Ping: Nick Saban

[Kodos]

Leave.

Thank you.

[spleen1015]

I think he will.

[Raiders Army]

Yep yep.

[kcchief19]

You know, it's wishing to get rid of a coach who hasn't really done anything wrong yet that usually means you get stuck with Denny Green, Jim Mora Jr. or a son of a Shula.

[Rizon]

NO.

[Kodos]

He hasn't done a thing to improve the Dolphins, and now he has shown his loyalty and his word are worth nothing. Screw him. Bye bye.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

I don't blame a guy one bit to "think over" whether to accept or turn down a guaranteed $40 million or so. Apparently, Huizenga is ok with it after talking with him. I mean come on, really.

[dawgfan]

You know, it's wishing to get rid of a coach who hasn't really done anything wrong yet that usually means you get stuck with Denny Green, Jim Mora Jr. or a son of a Shula.
FWIW, Denny Green has a career NFL record of 113-94 (.546) and Mora the younger 26-22 (.542). Not saying that necessarily makes them great or even good coaches, but still - a winning record is a winning record. You could do a lot worse than either of those guys...

[stevew]

Rich Kotite is available

[Ksyrup]

Art Shell still has a winning record as a head coach.

[Butter]

Kodos, you don't even like the Dolphins any more so just hush up.

[Julio Riddols]

Take Madden out of the booth and put his ass on the sidelines.

[ISiddiqui]

He hasn't done a thing to improve the Dolphins, and now he has shown his loyalty and his word are worth nothing. Screw him. Bye bye.

"Now" he has shown his loyalty and word are worth nothing? "Now"? Where have you been? Saban's loyalty and word were nothing when you hired him.

[Ksyrup]

About 3 months ago, a friend of mine in Tally said that a buddy of his who is in radio in Pensacola and has the same agent as Saban had mentioned to him that his agent told him that Saban was interested in the FSU job if it came open because he hated the pro game and wanted to get back to college. Looks like he was right, and he's just taking the best available gig to get back into the college game. I hope that when Bobby retires, he makes sure someone worthy of replacing him is willing and able to make the move. I don't want no frickin' Ron Zook!

[Butter]

I hope that when Bobby retires, he makes sure someone worthy of replacing him is willing and able to make the move. I don't want no frickin' Ron Zook!

I'm sure his son Terry will be ready to get back into coaching by then.

[Ksyrup]

No, they've been saying for years that none of his kids are interested in replacing him, and he wouldn't want them to. And we wouldn't want them to, either.

[Passacaglia]

"Now" he has shown his loyalty and word are worth nothing? "Now"? Where have you been? Saban's loyalty and word were nothing when you hired him.

Word. He showed that YEARS ago in East Lansing.

[Ksyrup]

Almost an hour past the deadline, and news hasn't broken yet? I'm surprised.

[Bee]

Almost an hour past the deadline, and news hasn't broken yet? I'm surprised.

He's gone.

[Kodos]

Adam Schefter says he has accepted the job in Alabama.


Asshat. Good riddance.

[cschex]

Enjoy your 7-6 seasons, Nick.

Seriously, I'm just bitter he's back in the SEC West and we're stuck with Les F***ing Miles.

[Butter]

That's going to be a bitch of a buyout in about 3 years when he flames out.

[st.cronin]

Regardless of what the haters are going to say, I think this definitely restores some credibility to Alabama.

[cschex]

Yeah, the Bama boosters are some of the most unrealistic with their expectations in all of college sports, IMO. If he doesnt win the SEC within two years and/or a national title within 4, he'll probably be out on his ass. Of course, LSU will have had 4 consecutive "solid" 9-3 seasons under Miles, blowing at least one double digit lead for a loss in each season. I hope like hell I am under-estimating Miles, but he did the same things at OSU before he was here.

Crap. I guess this means Jimbo Fisher is off to Bama as well.

[ISiddiqui]

Word. He showed that YEARS ago in East Lansing.

And then with LSU... I mean, it amazes me that people don't see a pattern here.

[molson]

That's going to be a bitch of a buyout in about 3 years when he flames out.

Well, he wasn't going to win any Super Bowls in Miami.

He likes college coaching better, he's better at it, and he'll be making more money. Ya, what an asshole.

[kurtism]

Ping: Nick Saban

Larry Brown called, he wants his career path back.

[wade moore]

Well, he wasn't going to win any Super Bowls in Miami.

He likes college coaching better, he's better at it, and he'll be making more money. Ya, what an asshole.

I can see defending the guy if Miami was the first time he's done this, but like others have said, he's really making a career of it.

Oh, and as Vols fan, this is not good news. The SEC really has a lot of good coaches right now.

[spleen1015]

I kind of wish I was still living in Montgomery to see the reaction down there.

[KevinNU7]

I don't see the issue here. Anyone who leaves one team for another for significantly more money I really don't have a problem with at all.

[molson]

I can see defending the guy if Miami was the first time he's done this, but like others have said, he's really making a career of it.



Well, he was at both Michigan St. and LSU for 5 years. I suppose that's not an idea length of time, since most of your recruits end up playing for someone else, but how long is enough? 10 years?

[Eaglesfan27]

Well, he wasn't going to win any Super Bowls in Miami.

He likes college coaching better, he's better at it, and he'll be making more money. Ya, what an asshole.


That is fine, but he never should have categorically denied that he would take the Alabama job. Not now. Not in 5 years.

[cschex]

Well, he was at both Michigan St. and LSU for 5 years. I suppose that's not an idea length of time, since most of your recruits end up playing for someone else, but how long is enough? 10 years?

Agree with this. As a Tiger alum I had no problem with him leaving for the Dolphins because it was only a matter of time and he wanted to try his hand in the pros. My anger and chagrin is the fact that LSU couldn't/wouldn't get a decent coach to replace him and are now stuck with Mr. "Aw Shucks." Also, knowing that Saban will be on the Bama sideline adds another SEC team with a far superior game coach than LSU.

[Desnudo]

He hasn't done a thing to improve the Dolphins, and now he has shown his loyalty and his word are worth nothing. Screw him. Bye bye.

