What kind of success would Croom have had at Alabama? 8-4 type seasons? Competing for SEC Championships?
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- Thread starter dawgstudent
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I don't know that he would have done any better than Schula did at Bama, possibly similar results.
I think he may have been worse. So many cooks in the bammer kitchen back then, Croom wouldn't know whether to scratch his watch or wind his ***.
If those crazy bloodthirsty boosters would have seen him cruising in the golf cart with is feet up after a loss, they'd have flipped it over and set it ablaze. He would have cracked from the pressure very early in his tenure.
If those crazy bloodthirsty boosters would have seen him cruising in the golf cart with is feet up after a loss, they'd have flipped it over and set it ablaze. He would have cracked from the pressure very early in his tenure.
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Look up Shula’s record, look up DuBose’s record, pretty much what they would have gotten with Croom.
Maybe even a little better. Not BECAUSE of Croom as a coach but as a recruiter to UAT.
Maybe even a little better. Not BECAUSE of Croom as a coach but as a recruiter to UAT.
6-6 to 8-4. I can’t see any better than that. It’s been proven that not just any coach can win at Bama and by win I don’t mean the winning some State fans like to throw around where a 7-6 season is “winning.” Bama winning is 10+ with 9 wins in a very down year once a decade.
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I don't know what his record would have been, but there would have still been his stupid **** like punting from the 30 or almost running the clock out trying to kick a field goal, or whatever. I mean, one time he kicked a field goal with 20 seconds on the clock instead of running the clock down first - so we had to kick off and risk a return afterwards. Croom did stupid **** like that every game. That wouldn't have lasted long at Bama.
That 2004 Bama team
Had some all-timers on it. Certainly more talented than the roster he inherited here.
Roman Harper
Demeco Ryans
Brodie Croyle
Le'Ron McClain
Castille Twins
Prothro
DJ Hall
Anthony Bryant
Also sad to think about how much more talented Bama is now. Saban can't retire soon enough.
Had some all-timers on it. Certainly more talented than the roster he inherited here.
Roman Harper
Demeco Ryans
Brodie Croyle
Le'Ron McClain
Castille Twins
Prothro
DJ Hall
Anthony Bryant
Also sad to think about how much more talented Bama is now. Saban can't retire soon enough.
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Croom would have been worse than Shula and Dubose because he can’t coach. Career RB coach. If you know anything about football, very very rarely is the RB coach one of the better coaches on the staff, especially in the NFL. Sometimes CFB RB coaches have extra value if they’re a recruiting ace. He would have gotten 2 years max at Bama winning between 5-7 games.
I think he could have consistently had 2007 type seasons until they fired him. Him recruiting with UAT boosters could have kept the defense stacked. I don't think the talent would have been enough to fix his offense. He wouldn't have lasted three seasons though before he got fired; just don't think UAT would have accepted his side of the ball being a dumpster fire.
We once called a timeout on the first offensive play of the game because we couldn’t get lined up right.
First. Play. Of. The. Game.
First. Play. Of. The. Game.
Would have certainly had a better record at Bama just because even with his lazy recruiting, Bama has always recruited itself for the most part at least to the point of having a good bit of talent. I think he would have been a 7-5 to 8-4 Coach in most years there assuming he had an equivalent coaching staff to what he had at MSU. I mean just the fact that Shula and Dubose both had seasons with a 9-2 record shows that any clown can win to some degree at Bama.
Absolutely! What has he done before his time at MSU or After to lead you to think otherwise? Don't tell me he could have recruited any better because "it's Alabama" Mike Shula already blew a hole in that theory (2-6 SEC record 2003 3-5 SEC record 2004 during the same years Croom was at MSU). Alabama had more than double the amount of NFL players drafted every year than we did and still had bad seasons because their coach was garbage. The numbers don't lie. I didn't know Croom personally to ever comment on "how good of a man he is" but I do know a little about football and he was garbage at adapting to what he had around him which is part of coaching. If you don't believe me just look at Alabama now and how willing Saban is to adapt his style of play on offense to what he used at LSU and his early years at Bama. Croom had some amazing talent to work with in Omar Connor, Jerious Norwood, David Stewart, Sherrod, Tony Burks, Co-Eric Riley....the list goes on and on. He just didn't know how to use them or better yet swallow his pride and get an offensive coordinator that does know how to use them.
There is no argument that can make me believe otherwise. What do you think Mullen would have done with Omarr at Qb and J-Rock at Rb?
Croom beat Saban too. Saban went 6-6 in his first regular season at Bama. He lost to Croom and to Louisiana Monroe. Players win games.
A little better than here. Shorter tenure.
He would have had far less control over who he could hire as his assistant. Woodrow would have been no go for anything more than a RB coach. He would have had far more loyalty to the school than to any of his assistants compared to him at State, so I imagine he would have fired Woody to keep his job. He would have been there as long as Shula but with a worse record. Probably 23-26 or thereabout.
He would have had far less control over who he could hire as his assistant. Woodrow would have been no go for anything more than a RB coach. He would have had far more loyalty to the school than to any of his assistants compared to him at State, so I imagine he would have fired Woody to keep his job. He would have been there as long as Shula but with a worse record. Probably 23-26 or thereabout.
And bad coaching loses games.
Croom wouldn't have lasted 3 years at Bama. Just from the administration standpoint of dealing with boosters and then the coaching failures would've gotten him gone pretty quick. But Bama wouldn't hire him when they had the chance, so that should answer the OP's question. Bama didn't think he could succeed there so they rightly passed on him.
I'm not defending Croom. I'm just saying that Saban is successful b/c he has the best players. He gets the Top 25 picks in the draft every single year.
Who would MSU's coach had been if Croom had coached Alabama instead of Shula? I don't think it would have been Fisher.
There is a good reason Croom NEVER got another head coaching job after we fired him. That is also the same reason we fired him. He just wasn't a good head football coach.
Croom was a bad coach, but I think he would've recruited well at Bama. He recruited fairly well late in his career at MSU with nuffin to sell. Most of Mullen's first Gator Bowl team was Croom's dudes.
I think at Bama, Croom could've looked a little like Orgeron at LSU but less talent. Good recruiter/ bad coach.
I think at Bama, Croom could've looked a little like Orgeron at LSU but less talent. Good recruiter/ bad coach.
Croom could do neither well. The best class he had was the one he was recruiting when he resigned. Most were coming to State because they liked State, not because of him. That is why Mullen was able to keep them on board. And yes, that class turned out to be a very good class. Croom's other classes were not very good.
Lesson is to not wait until the 11th hour to recruit and when your offense (and coordinator) aren't working out, make a change.
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