Bleacher Report - Articles by Zach Lovelady

Choke Artist: Top Five Coaches Who Can't Win the Big One

Zach Lovelady — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 09:23:00 -0400

We have all heard the phrase, "Yeah, he is a great coach, BUT he just can't win the big one." Many have donned that line over the years, and a few have overcame it. I for one would say just this last week Mack Brown shed the monkey off his back with a win over rival Oklahoma.

That game alone really got me thinking how many coaches out there may have at one time seemed immortal, but as of late may have hoisted this furry friend to their shoulders.

1. Charlie Weis, Notre Dame

Year after year we see all the recruiting rankings come out, and year after year we see Notre Dame high atop those polls. Yet if you look out on the field, where are all the athletes?

To me this means one of two things: Ranking recruits is bogus, or Mr. Weis just can't coach. The Irish play a very soft schedule when you compare it to what other conference teams play, so I think Weis has to be No. 1. I mean, he has never won a bowl game.

2. Bob Stoops, Oklahoma

Now I know "Big Game Bob" won it all in '01, but as of late it has been ugly. Stoops and the Sooners have been whacked in four of the last five bowls when they were favored in every one of them, not to mention the healthy spankin' he received in the Red River Rivalry. I think when you look at the last five years, Stoops has to be on this list.

3. Jim Tressel, Ohio State

OK, now let's be honest. I think Tressel is a great coach, but in '06 the Buckeyes were heavy favorites and got just absolutely run out of the building against Florida. 2007, OK, here you go just slipping in by default. What a chance to redeem yourself—and we got more of the same. Then the Buckeyes got dismantled by USC in '08.

4. Ron Zook, Illinois/Florida

This may surprise some of you when you compare "The Fighting Zooker" to the three above him, but when you look at what a great recruiter he is and the type of talent he gets (Note: '07 Florida Gators National Champs = Ron Zook's Recruits), he should have been able to dominate a subpar Big Ten the last couple of years.

Now he did beat OSU last year, and most of the nation called it a fluke, but when he got the chance to prove otherwise in the '07 Rose Bowl, he got crushed. Then in '08 he got handled by Missouri.

5. Bobby Bowden, Florida State

I hated to put this man's name in this article, but in the last five years Bowden is tearing down the house that he built. It is sad to see what would have most certainly been one the greatest coaches to ever walk the sidelines rewriting his legacy.

Bowden made his mark by building FSU into a dynasty, and he is going to leave it in tragedy. If you don't think so, just look at the '08 FSU-Miami game. Most of the country didn't even know it was on. Ten years ago that would have been ESPN primetime with College GameDay there.

If you notice one thing these coaches have in common, it is that they all are at big time programs and bring in big time recruits. It just goes to show you that at some point players have to be coached.

Alabama Football 2008: What a Process

Zach Lovelady — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:05:59 -0400

About three months ago, I wrote an article titled "Alabama Football 2008: Better Team, Worse Record." I wanted to follow up with a midseason progress report.

When I look at that article now, I must be honest: I think myself and everyone else who looked at this team in no way, form, or fashion saw this coming. Having said that, I still want to withhold my vote on how good I believe this team is until I see how this season ends.

We all have heard Coach Nick Saban talk about things like "The Process," intensity, playing physical, and most importantly, finishing, which has been the weakness of this team in recent years. This team has obviously come a long way, but the thing Bama fans must remember is just how far down this program had plummeted.

When John Parker Wilson and crew string together some wins, everyone gets excited, as they should. Now I don't mean to be a glass half empty guy, but let's keep everything in perspective.

Fans are already clamoring about National Championships, but I would suggest we need to crawl before we walk. This team could easily be one or two key injuries away from losing three or four games before the season is over.

This team has already shown us that there are good things to come, so take a closer look at where this team really is and where fans want it to be.

I think if you asked Nick Saban what is his primary goal from week to week other than winning, it would be to get better. Now I know Bama is 6-0, but if you have watched every game, you would have seen that has not been the case this year. There are still a lot of inconsistencies from week to week, with the exception of the O-line and the defense.

I would make the argument that those two are the key reasons that Alabama remains undefeated.

The biggest highlight I have seen thus far has been the D-line. When I think of Alabama Football, the first thing that comes to mind is a big strong defensive front, and Saban has begun to restore that cornerstone.

Coach Saban has begun to bring back prominence to this program with his "Process," and all evidence points to the fact that it is working.