Yes, but who are they going to replace him with? Retro-Don Shula?

[Butter]

That is fine, but he never should have categorically denied that he would take the Alabama job. Not now. Not in 5 years.

Right. I think that is the issue. This will be a good recruiting tool to use against him... that and the whole "happy feet" thing.

[Poli]

Leave.

Thank you.

Best part? Bama thinks they're getting a great deal.

[Ksyrup]

Crap. I guess this means Jimbo Fisher is off to Bama as well.


Um...I think FSU fans should be more upset than LSU fans about this news. Fisher was likely gone from LSU anyhow, but now the chances of him ending up in Tallahassee have diminished. FSU also is looking to steal WVU's OL coach, who is good friends with Fisher. I hope we get at least one, if not both, of them.

[jbmagic]

I don't see the issue here. Anyone who leaves one team for another for significantly more money I really don't have a problem with at all.

You don't?

He has a contract that he sign with Miami.

[st.cronin]

Best part? Bama thinks they're getting a great deal.

No doubt Nick Saban is a good coach, but he's no ardent enthusiast.

[TroyF]

That is fine, but he never should have categorically denied that he would take the Alabama job. Not now. Not in 5 years.

Exactly. Waffle if you want, but to state repeatedly that you aren't taking the job and then deciding on it anyway makes you a prick. I wish nothing but failure for him and the Alabama program.

[albionmoonlight]

Wow. He came to the Dolphins. Made sure that they traded for Culpepper instead of signing Brees for nothing. Then left.

Matt Millen and Isiah Thomas are jealous.

[stevew]

you can say that 5 more times.

[molson]

That is fine, but he never should have categorically denied that he would take the Alabama job. Not now. Not in 5 years.

I don't know how well it goes over if a head coach is asked if he's considering another job and says, "ya, I'd be interested." Ask Jim Mora.

Maybe he could say "no comment". In a practical sense though, sports fans and media interpret that as a yes.

[John Galt]

you can say that 5 more times.

I enjoyed the way he held us in suspense during the last sentence.

[Kodos]

I wish nothing but failure for him and the Alabama program.

Agreed 100%.

[st.cronin]

I don't know how well it goes over if a head coach is asked if he's considering another job and says, "ya, I'd be interested." Ask Jim Mora.

Maybe he could say "no comment". In a practical sense though, sports fans and media interpret that as a yes.

When a coach is asked about a job that he's actually interested in, but doesn't yet have, he's pretty much fucked whatever he says.

[bulletsponge]

when the going gets tough, the wimps run

[molson]

When a coach is asked about a job that he's actually interested in, but doesn't yet have, he's pretty much fucked whatever he says.

Same for the rest of us. If I have a job, and am interviewing for another job, I'll lie through my teeth about why I was gone. My current employer knows nothing until I have a done deal. There's a million reasons for this.

[cartman]

Not sure why people are saying it is significantly more money he's getting at 'Bama. If the reports of a 10 year/$40 mil contract are correct, he's going to make $500K less per year than his Miami contract.

[albionmoonlight]

I enjoyed the way he held us in suspense during the last sentence.

On a related note, am I the only one for whom FOFC acts slow/strange.

I've never had something quite as bizzarre as that happen before, but I frequently have to deal with the board being the slowest website that I visit.

[st.cronin]

Same for the rest of us. If I have a job, and am interviewing for another job, I'll lie through my teeth about why I was gone. My current employer knows nothing until I have a done deal. There's a million reasons for this.

yep

[Ksyrup]

I don't know how well it goes over if a head coach is asked if he's considering another job and says, "ya, I'd be interested." Ask Jim Mora.

Maybe he could say "no comment". In a practical sense though, sports fans and media interpret that as a yes.

There's hardly a good way to pretend not to lie if you really are interested. But a simple "I don't comment on job openings when I'm employed by another team" or "I am currently employed with ____ and it would not be appropriate to comment on other jobs" would be perfectly acceptable, IMO. Maybe it's just me, but I would be more comfortable leaving a crack of suspicion with a comment like that rather than giving an outright denial that I end up contradicting a few weeks later.

I'm sure he'll come up with some excuse about how, at the time he made that statement, he really had no intention of leaving," but the clear implication there is that the only thing that changed was the amount of money they offered. And that's fine if he wants to go there, but he's also made statements about wanting to finish the job in the pros and why would he leave a college program if he was going to go back in a couple of years that will be hard to explain away, unless he just wants to admit he was covering up his interest in the Alabama job.

[Poli]

No doubt Nick Saban is a good coach, but he's no ardent enthusiast.
Exactly.

By the way, I have a job conference in February. I need you there.

[Poli]

Exactly. Waffle if you want, but to state repeatedly that you aren't taking the job and then deciding on it anyway makes you a prick. I wish nothing but failure for him and the Alabama program.

I do too, though I always with nothing but failure for the Alabama program.

[Alan T]

On a related note, am I the only one for whom FOFC acts slow/strange.

I've never had something quite as bizzarre as that happen before, but I frequently have to deal with the board being the slowest website that I visit.

I have had the same issue for the past few months. It started maybe 3-4 months ago, but at times it just hangs for me. For a while, I thought it was something with the route I took to get to the forums, but after testing it through my proxy servers that I have in England as well as India, I see the same behavior no matter where I come from.

[Ksyrup]

The last month or so, I've had issues with the pages hanging. Eventually, I got to the point where if it didn't immediately go to the forum/thread I wanted, I just close the browser out and reopen. Sometimes it works, sometimes it still hangs. It IS getting annoying, though.

[Poli]

No problems with the site, other than a rare database error that clears up when I refresh.

Now, in Africa I had problems, but, come on, I was in Africa.

[ntndeacon]

I do too, though I always with nothing but failure for the Alabama program.

That's ok. I want nothing but failure from Tennessee and Auburn and most of the other schools on Alabama's schedule.

[Poli]

That's ok. I want nothing but failure from Tennessee and Auburn and most of the other schools on Alabama's schedule.


And yet, I still like you. :)

[Chubby]

Nick Saban is my hero.

Squish the Fish!

[rkmsuf]

Nick Saban is my hero.

