here and the fanbase's patience was going to wear thin by the time the worst of the sanction's effects were felt (2006).
He was really young in the profession when he got his first shot at being an OC in Tampa Bay and was still even younger than Coach Smart when he took over here. I don't think he was ready for this kind of job nor was his management style necessarily the best fit for a college program. It was a learning experience for him though. Not many guys in the coordinator ranks come with any kind of head coaching experience, so that is a benefit. I'm not going to be overly negative because he didn't stack up when the odds were against him here in Tuscaloosa. He was the guy who was willing to say yes when most would have said no back in 2003. And with the effects of sanctions being mostly his cross to bear, he was really a placeholder from the outset. He wasn't going to have a ton of success here and the fanbase's patience was going to wear thin by the time the worst of the sanction's effects were felt (2006).
Why not? Rex Ryan is an NFL HC, so apparently there are no real job requirements. They might call me tomorrow.
Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed.
He's done a great job with $cam, as much as it pains me to see him have success. As a Titans fan, I wonder what he could do with a talent like Marcus Mariota...
Of course, he would need to go out and get a solid OLine. The receivers are there and the running backs have potential. DLine is decent. Linebackers need an upgrade, especially at stopping the run. Secondary needs to be pretty much waived and rebuilt.
Of course, he would need to go out and get a solid OLine. The receivers are there and the running backs have potential. DLine is decent. Linebackers need an upgrade, especially at stopping the run. Secondary needs to be pretty much waived and rebuilt.
Another thing, if Shula wanted to make it work here he could have tried some unethical scheme to recruit the top tier into T-town but he did it by the book and we got the kind of player you can expect when saddled with sanctions. The textbook problem was not some institutionalized scheme, but just terrible information system programming that a player discovered he could game for his own financial gain and spread the "hack" to his group of friends. Shula played it by the numbers when we most needed a coach who wasn't going to try some silly business. Look how much the NCAA overreacted to the textbook deal that was more on bad programmers than bad administration. They wanted to nail us under repeat offender status and we gave them nothing of note to do so.
No idea about the HC question, but I caution those suggesting that he is a great OC. Carolina really seems to have it together this year, but I am not sure that Shula deserves the credit. He has been doing this for a while and never had a good season, much less a great season until now. His offenses were terrible with the Bucs and they were terrible with Carolina until this season. Are they really better this season, or are the defenses that they face just that bad?
At any rate, 1 great season doesn't make Shula great - and it certainly doesn't qualify him for a promotion.
At any rate, 1 great season doesn't make Shula great - and it certainly doesn't qualify him for a promotion.
Is he a better coach or coaching better talent? The answer in the NFL - barring the few special exceptions - is almost always the latter and not the former. It doesn't change the fact that if you happen to be leading a hot offense regardless of the circumstance that you'll probably at least be involved in the interview circuit after the season. The NFL is a copycat league and nobody is really doing that much different than anyone else...most organizations see the coaches as plug n' play until the separate themselves like Pete Carroll or Bill Belichick.
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I agree with this. Everyone thought Gus was an offensive genius when he had Cam and look at him now. Cam will win the MVP award in the NFL this year. Pretty easy to call plays when you have the best QB/athlete in the league. Additionally, don't be fooled by some folks who try to say that Carolina doesn't have any other good players on offense. They have one of the best TE's in the game (Olson), a very good running back, the best fullback in the game and WR's that compliment Cam very well. I'm not taking anything away from Shula but I think that most NFL OC's could do very well with the Carolina roster..
When you have one of the best TEs, a great run game, and a fast WR (Ginn)...you can do pretty dang well given that Cam adds some problems to the defense just with his own scramble and ZR keep ability.
As a fellow Titans fan, I would be good with giving Shula a try at HC. Cant be worse than the last two coaches we've had.
As a Titans fan also I would rather give Hue Jackson a try before Shula. He has previous head coaching experience and is doing a great job with the Bengals offense. I think he could make the Titans offense very explosive if they just add a few more pieces..
The NFL has a tendency to elevate any successful coordinator to head coach. If the new head coach is not successful after a few years, he gets fired, and returns to being a coordinator. Then a few years later, some team is looking for a new head coach with NFL head coaching experience, and he gets another chance to be a head coach. Some of these guys have been fired and re-hired 3 or 4 times. There really is nothing to lose for Shula, since he can always go back to being a coordinator or QB coach if he flops as a head coach. Norv Turner comes to mind...
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