Paul Finebaum explains what Week 2 did for heat on Kalen DeBoer, Alabama

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum explained what Week 2 did for Kalen DeBoer following Alabama’s 73-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe. Simply put, it didn’t do much but quiet the noise temporarily.

Alabama didn’t beat a fellow SEC opponent, they beat a non-Power Four squad, albeit convincingly. Finebaum said it didn’t mask current issues, especially with Georgia around the corner.

DeBoer and crew could very well still be in trouble. But for now, they have something to build on.

“Well, it’s better than the alternative. And if Alabama had gone out there and struggled and won 24-10, it would just be a continuation of an extreme week of negativity,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show. “What you do have to wonder is why it took the second week of the season for Kalen DeBoer to connect with his players. He clearly failed to do it in the first week.

“But sometimes, Matt, you play golf and you play one of the five toughest courses in America, and you can’t do anything, and you go out to a Muni that’s made for fun, and all of a sudden you feel great about your golf game again. That’s essentially what happened here.” 

Florida State is the golf course Alabama and DeBoer can’t figure out right now. So what happens when they have other high quality courses? Uh, teams actually!

“Alabama opened at Seminole, a good club down in Florida, and then they played at the Monroe Muni yesterday,” Finebaum said. “You know where the course (is) one of the top 25,000 courses in Louisiana. So it was made for them. I’m glad to see Alabama fans celebrating a 70 whatever victory over Monroe. It doesn’t change the concerns, though, that will come back again in about three weeks when Alabama goes to Georgia.”

Moving forward, Alabama and DeBoer have to sustain success. If he wants to cool down any hotseat talk, even in Year 2, DeBoer and the Crimson Tide have to keep winning.

“Everybody’s just got to do their part, do their job. I think the guys are understanding that everyone is just counting on them,” DeBoer said postgame. “You’re counting on the staff. The staff is counting on them and their teammates are counting on them to bring their best. 

“I wouldn’t expect anything less. It’s a high-character group. It’s a group that’s shown me all along they really want it bad, and they’re willing to sacrifice and make and have action that represents the goals that they have. Obviously last week was a disappointment but they move forward and now they got to continue to move forward going into next week, as well.”