Squish the Fish!

you should have been rooting for him to stay then

[Honolulu_Blue]

I wouldn't worry too much about this.

The Dolphins will be fine. They've got a semi-healthy Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, and Cleo Lemon at QB. This team is set for a long, long time at the QB position. It wont matter who the head coach is with that kind of talent at QB.

[Desnudo]

The last month or so, I've had issues with the pages hanging. Eventually, I got to the point where if it didn't immediately go to the forum/thread I wanted, I just close the browser out and reopen. Sometimes it works, sometimes it still hangs. It IS getting annoying, though.

Same problem hehre.

[ntndeacon]

And yet, I still like you. :)

What's not to like! :D

And the feeling is mutual too. :)

[Tigercat]

Saban is not going to like recruiting in a state that has to split an OK pool of recruits between two good universities. He should have waited for a job where he could recruit nationally(or had a better local recruiting base locally). Bama is going to be calling for his head if/when he doesn't have them in a BCS bowl in 4 years.

[John Galt]

On a related note, am I the only one for whom FOFC acts slow/strange.

I've never had something quite as bizzarre as that happen before, but I frequently have to deal with the board being the slowest website that I visit.

It's inconsistent for me. Sometimes it is really slow; other times really fast.

[Kodos]

I wouldn't worry too much about this.

The Dolphins will be fine. They've got a semi-healthy Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington, and Cleo Lemon at QB. This team is set for a long, long time at the QB position. It wont matter who the head coach is with that kind of talent at QB.

Jon Kitna.

Matt Millen.

[st.cronin]

You've got to love Detroit and Miami fans in a pissing match about who has the worst qb.

:D

[Honolulu_Blue]

Jon Kitna.

Matt Millen.

I do believe your post found its way into the wrong thread. Please follow this link to the proper thread:

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=55729

[Kodos]

Maybe Barry will come back next year. There's still hope for you!

[MikeVic]

So, did we know it's official yet?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2718488

[Atocep]

Exactly. Waffle if you want, but to state repeatedly that you aren't taking the job and then deciding on it anyway makes you a prick. I wish nothing but failure for him and the Alabama program.


I honestly can't blame him. The media questions and Alabama's horrible handling of their search for a coach put him in a postion where he didn't have much choice but to deny his interest at that time. If he admits he's interested, then he gets burned at the stake for not being focused on the Dolphins and he also could lose the respect of his team if he eventually decides to stay. If he denies comment, then we get the Roy Williams thing all over again where it makes the rumors ten times worse.

It may not have been the most honorable way of handling things, but as a football coach it was probably the best way.

[LloydLungs]

There's hardly a good way to pretend not to lie if you really are interested. But a simple "I don't comment on job openings when I'm employed by another team" or "I am currently employed with ____ and it would not be appropriate to comment on other jobs" would be perfectly acceptable, IMO.

It's more than acceptable, it's quite standard and widely used. His going so far out of his way to lie, and lie emphatically and repeatedly, suggests something pathological. Nevertheless, as a non-LSU-sympathetic New Orleanian, watching Saban beat LSU on the field and for Louisiana recruits will be comedy of the highest order. On the other hand, if Saban falls on his face, that will be funny too. I can't lose. Times like this when I love sports.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Look, the press kept asking him a million times about the Alabama job. I really don't blame him for trying to stop it by saying: "hey, I'm not interested, ok." The guy had no choice. And maybe he just doesn't like the pro game after he gave it a shot. Poeple are allowed to change their minds in a new job. Alot of people do that. And to chastise the guy for taking more money is not fair (we all do that too). He is getting guaranteed money here for 10 years. He was not getting that from the Dolphins. Let the guy live his life.

[st.cronin]

Look, the press kept asking him a million times about the Alabama job. I really don't blame him for trying to stop it by saying: "hey, I'm not interested, ok." The guy had no choice. And maybe he just doesn't like the pro game after he gave it a shot. Poeple are allowed to change their minds in a new job. Alot of people do that. And to chastise the guy for taking more money is not fair (we all do that too). He is getting guaranteed money here for 10 years. He was not getting that from the Dolphins. Let the guy live his life.

Yeah, if you look at the quotes they do look bad, but if you actually listen to the press conference, he really had no choice but to say what he said.

[Icy]

As a Dolphins fan I must admit i don't care a lot. At first I thought he was going to be "the coach" who would help the Fins to go back to the top but after two seasons I must say I'm not impressed by his work on the team, neither in the field or in the office. I'm really pissed also at his support for his OC Mularkey when his playcalling has been more than questionable and imho one of the reasons of this year's fiasco.

[rkmsuf]

As a Dolphins fan I must admit i don't care a lot. At first I thought he was going to be "the coach" who would help the Fins to go back to the top but after two seasons I must say I'm not impressed by his work on the team, neither in the field or in the office. I'm really pissed also at his support for his OC Mularkey when his playcalling has been more than questionable and imho one of the reasons of this year's fiasco.

that OC was the worst hire and move of them all

[ISiddiqui]

Look, the press kept asking him a million times about the Alabama job. I really don't blame him for trying to stop it by saying: "hey, I'm not interested, ok." The guy had no choice. And maybe he just doesn't like the pro game after he gave it a shot. Poeple are allowed to change their minds in a new job. Alot of people do that. And to chastise the guy for taking more money is not fair (we all do that too). He is getting guaranteed money here for 10 years. He was not getting that from the Dolphins. Let the guy live his life.

Yep... I mean it is all nice to say just say "no comment", but when the press hounds you after every "no comment" over and over again, what is the guy supposed to do? It isn't like they just take the "no comment" and say, oh, ok, and go home. They kept asking him over and over about it until they had an answer either way.

[Raiders Army]

How hard is it to not lie? How hard is it to say, "I have been offered a job and am considering their offer."

[Icy]

Wow, this guy got really pissed at Saban (and I agree with most of his comments).


Le Batard: Saban leaves as a loser, weasel

BY DAN LE BATARD


DESERTED: Wayne Huizenga, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, announces during a press conference at the team's complex that Dolphins coach Nick Saban is Alabama bound, abandoning his bid to rebuild the team after only two seasons.


