DeMeco Ryans Defensive Rookie of the Year

On a day when University of Alabama football news tops the sports world, its perhaps fitting that alumnus DeMeco Ryans was just named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and his former Tide teammate, Bears lineman Mark Anderson, finished second.

DeMeco Ryans came into the NFL as Houston’s second choice to bolster its defense. He leaves his first pro year as The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The linebacker, chosen at the top of the second round of last April’s draft — 32 spots after the Texans made defensive end Mario Williams the first overall selection — was a runaway winner of the award announced Wednesday. Ryans led the league in solo tackles with 126, and his 156 total tackles were 33 more than the next-best rookie, Detroit linebacker Ernie Sims.

In fact, no rookie in the last 20 years had more tackles than Ryans, who was an All-American at Alabama in 2005. And Ryans had more tackles than any of the other five linebackers who won the award this decade, including Brian Urlacher and Shawne Merriman.

“It’s always nice to be touted as one of the best and have a big-time stat, but I credit that to the other 10 guys that are around me on defense,” Ryans said. “We wouldn’t be talking about me without those other 10 guys out there.”

Well, we might be, because Ryans came into training camp, was moved to the middle and almost immediately established himself as the premier rookie defender on the roster. Better — by far — than Williams. And Ryans never let up. “It wasn’t a big ‘Wow’ moment to me and there wasn’t any nervousness or anything like that. I was comfortable from the time I began,” he said. “Nothing really just shocked me going through the year. I played in a big game atmosphere in college, so I was used to that. I knew what the competition level would be like. Nothing really surprised me.”

The ease with which Ryans won the award might have been surprising. He received 36 of the 50 votes by a nationwide panel of sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Second was Chicago end Mark Anderson, who was Ryans’ teammate at Alabama, with five votes. Green Bay linebacker A. J. Hawk was next with four, while Cleveland LB Kamerion Wimbley got two votes.

As a Cowboys fan, I would note that Bobby Carpenter, who was picked 18th overall, received no votes and, indeed, barely played this year.

Nick Saban Watch LiveBlog: Going to Alabama

It’s 10 am Eastern and the world (at least, Alabama and Miami Dolphins fans) awaits the decision of Nick Saban.

ESPN News is having a special show about it, leading off with Saban’s most vehement denial. They report that Saban is going to meet with Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga “momentarily.” (Note: Unlinked sourced quotes below are from the ESPN News television coverage.)

Chris Mortenson thinks we’ll know within the hour. He notes, too, that Huizenga knew when he hired Saban that he really didn’t want to leave LSU or the college game but he was offered such a ridiculous sum of money that he couldn’t turn it down.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports,

Nick Saban had decided to leave the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday morning. Then he met with club owner Wayne Huizenga and backed away from that decision, asking instead for more time to talk to his wife and mull his options before finally announcing his intentions to the owner at a 10 a.m. meeting today.

Mortenson notes that Saban has had trouble turning Miami around because of the limitations of NFL recruiting, whereas an elite college program can bring in a huge number of #1 draft picks right away.

Jeff Darlington says Saban is being viewed as a savior by Tide fans.

Hank Goldberg reports (10:12) that neither Saban nor Huizenga have shown up at the Dolphins complex for the meeting and that there is a rumor that Saban is already on a plane to Tuscaloosa. Goldberg says that Saban’s wife and family are not enjoying the hustle and bustle of south Florida and would prefer to return to small town life.

John Clayton writes, “It will be an upset if Nick Saban doesn’t take the Alabama job by Wednesday morning.”

Even though he has vehemently denied he would leave for Alabama, it’s probably the right choice.

First, after saying he would be the 2007 head coach of the Dolphins, it would be pretty hard for Saban to go back to Miami and have the full confidence of his players after taking two nights to debate whether to stay or leave. Second, it wouldn’t enhance his long-term NFL job security with owner Wayne Huizenga now that he spent a couple days toying with a college job that doesn’t pay as much as the $4.5 million a year he is getting from the Dolphins. Saban probably needed two days to decide because his return to college could kill his future chances of getting back into the NFL. Saban is probably better suited for the college job because he has more control over the players than he does in the NFL. Plus, Saban is a masterful recruiter and usually has better players than the other teams. In the NFL, the pool of free agents is tougher to acquire.

Alex Marvez & Harvey Fialkov quote an unnamed source saying, “Saban is gone for sure.” Not surprisingly, there is some bitterness in Dolphin Land.

