Don't blame him. Think of all the second guessing and calls to elevate Tee to head coach he might have to endure whenever something wasn't going right.
Gotta be honest. I wouldn't want a coach who would walk away from his team in the middle of a NC hunt. That was one thing that impressed me about Kirby. He did a great job on both fronts; helping Bama win a NC and shoring up our recruiting class. It can be done and it shows great character, IMHO.