The punctuation on the Nick Saban Error is greasy and greedy. You know what he was as Dolphins coach? A failure. A loser. A gasbag. And one of the worst investments Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga has ever made. He was less of a success than Dave Wannstedt and more of a traitor than Ricky Williams. There has been very little in franchise history that came with more expectations and fewer results than this hypocrite who at the end avoided the hard questions one last time.
Talk like a warrior. Behave like a weasel.
Maybe Saban would be better off in college. Because, in the pros the last few days, he has looked like a complete and utter amateur.
He will be remembered in these parts as a quitter and a liar. He leaves the franchise in last place, with what used to be his good name somehow far lower than that. And for this he'll get a $25 million raise and more job security in Alabama. Makes you wonder what USC's Pete Carroll or Ohio State's Jim Tressel are worth, doesn't it?
Larry Coker, a decent man, gets fired for his one championship. Saban, a duplicitous one, gets the most lucrative job in college football.
Saban could have fixed his reputation today if he had that mental toughness he is always sermonizing about. We have the meandering spiel memorized by now. About ''competitive character'' and ''overcoming adversity'' and blah, blah, blah. You preach it, Nick. But you don't live it. Not when it's easier to run away and hide.
Miami, 6-10 against an easy schedule, was swept this year by younger teams in its division -- the Jets and Bills. The team isn't better than when Saban arrived, just older. What little winning Saban has done has been with players left for him by Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt. What's the best decision Saban has made in two years? Can you name one?
So it makes sense that he would lack hope. But when his players are losing, he asks them to be proud and fight and overcome, even though what they do hurts a hell of a lot more than what he does. But now, reputation in tatters, integrity stained, he runs away from this fight -- to be a dictator to kids who question less and have less power to challenge him. Of course he'd go. It's a good deal easier. And a new crowd eager for a savior can hear his hot-air speeches about being a gladiator.
Saban made Huizenga look like a public fool with all his condescending talk of integrity recently, reprimanding reporters at every turn while his agent secretly kept taking slimy calls from Alabama in the shadows. What a raging fraud Saban sounds like today, every bit as counterfeit as Miami's Super Bowl expectations.
Oh, a man, even one under contract, is allowed to change his mind and listen to other offers, especially those that double his salary. But what makes Saban's behavior so unctuous recently is that he had the audacity to question the questioners with super-sized arrogance even while lying all along to his players and his boss. Huizenga has given this man everything he has wanted -- given him more than any NFL owner anywhere has given any other coach. He deserves better than this. He deserves better than Saban leaving him to answer the hard questions today.
Makes you wonder, too: Huizenga went after Ricky Williams and his money with cutthroat zeal, and Williams is still paying him back. But Saban just broke a contract, too. There are no outs in Saban's contract to go back to the minor leagues.
Remember how mad you were when Williams retired? Well, he wasn't cheating on you. He wasn't grabbing for more money. His body hurt from a beating, and he wanted to rest. What Saban has done is a more traitorous act -- the most traitorous act in the history of the franchise. He's leaving simply because he couldn't handle a hard job on the sidelines of a game in which he asks others to be violent. He gave up, in other words. And filing it under ''family'' now as a diluter, in search of understanding, rings hollow because you can't believe anything the man says about this situation. You think he'd be leaving if he were 13-3?
Saban, infomercial sermonizer, talked a lot about loyalty and integrity and toughness.
But, in the end, these were not his guides.
They were only the kinds of things he demanded of others.



link: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/football/16374957.htm

[st.cronin]

How hard is it to not lie? How hard is it to say, "I have been offered a job and am considering their offer."

Because then if, for some reason the job doesn't come through, you're a dead man at your current job. See: Jim Mora, Jr.

[KWhit]

I like Le Batard.

BAM!

[KWhit]

Because then if, for some reason the job doesn't come through, you're a dead man at your current job. See: Jim Mora, Jr.

Totally different scenario.

Mora said he'd drop Atlanta in a heartbeat if Washington offered him a job - even in the midst of a playoff run.

If Saban had said that he was considering the job and then a week later said that he turned it down because he was committed to Miami, he would be applauded by the fans for staying.

Personally, I think the "I don't comment on job openings when I'm employed by another team" approach is the best one to take, but either way is a hell of a lot better than lying through your teeth.

[Raiders Army]

Because then if, for some reason the job doesn't come through, you're a dead man at your current job. See: Jim Mora, Jr.

Understood, but it's not like he didn't know this wasn't coming. He had to have known the press was going to hound him. In this case, I think the lesser of the two evils is not lying outright...especially when you consider he'll be trying to recruit football players.

[st.cronin]

Understood, but it's not like he didn't know this wasn't coming. He had to have known the press was going to hound him. In this case, I think the lesser of the two evils is not lying outright...especially when you consider he'll be trying to recruit football players.

*shrug*

I guess. It just seems to me no matter what coaches say in that situation, they get killed. It also seems to me pretty much how most people handle their business in a parallel situation in the real world, only most people aren't dealing with the media, just their boss.

[Atocep]

Alabama is giving him 10 years of guaranteed pay. Saban asked Miami if they were willing to extend his current contract and they declined. He would have been an idiot not to take the job security that Alabama offered.

[Icy]

Alabama is giving him 10 years of guaranteed pay. Saban asked Miami if they were willing to extend his current contract and they declined. He would have been an idiot not to take the job security that Alabama offered.

Umm while i agree if we were talking about a familly man working in a factory, when you apply it to a football coach who makes more than he can ever spend it makes less sense.

With the money he can get in just one season in any NFL team he can just retire and grow his garden until he dies and he won't have any financial issue. Of course we human are greedy and always want more.

Imho if you want job security as a sport coach, just do a good job and you won't be fired. How can he expect a longer and secured contract from MIA after not doing anything positive in 2 years and with 3 more remaining ones?

[KWhit]

Alabama is giving him 10 years of guaranteed pay. Saban asked Miami if they were willing to extend his current contract and they declined. He would have been an idiot not to take the job security that Alabama offered.

