<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Nick Saban has accepted an offer from Alabama, leaving the Miami Dolphins two weeks after declaring "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."Saban's agreement with Alabama is for eight years and a guaranteed $32 million, according to ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli. Saban can earn an additional $700,000 to $800,000 annually in bowl-game bonuses.Saban told team owner Wayne Huizenga of his decision in a face-to-face meeting Wednesday morning. Saban then informed all of his coaches by speakerphone that he was leaving the franchise to coach Alabama.In a news conference at the Dolphins' facility, Huizenga told reporters he was not upset by Saban's departure."It is what it is. We have to move forward," Huizenga said. "We want the best for Nick and [his wife]Terry. I like Nick a lot and think he could have won here. I'm a Nick Saban fan."As of late Wednesday morning, Saban was not yet headed to Tuscaloosa for a formal introduction."All indications are that he's coming, but I know they're not in the air yet," an Alabama athletic department official told ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach.Saban repeatedly had issued denials that he was interested in coaching Alabama, one of the most high-profile and high-pressure college coaching jobs in the country. After he turned down the Tide in early December, the school offered the job to Rich Rodriguez, but he decided to stay at West Virginia.Alabama made a formal offer to Saban on Monday after rumors swirled for weeks that the Crimson Tide were continuing their pursuit of the former LSU coach. Saban, who spent five seasons in Baton Rouge before leaving for the NFL, was 48-16 at LSU and won the 2003 BCS national championship.He walks away from the Dolphins with three years left on a deal worth approximately $4.5 million a season.</div><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>A chronology of comments about Nick Saban taking the head coaching job at Alabama:Nov. 27:Saban: "When I was in college it was always about coming to the pros. This is the challenge I wanted. I had a good college job. Why would I have left that if I was going to be interested in other college jobs?"I took this as a challenge. We certainly haven't seen this through and gotten where we want to go and finished the job here, so why would I be interested in something else?"Dec. 5olphins owner Wayne Huizenga (after giving Saban a vote of confidence): "I am completely sold on Nick Saban. I would admit we made a mistake if we did make a mistake, but I firmly believe in Nick Saban."Dec. 7:Saban: "I'm flattered that they may have been interested in me, but it never really progressed, because we just never let it progress."Dec. 21:Saban: "I guess I have to say it. I'm not going to be the Alabama coach. ... I don't control what people say. I don't control what people put on dot-com or anything else. So I'm just telling you there's no significance, in my opinion, about this, about me, about any interest that I have in anything other than being the coach here."Dec. 27:Saban: "I'm just making a rule to never comment on something like that again because every time you comment on it, it just makes for another story. So I'm not going to comment on it five years from now, and I'm not going to comment on it next week."</div>
He took a pay cut to go to a team that's the 6th best program in their conference.... AND that had 0 quality recruits this year out of High School. Then again, he left a team with QB issues that was last in it's division in the NFL. So it's not like he was leaving from a great situation.Oooooh! Oh! Oh! Denny Green to Miami!!!
Passing up 32 million guaranteed would have been foolish when the Dolphins could very likely fire him after next season should they struggle again. (And considering they're a year older on Defense, have no Quarterback, No Offensive Line, and ton of Free Agents, why wouldn't they?)And I already pointed out in the other thread that Alabama is one of the most prestigious Coaching Jobs in all of College Football. You're also crazy if you don't think that one of the reasons their recruiting struggled in recent years wasn't Mike Shula, his inability to recruit and the uncertainty around his job status, Id expect Recruiting to seriously improve with a Quality Recruiter in there.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Jan 3 2007, 02:04 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Passing up 32 million guaranteed would have been foolish when the Dolphins could very likely fire him after next season should they struggle again. (And considering they're a year older on Defense, have no Quarterback, No Offensive Line, and ton of Free Agents, why wouldn't they?)And I already pointed out in the other thread that Alabama is one of the most prestigious Coaching Jobs in all of College Football. You're also crazy if you don't think that one of the reasons their recruiting struggled in recent years wasn't Mike Shula, his inability to recruit and the uncertainty around his job status, Id expect Recruiting to seriously improve with a Quality Recruiter in there.</div>I don't mean they didn't have a great year, I mean they literally got no one of value this year because there was no coach to go recruit them. Currently they have 0 Top 50 recruits, and only 1 top 100 recruit.And yes, we all know you overrate the Alabama job.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Jan 3 2007, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't mean they didn't have a great year, I mean they literally got no one of value this year because there was no coach to go recruit them. Currently they have 0 Top 50 recruits, and only 1 top 100 recruit.And yes, we all know you overrate the Alabama job.</div>Well, apparantly Nick Saban, who is only an NCAA coaching god overrates it too then.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Jan 3 2007, 03:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Jan 3 2007, 01:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I don't mean they didn't have a great year, I mean they literally got no one of value this year because there was no coach to go recruit them. Currently they have 0 Top 50 recruits, and only 1 top 100 recruit.And yes, we all know you overrate the Alabama job.</div>Well, apparantly Nick Saban, who is only an NCAA coaching god overrates it too then. </div>Because his head isn't large.... him and his 1 great season.
