I was sitting here today trying to think of some interesting radio topics for next week. As we know its a slow time for sports news. Especially in a college football town. Anyway, I was reading on the red headed step child board about Nick Saban. Some thing he's the greatest thing to happen to LSU and some hate his guts and hope he fails miserably in Miami. I for one think that all Tiger fans should be in debted to Nick. After that horrible two year run that caused Dinardo to get the axe, it was nice to see winning football again. I've lived here for almost 9 years so I had to watch that bad football every saturday here. He averaged almost 10 wins a year over 5 years. Thats good stuff. From what I gather, many have this disliking of Saban b/c he "used" LSU. Although that may have some validity, can you blame him? Everyone likes to talk about loyalty and what not in sports like they didnt know he'd eventually leave. He had NFL ties before he came here and you should have known he wouldnt be here forever. I think that everyone wants to advance to the next level in all they do. If Les Miles wins back to back titles at LSU, and the NFL wants to offer him a head coaching gig and he takes it, does that make him a trader? I know this is old, but its a slow LSU time and I want to know what you guys think. I always like to throw potential radio topics out here and get good answers from the most knowledgable LSU board on the web. Thanks guys.
Nick Saban IMO turned LSU football around. Academics, On the field off the field name it. The national press would not give LSU it's proper respect partially because they did not like Saban. He was not the best interview for national tv, but I personally loved to hear what he had to say. LSU was expected to win that is a good position to be in. However when LSU would loose it seems we were prone to get brow beat with the told you so group. I was disappointed to see Saban go but probaly would have done the same thing had it been my choice. Les Miles will have to prove himself just as Saban did. But nothing can take away from what Saban did during his watch. I like the guy and hope he does well at Miami cause that means the system works. Similar to his no nonsense buddy BB. I will watch Miami play every chance I get this year.
Nick Saban was the proverbial "right man at the right time"..... There was far more involved in Nick Saban's success at LSU than just Nick Saban himself. I am in NO WAY taking away from what he accomplished in his 5 year's at LSU and Nick Saban was an excellent football coach. That being said, the circumstances that had LSU "down" in the first place were of LSU's own making and were directly linked to a totally inept Athletic Director named Joe Dean. Just to remind you of some of Joe Dean's trademark fiascos as LSU A.D........ 1-Joe Dean was the genius that hired a search firm (Miss-Lou) and paid them $65,000 to come up with a prospective head coach. Considering the restrictions (salary limits) Joe Dean placed on the position, the best they could come up with was one Hudson "Curley" Hallman. Hallman was certainly what should have been an "also-ran" candidate but under Joe's watchful and penny-pinching style, Hallman was the best LSU could do. After 4 pathetic years and a horrible 16-28 record, Joe Dean was FORCED to fire Hallman. 2-Joe Dean goes out and tries to hire another football coach for LSU. Joe Dean makes public statements before the search that there would never be a "million dollar head coach" at LSU under his watch. I am certain that statement helped limit the scope of the LSU coaching search. Joe Dean finally settles on Pat Sullivan of TCU and an announcement is made that Sullivan was hired as the next LSU head coach. OOOPPS, all of a sudden there ws a complication that Ol' Joe had not taken care of, something called a BUYOUT CLAUSE which TCU had in their contract with Pat Sullivan and TCU intended to collect it from Joe Dean and LSU. Dean declined, Sullivan stayed on at TCU for another year, and LSU was left looking to all the world as a damn fool because what kind of an Athletic Director negotiates a deal with a new head coach and doesn't even cover how to handle a buyout clause? What a joke. 3-That brings us to the RE-OPENING of the job search and LSU going back with hat in hand to one Gerry Dinardo as a back-up head coaching prospect (and the only one left) only a couple of days after Dinardo had publicly "removed his name" from the LSU search. I could continue but you probably get the point that LSU was only in the position it was in when Saban was hired (incidently by the Chancellor) only because of the 9 year bungling of Joe Dean and his inability to hire a good coach in the first place, mainly because Joe Dean was trying to hire "on the cheap". What was the difference between Saban's experience and background when compared to Hallman and Dinardo. Both Hallman and Dinardo had never been a head coach at a school which even came close to LSU in any respect. Saban on the other hand was a good head coach with experience at a major school in the Big 10 as a head coach and in the NFL as an assitant. The similarities between the Les Miles hire and the Nick Saban hire are obvious. Miles had 3-4 years as an NFL assistant with the Cowboys and then became a head coach at a school in the Big 12 which needed rebuilding much as when Saban took over at Michigan State when MSU was on probation and turned them around. In other words, if you want success then hire someone who is successfull. The point is that the LSU job was never the problem and while Saban accomplished a Hell of a lot at LSU, the potential at LSU was always there and it still is today. As in many cases in the business world, the problem at LSU in those days was with the administration at the top. LSU truly had a horrible athletic director who made some terrible decisions during his tenure which were only overcome when he (Joe Dean) was finally and mercifully on the way out. Remember, these are only football related debacles which Joe Dean presided over during his glorious time as LSU A.D. There were other instances Joe Dean presided over which LSU is still struggling to overcome even today. Joe Dean was a true disaster at LSU and is never given enough "credit" for his true "accomplishments" at LSU.