The idiot part was him categorically saying "I am not going to be the Alabama head coach" and then a few days later he took the job.

Total asshat.

[Kodos]

He is now second only to Jimmy Johnson on my most hated Dolphins list. He never did anything notably positive for the team after asking the world of Huzienga. I never particularly liked him, but thought he could turn the team around. What a joke. Good riddance. At least Wannstedt could blame basic stupidity for his ineptness. I hope he is an utter failure in everything he does from here on out.


Now, if the Bucs could fire Gruden or the Broncos could fire Shanahan, we'd be one step closer to my being able to return to my team. C'mon, football gods. You owe me.

[Eaglesfan27]

I don't know how well it goes over if a head coach is asked if he's considering another job and says, "ya, I'd be interested." Ask Jim Mora.

Maybe he could say "no comment". In a practical sense though, sports fans and media interpret that as a yes.


Or he could have said many other non-commital answers: "I'm only focused on the Dolphins at this time." I have no intention of taking any other jobs at this time." Instead, he was quite emphatic that there was no possibility he was going to Alabama. Yet, he did.

[KWhit]

Saban asked Miami if they were willing to extend his current contract and they declined.

Actually, this is what Huizenga said about that:


"First of all this was never about money," Huizenga said. "It's never been about money. Nick never talked to me about money. Nick never talked to me about an extension. I honestly believe this was not about money."

[Eaglesfan27]

Right. I think that is the issue. This will be a good recruiting tool to use against him... that and the whole "happy feet" thing.


Exactly. One can never take him at his word again, and that hurts in recruiting. The somewhat frequent movement or "happy feet" also works against him.

[Atocep]

How can he expect a longer and secured contract from MIA after not doing anything positive in 2 years and with 3 more remaining ones?

I would say this right here would be reason enough to take the job security Alabama was offering. :D

[Eaglesfan27]

I don't know how well it goes over if a head coach is asked if he's considering another job and says, "ya, I'd be interested." Ask Jim Mora.

Maybe he could say "no comment". In a practical sense though, sports fans and media interpret that as a yes.


Also, I think this is the 2nd time you made the Jim Mora comparision. There is a huge middle ground between diplomatically but non-emphatically answering questions about the Alabama job and campaigning for the UW job.

[ageofquarrel]

I really dont see how this makes him a prick. Saban couldnt say he was def going to bolt to Bama after the season, look what Tikis retirement announcement did for the Giants. Or Jim Mora said about a job that wasnt even open.

[Ksyrup]

I've never liked The Bastard, but that article is hilarious.

[Ksyrup]

I really dont see how this makes him a prick. Saban couldnt say he was def going to bolt to Bama after the season, look what Tikis retirement announcement did for the Giants. Or Jim Mora said about a job that wasnt even open.

He didn't have a choice between tell every detail of what's going on or lie. There was a diplomatic non-answer route he could have gone. Plenty of coaches have simply refused to discuss certain things and been left alone about it. Look at how Parcells dictates his media sessions.

[Butter]

look what Tikis retirement announcement did for the Giants.

You think that's what killed the Giants? I thought the whole Strahan/Burress thing, Manning going in the tank, and the inevitable revolt against Coughlin's coaching style killed the Giants, not Tiki's stuff. The Giants will not finish above 9-7 again while Coughlin is the coach... that's just how it works with him. He's good for a couple of years, then everybody hates him.

[Atocep]

Actually, this is what Huizenga said about that:

John Clayton was reporting that Saban asked about an extention and when it was turned down thats when he asked for some time to think it over. Not saying its true, I would have to believe Huizenga's side of the story over what Clayton reported.

I still don't see what he was supposed to say when asked about the Alabama job. No comment doesn't stop the questions, it probably makes them worse. Saying he's interested could kill any support he had from his players and Dolphins fans if he decides he wants to stay. If he says he's not interested that at least keeps the focus on what was left of the Dolphins season and lets him turn his attention to the Alabama opening after the season was finished.

[Butter]

No comment doesn't stop the questions, it probably makes them worse.

A forceful enough no comment would stop the questions, but it wouldn't stop the media speculation. Big difference.

[Tigercat]

John Clayton was reporting that Saban asked about an extention and when it was turned down thats when he asked for some time to think it over. Not saying its true, I would have to believe Huizenga's side of the story over what Clayton reported.

I still don't see what he was supposed to say when asked about the Alabama job. No comment doesn't stop the questions, it probably makes them worse. Saying he's interested could kill any support he had from his players and Dolphins fans if he decides he wants to stay. If he says he's not interested that at least keeps the focus on what was left of the Dolphins season and lets him turn his attention to the Alabama opening after the season was finished.

How about the truth? Lots of coaches have used it before "Right now all I am interested in is the Miami Dolphins." Coaches say this all the time, even when its a coaching position they are being rumored for that there is no way in hell they would take.

But, no, Saban thinks is perfectly OK to lie. Saban is a good guy, he is a smart guy. But he is one of those guys thats so smart that he can rationalize his way out of anything. And one day its going to make him look even worse than he looks now.

[Neuqua]

I saw this happen first hand with Bill $elf at Illinois and so now realize this is just an every day aspect of sports in general.

[LloydLungs]

Also, I think this is the 2nd time you made the Jim Mora comparision. There is a huge middle ground between diplomatically but non-emphatically answering questions about the Alabama job and campaigning for the UW job.

And of course Jim Mora is mentioned a 3rd time immediately after you post this. :D

This "middle ground" concept seems to be more complicated than I would have thought.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Personally, I think the "I don't comment on job openings when I'm employed by another team" approach is the best one to take, but either way is a hell of a lot better than lying through your teeth.

He tried this at first. It didn't work. The press kept hounding him. I have no problem with how he handled it.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

Umm while i agree if we were talking about a familly man working in a factory, when you apply it to a football coach who makes more than he can ever spend it makes less sense.

With the money he can get in just one season in any NFL team he can just retire and grow his garden until he dies and he won't have any financial issue. Of course we human are greedy and always want more.

Imho if you want job security as a sport coach, just do a good job and you won't be fired. How can he expect a longer and secured contract from MIA after not doing anything positive in 2 years and with 3 more remaining ones?

