Paul Finebaum criticizes Kalen DeBoer, state of Alabama football after loss to Vols
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Paul Finebaum was at it again on Monday morning during his weekly appearance on the “McElroy & Cubelic In The Morning” show, as the ESPN college football analyst lambasted Alabama for the 2nd straight day in the aftermath of its latest subpar performance.
Since the Crimson Tide ascended to No. 1 in the AP Poll after that instant classic of a victory over Georgia, Alabama has lost at Vanderbilt, barely beat South Carolina at home and then fell at Tennessee on Saturday. The Tide dropped all the way to 15th in Sunday’s AP Poll, and Finebaum did not hold back in his overall view of the program under Kalen DeBoer.
“I am bewildered by everything I’ve seen,” said Finebaum. “And I’m certainly even more concerned about the leadership of (head coach) Kalen DeBoer. We can talk technical aspects of games, and I know you guys have and will, but I don’t see much on the sidelines. I see players who look disconnected, they’re undisciplined.
“Whether this is a continuum of last year, I’ll leave it to others to determine. This season is clearly on the brink, everyone knows what the calculus is and remains. … There’s still a narrow window but it’s hard for me to believe Alabama is going to get to the Playoff on what I’ve seen over the last three weeks.”
Finebaum was asked what bothers him the most about Alabama’s current demeanor, and it’s no secret he’s not a fan of the lack of discipline. He even admitted it’s something fans saw toward the end of Nick Saban’s tenure, but the legendary head coach avoided scrutinization at the time.
“It’s the discipline. Two years ago, we had the same conversation about the penalties in the loss at (Tennessee),” he said. “… It’s just more of the same. And, by the way, I’m being critical of Kalen DeBoer. We didn’t dare criticize Nick Saban two years ago when they had 15 or 17 penalties. Maybe we should have.”
Alabama will try to get off the canvas in Week 9 when it hosts No. 21 Missouri. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