Sources said Saban told Dolphins assistant coaches that he was uncertain about what his final decision would be. But Saban did try to gauge whether several current assistants would follow him to Alabama if he accepted the offer.

Even if Saban ultimately decides to stay, the internal damage from his waffling may already be done. “He’s lost the coaching staff for sure,” a source said.

[...]

Saban spoke Monday with Alabama Athletic Director Mal Moore despite having made repeated denials to Huizenga, Dolphins players and the media last month about interest in the job. The Mobile Press-Register reported that Moore agreed to almost every stipulation Saban demanded, including a large budget to hire assistants.

[...]

Reaction varied among Dolphins players about whether Saban would leave to replace the fired Mike Shula at Alabama.

“If he wasn’t [leaving], it probably would be over already,” cornerback Will Allen said. “This is a business, man. You’ve got to take care of your family and do what’s best for you at all times. That’s what everybody in here’s going to do.”

Said cornerback Eddie Jackson: “That’s a hard decision for him to make or anybody else. … It’s definitely about his family and what’s best for him, and down the road what’s going to be best for him.”

Florida Sun-Sentinal reporter Alex Marvez (10:34) (hat tip: Bill Jempty) says that Saban has taken the Alabama job.

The Nick Saban coaching era with the Dolphins has ended.

A source said Wednesday morning that Saban has agreed to become the new head coach at the University of Alabama, ending his two-year tenure with the Dolphins.

A source said Saban failed to show this morning for a scheduling meeting at team headquarters in Davie with Dolphins owner H. Wayne Huizenga. Saban told Huizenga of his intentions via telephone and then informed all of his coaches by speakerphone that he was leaving to accept the Alabama position, the source said.

Not the classiest way to go out, to be sure.

Alabama sports radio WJOX is reporting it’s a done deal, too. (via RollBamaRoll)

Strangely, ESPN News has left the story entirely and hasn’t mentioned anything yet (1045).

Now they have (1101). They report that he’ll get “in the neighborhood of 4 million dollars a year” and maybe up to ten years on the deal.

Cecil Hurt, Sports Editor of the Tuscaloosa News, says Saban is on the way.

Nick Saban is on his way to Tuscaloosa.

Saban is en route to a private airport to fly to Tuscaloosa on Wednesday morning, where he is expected to formally accept the job to become the Crimson Tide’s 27th head football coach, ending a month-long wait by Tide fans and nationwide media frenzy to see who would replace Mike Shula.

Saban will fly to Tuscaloosa today with University of Alabama athletics director Mal Moore via private jet, and would be formally introduced at a news conference either later today or Thursday.

Here are Saban’s career stats:

Joe Schad notes that the naysayers who said Saban was an impossible get (he didn’t mention me personally) and that the Alabama job was no longer attractive have been proved wrong.

ESPN has a long report under the headline, “After repeated denials, Saban takes Bama job”

Nick Saban has accepted an offer from Alabama to coach the Crimson Tide and left the Miami Dolphins on Wednesday, two weeks after declaring “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.”

They offer this chronology of denial:

Nov. 27: Saban: “When I was in college it was always about coming to the pros. This is the challenge I wanted. I had a good college job. Why would I have left that if I was going to be interested in other college jobs?

“I took this as a challenge. We certainly haven’t seen this through and gotten where we want to go and finished the job here, so why would I be interested in something else?”

Dec. 5: Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga (after giving Saban a vote of confidence): “When I sit with Nick Saban, whether it’s breakfast lunch or dinner, even on his radio show when I listen to him, I come away convinced he’s on the right track. I may be wrong, but I don’t think so. I am completely sold on Nick Saban. I would admit we made a mistake if we did make a mistake, but I firmly believe in Nick Saban.”

Dec. 7: Saban: “I’m flattered that they may have been interested in me, but it never really progressed, because we just never let it progress.”

Dec. 21: Saban: “I guess I have to say it. I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” & “I don’t control what people say. I don’t control what people put on dot-com or anything else. So I’m just telling you there’s no significance, in my opinion, about this, about me, about any interest that I have in anything other than being the coach here.

Dec. 27: Saban: “I’m just making a rule to never comment on something like that again because every time you comment on it, it just makes for another story. So I’m not going to comment on it five years from now, and I’m not going to comment on it next week.”

Wayne Huizenga is expected to have a press conference around 1130 Eastern.