You live in fantasy land. Hmm, let's see here, on one hand I can have 4.5 million dollars guaranteed, on the other hand I can have 45 million dollars guaranteed. Tough choice. Oh, but I can't take it because I said I wouldn't take the job after being hounded incessantly by reporters. Damn.

[molson]

Also, I think this is the 2nd time you made the Jim Mora comparision. There is a huge middle ground between diplomatically but non-emphatically answering questions about the Alabama job and campaigning for the UW job.

This is a FOF milestone for me - someone brings up something I said in another thread for the first time. After lurking for 4 years before becoming somewhat active - I'm flattered.

Anyway, I guess there's a "perfect" answer to these job commitment questions, it just wonder how difficult it is to hit.

[JonInMiddleGA]

And one day its going to make him look even worse than he looks now.

And on that day ... he'll still have, give or take, around $40 million more than me and you.

I'd love to look so bad.

[Passacaglia]

The punctuation on the Nick Saban Error is greasy and greedy.

So can just anyone be a journalist these days?

[miami_fan]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/sports/ncaafootball/03sugar.html

January 2, 2007
Sugar Bowl
Notre Dame Coach Weis Insists He’s Not a ‘Liar’
By JOE DRAPE
NEW ORLEANS, La., Jan. 2 - Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis tried his best today to remove his name from consideration from the not yet vacant New York Giants’ coaching job, emphatically saying he was not a “liar.”

Weis, who is preparing the Fighting Irish for a game against L.S.U. in the Sugar Bowl Wednesday night, has been the focus of incessant speculation that he could replace Tom Coughlin as head coach of the Giants. Asked if he had addressed his team about the subject, Weis insisted that he did not need to.

“I can only say it so many times,” said Weis, a former Giants and New England assistant now in his second year at Notre Dame. “Every coach is perceived to be a liar. ‘Well, Weis said it, but he’s just a liar,’” he continued, characterizing what he believed is the conventional wisdom about coaches held by the public and news media.

“Believe it or not, there are coaches out there who aren’t liars.”

Weis said he intended to remain the head coach of the Fighting Irish until at least his son, Charlie, an eighth grader, graduates from Notre Dame, which is also Weis’ alma mater.

“Hopefully, after that, we’ll have enough money to be sitting on a beach somewhere, sipping piña coladas,” he said.

Weis’s spirited denial does not keep him from topping lists of potential replacements for Coughlin, whose job is in jeopardy. The Giants (8-8) salvaged a disappointing season by defeating Washington and earning a wild card berth in the NFC playoffs against Philadelphia on Sunday.

Still, Coughlin’s bosses have not spoken publicly about his future with the team.

Weis maintained that his immediate concern was leading the 11th-ranked Fighting Irish (10-2) to victory over No. 4 L.S.U (10-2), and continuing to build Notre Dame into a national power. He is 19-5 as Notre Dame’s head coach, and has the Irish in a Bowl Championship Series game for the second year in a row.

He said what was most gratifying about his short time as a college coach was the ability to get a group of players to bond as a team. In his 15 years as an assistant coach in the N.F.L., Weis said only in has last years with the Patriots - a team that won three of four Super Bowls - was there that kind of camaraderie.

“They were able to buy into ‘it’s all about the team,’” Weis said. “I don’t know if in the N.F.L. that can be done year in and year out.”

[Rizon]

Fuck you Nick. Fuck you straight to hell.

[Buccaneer]

When a coach is asked about a job that he's actually interested in, but doesn't yet have, he's pretty much fucked whatever he says.

I agree with this. I don't understand the harsh reactions by EaglesFan27 and Troy. What would you want him to say? Yes, I am interested? No comment (which means yes, I am interested)? Perhaps if the sports vultures in the media would stop their insane "finding a news story when one doesn't exist yet", they can do their job better. Saban is no different than you Troy as an employee. How many times have you changed jobs in the past 5 years?

[miami_fan]

The issue is not that he took the Alabama job. If Nick Saban wanted the Alabama job, there are a number of ways he could have gone about it. He could have resigned as HC of the Dolphins and taken the job back when it was first offered. Nothing wrong with that, if the college game is where his heart is at. If he issued the various versions of "no comment" and then took the job still no problem. It does not matter if the public believes that he is going to take the job. He has made his statement on it. He made the decision to emphatically state that he had NO interest in the job. He went out of his way to say that he would NOT be Alabama's HC next year. He had the nerve to berate those that might question his integrity since he had already made his "truthful" statement. If he wanted to change jobs, by all means go right ahead. There was no reason for him to lie about.

[ISiddiqui]

He's Nick Saban, that's what he does. I mean, if you really believed him when he said he had no interest in the Alabama job, then you were purposefully delusional.

[AlexB]

Dont you just hate these sports journos who sit on the fence? :eek:

As a Dolphins fan I'm mpissed we've essentially wasted two years, but in the interviews he did for Sky Sports he seemed very knowledgeable, without the inspiration. I think that showed in the end results on the field.

hxxp://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=SPORTS&ID=564939919413608731


Saban leaves as a weasel

Dan LeBatard
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January 3, 2007 3:53 PM
McClatchy Newspapers
(MCT)
MIAMI - The punctuation on the Nick Saban Error is greasy and greedy. You know what he was as Dolphins coach? A failure. A loser. A gasbag. And one of the worst investments Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga has ever made. He was less of a success than Dave Wannstedt and more of a traitor than Ricky Williams. There has been very little in franchise history that came with more expectations and fewer results than this hypocrite who at the end avoided the hard questions one last time.

Talk like a warrior. Behave like a weasel.

Maybe Saban would be better off in college. Because, in the pros the last few days, he has looked like a complete and utter amateur.

He will be remembered in these parts as a quitter and a liar. He leaves the franchise in last place, with what used to be his good name somehow far lower than that. And for this he'll get a $25 million raise and more job security in Alabama. Makes you wonder what USC's Pete Carroll or Ohio State's Jim Tressel are worth, doesn't it?

Larry Coker, a decent man, gets fired for his one championship. Saban, a duplicitous one, gets the most lucrative job in college football.