Nick stole the FSU LB's coach to be his Defensive Coordinator. I don't know much about it all except that the FSU LB's have been top notch for the past decade, so....
Saban does NOT have a small head... He left Miami because he didnt have enough power, and he left Miami because hes getting 38 million in garunteed money at Alabama. Like Venom said, he would have likely gotten canned after this coming season anyway. He also definatly didnt take a pay cut, Wayne refused to renegociate his contract to math Bamas offer. As far as the recruiting problem, Saban is know for his recruiting skills amoungst the college ranks, so im sure he will take care of that problem shortly. Now Im just ranting because im a disgruntled Miami fan right now but, Im happy hes gone. By no means would i would have liked to see him go when the rumors first surfaced, but the way he handled them, leing to his own team on numerous occasions, reportedly contact Bama himself inquireing about the job after he " turned it down," he never addresses his players face to face, he tol them over the phone, same with his coaches that HE braught in. He couldnt handle the media either. He couldnt handle his own mess, so he ran away from it, hes a coward and im happy hes no longer leading the franchise.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MiAmI @ Jan 4 2007, 07:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Saban does NOT have a small head... He left Miami because he didnt have enough power, and he left Miami because hes getting 38 million in garunteed money at Alabama. Like Venom said, he would have likely gotten canned after this coming season anyway. He also definatly didnt take a pay cut, Wayne refused to renegociate his contract to math Bamas offer. As far as the recruiting problem, Saban is know for his recruiting skills amoungst the college ranks, so im sure he will take care of that problem shortly. Now Im just ranting because im a disgruntled Miami fan right now but, Im happy hes gone. By no means would i would have liked to see him go when the rumors first surfaced, but the way he handled them, leing to his own team on numerous occasions, reportedly contact Bama himself inquireing about the job after he " turned it down," he never addresses his players face to face, he tol them over the phone, same with his coaches that HE braught in. He couldnt handle the media either. He couldnt handle his own mess, so he ran away from it, hes a coward and im happy hes no longer leading the franchise.</div>The sad thing is, he's not even that great of a coach.
As a college coach he is, lead LSU to a national championship. He just wasnt good in the NFL, couldnt handle it I guess.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MiAmI @ Jan 4 2007, 07:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>As a college coach he is, lead LSU to a national championship. He just wasnt good in the NFL, couldnt handle it I guess.</div>He had 1 great season, and a couple good seasons at LSU.
His excuse was that if he simply said "no comment" it would look like he was going to take the job, and the players would feel like he was quitting on him. So he chose to deny it, and lie later, as opposed to staying silent, and telling the truth. Either way what he did was totally stupid, and hes going to have a very hard time winning back supports outside of Alabama. I dont know if you guys heard about this or not, but he told most of the team that he was leaving via E-MAIL...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MiAmI @ Jan 5 2007, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>His excuse was that if he simply said "no comment" it would look like he was going to take the job, and the players would feel like he was quitting on him. So he chose to deny it, and lie later, as opposed to staying silent, and telling the truth. Either way what he did was totally stupid, and hes going to have a very hard time winning back supports outside of Alabama. I dont know if you guys heard about this or not, but he told most of the team that he was leaving via E-MAIL...</div>I heard it was speakerphone, either way a pretty classless move.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Jan 5 2007, 08:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (MiAmI @ Jan 5 2007, 07:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>His excuse was that if he simply said "no comment" it would look like he was going to take the job, and the players would feel like he was quitting on him. So he chose to deny it, and lie later, as opposed to staying silent, and telling the truth. Either way what he did was totally stupid, and hes going to have a very hard time winning back supports outside of Alabama. I dont know if you guys heard about this or not, but he told most of the team that he was leaving via E-MAIL...</div>I heard it was speakerphone, either way a pretty classless move.</div>I heard it was via homing pigeon. :ninja:
