HOOVER, Ala. - With cameras flashing, fans hanging out in the lobby and police accompanying him, Alabama coach Mike Shula arrived Wednesday at his first SEC Media Days event since 1986 surrounded by the fanfare of a Hollywood celebrity.
But Shula quickly made it clear he is just trying to fit in.
Almost three months after he became the fourth coach in four years for the Crimson Tide, Shula returned to an event he once attended as an Alabama quarterback and talked about gaining the trust of wary players, preparing for a season with a team he only has seen on film and restoring honor and class to the program.
"Our focus is on doing things right," said Shula, the former Tampa Bay Bucs offensive coordinator who at 38 is the second-youngest Division I-A coach. "That's all I learned growing up and that's all I've ever been around. We want to win, but we want to win within the rules."
Because he was hired after spring practice, Shula said his staff will simplify the game plan early, even giving players an NFL-style minicamp playbook to prepare for their opener Aug. 30 against South Florida. As the season progresses, more plays will be added.
CHANGING SPACES: Florida offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher will call plays from the sideline this season, abandoning a longstanding practice of working from the coaches box, coach Ron Zook said. Zaunbrecher chose not to work from the field last season, a decision that was criticized often when former quarterback Rex Grossman struggled to master the coach's new offense. Both said it was not a factor. But a new quarterback apparently means a new policy for Zaunbrecher.
"Everybody coaches differently," Zook said. "Ed has been coaching this way a long time. Last year he felt he could be more productive from the press box. This year he feels he can help the quarterbacks more from the sideline."
RAINED OUT: South Carolina canceled its appearance when showers hovered over Birmingham, prompting Gamecocks pilots to declare it was unsafe to fly, SEC associate director Charles Bloom said. Coach Lou Holtz later spoke to media via teleconference.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "When I first saw him the first thing I thought was man, he knows how to dress. He's clean-cut and his suits ... I don't think I've seen him in the same suit twice. I've got to get with him and find out where he gets those suits. They look like they are real expensive. It says to me that he knows what he's doing. He's a professional." - Alabama tailback Shaud Williams on his impressions of Shula.
THE LAST WORD: "When I go into a home and a kid says, "Are you going to be here for my four years?' I say, "Yeah, are you going to be here for my four years?' " - Holtz on the prospect of players leaving after two years in college.
