Forget problems, Bama seeking wins

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Posted 12:26PM on Saturday, August 16, 2003

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - Alabama has some handy excuses for mediocrity this season: NCAA sanctions, an embarrassing scandal, a coaching merry-go-round that finally lands on a 37-year-old who's never been a head coach or worked in the college ranks. Wesley Britt knocks down such talk quickly. ``We have high expectations for ourselves, and a lot of other people are trying to make excuses for us,'' the mammoth offensive tackle said. ``We don't need the excuses. ``That just kind of drives us and fuels our fire.'' The Crimson Tide, then, should have plenty of motivation in Mike Shula's debut season. Shula isn't making the bold statements of his predecessor Mike Price who announced his aim to be second only to Bear Bryant in Tide coaching lore but he also isn't writing off this season due to sanctions and his hiring only three months before the season. He's made the ``no excuses'' theme something of a mantra. ``The expectation when you're the coach here, when you play here, is to go out and take the field and expect to win,'' said the former Tide quarterback, who turned 38 in June. ``If you don't have those expectations, then you don't need to be here. ``We don't want to use excuses, and we won't use excuses coaches or players or anybody. This is what we're presented with and we're going to go prove to people that we can go out there and go play.'' It's a welcome message for Tide fans stinging from a series of blows, including the December departure of popular coach Dennis Franchione for Texas A&M and the firing of Price in May for behavior including a visit to a strip club in Pensacola, Fla. There is reason for hope this season. After all, Alabama was 10-3 last season and had the best record in the SEC's Western Division. This is the final season for the Tide to be ineligible for a bowl game and a title. ``We can't go win a national championship,'' Shula said, ``but we can win football games.'' The schedule doesn't make that easy with a visit from No. 1 Oklahoma (Sept. 6) and trips to No. 11 Georgia (Oct. 4) and No. 6 Auburn (Nov. 22). Guard Justin Smiley says the players aren't interested in trying to coax critics into believing. ``We're just going to prove it to you on Saturdays,'' he said. There's no shortage of talent among the starters, even with the recent loss of linebacker Brooks Daniels. The first Tide defender to post consecutive triple-digit seasons in tackles, Daniels left the team for personal reasons on the eve of the first preseason practice. Alabama also lost three defensive linemen to the NFL draft Jarret Johnson, Kenny King and Kindal Moorehead. The Tide still had a league-high five first-teamers picked on the media's preseason All-SEC first team, including the now-departed Daniels. Plus, sophomore quarterback Brodie Croyle was one of the state's most prolific prep passers and showed flashes of brilliance while splitting duties with Tyler Watts last year. He became only the second Tide freshman to throw for 1,000 yards since 1979, joining Andrew Zow. Croyle had to master Price's offense in the spring and Shula's system in a few weeks of preseason practices, a potential sensory overload for a young quarterback. Croyle doesn't mind a challenge. ``That's why you come here,'' he said. ``That's why you want to play at Alabama. You want all the pressure. If you lose, you want people to blame you. That's what comes with the territory.'' Shula has closed practices, keeping fans, the media and most importantly early opponents like South Florida and Oklahoma in the dark about his offense. It will heavily involve tailback Shaud Williams, a preseason All-SEC pick who racked up 921 yards and averaged 7.1 yards per carry last season. He did all that despite starting only three games. Santonio Beard ran for 811 yards and 12 touchdowns but skipped his senior season to enter the NFL draft. The 5-foot-8, 189-pound Williams should have some holes to run through, especially on the left side of the line manned by the 6-foot-8, 312-pound Britt and Smiley. Both were preseason All-SEC picks and are on some All-America teams. Perhaps the lone offensive question mark besides the system itself lies at receiver despite plenty of experience. Senior Antonio Carter is trying to return from a broken leg that sidelined him last season and has required two operations. Fellow seniors Triandos Luke, Dre Fulgham and Zach Fletcher combined for 78 catches last season but there's little experience behind them. The defense is in a similar boat, with a talented starting group but inexperienced backups. Antwan Odom, who led the team with 10 sacks last season despite logging only five starts, and Nautyn McKay-Loescher, start at defensive end. Anthony Bryant and Ahmad Childress are expected to man the middle. Despite the loss of Daniels, the linebacking corps is still solid. Freddie Roach and Cornelius Wortham will be joined in the starting lineup by either sophomore DeMeco Ryans or redshirt freshman Juwan Garth. Cornerback Charlie Peprah and free safety Charles Jones return in the secondary. Peprah started eight games as a freshman and returned an interception for a 35-yard touchdown against Georgia to give the Tide a 25-24 fourth quarter lead that would later evaporate. Alabama's most uncertain spots are on special teams. Bo Freeland and Jeff Aul were competing for the punting duties while Brian Bostick and left-footer Kyle Robinson were vying for the placekicking job.