Former Alabama coach Bill Curry is on the phone with ESPN News. He says the “hire, fire, hire, fire” syndrome proves the hypocrisy of claiming that the college game is still somehow amateur.

Interrupted for the Huizenga presser. “It is what it is.” He met with Saban at his home this morning, so it wasn’t on the phone. “We have to move forward.” There is a “process in place” to find Saban’s successor. They’ve met with all the remaining coaches and staff to talk about “continuity.” He “wants the best” for Nick and understands why he left. “I’m a Nick Saban fan.” He also thinks coaches should have the right to pick their own employees, so he has no qualms about the coach-GM model.

“It was not about money.” Indeed, Saban never tried to finagle a raise or renegotiate his deal with the Dolphins in any way.

Very classy, indeed, considering what he’s been through over the last month.

Thomas Murphy and Neal McCready report that, “The deal will be worth approximately $32 million over eight years.”

Back to Bill Curry: “Nobody ever mentions the young people who are supposed to be educated by this process.” Colleges have lost sight of the objectives of the institution. The tail now wags the dog. As to Alabama specifically, he notes that Shula has “done a marvelous job of recruiting” and the school has only just emerged from the probationary restrictions he inherited. “The chain of command is not working.” Boosters have had way too much power since Bear Bryant died.

Joe Theisman thinks Saban owes Miami fans and players an explanation. Was the NFL just too tough? He also wonders how Saban will be able to recruit, talking about commitment, given his actions the last few weeks. My guess is that won’t be a problem.

Len Pasquereli confirms the 8-year, $32 million figure and adds that the amount is guaranteed. Presumably, that guarantee would come at a price to bind Saban to Alabama, but I haven’t seen any report on that aspect.

Alabama has scheduled a news conference to announce Saban for 4 Eastern, 3 local.

UPDATE: The presser will be 11 am Eastern tomorrow.

Meanwhile, shortly before 2 p.m. CST, Saban and his wife boarded the plane of UA athletics director Mal Moore at a Miami area airport and took off for Tuscaloosa.

Saban will be introduced at a 10 a.m. CST press conference on Thursday in the Naylor Stone Media Room in the Mal M. Moore Athletic Building on the UA campus, according to a statement on UA’s Web site.

“When I set out on this search, I noted that I was seeking a coach who has a proven record of championship success and achievement,” Moore said in the statement. “Coach Saban brings that proven record of accomplishment and leadership to our program. The hiring of Coach Saban signifies a new era of Crimson Tide football and affirms our commitment to provide our student-athletes and fans with a leader who will continue our commitment to excellence across the board.”

If Nick Saban leaves Miami, is it deja vu all over again?

I’m betting that Nick Saban leaves Miami for Alabama. He wouldn’t be the first Saban to pack up and leave town early.

If Dolphins coach Nick Saban announces today that he is leaving, longtime fans of football in South Florida might experience a sense of déjà vu.

Almost exactly 28 years ago, on Jan. 5, 1979, another coach named Saban – Lou Saban, Nick’s cousin – met with the media to explain why he had bolted from the University of Miami.

Lou Saban also was an accomplished coach, having won two AFL titles with the Buffalo Bills in the 1960s. But he was a bit of a vagabond, too, at one point accepting nine jobs in less than three decades.

His decision to leave UM after the 1978 season was particularly baffling. He had a six-year contract and finished 3-8 and 6-5 in his first two rebuilding seasons.

Those were encouraging results for a struggling program, but Lou Saban nevertheless shocked his players and fans by opting to take over at Army.

“I thought I had done all I could do at Miami,” he said at the time.

Saban had been an Army officer, and he said West Point inspired him in a special way.

But he coached at Army just one season, finishing 2-8-1.

Unlike now, there were no rumors swirling or gaggles of sportswriters(and bloggers) talking about whether Lou Saban would leave or stay. I was 18 at the time and in the last year of high school. A local sportswriter wrote about Saban’s departure as if it meant death for the U of M program.

Less than five years later a Howard Schnellenberger led Hurricane squad would win the Orange Bowl and the national championship.

What the above Post article doesn’t delve into much is both Saban’s tendency to move on from job to job.

Take for instance Lou’s travels

1960-1961 Boston Patriots
1962-1965 Buffalo Bills
1967-1971 Denver Broncos
1972-1976 Buffalo Bills

77-78 U of Miami
79- Army
83-84 Central Florida

Before coaching in the NFL, Saban did stints as a head football coach at Northwestern and Western Illinois beginning in 1955.

