His bloodlines, both familial and collegiate, may have helped Mike Shula land his first head coaching job at a university not typically given to hiring novices.

But to those who know Shula best, it will be his bluntness and straightforward manner in dealing with people and situations, and not his celebrated surname or the fact he bleeds crimson, that best serves him as the University of Alabama's anticipated savior.

"I think players, just people in general really, respond to a coach who looks you in the eye and levels with you," said Miami Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler, tutored by Shula over the past three NFL seasons. "And that is pretty much Mike's way of doing things. There isn't a lot of rhetoric involved. He's a very direct guy. Given everything that the (Alabama) program has been through lately, I think that will be appreciated up there."

Shula, who turns 38 next month, is a 15-year league veteran, a onetime coordinator who was reduced to position coach in 2000, and who has never been a head coach at any level of the game. During his sometimes rocky league tenure, Shula has never been mentioned as a potential head coach candidate, never interviewed for a top job, and was regarded in some NFL quarters as likely to be a "lifer" as an assistant.

	“	I think players, just people in general really, respond to a coach who looks you in the eye and levels with you. And that is pretty much Mike's way of doing things. There isn't a lot of rhetoric involved. He's a very direct guy. Given everything that the (Alabama) program has been through lately, I think that will be appreciated up there. ”
		— Jay Fiedler, Dolphins QB on Mike Shula

Which is not to suggest the youngest member of the Shula coaching clan didn't command the respect of the players and coaches with whom he worked the past decade and a half.

No one ever questioned Shula's knowledge of the game or his passion for detail, the kind of mind for minutiae every successful coach must possess, the personal discipline that he expected not only from players but from himself as well. But in the NFL, it is often the media that creates the high-profile assistant or the "hot commodity" aide, and Shula was not one to openly pander to the press.

It didn't help, either, that during a four-season stretch (1996-99) as coordinator in Tampa Bay, the Bucs were seen as underachievers and their offense cited as the principle reason for the team's shortcomings. In those four seasons, the Bucs statistically ranked 28th, 29th, No. 22 and 28th, respectively on offense.

That the club qualified for the playoffs in two of those seasons, and advanced to the NFC championship game in 1999, was incidental to the fact Shula's offense was often seen as staid and predictable. And, in truth, perhaps his blueprint was too conservative. But it was a low-risk offense, meant to complement a high-reward defense, and designed to play to the Bucs' strengths.

In the wake of an 11-6 defeat at St. Louis in the 1999 conference title game, Bucs coach Tony Dungy was ordered by Tampa Bay ownership to dismiss Shula, and he did so only grudgingly. Four years later, some of the same criticisms of Shula remain, and there are people in the league who feel the knocks are unfair.

Noted one Tampa Bay veteran, who played under Shula, and is still with the team: "To some extent, he was a victim of circumstances, but people didn't want to hear that. He did what he had to do for us to win. We weren't exactly (an offensive) juggernaut. Does that mean he doesn't understand the game, know how to open things up, or see the big picture? No, I don't think so."

Dungy, along with Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt and Miami offensive coordinator Norv Turner are among those who defend Shula and his body of work. Others point out that Shula has always run or been close to running the seven-on-seven drill in practices, a status that characteristically speaks to a coach's overall acumen, and to his proximity to a club's seat of power.

"I don't think Mike gets nearly enough credit for what he did on the offensive side of the ball in Tampa Bay," insisted Turner earlier this week. "He has a great understanding of the entire scheme. He really has been underappreciated."

Part of that might be reaction to his name, one which conjures up visions of brilliance on the sidelines, and demands instant success. Even though older brother David served four-plus torturous seasons as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, and registered a 19-52 record that still ranks as one of the worst in league history, fans expect that the Don Shula magic courses through his sons' veins.

Some league people feel that his surname has been as much a hindrance to Mike Shula as it has been a help. The name alone, they noted, unfairly raises the bar. What is certain to be raised in Tuscaloosa are the expectations of ardent fans who have watched a legendary program reduced to recent humiliation. Shula will be expected to hit the ground running, to reverse the fortunes, and to restore dignity.

"That last part," said former Crimson Tide star and onetime Dolphins defensive tackle Bob Baumhower, "won't be a problem. He knows the program, and he knows what has gone on there for a while, and that it can't continue. No one is going to have to worry about Mike ever embarrassing the university. I think he'll do a great job."

Chances are that, without the recent undoing in the football program, Shula might never have had the opportunity to be a head coach. But his low-key demeanor is said to belie an inherent passion and, while his rebukes are more often delivered without raising his voice more than an octave or so, he nonetheless possesses a critical and calculating mind. There is, contend supporters, more than simply the family name to attract recruits, even though he will not wow candidates with his personality.

A quarterback at Alabama, who played one season at the position in the NFL, Shula tends to be a prober. While he sees the big picture, he also knows the landscape is constructed of a lot of connected dots, and that the devil is in the details.

More than a few Shula supporters suggested on Thursday that he will use those skills to conjure up how to get things accomplished in his new job.

"He was always more a how kid than a why kid," said father Don Shula. "Mike seemed to know why things had to be just a certain way and concentrated more on how to get them done. I think that will serve him well."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.