Yesterday, I was thinking about the season with the thought of how much this forum will be fun to watch in the fall. After all, I know you will be paying attn. to the Alabama program, and now I have all of these wonderful other folks who'll be following it as well...via Saban. :hihi: I'm not amazed, to be honest with you. If we were firing Saban can you imagine the traffic, here, then? You coming down for A-day? :yelwink2: I'm thinking 55-60K.
It's the off season and Alabama football is getting national publicity. Now, how did that happen? Nick may not like the media, but he knows how to manipulate them. When Bama bought Saban, they got themselves some national attention. They better get used to it. Stay tuned . . .
When saban left Miami, I was interested and angry at him. I came to respect him at LSU, and I bought into his character. When he left Miami, it was real ugly, go read any of the Miami press coverage. He did a bad job at Miami. His staff disliked him, his players disliked him, the product on the field was poor, and the fans disliked him. He couldn't win, he panicked, he chickened out, he lied big time, and he quit because the going got too tough for him. I lost my respect for him. I was angry because he went to a division rival, I would not have been so mad if he went to Penn St. or Michigan. Imagine if Francione had come to LSU, as I recall Bama fans were pretty upset that CDF went to A&M, and that was not even the SEC. I'm a little upset with his salary, but what can we do? I look at Stoopes, and as his salary has gone up, the record gets worse. At 3.2 mil per year, he was taken to the woodshed by Boise St. and a coach making .5 mil per year. Salary does not necessarily mean anything. I'm pretty much over it. saban is just another coach out there we will have to play, like Meyer or Spurrier. saban is just one that I have lost more respect for than the others. Do I expect him to do well at Bama? Yes I do. He peter principled out as a college coach, but he is good at it. Will I enjoy beating him more than Meyer or Spurrier, yes, but just a little. I do hope our fan base moves on. saban gives a good interview, but Miles has proven to be a good person and a good head coach who assembles a good solid staff and he recruits well. #6 and #3 in back to back seasons and two bowl blowouts is the best LSU has done in back to back seasons, since the 60's? Geaux Tigers, and Geaux Les!!!
Thank you Mr. Red. SEC fans all want the same thing and have similar mindsets concerning such. Should CLM embark on 3 non winning seasons, his remaining tenure may not be as pleasant as Shulas' was. Sounds like the old pot kettle routine to me. :hihi: :hihi:
One thing Nick is right about in the SI article - he is doing the same things now that he did in the past. I really don't think he has changed his approach much. The most interesting thing will be watching how he adjust Bama recruiting to compensate for in state competition from Auburn. I don't think this year's rounds in Louisiana were just an attempt to compensate for getting into the game late. I think you will see Bama recuriting more from Louisiana and Texas than they have in the past. At least for the near future. Can't wait till fall. ldskule: :geauxtige
That's a great point, and something a lot of Bama fans are relishing right now. I like it because of the result, a stir across the nation on the recruiting fronts. There is a mis-conception I see from a lot of people. Facts reflect we'll get into a few battles on the recruiting front with Auburn, but it's a number you can count on one hand.
He can waste time recruiting here in Louisiana if he wants, but I believe he'll soon learn that these are no longer fertile grounds for him. Anyone he does manage to take, will be an "also mentioned".
Nick is doing what he did here. He is trying to secure Abalabama talent first, while pulling out of state guys as a bonus. He has already recruited more talent in Mobile than Shula ever did. Plus, Im sure Applewhite's Texas presence was one of the decding factors in hiring him. Like Terry said, it is kind of weird...Alabama and Auburn do not have nearly as many battles as one would think. They each fight over Florida guys, but most in state guys have their arent usually torn between the two. In the past, Bama focused more on Mississippi while Auburn racked up in Georgia. I would suspect their will be more out of state battles now.
If history is any indication, we'll still be able to pluck a few from Louisiana...the same applies for LSU and kids in state for Bama. Just thinking, this past Feb the only ones that really stick out in my mind are linemen...Murphy and Chapman. It's the ones we don't pursue or miss that usually perk my attention...Demarco McNeil - no Bama offer, DuBose's blunder that will live in infamy. SenDerrick Marks - Bama didn't pursue in the end. However, I have to give credit where it's due and fRan mentioned this a lot...it's not the ones you miss that hurt you, it's the ones you sign and don't develop.