I used Wikipedia to bring up the above. The online encyclopedia has its limitations. There is no mention of either Saban’s Army stint or his less than three week stay as Atheletic director at the U of Cinncinatti in 1977(Between Buffalo and Miami jobs).

Nick has worked at the following colleges or NFL teams before getting his first head coaching job- Syracuse University, West Virginia University, Ohio State, Navy, Houston Oilers and his alma mater of Kent State University.

Saban then spent one year at the University of Toledo as head football coach. 1990
Four years as a Cleveland Brown asst coach 1991-94, five years at Michigan State 95-99 and five years at LSU 2000-04.

That’s alot of moving around. A Palm Beach Post article says Saban may be feeling insecure about his job in Miami and has had these problems in the past.

A source who has spoken to Saban in recent days said his flirtation with Alabama stems from his fear that Huizenga might not want him for long if the Dolphins, 15-17 in the past two seasons, remain mediocre.

“He really thinks he’s going to get fired if he has another losing season,” the source said. “This was also a problem at Michigan State.”

Considering Alabama’s recent coaching history, will Nick feel all that secure in Tuscaloosa?

I don’t think Saban’s present decision is being driven by money but his preference for college coaching and perhaps worries about his future in Miami. Today looks like the day we’ll discover where Nick Saban will be coaching in 2007.

Cross posted at Poliblog’s Deportes

Saban Leaning Toward Alabama, Will Decide Wednesday

The Alabama-Nick Saban-Miami Dolphins intrigue should end by 10 tomorrow morning.

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga told reporters on Tuesday that head coach Nick Saban has asked to have until 10:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday to make a decision on staying with Miami or accepting an offer from Alabama.

“The meeting went good,” Huizenga said. “We had a quick meeting. We had a nice conversation. Coach asked if we could defer the decision until 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. And then he went into several reasons as to why he wanted to do that. I agree 100 percent with his reasons. I understand more now what he’s thinking about.”

A Miami team source told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that Saban informed the coaching staff earlier Tuesday that he was “struggling with the decision,” but the staff got the distinct impression that Saban was likely to take the Alabama job. Another team source told Mortensen that Huizenga has been in frequent talks with Saban in an effort to keep the coach from accepting the job in Tuscaloosa. Saban was seen leaving the Dolphins’ facility at 4:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday. He smiled and waved at reporters but didn’t stop to talk.

Huizenga remained optimistic Tuesday that Saban would return to Miami. “I’m hoping he’s leaning on staying,” Huizenga was quoted as saying in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “I like Nick a lot and hope he’s going to stay. I’m not upset. You just have to play this thing through.”

Alabama made its formal offer to Saban on Monday after rumors swirled for weeks that the Crimson Tide were pursuing the former LSU coach. The offer is believed to be worth $35 million to $40 million, and includes many variables, Mortensen reported Monday. It could run from eight to 10 years. The offer does not contain a provision for a signing bonus. In general, colleges don’t pay signing bonuses, and there has never been the suggestion Alabama will pay one here.

I’ll be glad when this is over; it’s taking a ridiculous amount of time to play out. Saban is a great college coach and I’d be happy to have him at Alabama. Still, his constant, vehement denials on the matter make me question his character somewhat. Yes, all coaches lie when asked about their interest in plum assignments. But Saban didn’t leave himself much wiggle room.

UPDATE: A couple of interesting pieces from the Miami Herald on the subject, both fully expecting Saban to take the Bama job.

Greg Cote says it’s Saban’s own fault that he keeps getting asked questions about the job.

Nick Saban is gone. Taking his Panama hat to Tuscaloosa. Taking on the ghost of Bear Bryant. Taking $40 million from the University of Alabama. Taking all of his publicly professed commitment to Miami and tossing it into the Tide.

These were the impressions Miami’s coach-for-now created and invited Monday with a stunning evasiveness that inflamed all of the speculation, instead of a simple declarative that could have ended it for good. His season-ending news conference at Dolphins headquarters worked like a seminar we’d call, How Not to Kill a Rumor. If this was an exercise in public relations, Nick could only have mishandled it more spectacularly by having O.J. Simpson introduce him and vouch for his truthfulness.

Last week, Saban said flatly, “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.”

On Monday, the scurrilous, persistent Tide came at Nick with a mountain of money. With an official offer.

