Nick's new story...lie

yes, i know, this is old news. water under the bridge. but hell, this a truly slow NFL news period. and have i ever mentioned that i can't stand Nick Saban?

so now tricky nicky has changed his story on leaving the Dolphins yet again.

Through the latter half of Nick Saban’s second season as head coach of the Dolphins, we heard repeatedly that he was miserable in the NFL and that he wanted to go back to the college game. On Tuesday, Saban revealed the moment at which he claims that he decided the NFL wasn’t for him.

“Look when the Miami Dolphins were going to sign Drew Brees, Drew was coming to Miami when I was the coach there,” Saban said. “He was going to be the quarterback. That’s all we needed. We just went 9-7 and all we needed was a quarterback to be a playoff team. We were going to sign Drew Brees as a free agent. Dr. [James] Andrews operated on [his shoulder] and I went to Birmingham to see Dr. Andrews, and he said it’ll be fine. Our doctors failed him on the physical. [Drew] was there to sign with us. . . .

“So I decided right then when that happened that we don’t have a quarterback in the NFL, we’re not going to win. I’m getting out of here. I’m not staying here. I’m not going to be responsible for this. That doctor didn’t know his ass from a handful of sand. Drew Brees plays 15 more years, wins a Super Bowl, goes to nine Pro Bowls. And we didn’t take him in Miami, where he wanted to go. Some things you can’t control. When we left there nobody understood why. Well that was why. There’s always a reason.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/dolphins-didn-t-land-drew-133624319.html

ah, but nick, there is a problem with your new story...

Saban’s incessant complaints about Dr. Don’t Know My Ass From A Handful Of Sand have never made complete sense. Saban ran the show in Miami. Saban could have overruled the doctor. Saban, if necessary, could have brought Dr. Andrews to Miami for a one-on-one meeting with owner Wayne Huizenga. Saban could have done something if he wanted Brees as bad as Saban now claims he does.

Besides, it’s not as if Saban checked out the moment the Dolphins chose not to sign Brees. The Dolphins instead sent a second-round pick to the Vikings for quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who suffered a serious knee injury in 2005 but who quietly had an excellent season in 2004, with a completion percentage of 69.7, 4,717 passing yards, 39 touchdown passes, and a full-season passer rating of 110.9.

The truth seems to be that Saban made a calculation that eventually blew up in his face. Instead of moving heaven and earth to get Brees (and, surely, if Saban had told Huizenga, “Sign Brees or I’m out of here after the season,” Huizenga would have signed Brees), Saban opted for Culpepper. And it didn’t work.

but what i find even more fascinating (and hypocritical) is why does Saban feel the need to continually address this issue and attempt to explain with what is obviously a flawed lie? the guy who prides himself on being a little general in total control can't seem to come to grips with the idea that the NFL was just too big for him and he couldn't cut it in the top league. true, nobody enjoys admitting failure, but there is no shame in acknowledging that perhaps being a NFL HC was beyond your abilities. nick, you weren't the first nor the last college coach to fail in the NFL...i can only imagine the tortured self loathing that must pulse throughout your being.

or perhaps nick's ego is the problem. he desires to be known as the greatest football coach ever. but his time with the Phins provides a very large "umm but what about" blip in his resume. perhaps his lies are a calculation. as time distances nick from his tenure in Miami, so does he hope a clear memory. throw enough dust and muddle the story and perhaps the collective memory of history will become foggy. in the end, nick just hopes that his failure in Miami becomes a murky footnote to his greater successes rather than the blemish that truly is.

Yeah, the bottom line is that Saban had complete control in Miami. If he wanted Brees, Brees would have been a Dolphin. Simple as that. Clearly, he trusted the Miami doctors and followed their advice - so that is completely on him. He could have overruled them, especially if he truly believed they were incompetent, but he didn't. So yeah, spin it any way you want - but passing on Brees was all Saban. He fucked up.

JMP wrote:He fucked up.

and then tucked his tail and cowardly ran.

The skinny in Miami among the old journalists in the know was that Nick's wife wanted the hell out of Miami, and that, as they say, was that.

Saban is a curse. First Culpepper then he dumped Tua on us.

Wait until Mac Jones starts lighting it up in NE.

Hey, we had two coach/GM's in a row pass on the one QB available who ended up playing 20 high quality years outside of Brady. If Saban had just made that one move, maybe he is competing against Belicheck on equal terms for years.

Then again, Saban's drafting was also a big problem. He was no Jimmy Johnson in terms of insight into talent, and certainly should have been, since he was coaching one of the best teams in the SEC. He passed on guys who played for him like Whitworth and Williams who went on to have HOF caliber careers while reaching for guys he missed out on (Allen, anyone?) while recruiting.

CarsonChris wrote:Saban is a curse. First Culpepper then he dumped Tua on us.

while i don't agree with that (the bit about Tua, that is), i will admit that made me laugh.

Yes, I heard that his wife wanted out of Miami too. I also heard that he was a grade A asshole and treated everyone like crap. Much easier to get away with that in college.

My biggest problem with Saban is that he handled his exit in the dumbest way possible. When asked directly if he was leaving, the best way to handle the question in his ego-pumped, self loathing addled brain was to flat out lie and say "I'm not going to be the coach at Alabama."

Dumbest smart guy I ever heard of.

Did he not realize the consequences, only weeks later that when he DID become the coach at Alabama how bad that would make him look? Why on Earth would he just not resort to the classic "no comment" and let the media run with speculation on what he might do. Who cares? It's just news stories. That way, when you do take the job hell he never lied about it.

The fact his wife couldn't stand Miami is just the icing on the cake. Straight up born-in-the-south precious little thing just couldn't stand the big, international city Miami is. How utterly stereotype-matching and predictable. With that kind of money you should be able to be happy anywhere, figure it out. There's NO ONE she could relate to in a similar situation? Coaches travel. Figure it out.

This is just one in a long list of disappointments as a fan. How dumb I was looking back I thought Saban was the answer. Our own Bill Belicheck. Hell, if I remember Jason Taylor loved playing for him. And just look at what transpired.

There are two things I'm totally over: Nick Saban and the virus. Couldn't care less about either one.

JMP wrote:Yes, I heard that his wife wanted out of Miami too.  I also heard that he was a grade A asshole and treated everyone like crap.  Much easier to get away with that in college.

He was a complete condescending dickhead. He's in his role now of king, so he's feeling much better.