There are a lot of conflicting reports out of the Saban story. One said that Saban told the Bears, "No," Wednesday night, but the Bears sweetened the offer with money and more power and came back at him Friday. Now today's Advocate says that Saban never told the Bears a flat, "no," at all. This is in a story from the Chicago Tribune. I guess the question is whether Saban is negotiating for more from the Bears or LSU. The Tribune story is saying the Bears are offering Saban $4 million a year. While that is more than LSU is offering, the long term security at LSU and the complete control there may offset it. It might seem that way to the average fan. LSU is offering either (again it depends on what news reports you read) $2.5 million a year, $3 million a year, or $3 million a year if all incentives are counted, in a long term contract, and it is hard to see how a university can be expected to come up with more. Saban already is getting just about everything he wanted from LSU on other things. He has total control and his bosses sing his praises constantly. Arthur Blank's reported comment that "he wants a coach, not a czar" after hiring J L Mora instead of Saban also begs clarification. Some reports say Saban rebuffed the Falcons and others seem to indicate they may have been turned off by him. Did Blank mean Saban was demanding too much or is he just pissed that Saban rejected the Falcons offer without real consideration? Jerry Angelo is Saban's personal friend and if he is stringing him along to get yet more from LSU, it may strain that friendship. Angelo already has lost one coaching prospect, Mora, to the Falcons and reportedly has delayed interviewing another, Mike Nolan, and possibly a third, Russ Grimm. (On the other hand, it would appear that the longer the Bears wait, the less need there is to hurry, since most of the jobs elsewhere are being filled.) The article also seems to imply that Saban played a double dealing game with Michigan State and implies he has interpreted events there to fit his own interests. Although Michigan State did not match the offer LSU was making to him, they had given him two pay raises in five years to $700,000 a year there. He claims that he even feared they may have been ready to fire him at one point. That does not jive with the facts it would seem. When you get into big money everyone circles the wagons and looks out for number one. All of this proves Saban is no different from me or anyone else who might be faced with these negotiations. What the stories do tell me is that nobody knows Nick Saban's true heart and that may include Skip Bertman and Jerry Angelo.
This should be interesting coming during the heaviest recruiting period of the year in college football. But I have to give Saban credit for wanting to make a quick decision. You have to wonder... What else can Saban achieve at LSU and/or at the college level? Does Saban like college recruiting as opposed to just being the HC in the NFL? Does the NFL present more of a personal challenge? Does Saban like the talent level better in college or in the pros? Does Saban like to develop players? And I am sure there are plenty of personal questions that can be asked as well... Saban has been in the NFL before so he is not like Spurrier marching off into the unknown. It sounds like Saban is going to have some soul searching to do.
T-P sportswriter was interviewed on WWL radio recently and in comparing LSU coaches said empatically that Nick Saban "likes recruiting" (unlike Bill Arnsbarger, who didn't). Another thing the article said is that Saban has used the line that "money is not important to him" before at Michigan State (as he did recently at LSU), got two pay raises in five years there, then left for LSU when MSU did not match the LSU offer. Now he is negotiating with the Bears and may have turned down one offer and now is considering another that may pay $4 million a year or even $5 million if Tony Kornheiser is to be believed. Saban may even believe that money is not the deciding thing with him, but it seems his actions constantly get him higher salaries. I don't think anyone begrudges him wanting what he can get, but if he takes the Bears job for $4 million, let's say, his recent boyhood story about the construction job and his Daddy's filling station may begin to ring hollow. It is one of those things where it is better to keep your mouth shut and then people will not judge.
I think inherently he doesn't truly care about the money. But let's be honest, he is probably being offered the whole show up in Chicago. I think he will stay this year, but you better believe that they are pulling out all the stops up there...
This seems like a slippery slope to me. I'm going to hold back judgement but I am not liking the actions of Saban at this moment. He has allowed himself to be courted every year since he got here, I dont like his wishy washy committment to LSU. I've already stated that I thought all his previous statements about staying at LSU where nothing more than coach speak while others are drinking the koolaid and taking those words as gospel. I've been watching football long enough to know statements like this are usually worthless in evaluating ones true intentions.
Let's not forget that he met about the Jaguars job secretly last year....These interviews have occured since he has came to LSU...This is probably the most disturbing, but none the less, he will still be our coach.,
Boy, I sure hope he doesn't leave. But remember that losing a coach to the NFL, if he wants to go to the NFL, is inevitable. Period. And losing a coach to the NFL is not a bad thing. The talent is in place, and at this moment in time, the LSU job is one of the top five most desirable college football jobs there is. But I still hope he stays.
The Chicago job is the one I have always thought Nick would leave for if it opened due to Angelo. I just hope he realizes that Angelo has not exactly set Chicago on fire the last couple of years and was rumored to be under the gun this year. If he is going to leave I hope he gets it over quickly. Championship aside he does not shut down these "rumors" during Jan every year like others have in his position like Iowa's coach. If he stays he needs to do a better job with the items he can control. After each year if he really wants to stay at LSU, while I know he cannot control the media, he can stop his agent from contacting teams. He can stop meeting with teams like Jacksonville and when it does not go well come back and say he has no interest in the NFL and BR is his home not realizing that his meeting would get leaked out. If he had no intention of accepting the Falcons offer he could just say no to a meeting versus scheduling one. He can also stop saying this is the beginning not the end before the Sugar Bowl and then switch to he "hopes" that this is the beginning not the end after the Sugar Bowl. I also thought his comments about LSU's first contract was a little disrespectful considering it was the offer before the Sugar Bowl that Skip wanted to give him win or lose (although I heard he looked totally worn out). These are more than negotiation ploys. Do not get me wrong I want Saban to stay, but I just cannot be naive any longer and think that the reason this goes on every year is just the media. At some point we will not be able to treat him the way he thinks he should be treated and just like at Michigan State where he said a lot of the same things he will leave. When this happens I will not have a melt down unless we just promote Jimbo to head coach versus finding a proven head coach.
I think all of you make some real valid points concerning Saban. As for Saban acheiving all he wants on the college level, that might be true, but has Mike Shannan(sp) of Denver has achevied all he wanted at Denver. Granted he won a few superbowls, but now he is struggling to make the playoffs and now he is on the chopping block. Executives in the NFL have very short term memories. Look at the Gruden situation: He wins the superbowl last year, and does not make the playoffs this year. Next year, if he does not lead Tampa to the playoffs, he too will be on the chopping block. The Callahan firing is another prime example. It is another prime example that players does not give a rat's ass about their coach. Coaches in the NFL are the first to blame with bad personnel even though most NFL coaches do not have any say so in terms of personnel. The point I am trying to make along with others, is that the NFL is not the attractive job that it once was. Today there are free agency and salary caps which makes the NFL that more of bad place to coach. Let's look at a hypothetical: Saban goes to the Bears. Year one has a ok a year, Year two makes the playoffs, year three wins the superbowl, year four he makes the playoff as a wildcard team. Year 5-loses a lot to free agency and salary cap and does not make the playoffs. Year 6 does not make the playoffs and is on the chopping block and could get fired. Is the NFL still an attractive job. I can tell you thing: 6 years from know Saban will have all the job security he needs here at LSU.
