Nick was 8-5 in his third year with a bowl game loss. I think Les has a decent shot at bettering that.
There was enough Dinardo talent for Nick to win the SECCG in his second year. I think its nonsense that Miles alone can get no credit for three good years because he has some of Nicks players on the team. Every coach who ever took a job has to make a team out of some other coach's recruits.
I think everyone would agree that Saban's "icon" status is driven by the 2003 MNC. If you go back to that fateful 2003 SECCG game day we needed the planets and stars to align perfectly to jump the Trojans and make the MNC. So just think, had Hawaii not won/lost or whoever else not won/lost Saban would be considered just a "good" coach today.
Ok, as I have stated this guy should be ignored, but his latest article proves my point. He doesn't have it in for Miles or LSU, just controversy, and believe me, Saban will hear plenty from this guy this year when he loses. This latest article states all the things many LSU fans have been saying about the mighty Saban. Enjoy, 'cause bama won't... http://www.al.com/sports/press-register/pfinebaum.ssf?/base/sports/1178356562151780.xml&coll=3
I have never been sold on Saban, but I think this is a bit of a stretch. Personally, I think Saban is not as great as Coach Stallings and never will be. Again, 8-4 with a trip to Shreveport this year.
Yeah, this proves my point. Saban's a good coach but not worth what he is getting paid. He will improve Bama but will NOT win an NC. He has too many things working against him to pull it off. Bama will be grumbling for his head in year 3. Why? Because expectations and his pay is way too high. Bama will rip him, then back to the NFL for a desperate owner.
This is the part that really chaps my ass. Russell did not make an All American Team and didn't "blossom -- in the eyes of NFL scouts --" until he was seen dismantling the media love child Irish in a BCS bowl game. Brady Quinn and Troy Smith were in the media spotlight for the past 2 years while JR was doing exactly what he did at the Sugar Bowl during that same period. It's not that he "got away from Les Miles"...The media got their heads out of Charlie Weiss' fat bahonkey just in time to see what they should have been aware of all along. Saban could not have handled the Katrina disaster and aftermath because it would have diverted attention away from the most important aspect of LSU football...Saban.
In his 11-year NCAA career, Nick is 91-42-1 which averages 8.3 wins and 3.9 losses per season. Take out 2003 and Nick averages 7.8 wins and 4.2 losses per season. Either way, Nick is an 8-4 coach. A damn fine 8-4 coach, I might add. But I don't think he's The Second Coming. Of course Nick has gotten better through time (Miami excepted) and he may have a higher average at Bama. Time will tell.
I had never thought of that but you're certainly spot on. Saban's "Type A" personality is one of complete structure/routines. He would have had a fit being in that situation. Conversely, Miles handled it like a Champ.
Is there any doubt what Saban could have done with his own players in years six and seven at LSU? Well....yeah, considering he's never stuck around at any one school long enough to find out. Sure, coach, the players will be saying, you did such a great job with JaMarcus Russell, you didn't win a title and your star quarterback didn't even make the first-team AP All-American team in 2006. Quick, name all of the NCAA Div. 1-A coaches who have won a national championship in their first 2 years as head coach. Oh, and also when those two seasons involved one of the worst hurricanes in U.S. history and another where your road schedule included 4 then-ranked top-10 teams, one of which was the national champion of that year. And who the hell cares what list JR made in 2006 when he's the #1 overall NFL draft pick? Oh, and I also suppose it was Nick Saban who gave us our last two Top 5 recruiting classes. Jackass.
