It seems as though a certain order has been restored to the universe.

Not so very long ago, They said we’d rue the day that we’d fired Don’s boy Mike Shula. We’d thrown the baby out with the bathwater, They said, and we’d miss the little booger in no time. But They was wrong.

But before that became so very obvious, They let Bill Curry chime in. They always seem to put a mic next to his piehole, and for what reason, I’m still not so sure. After all, if you leave a job at The University of Alabama for a job at The University of Kentucky, you’d damn well better be a basketball coach. If, instead, you’re a football coach, well, it seems a lot like stepping down as CEO of Ford Motor Co. to work the drive-thru somewhere. And if you’re “willing” to make that kind of “career” move, well, I’m certainly of the opinion that your opinion is not unlike that of the guy who lives under the bridge who offers financial advice to the cars that go speeding by. So again, I am not sure why Curry gets a mic in front of him, or just as mysterious, who is giving credence to anything he says.

Nevertheless, “It’s the Alabama mafia” the former coach said. And They nodded in agreement. It sounded good, after all. And the resounding cry: Alabama will rue the day, They said, we will absolutely rue the day.

Strangely enough, however, we did not, in the end, have many regrets. In fact, perhaps you’ve heard that there was cause for celebration at The Capstone.

But that’s just half the matter, no? I mean, what about the baby with the bathwater, that precious little thing that was tossed aside. He was a pearl before us Bammer swine, perhaps, and surely, They said, he’d be swept up and delivered high above to the place where he so rightfully belongs.

And that is, indeed, what happened. I mean, he did land where he rightfully belongs but, well, it wasn't quite that which They had envisioned.

You see, there was a slew of open coaching positions in college football and, Don’s boy’s Mike Shula’s cell phone, it just didn’t ring that much. And then there was the same number of open coaching positions in the NFL and, outside of the much-hyped but-still-nothing-more-than-a courtesy-to-the-old-man interviews with the Miami Dolphins, well, Don’s boy’s Mike Shula’s cell phone was just sitting there, silently racking up an incredible number of rollover minutes. But before we go too far away from that, let’s just say that out loud a few times: Shula was passed over by the Dolphins. Shula was passed over by the Dolphins. Man, if I could just stop giggling…

Anyway, then Don’s boy Mike Shula interviewed for the position as the offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was, perhaps you heard, passed over. But then, however, surprise surprise, he landed a job. An honest job. He’ll be the quarterback coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team with, well, no clear quarterback.

So while a year ago, Don’s boy Mike Shula had the third most recognizable face in the state (behind The Bear and Jesus, perhaps even in that order), now he’s carrying his own luggage through the airport. And while They has yet to admit They was wrong, They has got be tired of eating crow.