He never should have left LSU. But now he knows being a head coach in the NFL isn't exactly what he expected. You can list all of the hassles of being a major college coach but the NFL is a LOT harder and there is more pressure. Depending on the makeup of a person, recruiting and developing HS players can be much easier than the NFL draft, signing free agents and trying to coach older players. I agree it's an admission of failure. If the 'Fins had made the playoffs and the future looked brighter, no way Saban leaves. But the Dolphins future doesn't look very rosy. They have some ageing, declining players that will be hard to replace. bottlerocket, no way they consider Capers. There are promising candidates who would want that job.
ask steve spurrier or pete carroll which is harder. if you do recruit, you will win, ask mack brown. the nfl relies more on getting the right players, it relies on out-coaching the guy across the field from you.
What I understand about this deal is that the boosters are essentially fronting most of his salary (no surprise there). And for the absurd argument about "oh, TUSCALOOSA?!?! (or Norman, Lincoln, etc)...WHY WOULD ANYONE GO THERE?!?!?".......it's not like Auburn, Morgantown, or even New Brunswick are incredible these days. Anyway, there was much influence from Saban's family....well more his wife who disliked the Miami lifestyle. Can't really blame her I guess. If there's a press conference today for his hiring, I'll try and go. Regardless, this is a BIG **** you to Don Shula, haha.
On another note, it's interesting to see the response to the hiring. ESPN SportsNation polls think he's a lying idiot. Dan "The b*stard" Le Batard think Saban's a "failure. A lose. A gasbag" in his heavily opinionated Herald piece. Yet the guys at SI are acting as if this was the no-brainer move...which it was. ==== You know, as much as I disapprove of the way Alabama and Mal Moore have acted the past few years, I do wonder something: If I had, say $4 million, do you think Mal Moore could get me Keria Knightley?
It's not like those teams are hyper-elite either, are they? Unless you are arguing that WV and Rutgers are on par with the Ohio States and USC's of the world. I'm just saying that the glory days of the 60's and 70's in which they won multiple national championships are going to be hard to repeat, no matter how much $$$ the boosters are willing to blow. There's simply too much competition these days. Only a few schools in the country realistically have a shot at putting together a run like that.
No, no, but what I am saying is that if those guys can recruit well and perform well (not necessarily consistent or the best), then they can and will at Bama because boosters never have empty pockets. I'm sure if somewhere were to do a study of Nebraska and Alabama (even other formerly prestigious schools) compared to hot teams now (WV, Rutgers, Louisville), there is some form of direct correlation in terms of recruiting. Guys like Grobe, Petrino, and Schiano have been exceptional at an extraordinarily difficult job of recruiting well and performing well; they've developed a new and better form of recruiting that suits their respective schools' niche. In the end, though, Alabama is still Alabama and will spend the $$$ to get back to winning.
Agree with you completely. What does Baton Rouge have on Tuscaloosa? For that matter, what do South Bend, Ann Arbor, State College, Tallahasee have an Tuscaloosa? On the Miami media, the anger is understandable. I don't really blame them. But LeBatard is another issue by himself. While he is sometimes insighful, he is so much into promoting himself it's annoying. KingCheetah, you tongue will be permanently stuck in your cheek.
Well South Bend has the benefit of a MASSIVE national fan base and it's own TV network, not to mention the fertile midwestern recruiting grounds which are as good as the south, IMO, and a lot less competitive (Michigan, ND, & Ohio State take the cream of the crop, with the Wisconsins & Iowas & MSU's & Purdues of the world getting the seconds. Compare that with the 3 Florida Giants, LSU, Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia all competing in the SE region at the very top levels - not to mention the rest of the schools nipping at their heels) Ann Arbor (which, btw, is one of the nicest towns in America) shares in the uppwer midwest treasure trove of talent, and has a national profile nearly as big as UND or USC. The maize and blue helmet might be the most recognizable in sports. Penn State y has had the whole Pennsylvania football region to itself - though I don't believe Penn State has the potential to join the hyper-hyper elite any more. Tallahassee - well part of the proof here is because they actually did it for years. Tallahassee itself might not be much, but FSU's reputation (Deion Sanders, etc) and dominance in the 1990's is a lot more relevant in terms of appeal than Bear Bryant to kids today. And again, FSU has an inherent advantage of being in the middle of (and not next door to) a recruiting gold mine. Though again I wouldn't be surprised if FSU slipped a bit for an extended period while Florida joined the hyper-hyper elites. I just don't see the glamour of playing for Alabama as having the same resonance as a USC or Miami, and they have too much competition in their own backyard to emulate Ohio State or Notre Dame, - which is the level I'm guessing these boosters believe is their rightful entitlement (for 40 mm, I'd believe it too!) Baton Rouge is a bit of an anomaly, and true they did win an NC (or half of one) under Saban the first time, but I don't see them matching the level of an Ohio State or USC (or early 00's Miami) for a sustained period. Too much competition - though at least they don't have an in-state rival (especially one that produces loads of blue chip NFL talent) to mess with like Alabama, and they have a back door to Texas. That's why I thinke Alabama job is kind of a step down for Saban vis-a-vis where he was in LSU (notwithstanding money).