Fans, take a deep breath. Just as the team does, take it a week at a time and wait until mid-December to talk about how good this team is.

Rocky Slop: How Long Will Phillip Fulmer Last at Tennessee?

Zach Lovelady — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:52:45 -0400

It has been ten years since Good Ole’ Rocky Top saw its last National Championship. Yet, as the Vols limp through a horrible season, some might say it feels like a century ago.

Perhaps there are still Fulmer Faithful who would have you believe they have seen this movie before, and know how it ends: With Phil "The Spin Doctor" having a strong second half of the season, and maybe a big upset thrown in.

For these remaining Phil Fans, the question is simple: Have you seen this team play? They are, in a word, atrocious! Fumbles. Interceptions. Crucial penalties. Not just untimely false starts or formation penalties: We're talking late hits and other unsportsmanlike conduct.

In fact, Fulmer has managed to produce the worst year of coaching in recent memory, perhaps rivaled only by Larry Coker's last year at Miami.

Throughout the offseason we were inundated with talk about the potential of Jonathan Crompton. Crompton was projected to be a difference maker for the Vols, a player who, along with highly-touted receiver Gerald Jones and tailback Arian Foster, would have the Volunteers competing for yet another SEC title.

It’s clear that things didn’t quite work out that way.

As a last-ditch effort, "Philly" and his staff have turned the team over to a sophomore from Texas whom no one outside of Knoxville has ever heard of. The obvious question is: If this kid was such a great quarterback, why didn't one of those pass-happy Big 12 teams offer him a deal?
With all the turmoil, it shouldn't shock anyone that Phil's Fans are quickly dwindling. What is most interesting, however, is not the outcry from the fans, but rather the criticism coming from those higher in the ranks of the Vol Nation.

Just last week, Birmingham talk radio heard from the beloved Johnny Majors himself. As head coach of the Volunteers, Majors hired Fulmer as an assistant coach; Fulmer has been in Knoxville ever since.

Appearing on The Paul Finebaum Show, Majors refused to refer to Fulmer by name. Rather, he could only bring himself to obliquely criticize "the current situation." As in, the current situation was “one of the main mistakes I made in my coaching career." Way to be subtle, Johnny.

Listeners could only sit there stunned for several minutes, not knowing quite what to think. When Finebaum probed deeper, Majors steered the conversation towards the historical rivalry between himself and Bear Bryant.

"The current staff have yet to face a fully complemented Alabama team,” Majors said, referring to NCAA sanctions and scholarship restrictions imposed on Alabama after the 2001 season. Sanctions that were, by the way, brought on based on the allegations of Phillip Fulmer.

Finebaum, a Tennessee grad himself, perhaps said it best: “It seems that Fulmer would rather defeat his archrival with shady detective work rather than with his coaching ability.”

Hopefully, Fulmer’s detective hat is pressed. He may find himself looking for a new line of work soon.

With contributions from Mike Dockery.

Jet-Gate Two: Bama on the Rise, Auburn Refueling the Jet

Zach Lovelady — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:19:27 -0400

My, my, my...Wow, how the tables have turned.

For six years, the 'Bama Nation has had to listen to Aubie after Aubie preach to them about how their Cow College has taught them to count to six. That is wonderful; I hope that they have enjoyed their reign, beating a subpar, probation-laden Alabama team.

It is evident that those days are coming to a close at an extremely rapid rate. Whether or not the experts predicted this is irrelevant; it is obvious that Nick Saban has the 'Bama program ahead of schedule.

It is also obvious that this is the direct cause of Auburn's woes.

Tommy Tuberville saw this coming early in Saban's tenure at 'Bama. Saban is a tenacious coach and a relentless recruiter. While Tuberville was off in Arkansas duck hunting and trying to get himself a raise by flirting with the Razorbacks, Saban was heating up the roads on the recruiting trail.

It is no secret Auburn has owned 'Bama in recent years, plucking players left and right from the state. But now Auburn has retaken its rightful seat: second fiddle behind its big brother from Tuscaloosa.

Tuberville, knowing he was losing his pants in getting the players he needed to fit his offense, made a move to completely change his offense. He picked an offense that is primarily utilized in high school programs to highlight the strengths of a team while masking the weaknesses.

The reason is obvious: Tuberville knew his days of dominating the blue-chippers were over. He was staking his hopes on that fact that maybe he could still recruit three or four elite players a year, and hide all the average players inside a gimmicky offense.