Suddenly, Nick is not saying anything flatly anymore.

Suddenly, he is dodging and tap dancing, taking great umbrage at reporters who would dare do their job by even asking the question.

Dear Nick: Here is what you could have said Monday. You could have said, “I am flattered by Alabama’s interest in me, but it is not mutual. I have instructed my agent to decline all overtures or offers. I am not leaving the Dolphins. Period.”

Instead, you said anything but.

You might also have been forthright by admitting, “While I have no plans to leave Miami, I owe it to my family to at least consider an offer so lucrative relative to financial stability. Can you blame me?”

Instead, you put yourself squarely in between Monday by implying you were committed to Miami but sidestepping several chances to make that clear.

Armando Salguero believes that, despite all the figures being bandied about, money is not the main issue here.

Coach Nick Saban will decide whether to remain with the Dolphins or accept an estimated $36 million-$40 million contract with the University of Alabama. Although Saban might get a pay hike from Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga if he stays, the decision isn’t all about money.

Saban spent part of Monday evening meeting with Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore and then huddled with his family, weighing his loyalty to Huizenga and a desire to succeed in the NFL, football’s major league, against his love for a college-campus atmosphere and an ability to affect the lives of young men.

That’s mostly it.
[...]

It is certain Saban has substantially softened his position since Dec. 21, when he announced ”I am not going to be the Alabama coach.” And while Huizenga and others in the Miami organization still believe he will stay — as Saban had previously promised — they realize the possibility he will leave is real.

[...]

Two people close to Saban, or as close as he lets anyone outside his family get, say the Alabama offer has a chance to succeed because Saban does not particularly embrace South Florida or its lifestyle. He has a $7 million house on the water in Fort Lauderdale but apparently doesn’t take time to enjoy his surroundings. When Saban vacations he retreats to a house on a lake in Georgia. He rarely eats out locally, preferring his wife’s cooking. A native of Fairmont, W. Va., Saban is apparently more at home in a smaller town.

He was quite at home in Baton Rouge, La., as he guided Louisiana State University to a shared national title in 2003. And he has made no secret of the fact he enjoys impacting the lives of college men. His players in the NFL don’t offer him the opportunity to teach and impact them in the same way. And so Alabama, situated in Tuscaloosa, is offering Saban a chance to return to an environment he enjoys along with paying him handsomely.

The dilemma for the coach is that he also has an ego and wants to succeed in the NFL. He realizes if he leaves the Dolphins, he will be branded a failure after delivering a 15-17 record in two years. Saban also doesn’t want to disappoint Huizenga. The Dolphins owner gave Saban a five-year, $22.5 million contract starting in 2005. He allowed Saban the opportunity to hire an NFL-high 21 assistant coaches, he constructed a practice bubble at Saban’s request, and he lets Saban spend to the salary cap.

Having spent more than three years living there–starting with the year Alabama last won a national football championship–I can attest that Tuscaloosa is indeed a small town.

Alabama Offering Nick Saban 7 Year, $40 Million Deal

The University of Alabama is about to launch a bidding war for Nick Saban, who is apparently inclined to listen.

Ian Rapoport and Kevin Scarbinsky report that, “Representatives of Alabama and representatives of Saban have agreed on most major points of a contract, two sources close to the situation said, but it is uncertain whether Saban would accept the job if Alabama extends a formal offer. A source close to Saban said he is considering the job.” Thomas Murphy and Neal McCready of the Mobile Press-Register report that “University of Alabama officials are preparing to offer Saban a contract that would potentially double the remaining money — approximately $15 million — left on the final three years of his Miami contract, a source close to the situation said Sunday. The source said it would take $4 million a year, probably over seven years, to entice Saban to listen.”

While I have maintained from the beginning that leaving the Dolphins makes little sense, “A source close to Saban said he is leaning toward a return to the college game and Saban believes he can lead Alabama back to the top of college football.” Now that I don’t doubt. The Tide is now totally free from NCAA penalties and they have a lot of young talent. Then again, he’s already won a national college championship and Miami has quite a bit of talent, too.

LSU offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, a close friend of Saban who coached under him at LSU, tells ESPN that “Saban is unhappy coaching in the NFL, where he has less control over personnel issues.”

Wayne Huizenga, who denies that he intends to sell the Dolphins, “might ‘back a Brinks’ truck’ up to Saban’s doorstep to keep him,” according to yet another unnamed source. Either way, I guess, Saban is going to be a very wealthy man.