Saban could have fixed his reputation today if he had that mental toughness he is always sermonizing about. We have the meandering spiel memorized by now. About ''competitive character'' and ''overcoming adversity'' and blah, blah, blah. You preach it, Nick. But you don't live it. Not when it's easier to run away and hide.

Miami, 6-10 against an easy schedule, was swept this year by younger teams in its division - the Jets and Bills. The team isn't better than when Saban arrived, just older. What little winning Saban has done has been with players left for him by Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt. What's the best decision Saban has made in two years? Can you name one?

So it makes sense that he would lack hope. But when his players are losing, he asks them to be proud and fight and overcome, even though what they do hurts a hell of a lot more than what he does. But now, reputation in tatters, integrity stained, he runs away from this fight - to be a dictator to kids who question less and have less power to challenge him. Of course he'd go. It's a good deal easier. And a new crowd eager for a savior can hear his hot-air speeches about being a gladiator.

Saban made Huizenga look like a public fool with all his condescending talk of integrity recently, reprimanding reporters at every turn while his agent secretly kept taking slimy calls from Alabama in the shadows. What a raging fraud Saban sounds like today, every bit as counterfeit as Miami's Super Bowl expectations.

Oh, a man, even one under contract, is allowed to change his mind and listen to other offers, especially those that double his salary. But what makes Saban's behavior so unctuous recently is that he had the audacity to question the questioners with super-sized arrogance even while lying all along to his players and his boss. Huizenga has given this man everything he has wanted - given him more than any NFL owner anywhere has given any other coach. He deserves better than this. He deserves better than Saban leaving him to answer the hard questions today.

Makes you wonder, too: Huizenga went after Ricky Williams and his money with cutthroat zeal, and Williams is still paying him back. But Saban just broke a contract, too. There are no outs in Saban's contract to go back to the minor leagues.

Remember how mad you were when Williams retired? Well, he wasn't cheating on you. He wasn't grabbing for more money. His body hurt from a beating, and he wanted to rest. What Saban has done is a more traitorous act - the most traitorous act in the history of the franchise. He's leaving simply because he couldn't handle a hard job on the sidelines of a game in which he asks others to be violent. He gave up, in other words. And filing it under ''family'' now as a diluter, in search of understanding, rings hollow because you can't believe anything the man says about this situation. You think he'd be leaving if he were 13-3?

Saban, infomercial sermonizer, talked a lot about loyalty and integrity and toughness.

But, in the end, these were not his guides.

They were only the kinds of things he demanded of others.

[Rizon]

As a Dolphins fan I'm mpissed we've essentially wasted two years,



We've wasted the last 11 years on bunk coaches. And with Bald Boy Wayne the Fuck we'll waste another few more.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Dont you just hate these sports journos who sit on the fence? :eek:

What, you were so impressed by this hack columnist that you thought it needed to be posted a second time? And in the same thread?

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=1347581&postcount=79

[AlexB]

Hell, if you wanna go back, we've wasted the last twenty - had Marino & the Marks brothers, but no defence or running game.

Then Marino and a defence but nothing else.

Then a defence with a decent QB who could have won with the right supporting cast (yes, I'm back harping on about Fiedler again ;) - Trent Dlifer won the SB FFS, Jay was a lot better than Dilfer).

Now we have an aging defence with a decent (but no better than that) WR/RB/TE and QBs who look like they were grabbed from the halftime punt/pass/kick competition, and worse than that they guy that did the passing part turned us down!

[AlexB]

What, you were so impressed by this hack columnist that you thought it needed to be posted a second time? And in the same thread?

http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=1347581&postcount=79

Aha. I think the fact that I hadn't read the preceding posts may have come back to haunt me. You, sir, have caught me out once more with your methodical and accurate reading tendencies :o :p

[Rizon]

Hell, if you wanna go back, we've wasted the last twenty - had Marino & the Marks brothers, but no defence or running game.

Then Marino and a defence but nothing else.

Then a defence with a decent QB who could have won with the right supporting cast (yes, I'm back harping on about Fiedler again ;) - Trent Dlifer won the SB FFS, Jay was a lot better than Dilfer).

Now we have an aging defence with a decent (but no better than that) WR/RB/TE and QBs who look like they were grabbed from the halftime punt/pass/kick competition, and worse than that they guy that did the passing part turned us down!

THE PAIN WILL NEVER END DAMN THE RAIDERS.

[CU Tiger]

I am shocked by the number of people who think this was money related.

Every report I have heard, says this is almost 100% because of his wife and her desire to live in a small town and work with youths...[side note, every report details how she worked with the college players "hands on" am I the only one who thinks ick might farm out his wife?]

Really at Saban's financial status, the moeny isn't a huge deal. I think its about lifestyle (his and his wife's) and his love for the college atmosphere. Sitting on recruits couches, running the alumni speaking circuit in the offseason, watching co-eds walk across campus. Working half as many hours per day as the NFL life....

Really college is a different job. There you are father, mentor, and coach, in the NFL you are some rich dude's boss, and the rich dude knows if your name isn't Parcells, Bellicheck, Cowher or Holmgren the owner probably values his rich ass more than yours.

[Ksyrup]

Interesting related news...FSU did indeed get WVU's OL coach yesterday, but the speculation is that Kevin Steele, who has widely been regarded as the first choice for an in-house successor to Bobby Bowden, may be headed to Alabama to join Saban's staff as DC. And, of course, there's still the question of whether Jimbo Fisher will stay at LSUY, leave for FSU, or reunite with Saban at Alabama.

[Ksyrup]

Every report I have heard, says this is almost 100% because of his wife and her desire to live in a small town and work with youths...[side note, every report details how she worked with the college players "hands on" am I the only one who thinks ick might farm out his wife?]

This may or may not be true, but without even trying, I've been inundated with news about Saban's leaving and have never heard a peep about his wife. That said, I can understand how someone wouldn't be happy living in South Florida, especially if they end up wanting to be in a place like Tuscaloosa.

