SABAN'S DOUBLE CROSS
Well, what do you know … a coach who lied about what his intentions were before bolting for a better opportunity.
Welcome to the Nick Saban show. Saban kept telling everyone in Miami that he wasn’t interested in the Alabama job, even though the smoke never cleared once his name was mentioned in connection with the opening.
Well, a few hours ago, Saban made it official. He’s out in Miami, and in at Alabama.
Not a surprise to me, because I had the feeling all along that Saban was very, very interested in going back to the college ranks, simply because he never fit in with the pros and never truly let go of his passion for the college game.
He is Steve Spurrier without the panache. Spurrier lasted two seasons with the Redskins – the same amount of time Saban lasted with the Dolphins – and he was gone from Daniel Snyder’s fiefdom. The difference this time is that Saban had as much as he could ever have asked for in Miami, minus the meddlesome owner.
Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga is as hands-off as anyone in the NFL, and he let Saban run the show completely. Still, it wasn’t enough.
Dolphins fans were surely delighted when Huizenga didn’t take “no” for an answer two years ago in his dogged pursuit of Saban. But those same fans should shed no tears for a guy who just never warmed to what should have been one of the best pro jobs around.
Good riddance.
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Comments (2)
Bob, I'm a high school coach. How about posting you column on Dave Diehl. The comments written on the paper in his locker should be read by everyone. I would like to show it to my team
thanks
Matt fulham
Saban has efectively burned his bridge into the NFL; what team would want to hire him after what he pulled with the Dolphins? Blame partially falls on Wayne Huizenga's shoulders, since Saban told him that he envisioned returning to the college ranks at some point in the future when he took the Dolphins job. I guess no one expected him to do it so soon. But the bottom line is that I can't envision any scenario where an owner would be so hard-pressed to tak a chance on Saban rebuilding his franchise; any promises by Saban loyalty and seeing it through to the end would be bald-faced lies. The mess that would be left behind when, not if, Saban jumps ship to another college after a couple of years should be neough to guarantee he won't be sniffing an NFL job anytime soon. Then again, there IS a crazy old buzzard on the West Coast named Al Davis, so I guess can you can never say never.
Saban is delusional if he thinks he left the Dolphins better off than when he got there, as he claimed in his press conference. Let's see, he came in with an aging defense and a dysfunctional offense with no QB; he leaves the organization with, well, an aging defense and a dysfunctional offense with no QB (personally, I think Daunte Culpepper is done).
The 9-7 record in Saban's first year lulled the organization into a false sene of security; now they're stuck with a 6-10 record, a starting QB named Cleo Lemon, a possible returning pothead RB with a busted arm and no heart, and no head coach because the guy they hired was more interested in biding his time until a college job opened up. Kudos to Don Shula for calling out Saban and letting everyone know in no uncertain terms what Saban turned out to be: A liar, a quitter and a blowhard, a guy who's more interested in listening to the sound of his own voice spewing lies than in honoring his contract.
Things could be worse, I suppose; our GM isn't Matt Millen, so we have at least SOME semblance of a future for the franchise. Hopefully Mr. Huizenga makes a more sound decision this time around.