Well firstly, the argument for national TV recognition is really debunked these days when almost every SEC school is nationally televised on CBS. Granted Notre Dame does have most of its games on NBC (still some on ABC), but the "national audience recognition" doesn't affect much when a team like Alabama can still be seen across the nation AT LEAST 5-6 times a season. And look at Notre Dame pre-Weis...they sucked! They STILL haven't won a bowl game since '94 and there was serious argument that they couldn't dominate or win anymore if you go back just 3-5 years. These teams are all fluctuating. Alabama has had a little more trouble with probation and not finding the right coach (all brought upon themselves). I don't think Shula should have been fired (yet), but the school was slowly getting stronger. Saban is just going to accelerate the quest for dominance. There's no point to go and make predictions for next season, but I'll do it: Considering 2006 was a young team with a pretty good QB, solid receivers and a competitive defense all returning, any type of new offensive schemes are going to help. The 2007 team will win at least 9 games. You're still out of your mind if you think Bama is a step down from LSU. Any good recruiter knows the talent is ALWAYS there; you just need someone who can go out and get it.
Not the same as having your own network to promote you all the time. Honestly when was the last time a star prospect from a state not in the gulf region went to Alabama? I agree that the irish haven't done much - however the potential to be hyper dominant is there due to inherent advantages they've got. However I HOPE this fades over time but it might not. I don't think it's a HUGE step down, I just think it's a little easier to win in LSU right now today as there's probably a little bit less pressure and expectations are a bit more reasonable since they don't have quite the same tradition of success, slightly better recruting options, no Bear Bryant to live up to, and no major in-state rival to dogfight with and that can ruin your career if you don't beat enough.
Good for him to quit on Miami...oh wait...I agree with the job security, but he probably saw that he wasn't going to be a successful, Super Bowl winning coach and played the odds...
You mean coaching the great Cleo Lemon wasn't enough of an inspirational story to stay? Damn Saban he's a nomad, he's getting the same yearly salary at Alabama that he did in Miami, he quit on the team, that is not right.
But you also have total control of the program in college. You pick the players - if you're a great recruiter (and Saban is), you can simply go out and get better players than most of your competition. You don't have to deal with bad attitudes either - you can simply bench people. No multimillionaires who are simply playing for a paycheck, etc, etc. Certain coaches just love the college atmosphere & control - I think Pete Carroll is the perfect example of that. Besides that, you're a lot more loved as a coach in college. You can become a legend at a university (not that he'll stay long enough) - not so easy in the NFL.
Well...at least now he will be able to afford the bodyguards he will need to protect him from LSU fan.
There's a press conference in the morning at 10 CST; some Miami media folks will be there. I may try and go; I did go by the Athletic Department when he arrived. The fans here are pretty ****ing nuts, haha. I'll post pictures later.
Saban raised LSU up to another level and Miles is still riding his coattails. Comparing today's Alabama to LSU prior to Saban, they are roughly equal, IMO. Mr. Mooch's comments on ND prior to Weiss speak for me also.
. YOu're probably right - but LSU when he left was substantially above where Alabama is now, aside from the other things I cited it's an easier road to drive. Yeah they speak for me too to the extent that the Irish haven't done anything wtih their advantages yet- but it's simple fact of life that they exist whether or not you admit it. Notre Dame's inherent advantages of having a substantially more national following and a lot fewer regional competitors. Getting the CBS game 5 times a year vs. having your own TV network to promote you pretty much every single weekend is simply not comparable. Every single school in the country would KILL to have UND's TV package and national following.
Sure, ND has some serious advantages. But whether these advantages translate into success in this day and age remain to be seen. They've had a decent year but are suffering another bowl whipping tonight. One thing you must admit is ND's advantages are less than they used to be. It is a special football school, but when it comes to inherent advantages in creating a winning program, ND is just as dependent on the recruiting competence of their coach as anyone else. The shine is wearing off. The fact they have had some difficulty finding their last 2 coaches proves that beyond a doubt. National TV package or not, the old "mystique" has yet to be restored and will never be (IMO). Golden Domers will never acknowledge that, though.
I agree that it is not quite as heavily advantaged as it used to be - but then again realize that this overhyped bunch - just went to their second straight BCS bowl (and took home BCS bullion) despite being no better than the 15-20th best team in the country. No other school is fortunate enough to have that kind of set up. Perhaps the only school that is comparable in popular culture now is.........Marshall.
