What's so hard about replacing the greatest coach ever?
The B'ham News has an interview with Bama's headhunter. The Mobile Press-Register has an article about people who would make interesting candidates. While the Tuscaloosa News talks about the Bama search turning costly financially.
Most interesting is a separate article in the Birmingham News about the attractiveness of the job. In the interview, they talk about the Nick Saban rumors.
I've said from the jump that it's a pipe dream to pursue Saban. The $57 million contract offer has already been strongly refuted as bogus. And, frankly that's the type of offer that it would take to land Saban given that he makes $4 million/year with the Dolphins. $57 million is offer that Bama can't and wouldn't make. Here's what a former LSU assistant and current NFL Scout had to say about Saban being a part of the search:
"Coaches are highly structured people. They want to know who's their boss, exactly who's calling the shots. And that's been a problem at Alabama for a while now."Exactly. Saban ain't coming.
For that reason, Landry said he believes Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban would not take the Alabama job even if Saban wanted to leave the NFL. Landry and Saban are acquaintances.
"When Nick came to LSU, he interviewed LSU as much as they interviewed him," Landry said. "The thing that made it a really good job is the chancellor took over and he was Nick's only boss. He went straight to the chancellor every time."
Landry said discussion about Saban coming to Alabama is "absurd" and being orchestrated by his agent, Jimmy Sexton.
"Jimmy privately knows Nick is not interested," Landry said. "If other people speculate there's interest in Nick, it keeps Jimmy in the loop for the possibility of other clients, including possibly Houston Nutt. Those things are done all the time."
Added Landry: "I don't think the people doing the search truly think that Nick Saban is still attainable. I think that's coming from other people. But who's doing the search? Mal Moore may be doing all he can do, but it's worthless if he's got a bullet-less gun."
If I'm Bama, I have no idea who I'd call at this point. Mike Leach looks to be the most interesting guy that hasn't already turned them down. You'll laugh, but Larry Coker is a better candidate than most of the guys who's names are being thrown around.
BTW -- How in the hell did they end up without Butch Davis? What a shank!
PWD
8 comments:
You hit the nail right on the head with the Larry Coker comment. I've been stunned he's been shunned so much by the coaching world as of yet. I mean, his record's what, 59-15? Something like that, with a national title? Realistically, if Miami wasn't "the U", Coker'd still have a job. 6-6 isn't as bad as it could be...
If Bama had any sense, they'd look into him...granted, they don't want to look like they're going after anyone else's leftovers, so it's probably a no good. Too bad, because he's obviously not a bad coach
It's becoming more and more apparent to me that Bama really shot themselves in the foot by firing Shula. They really should've given him one more year.
If I were Bama, I would dump Mal Moore first, then redouble my efforts in search of a coach. For two reasons:
1) Moore has clearly shown himself to be a general incompetent who couldn't find the clap in a whorehouse. Just about anybody could lead this search better.
2) There is a natural and oft-demonstrated propensity of new ADs to want to make their own hires. (At SMU, f'rinstance, they hired a new AD in June, and the new guy came very close to firing the head coach who led the Mustangs to only their second non-losing season since the Death Penalty years.)
3) Like you said, nobody wants to take a job not knowing who their boss is going to be, and it's not exactly a trade secret that Moore is going to be gone sometime in the next six months. A lame-duck AD makes the Bama job even less attractive to prospective coaches than it apparently already is.
Find a talented AD who's willing to clean up this mess, then set him on the trail of a new coach. Hopefully the new guy will be able to disabuse Bama of the notion that Nick Saban wants anything to do with them.
Never thought I'd see a golf reference from you Westerdawg.
You and I both know that IT IS A SPORT.
Shank. Like a missed Field Goal.
No idea what this "golf" thing is you're speaking of.
My favorite line from the story with the list of candidates:"here's a list of some less-publicized names who would jump at the Alabama job in a heartbeat."
These chuckleheads don't seem to get it. There's not a coach on Earth who's going to jump on the pin-less hand grenade that is Alabama football without being insanely well-compensated and promised that Mal Moore, Paul Jr. and the rest of their gang will stay the hell away from him and let him do his job.
Ironically, Alabama has become the Mecca for the kind of administration shenanigans and alumni meddling that pissed off the Bear even before he got to Bama (just read "The Junction Boys" and insert "Bama" every time you see "Texas A&M")
more than anything
News Flash!! NCAA sanctions work! Regardless of what liar and cheat was behind them or for what real reason they were imposed at all, they are made to crush a program. Those efforts are meant to last for years. They are made to discredit, ruin recruiting efforts and keep good people down (no not the Nazi's, the NCAA). Mike Shula should have been retained, but in the AD slot. He is a good, honest man. He was the Kennedy of the program, but they shot him down too. Mal should be fired by letting Butch Davis get away.
So that's what Finebaum does to blow off steam at 4:30 in the morning when he can't sleep . . .
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