At this point, whether it was the money or not doesn't really matter. If, in fact, what I heard last night is true, that Huizenga had to convince him to come back to the NFL and he really still preferred college, then his comments over the past month are even more inexcusable. Just shut the fuck up - don't tell people your goal has been to get back to the NFL, that you have no reason to leave a good college job if you're going to consider another college job so soon, that you're not going to be the head coach of the school whose job you accept less than 2 weeks later.

I think someone earlier in the thread said it best - a "no comment" type response may not stop the speculation, but it pretty effectively (if you stick to it) ends the constant questions you get. And if it doesn't, grow a pair and go Bill Parcells/BobKnight on the media guys who continue to pursue it. What ESPN and talk radio people speculate about is completely out of your hands. And it shouldn't affect you anyway. So I don't buy the "he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't" excuse for the lies. Coaches lie all the time, but rarely in such a pious, bald-faced manner as Saban did that radio shows are playing clips of Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" comment.

[Ksyrup]

Interesting related news...FSU did indeed get WVU's OL coach yesterday, but the speculation is that Kevin Steele, who has widely been regarded as the first choice for an in-house successor to Bobby Bowden, may be headed to Alabama to join Saban's staff as DC. And, of course, there's still the question of whether Jimbo Fisher will stay at LSUY, leave for FSU, or reunite with Saban at Alabama.


Just to follow up on all of this...apparently, FSU and Alabama are now fighting over the same guys to fill out their staffs. If Steele leaves for Alabama, then that increases the chance that Fisher comes here because he'd then be in line to succeed Bowden...which Steele had widely been consider for before the whole Saban courtship thing came up. And apparently Saban wanted him for DC of the Dolphins but he turned him down 2 years ago. This time it might be different.

And of course, who is on FSU's schedule this year? Yep - Alabama!

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/uga/stories/2007/04/21/0422alabama.html

92,138 attend Alabama spring game

By TONY BARNHART
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/21/07

Tuscaloosa, Ala. — Kayla McCoy and her dad Stephen arrived at Gate 6 of Bryant-Denny Stadium at 9 a.m.

The gate wouldn't open until 11 a.m.

For a spring football game that wouldn't start until 1:05 p.m.

"We just think that this is going to be a historic day," said Kayla, from Dothan, Ala. "We just wanted to be first in line to see it."

Kayla didn't know how right she was.

Hope is a powerful emotion. So powerful that it brought a crowd of 92,138-plus to Bryant-Denny on one of the most perfect Saturday afternoons you'll ever see. Alabama officials, expecting about 60,000 fans for Nick Saban's much-anticipated first spring game as coach, had to stop them from entering the stuffed stadium in the second quarter.

The NCAA doesn't keep records on such things, but it is believed to be the largest spring game crowd in college football history. It beat the SEC record of 73,000 set by Tennessee in 1986 and dwarfed school-record Saturday turnouts at Penn State (71,000) and Notre Dame (51,852).

If there was any doubt that Saban, who took over as coach in January, was worth the $4 million Alabama is paying him, well, there's less of it now. You just can't put a price on this kind of excitement.

"People sense that today was a turning of the page, a fresh start for Alabama football," said Eli Gold, the longtime radio voice of the Crimson Tide. "Nick Saban has the credentials to win a national championship. He's done it. The excitement here is really something special. I have never seen anything like this."

Saban, wearing a coat and tie despite the warm weather, stalked the middle of the field paying attention to every detail for both teams. But he knew what was happening in the stands was more important that what took place on the field (the White team beat the Crimson 20-13) as he begins the task of getting Alabama back to college football's elite.

"When our fans do things like they did today, it enhances our chances of being successful here," said Saban, who replaced Mike Shula as coach. "That sends a message to everybody out there that we're recruiting that there is a lot of positive enthusiasm here. It certainly makes me feel good being here as the coach."

Even the Tide players, used to playing in front of packed houses all fall, were overwhelmed.

"When we first came out, it was about half full and we thought that was pretty good," quarterback John Parker Wilson said. "Then we looked up and the place was full. It was incredible."

The excitement was everywhere you looked. All but two of the 130 luxury boxes were filled; 35 were occupied for this game a year ago. Fans who couldn't get a seat stood for four quarters. They came wearing T-shirts like "Just in the NICK of time," "Never fear, SABAN's here" and other creative messages:

Front: "Got Nick?"

Back: "We do and we are ready to ROLL. This is Alabama Football!"

Front: "Member of the SabanNation since 2007."

Back: "First we'll take back the State! Then the Nation!"

Front: "The Bear's looking down from Above."

Back: "And he STILL hates Tennessee."

The celebration started early and is sure to continue through Sept. 1, when the Saban era officially kicks off, against Western Carolina.

At 7:15 a.m. Saturday, almost two hours before it was scheduled to open, a crowd had gathered outside the Paul W. Bryant Museum on Paul W. Bryant Drive. The building opened an hour early. By 10 a.m., more than 2,000 fans had passed through the doors, with hundreds of others waiting to get in.

Former Alabama players were seated under a tent signing autographs for a $1 donation to the museum.

"It's really been something. It's really been busier than a normal game," said Ken Gaddy, the museum's director. "The Alabama people are really excited by the change."

An hour before kickoff, one of the most cherished traditions in SEC football took place on the walkway surrounding Denny Chimes. Last year's co-captains, Juwan Simpson and Le'Ron McClain, placed their handprints in wet cement to permanently honor their service to Alabama football.

Among those watching, wearing a hound's tooth cap in honor of Bryant, was David Faulkner from Athens, Ala.

"The people are here because of the aura that Nick Saban now brings to Alabama football," Faulkner said. "We haven't had this kind of aura since Gene Stallings was here [from 1990-96]. There is no doubt who is charge and where the discipline is going to come from."

The turnout was the largest for an A-Day game — by 40,000-plus. The previous high attendance: 51,117, 19 years earlier at Birmingham's Legion Field.

"I'm here to see Nick Saban," said Tide fan Wesley Garner of Mobile. "I want to see him on the sidelines and see what he can do. He is the man who is going to bring us another championship. At least I hope he does.

"We certainly paid enough to get him."

[Shkspr]

Those poor bastards are going to feel so bad when Nick takes over the Raiders in 2009.