Saban offered the Dolphins job

[DMD]

Miami offered its coaching job Wednesday to Saban, the favorite for the position since Dave Wannstedt resigned last month. Saban did not immediately announce a decision; one might come sometime Thursday.

 

When Saban told LSU athletic director Skip Bertman of the offer, he did not divulge details of the deal or indicate if he planned to accept.

 

This could be fun. I forget who it was talking last Sunday on a pregame show but they said that when Saban was an assistant in Houston, he was known as "Nick Satan" by the players for being so hard-nosed about everything.

[Savage Beatings]

Many things that need to be cleaned up down there... good luck to whoever gets that job! I don't know much about Saban, but have heard that he might be the guy to be able to handle that mess.

 

By the way DMD, great sig line! to Tombstone

[Duchess Jack]

Its a shame. Bates seems like one hell of a coach. He is firey, animated, intelligent and a hard worker. The players loved him. they fight for him. When Freeman picked off Tom 'Montana' Brady for the game winning int, he ran out and did one of those flying chest to chest things, asked if he was worried about getting hurt - he joked he was worried about hurting freeman. This guy has something and will likely be a head coach elsewhere after his performance. We will regret that. Saban just seems another Davis or Spurrier to me.

[gspot]

I simply will never understand why any coach in Saban's position would even entertain the possibility of moving to the pros.

 

Coaching in city and region where he is worshipped and always will be.

 

Coaching at a school which will rank in the top 5 in recruiting each year by just tending offers.

 

Makes major bank already

 

Can coach until he is 100 like Paterno with much less pressure!

 

Never relocate your family.

 

Just don't see it.

[Gunther]

Maybe Saban is from a different cut than Spurrier, but I wonder if Saban has talked to Spurrier at all to get his insight. Or maybe Saban would never talk to Spurrier. Not up on the college football scoops so I have no idea what one thinks of the other.

Edited December 23, 2004 by Gunther

[Rovers]

Hasn't Saban already rebuffed several hiring consideration requests from NFL teams? I though the Giants wanted to talk to him, but he turned them down without so much as a meeting, right? I can only guess that he wants a new challenge maybe.... He better get a long conrtact, it takes time to develop (usually) rookie QB's!

[Duchess Jack]

I think that it is all about GM duties - that is why he has considered it. I am so much more into promoting coordinators. College coaches live by bullying. While they may not always act like it, NFL players are men - and they have options.

[Chief Dick]

Its a shame.  Bates seems like one hell of a coach. 

628609[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

 

Hard to tell about him, but he sure has that team playing hard even though they have every reason to mail it in.

[Ursa Majoris]

Hard to tell about him, but he sure has that team playing hard even though they have every reason to mail it in.

 

628991[/snapback]

 

 

 

 

Miami were a lot more impressive Monday than they were the last time I saw them under Wannstedt. I was impressed with the noise their fans put up too.

 

Bates will get a shot at HC elsewhere, because I don't see him reverting to his previous position under Saban.

[skylive5]

The reason Saban wouldn't talk to the Giants, or anyone else for that matter, is because none of them would entertain him being the GM too.

 

This is a different situation.

 

Will be interesting to see how a hard nose approach will work in Miami... doesn't seem to have worked in NY.

[Egret]

I simply will never understand why any coach in Saban's position would even entertain the possibility of moving to the pros.

 

Coaching in city and region where he is worshipped and always will be.

 

Coaching at a school which will rank in the top 5 in recruiting each year by just tending offers.

 

Makes major bank already

 

Can coach until he is 100 like Paterno with much less pressure!

 

Never relocate your family.

 

Just don't see it.

 

628671[/snapback]

 

 

 

Ego. The same reason he left Michigan State. He realized that he would never be the best school in his state, let alone the conference. The only reason he didn't leave for the Giants, Bears, Browns, etc. is because they didn't give him what he wanted OR he used it as leverage at State or LSU. Take your pick.

['canes2004]

Here's a snippet from the Herald. Pretty interesting.

 

Although Saban has been the Dolphins' clear choice since their search began and club president Jones called him ''an outstanding coach'' several weeks ago, there are detractors who wonder why Miami is so smitten with Saban.

 

Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green thinks the Dolphins instead should hire Art Shell, who interviewed for the job Monday and had a 56-41 NFL record with Oakland.

 

''Now, I'm not saying that Nick Saban won't be a good coach. All I know is he's a first-year coach in the National Football League,'' Green said on the Sirius NFL radio network. ''He's not a proven coach in the NFL. If you want to get excited over the new flavor of the month, that's fine; everybody has to get his first opportunity.

 

''But I don't think you need any excuse to hire a guy who won 56 games in the NFL.''

 

Cleveland interim coach Terry Robiske, who is preparing the Browns to play Miami on Sunday, said he would hire Miami interim coach Jim Bates -- a call that resonates throughout the Dolphins roster.

 

''The only thing I say is college coaches come in and they try and try and some make it and some don't,'' Robiske said Wednesday. ''Jimmy Johnson left the University of Miami and had a tremendous amount of success.

 

''But Dennis Erickson left that same program, and he's been an outstanding college coach throughout his career, but at this level it hasn't transferred over.''

 

Bates spent nearly four hours interviewing with Huizenga on Tuesday. On Wednesday he reported, ''It went very well. It was a good interview.''

 

Bates, who coached with Saban in Cleveland more than a decade ago, deflected a question about his willingness to remain on the Miami staff as an assistant under Saban.

 

''Those things,'' Bates said, ''will resolve themselves when the time comes.''

Edited December 24, 2004 by 'canes2004

['canes2004]

Some player reactions as well:

 

David Bowens - "You want a guy to stick around who you're comfortable with and you know," Dolphins defensive end David Bowens said. "We all love [bates] and we all love to play for him. But there's a business side to this thing that is going to have to get executed at the end of the season."

 

Jason Taylor - "Come on, man," defensive end Jason Taylor said. "You can't distract us anymore. Look at what we've been through. We have a running back that wants to study medicine. Four named storms in a matter of a month. We've been dealing with this stuff for months. Nick Saban? Jim Bates? Come on. We've been through too much."

 

Sam Madison - "It hurts," cornerback Sam Madison said. "But he's going to continue to do his job, and we're going to continue to do our job for him."

 

Arturo Freeman - "[bates has] been our backbone," said safety Arturo Freeman. "He's been testing us and doing what a real coach would do, just believing in the players and letting us play: Do what you do. Not worry about things.

 

"He's one of the top defensive coordinators in the league, period. I don't know [if he is coming back]. I hope he does, but if he doesn't, I'm sure after [Monday] he should be displayed and I'm sure his phone will be ringing off the hook."