Even if this plan had worked, all it would have meant is that Auburn would be right back where it has always really been: "AVERAGE."

As it stands, things are swirling out of control. Last week, Tuberville fired Tony Franklin, the man he brought in to build the system, halfway through Franklin's first season. The firing came just one day after Tuberville publicly professed his support for Franklin.

It didn't help. Auburn still lost to an atrocious Arkansas team.

Meanwhile, Bobby Lowder is getting that Colonial Bank Jet fueled up again. The only question left is, "What is the destination?" Lane Kiffin, Will Muschamp, Butch Davis?

Alabama Football 2008: Better Team, Worse Record

Zach Lovelady — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:39:34 -0400

Is'nt ironic that just a few weeks after being named the recruiting National Champions the first time in over thirty years the University of Alabama did not have a single player drafted by the NFL. After all the national criticism of Nick Saban for not being honest about leaving Miami to take the Alabama job, the Tide posted a record of 7-6. The season offered us some keen insight into the failures of those who came before Saban, it also gave fans something to look forward to down the road, the took a team in Georgia to over-time, a team who many thought would have been a worthy National Champion, we also saw the Tide overcome a 4th QTR. deficit the time this decade against Arkansas, the Tide was one series away from beating LSU. With all that being said we also saw the discipline of Coach Saban cause some division among some prominent players such as D.J. Hall which some believe may have led to the meltdown against LA Monroe a team in which the Tide should have been able to throw their helmets onto the field and chalked it up a "W", and this started a four game losing streak to end the regular season, including the sixth loss to instate rival Auburn. With the exception of LA Monroe I think the season went the way most people thought it would, new coach, new system, and the Tide being a year removed from scholarship restrictions. If there was one thing I thought stood out to me all season it was that the whole team looked in very good physical shape. Now moving out of the past looking to this season I think there are a lot of key points that you can look at to get a gauge of what this season will hold in store.

The Offense: John Parker Wilson is the Quarterback and leader of this team even with all the buzz around incoming freshman Star Jackson JPW is coming into his senior year and he has started the past two years without injury and according to sources very close to the program over his tenure at UA is has been the model of hard work and dedication. Now over the past two years he has sure had his share of ups and down and his share of critics, but if we look a little deeper I think we will see some indicators that led to this. First off we all know Mike Shula was a joke as a head football coach and his play calling was atrocious which led to one of the worst redzone offenses in the nation. Last year was Wilson's first year in a completely new offense, that lets face it wasn't really taylor-made for Wilson's abilty. With new offensive coordinator Jim McElwain who is said to be tweeking the offense to better fit the talent available. Look to see a different Wilson than fans have seen. The O-Line is one year deeper and as we seen last year although it had improved from previous years there still are some needs this year should be even better. The backfield has a stable of talent look to see Terry Grant as more of a scamper back or check-down receiver in the flats on first and second down with Glenn Coffee as the horse running between the tackles in short yardage situations. Also look to see Roy Upchurch and Jonathan Lowe get there share of reps.. At wide receiver there is a depth of talent but for the most part this talent is unproven but watch out for the young star Julio Jones.

The Defense: At the first of the season last year the defense at times just looked plain confused but as the year wore on they seemed to be much more comfortable. The D-Line seemed to be the weakest link they never seemed to be able to get a good push off the ball apparently Saban noticed this too seeing how he really grabbed some great talent on this past recruiting year for the D-Line as well as Line-Backers. With Wallace Gillberry gone look to see Rolando McClain develop into the leader of the squad and continue to hone his already phenomenal skills. The dismissal of Jimmy Johns: don't be to worried about this other than just the initial black eye. I can't name you one meaningful contribution he has made since he has been there. He had high expectations and they just never turned into reality. Other players to watch include: Javier Arenas, Rashad Johnson, Kareem Jackson, and Lorenzo Washington.

The Season:You can look forward to a much better team in 08 going into their second year under Saban, but I am not so sure the record at the end of the year will show it. When you step back and look at it Schedule is just as tough with one key difference all those close tough home games will be tough road games this year with stops in Arkansas, Athens, Knoxville, and Baton Rouge. Also the season opener will be in Atlanta against Clemson which should prove to be a good gauge on what the season may hold. Look to see a better RedZone Offense and a stouter D-Line in 08. Also look to see some surprises as we all know how Coach Saban likes to keep things close to the vest!!

RTR