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Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Bowden is out. Are Tuberville and Fulmer far behind?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tommy Bowden stepped down at Clemson yesterday because he knew that he had lost the support of the majority of his fan base. And I know what you are thinking this morning: Are Phillip Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville far behind?
I’m not here today to say that Bowden, Fulmer, and Tuberville absolutely, positively should be in their current jobs next season. All three head men have made significant mistakes and their teams have not looked well-coached this season. In fact, their teams have looked poorly coached.
But to all three schools and their fans I simply offer these words of caution: Be careful what you wish for because the wrong decision here can put you into the football wilderness for a very long time.
There is something going on in all three cases that transcends the number of football games the coach has won. For lack of a better term I call it Coaching Fatigue. In short, I think we have gotten to the point where it is irrelevant whether or not these men are good coaches.
There are a certain number of fans who simply want something different. After 10 years of Bowden and Tuberville and 16 years of Fulmer, some fans want change for the sake of change. They want something fresh and new. They are convinced that the next Nick Saban waiting by the phone.
And they may be right. Sometimes change is the way to go. Jim Donnan had won 40 games and four bowls in five years at Georgia but he struggled against the Bulldogs’ top rivals. Mark Richt came in and Georgia has won two SEC championships and began this season ranked No. 1.
But other schools struggle with change. Alabama had a decade of turbulence between the departure of Gene Stallings and the arrival of Nick Saban. Nebraska fired Frank Solich after a nine-win season because they perceived the program was falling behind Texas and Oklahoma. The Cornhuskers’ once proud program is in now in shambles.
But in this ultra competitive environment, you better have a pretty clear idea where you are going if you decide to change. Clemson has not won an ACC championship since 1991 and gave Bowden 10 years and paid him well. I said before the season that if Bowden did not win an ACC championship with this collection of players, it could fairly be asked if he would ever win one. Clemson did not look like an inspired team to me. Alabama smacked Clemson in the mouth on Aug. 30 and the Tigers did not fight back. They looked listless last Thursday at Wake Forest. Bowden was clearly having a tough time reaching his players.
Fulmer is facing some of this. Tennessee was picked to finish third in the SEC East and that’s where the Vols may end up. But as a staff, particularly on the offensive side, Tennessee has really underachieved. And after 17 years there are Tennessee fans who believe they see the program sliding and simply want a change. But I will say this: For all of the great tradition and support at Tennessee, it is a very difficult job because the staff has to recruit nationally. For all of Fulmer’s critics, the fact remains that Fulmer has won 100 more games than he has lost at Tennessee. If he leaves after this season, his average record will be about 9-3. But he has also gone 10 years without winning an SEC championship and his primary rivals, Florida, Georgia, and Alabama, are getting better each year.
Tuberville has had a horrible year. The Tony Franklin saga has opened up a can of worms and brought his judgment into question. Tuberville has made a lot of mistakes this season as a head coach. There is no way to spin that. But here is the question I would ask Auburn fans who want him gone: As bad as this season is and as frustrated as you are, are you ready to start over, knowing what Saban is doing in Tuscaloosa? Tuberville is still the guy who has beaten Alabama six straight times.
Spike Dykes, the old Texas Tech coach, once said that no matter how good a coach is, he loses about 10 percent of his support every year he is at a school. By that measure, the meter has run out on all three of these coaches.
But remember this: In football, as well as in politics, not all change is good. It could be that change is what is needed at Auburn and Tennessee because the support has eroded and cannot be rebuilt. But the administration at those schools had better get it right. It can get worse. Just ask Nebraska.
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