Kalen DeBoer has somehow come under more criticism after Alabama gave him an extension on his current contract. SEC Network analyst Paul Finebaum has been one of the most outspoken critics, claiming the $87.5 million extension would only put DeBoer under more pressure. A few days ago, he couldn’t make sense of why the Tide made the decision. But now Mr. SEC has the answer.

“And I think that’s the thing that people forget,” Finebaum said on the McElroy and Cubelic In The Morning podcast. “The timing could not have been worse, and Dan Lanning wasn’t leaving, and Kirby Smart wasn’t leaving, and Lane Kiffin had just signed with LSU. So, let’s not forget that. Whether Lane Kiffin was a target three years ago is no longer the point.

“He could not have left even though everyone said, ‘Sure, he’ll leave the job after two weeks.’. So, I’m sure even though Greg Byrne had thought about it, and I’d love to get inside his head one day and say, ‘Okay, like where would you have turned ?’ It was a little bit like Alabama in ’07.”

To Finebaum, DeBoer’s record at Tuscaloosa was not good enough to earn him the contract extension. Hence, it was not a compensation for a job well done. Instead, he has just been lucky enough to be in charge at a time when there were no better options, especially when his embarrassing 38-3 defeat to Indiana is considered. He compared it to Saban’s first year in charge, where Saban stayed on even after ending the season with a four-game losing streak.

What Finebaum forgot was that Saban was only so successful because he was allowed to stay following a disappointing 7-6 record. The following season, Saban improved to a 12-2 record before winning a BCS Championship in his third season with a 14-0 record.

“Let’s say Kalen DeBoer had lost to Oklahoma. And then, he said, ‘You know what? I’m out of here’. We’re talking now about December 21st, and there really weren’t any openings. The only opening that occurred that week was Utah, when Kyle Whittingham was shown the door, and he went to Michigan,” he said.

Finebaum’s hosts also agreed with his take, saying no one else would lead the program better than the Alabama coach had in his two years in charge. Dan Lanning, who was one of the names brought up, has not had a victory against DeBoer in three attempts. But that shouldn’t take away from how the offense has struggled.

The biggest source of concern for the Tide faithful is that their team looks unfamiliar now. They are no longer winning the line of scrimmage, which leads opponents to overpower the Crimson Tide. However, DeBoer understands the frustration and has made roster and staff changes to address it. And Finebaum’s criticism may have increased pressure on DeBoer, but fortunately for DeBoer, he has the support of Nick Saban.

DeBoer’s advocate confronts Finebaum

Regardless of the noise around him, DeBoer has not lacked his advocates. His predecessor, Nick Saban, has always spoken in his support, and he did so again in a conversation with Finebaum about DeBoer’s contract extension.

“I think what Alabama fans need to understand is they have a tremendous amount of passion, and I respect that, and they have high expectations, and I respect that, Saban said via 247’s Mike Rodak. “But I also think there’s an element of support and positive energy that goes with having a successful program.

“I can’t speak for our fans, but I think if they want to be successful, they need to be supportive of the people that are there right now in every way that they can. Because all the negative noise out there is not gonna help us be successful, and I want to see us be successful.”