All of the lofty expectations for this year, the high pre-season rankings, the incredible talent and depth can be traced to one event: The hiring of Nick Saban.
I respect Saban for the fine coach he was. We knew something was different early in his first season with his "tantrum" on the sidelines. You knew our boys would fight all game long, or there'd be hell to pay. He brought passion and intensity we've never seen before. He could recruit, command respect of his players, was well organized, expected a lot of his staff and team, but put in a lot of himself. He left, get over it. It's what head coaches do. There is no loyalty in the business, or I should say, precious little, and if you ever find ANY, its real special. We would have been loyal to Saban as long as he produced the wins, ask Charlie Mac. His leaving was ungraceful, but all events of that type are ungraceful. I hold no grudge against Saban, I thank him for what he brought to LSU, and I wish him and his family the best. WE WON THE REAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2003!!! We earned every bit of it the old fashioned way. After 1958, I didn't know if I'd live to see another one, and it sure was sweet. I was no Dolphin fan, but I will watch with interest and pull for them, except against the Saints or Texans.
I always laugh when I hear someone use the phrase, "Saban used LSU." It's like saying George Bush or Bill Clinton used their respective states to get to the White House. What else would you expect from someone who is as driven as Saban? Someone who never settles for a position on a plateau is someone to be respected, if not admired. (Note: IMO, this assumes that you buy-in to the argument that a career path goes from college to pros)
Nick Saban was the best! I wish he was still here, but he's not. We shall see about Les Miles. I hope he is as good as Saban was. Go Tigers!
I personally think every LSU fan should be quite thankful that we had Saban as well. He is the reason LSU is where it is, imo. As shown by previous coaches, LSU can't stand on its own without a good coach....then again, neither can OU or ND without good coaches either so that isn't a negative on LSU. I love the success Saban brought. LSU is a Top 5 school in 80% of all Pre-Season polls. People now say, "powerhouse schools like OU, USC, and LSU" in conversations....
I'll be friggin' delighted if Les Miles uses and abuses LSU in the ruthless, exploitative manner of Nick Saban.
I love Saban. He came in and laid down the truth about what LSU needed to be sucessful in football, and he held the powers-that-be to it. He held up his end by coaching and recruiting. The end result is we have an Academic Center that is second to none, a brand new Football operations center, the tradition fund, two SEC championships, a National Championship and enough talent to win it all again. I wish more coaches would "use" LSU like that!!!
Saban was great for the LSU program, there's no doubt about that. His approach of recruiting talented players, yet good people has had many positives. Also, his philosophy that he held the LSU adminstration to for top of the line facilities has been great for our school, not just the football team. Of course, his personality/public persona left some things to be desired. Also, I don't think he was as good of a coach as he will be remembered as. He was a good coach, but I don't think coaching per say was his best talent. His ability to turn around a program through other means combined with coaching was, I think, his best trait. After he got LSU's turned around, I'm not sure that he was the type of coach to want to stick around & continue competing. Look at the jobs he's taken. He enjoys the challenge of turning a program around & I think that his hard-nose work ethic makes it possible. A coach like Miles who is a competetor & wants to win championships for years to come is exactly what this program needs now that Saban has put us on the right path.