At any rate, it appears that we’ll know something this week: “Athletics Director Mal Moore wants to have a coach by the end of the week, one source said, because the recruiting dead period ends Friday.” And Saban will never be officially “offered” a deal unless he has agreed to it in advance: “In order for any meeting between UA officials and Saban to happen, or for Alabama to extend a formal offer, Alabama would have to hear that Saban would take the job, two sources said. Any meeting would happen in the next few days, probably Tuesday or Wednesday.”

UPDATE: ESPN’s Chris Mortenson is reporting that a formal offer will be made today and “A current Alabama assistant told ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach on Sunday morning that former coach Mike Shula’s staff expects Saban to be named the Crimson Tide’s new coach sometime this week.” “He’s going to clean house here, top to bottom,” the coach said.

Alabama’s Saban Courtship About to Heat Up Again

The University of Alabama will make one final push to lure Nick Saban away from the Miami Dolphins after their final game this afternoon.

Mobile Register reporter Thomas Murphy reports,

The University of Alabama’s Nick Saban watch, on slow burn for the past month, could flare up in earnest today. Alabama officials could offer the coach a contract as early as this evening after Saban’s Miami Dolphins wrap up their season on the road at the Indianapolis Colts. The game kicks off at 3:15 p.m.

[...]

Saban, 55, has issued a series of denials of interest in the Alabama job since the position became vacant. But when ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser asked him if he could say unequivocally he would not listen to an offer from Alabama, Saban could not make that assertion.

[...]

Saban, who has a 15-16 record in Miami after leading LSU to two SEC titles, the 2003 BCS national championship and a 48-16 record in five years, has taken a “no comment” approach to questions about the Alabama job this week.

Meanwhile, Moore has remained mum about the search virtually since it started. He did not discuss it with reporters during Alabama’s trip to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, La. A source close to Moore descibed him as “at peace” during the holidays, as compared to the anxiety Moore was experiencing during his search in 2003 that led to the hiring of Mike Price. The source added, however, that Moore’s demeanor indicates he is satisfied a conclusion to his search is immediately at hand. The Tide coaching search has had one anticlimax already, after West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez passed on an offer of more than $2 million dollars per year on Dec. 8.

[...]

Meanwhile, if Saban were to pass on the expected offer from Alabama, it is believed Moore has been working on backup plans. Who remains on Moore’s list is a subject of speculation. ESPN analysts have thrown out the names of several NFL head coaches in recent days, such as Tom Coughlin of the New York Jets, Jim Mora Jr. of the Atlanta Falcons and Jon Gruden of the Tampa Bay Bucs. Mark May of ESPN suggested on Saturday that Alabama look into Bill Cowher, who led Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl championship last season, but whom many expect to resign early next week. Navy’s Paul Johnson, whose Midshipmen dropped a 25-24 decision against Boston College in the Meineke Car Care Bowl on Saturday, is also considered a candidate, along with Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe.

Huntsville Times reporter Paul Gattis adds:

Industry sources have indicated that they expect Saban to take the Tide job.

But Alabama is proceeding with obvious caution after missing on Rodriguez and athletic director Mal Moore – who is in charge of the search – has kept a tight grip on any details of the search.

The Miami Herald also reported Saturday that Alabama is expected to come after Saban as early as tonight or Monday. Saban would receive an annual salary of about $4 million annually and a signing bonus of about $7 million, according to the Herald. The salary would make Saban the highest paid coach in college football – a distinction currently held by Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, who makes just more than $3 million per year. A $4 million salary, while maybe on the fringe of possibility, appears to be a little high. The $7 million signing bonus, however, would be unprecedented in college football.

Whoever the new coach is, he figures to have some talent at his disposal. Alabama will return nine starters on offense, including quarterback John Parker Wilson and receivers DJ Hall and Keith Brown. Wilson, who had already set a single-season school record for passing yards, set the mark for touchdown passes with his scoring strike to Matt Caddell in the Independence Bowl. The offensive line returns intact along with tight end Travis McCall. The losses are heavier on defense. The Tide loses six starters, including leading tacklers Juwan Simpson and safety Jeffrey Dukes as well as three-year starter Ramzee Robinson at cornerback.

Ian Rapoport of the Birmingham News continues that theme, noting that, “Five years of NCAA-induced probation ends Feb. 1. Barring an unforeseen incident, the next time the Crimson Tide play football, it will begin anew.”

