THE BOBBY BOWDEN DECISION TREE

by Orson on Sep 6, 2006 1:30 PM EDT

Larry Coker will actually suspend people prior to big games, as he did in this past Monday's game against Florida State. Some coaches suspend at the drop of a hat: Urban Meyer, for all we can tell, suspended Marcus Thomas for glancing at him the wrong way on Saturday. (Even Thomas appears to be confused as to why he was suspended, or if he really was suspended at all.)

Some coaches, though, seem to require Scarface-level chicanery to so much as suspend a player for a game, much less a big one. Mack Brown's counted himself out of this class with the suspension of Tarell Brown for his "Irvin Special" arrest (pot, handgun, a lot of debate about who any of it belongs to,) a painful sacrifice going into the second chapter of the Longhorn's epic pairing with Ohio State. It's really a management theory debate: integrity and consistency versus performance, the kind of issues normally hashed out in business theory books you never read for college classes with names like "Saying Yes to Success," and "Bitch-slapping Your Way to the Boardroom."

In our attempt to map out classic managerial patterns across college football, we present decision-making a la Bowden. In this classic study, Bobby Bowden confronts a complex range of policy challenges and slices through the messy complexities of daily life with a simple, ingenious philosophy.

Tweet Comment 20 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I like the Tuberville/Shula contrasting styles.
One of Tubs’ LB’s gets a PI over the summer. Let’s see there were about 87,000 people in Auburn on Saturday who were publically intoxicated but if one of his players does it…three game.

Shula on the other hand has Juwan Simpson. Weed, theft, guns…ZERO games.

by Ritty on Sep 6, 2006 1:33 PM EDT reply actions

“implicated in exotic animal snuggling ring?? well? boyyys will be boyyys…”

—Bowden

by Tommy O on Sep 6, 2006 1:40 PM EDT reply actions

I hate Shula

by matt on Sep 6, 2006 1:50 PM EDT reply actions

Don’t worry Matt, I don’t think Shula thinks much of you either.

by Mike on Sep 6, 2006 1:59 PM EDT reply actions

Four comments and already a Bama/AU threadjack. That’s a new record.

by Orson Swindle on Sep 6, 2006 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

Does every thread need to be about AU/Bama?

Can’t we agree they both suck?

by daviehamsufferer97 on Sep 6, 2006 2:11 PM EDT reply actions

“Time to ring the bell of destiny, fellas.”
“DING MOTHERFUCKING DONG!”

by Willy Mac on Sep 6, 2006 2:22 PM EDT reply actions

juwan simpson wasn’t suspended for possesion of drugs and an unregistered handgun but dj hall was suspended for unspecified reasons… I think this might lend some credence to the rumor that hall had contact with an agent last spring, and that this is the real reason he is not playing, while the University is in the process of an internal investigation before handing it over to the ncaa

by matt on Sep 6, 2006 2:35 PM EDT reply actions

Matt, are you a Bama fan?

by AUAlum on Sep 6, 2006 2:57 PM EDT reply actions

yeah

by matt on Sep 6, 2006 3:00 PM EDT reply actions

Just wondering. The only Bama fans who have publically stated their distain for Shula are you and Danny Sheridan.

by AUAlum on Sep 6, 2006 3:03 PM EDT reply actions

I have been racking me brain trying to insert a Jenn Sterger comment on this post but have not been able to….

She and her nutty buddy looked good during the season’s first game, though.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0609/campus.superfans4/content.1.html

by Stacy Keibler Loves Me on Sep 6, 2006 3:08 PM EDT reply actions

Danny Sherida…not bad company to be in I guess. Shula is completely incompetent, the only reason for last year’s success was the defense, (which Shula completely defers to Kines on and has literally almost nothing to do with). The fans’ delusion with Shula reminds me of the story about the emperor who wore no clothes.

by matt on Sep 6, 2006 3:22 PM EDT reply actions

Can we get a t-shirt with “What Would Bobby Bowden Do?” on the front and “Read a Civil War Book and Take a Nap” on the back? We don’t even play them, but I swear I’d wear it to every game.

by Holly on Sep 6, 2006 3:51 PM EDT reply actions

Click next in the Jenn Sterger link. You’ll be happy you did.

by Up with the White and Gold on Sep 6, 2006 3:55 PM EDT reply actions

“Totally killed someone”

As opposed to partially killed someone, which means at FSU you partially miss a practice.

by Jarvis12 on Sep 6, 2006 5:19 PM EDT reply actions

You forgot the ultimate test “It’s not like he shot the president or something.”

by JTG on Sep 7, 2006 1:24 AM EDT reply actions

Polish rules, prayin’ for a misdemeanor, didn’t shoot the Prez, boyaz will be boyaz.

He is true scum. To quote from an earlier page, “how can I piss on his grave if he will not die?”

by DHC on Sep 7, 2006 10:48 PM EDT reply actions

In the same vein, but sideways… on his radio show Terry Bowden revealed that a championship team “must have criminals”… and continued with descriptions of bad guys, thugs, etc. Since he’s outed them, doesn’t this mean that Blobby can drop the pretence of integrity? After all, his son has just told us the family keys to success…

by sb on Sep 8, 2006 9:04 AM EDT reply actions

I’m a big Bama fan but agree that Shula is grossly overrated. We could have gone to the SEC championship last year and won the game against Arkansas yesterday (come on, 4 missed kicks, where is Moneymaker??) if we had a competent coach. Every time the camera focuses on him, he has that “clueless” look on his face. It’s like a preteen who needs the guidance of father figures around him. Is it just me?

by house divided on Sep 24, 2006 2:58 PM EDT reply actions