Just A Minute: Alabama Fans Upset with Bill O'Brien Need Some Perspective
The Monday of championship week in college football is also known as its equivalent of Black Monday due to the number of coaches that get pink slips that day.
But this year was unlike any other.
Lincoln Riley to USC. Brian Kelly to LSU.
They were moves that completely overshadowed Billy Napier to Florida (although that may have been a great hire), and made people not notice that Alabama graduate David Cutcliff and Duke parted ways.
Meanwhile, there's Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.
Yes, the Crimson Tide offense struggled mightily at Auburn. Yes, there have been problems at center and right tackle.
Take a moment and consider what Alabama lost from last year's offense.
Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith.
Doak Walker winner Najee Harris.
Davey O'Brien winner DeVonta Smith.
Rimington Award winner Landon Dickerson
Outland Trophy winner Alex Leatherwood
Don't forget the player who went before all of them in the draft: Jaylen Waddle.
You will probably never see a collection like that ever again, and to think that Alabama could replace everyone along with the offensive coordinator and not skip a beat the subsequent season is completely unrealistic.
That Alabama is averaging 42.7 points, 492.2 yards per game, and might have the Heisman Trophy favorite as a sophomore is remarkable. And remember, a Crimson Tide quarterback has never won the award.
Here's the other thing about O'Brien. He was the head coach of the Houston Texans, and more important to this discussion, successfully led Penn State after the Joe Paterno scandal. He didn't leave until he got the program on sound footing, which is something that a lot coaches wouldn't have done.
He knows about dealing with adversity.
He's going to be a head coach again, and a good one, too.
Christopher Walsh's Just A Minute appears weekly on BamaCentral.
