Nick Saban goes to Bama

[whitedawg22]

Story

At which point does having a willingness to jump at any higher-paying job, regardless of success you've had at your current employer, start to catch up to you?

[CaolinaJoe]

When you pass the $100,000 that the FDIC will insure at the bank.

[Ez Street]

D'oh.

[BlueSky]

Hey, if the Falcons want him and can outbid Bama, they should get on the radio to Air Traffic Control. His jet could just make a right at Pensacola.

[evobost]

I don't think he is a sellout, one thing that gets me is this, the media was asking Saban last week still before the last week of the NFL if he was going to take the Bama job and he said No a couple of times. ESPN 920 here in Vegas, has this guy calling him a dirtbag liar and why would you want this liar to coach. The point is EVERYONE is going to deny they are going to take a job, while in the midst of a current season or what have you. So what he should have responded during Week 16 of the NFL season..."Um, Yes I will be taking the job at Alabama, in a couple of weeks." Yeah like he wouldn't have been hammered for that either.

[fiasco!]

you don't think Nick Saban is a sellout? that's the funniest thing i've heard this year.

let's see...recent memory:

Saban bolts from Michigan State to coach LSU

Saban bolts from LSU to coach the Dolphins

Saban bolts from Miami to coach Alabama

he either suffers from ADD, or is the epitome of a sellout.

nick saban can eat a bag of dicks for all i care.

yes. i'm a michigan state fan.

[Moser316]

Saban bolts from Michigan State to coach LSU

And two forgettable coaching regimes later (Bobby Williams and John L. Smith), Michigan State still hasn't recovered.

This is going to be a deterrent among college coaches when considering NFL jobs (i.e. they'll stay at their college jobs instead of jumping to the pros more often than not).

[BBTV]

Could someone explain how these coaches always seem to get out of their contracts? Couldn't an owner or AD hold them to their job, or at least prevent them from taking another one (even if it meant paying them for nothing?)

[SouthSidePride]

Yeah, I will have to say that he never seems to stay anywhere and I am not sure that Alabama wants that. The horrible thing is that the team will not be good next year and he will probably bolt to the Raiders, then when that team sucks he will go to the Cowboys, and then when they falter for two years he'll become the head coach of LSU again, because Les Miles took his Dolphins job. He's a bum who I don't think is a very good coach because he dosen't have the patience to see anything through. I don't know how he will respond with a project like the tide.

[Cyclopsis Joe]

I know exactly how he'll answer to the Tide's problems.

"Wah, I quit."

[amare32]

Story

At which point does having a willingness to jump at any higher-paying job, regardless of success you've had at your current employer, start to catch up to you?

As long as there's a team that wants him to be their coach -- be it his current or potential employer -- his mercenary tendencies are irrelevant. Larry Brown, anyone?

[leopard88]

Could someone explain how these coaches always seem to get out of their contracts? Couldn't an owner or AD hold them to their job, or at least prevent them from taking another one (even if it meant paying them for nothing?)

Typically, an NFL contract will contain a clause prohibiting a coach from leaving for another NFL team while under contract. League rules also prevent other teams from making such a hire without compensation (See: Gruden, Jon). However, absent similar language (which apparently isn't typically included -- because I can't see most coaches agreeing to it), there is little they can do to prevent jumping to a college team, unless they wanted to pay someone not to work (which makes no economic sense).

[CFSize24]

I don't think he is a sellout, one thing that gets me is this, the media was asking Saban last week still before the last week of the NFL if he was going to take the Bama job and he said No a couple of times. ESPN 920 here in Vegas, has this guy calling him a dirtbag liar and why would you want this liar to coach. The point is EVERYONE is going to deny they are going to take a job, while in the midst of a current season or what have you. So what he should have responded during Week 16 of the NFL season..."Um, Yes I will be taking the job at Alabama, in a couple of weeks." Yeah like he wouldn't have been hammered for that either.

Look what that got Jim Mora, Jr.

[jkrdevil]

Add Saban to the long list of College coaches who couldn't cut it in the NFL.

[Slater]

Here's an MSNBC commentary on the topic:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16440949/from/RS.2/

[DG_ThenNowForever]

So who was worse, Saban or Spurrier?

[jkrdevil]

So who was worse, Saban or Spurrier?

To be honest with you I would say Saban. At least in Spurrier's case the problem IMO was an incompetent owner serving as the teams GM. Look at all the coaches that failed in Washington under Dan Snyder.

[leedsunited]

Smart man. He was not going to win in the NFL, and he knew as much. Time to jump ship.

[Jigga]

So who was worse, Saban or Spurrier?

To be honest with you I would say Saban. At least in Spurrier's case the problem IMO was an incompetent owner serving as the teams GM. Look at all the coaches that failed in Washington under Dan Snyder.

Uh no. Spurrier couldn't carry Saban's jock strap as a NFL coach. Saban at least had a clue. I don't like Dan Snyder meddling in personnel, but it wasn't Danny Boy that made The Ol' Ballcoach pick up all those washed up Florida players. Sure Saban made mistakes, but who doesn't. If he doesn't have the Daunte debacle to begin the season and actually picked up Drew Brees, are we having this conversation? Hell no.

I know recency seems to skew matters a great deal, but at least Nick Saban "could" coach in the NFL. Steve Spurrier proved he couldn't coach in the NFL and rightly got his ass run out of town.

[marlinfan]

Take that Huizenga!

On a serious note...

Reportedly, Saban and his family were not at all comfortable with living the big city life. Very understandable, especially for a guy who has spent the majority of his life and career in small towns.

Nick also chose what was best for his job security. In Alabama he has 3-4 years ahead of him. In Miami, his job security after next season was iffy at best. He'd have to put up with a lot of BS with the media and the fans down here. In Alabama he will be seen as a God-like figure. This was his best way out of a crappy situation (current state of the Dolphins) without being looked at as a complete failure.