Do I hold a grudge personally against Saban? No! He made the right move advancing his career... Do I agree with how he did it? No as well. The whole Xmas day, before the bowl game thing was totally selfish. At the same time though, he gave us some of the best years of football here ever. Am I rooting for him in the NFL? no... But it has nothing to do with him, it is just that I don't like the Dolphins, so yeah, I don't hold hard feelings, I just thought on the surface that he would have done it in a different manner.
3 teams with 1 loss: LSU lost to nationally ranked UF OK lost to Top 10 K-State USC lost to unranked Cal Tell me who deserved to get in? Had USC not been in the Media capitol of the world, this would have been a non-issue... Kinda of like Carson Palmer winning the Heisman with just one good game against ND. LA will always get the good side of media attention.
None of this matters: With the new poll coming out a little later, it all comes down to: Just win Baby!
Ramah, I think they may have said the same thing at Miami after Howard left and they got Jimmy Johnson. Things turned out pretty good for Miami after all. Consider this about St. Nick. It was always his desire to head coach in the pros. I don't think anyone was clueless about that. The owner of the Dolphins had to damn near 'give' Saban the team to pry Nick away from LSU. I will always be indebted to Nick Saban for turning this program around and getting LSU back on the right track where they should have been years ago. I wish him and his family success and happiness.
It's easy to pick at someone after their gone. Yeah, I think Saban's departure press conference was a cheap audition for the Miami press. Yup, I wasn't to kean on his reeeling in the offense and playing not lose in a couple of game. The seemingly annual indecision regarding a statrting quarterback drove me nuts. The last second losses at Arkansas and Orlando and the disappearance of Corey Webster et al in 2004 had me wondering about his ability a secondary guru. I'll go on record that I thought he was an awful hire because of his national persona from Michigan State; he truly was Nick Satan with DiNardo type numbers. I felt justified after the Josh Booty/UAB disaster, too. But thanks Chancellor Mark, the bs politics of LSU football were killed off, as was Drinkin' Joe Dean. Nick Saban recruited players LSU only could dream about. Nick Saban was not at the Parish jail bailing out players at every drop. Character AND talent at LSU... who knew! Nick Saban created the monster, I am so thankful. LSU football was crap after Uncle Bill left (hey, Joe Dean again...). LSU football was a joke around the league; does anyone think that Tennesse fans will wear roses and act like winning was a foregone conclusion playing LSU anytime soon? Nick Saban has given LSU fans like me the brass cajones to look at a 9-3 year as somewhat of a DISAPPOINTMENT. Nick Saban allowed a top flight coach, one up to the challenge of replacing him, the burning desire to come to LSU, the "Graveyard of Coaches". Any sissy-boy could replace Ron Zook, but not Nick Saban. Ten years from now, hopefully, LSU football fans can look at the Saban years like Florida State fans look a Bowden first five years: the launching pad to greatness and the super foundation of truly annual Top Five finishes with a liberal sprinkling of #1's. Thanks Nick, but your replacement's gonna make your accomplishments pale.