The next coach will be in position to make significant progress toward the yearly goal of winning a Southeastern Conference championship, even after a 6-7 season. That was so obvious that interim coach Joe Kines made a point after Alabama’s 34-31 PetroSun Independence Bowl loss to Oklahoma State Thursday to reinforce the expectations for 2007. “There is a champion in that (locker) room,” Kines said. “They are good young players, and they are going to work hard. … We don’t settle for average at Alabama.”

[...]

Reinforcing the optimism is the fact that four of Alabama’s tough SEC losses came on the road, and UA had a second-half lead in three of them.

The irony is that the team would likely be quite a bit better next year even under Shula, yet his successor will get the credit, all the while using offensive starters he recruited. Not fair, but then life–let alone big time coaching–seldom is. Shula can take some comfort, though, in his multi-million dollar parting gift.

Successful Head Coaches Have Varying Backgrounds

Birmingham News writer Jon Solomon, apropos Alabama’s obsession with landing “a proven head coach with impressive credentials,” observes that there are a lot of paths to greatness.

Five years ago, Jim Tressel was the head coach at Division I-AA Youngstown State and Urban Meyer was the first-year head coach at Bowling Green. They meet in this season’s national championship game between Ohio State and Florida.

Bob Stoops returned Oklahoma to national prominence after serving as Florida’s defensive coordinator. Mark Richt went from Florida State’s offensive coordinator to Georgia’s head coach, where he is considered among the elite.

“You can find good football coaches in lots of different places,” said Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association. “There are plenty of examples of coordinators and lesser-known coaches who are ready for the next step.”

Check out the current Associated Press Top 25 poll. Fourteen of those 25 head coaches had assistant coaching positions immediately prior to taking their current jobs. For every coach in the top 10 who was a proven head coach in his previous job, such as Pete Carroll and Tommy Tuberville, there is a Bret Bielema or Bobby Petrino, who were up-and-coming coordinators immediately before their current jobs.

Breaking down the coaches in the AP Top 25 even further shows college offensive and defensive coordinators are the most common stepping-stone positions (six each). Almost half of today’s Top 25 coaches were coordinators immediately before their current job.

The next most common steppingstones in the current Top 25 were head coaching positions in a Bowl Championship Series conference (four) and other Division I-A head coaching positions (three). Two Top 25 coaches most recently were NFL head coaches, and two most recently were Division I-AA head coaches.

Similar results are evident when examining who has coached BCS games since the lucrative postseason format was created in 1998. Fifty-three percent of the BCS spots have been occupied by coaches who were one job removed from being an assistant.

This year, five of the 10 coaches in BCS games – Michigan’s Lloyd Carr, Notre Dame’s Charlie Weis, Boise State’s Chris Peterson, Stoops and Petrino – were assistants immediately prior to becoming head coaches.

Of the five who were previously head coaches, only LSU’s Les Miles came from a BCS conference. Tressel and Meyer made big jumps, Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe came from Ohio, and Southern Cal’s Carroll arrived after a one-year sabbatical following NFL head-coaching stints.
[...]

Of course, there are issues with hiring unproven coaches, as Alabama learned. Mike Shula was an NFL position coach and offensive coordinator before his hiring and firing. DuBose was a college assistant and ultimately didn’t last, either.

Certainly, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Tide hire an up-and-coming coordinator from the NFL or major college ranks. Troy’s Larry Blakeney would be an interesting choice, too, although he’ll turn 60 in September, so might be inclined to retire in the next few years. Ditto Norm Chow.

DuBose and Shula were odd hires in that nobody, anywhere was considering them for a head coaching job. Charlie Weis and Jim Tressel, conversely, were highly sought after.

I’d gladly take my chances with a Paul Johnson or any man between 45 and 55 who is at least a big time college or NFL level coordinator and is being seriously courted for promotion somewhere. But, please, not another DuBose or Shula. Alabama’s just too big a stage for a long shot candidate.

College Bowl Game Overload

NBCSports.com’s John Walters has an amusing column entitled “The Spirit of 7-6” on last night’s Emerald Bowl matchup between FSU and UCLA.

When did college football’s postseason become a walk-a-thon? When did two programs walking the .500 tightrope and with almost no chance of sniffing the final AP top 25 poll become worthy of a post-game podium and a trophy nearly as heavy as a female cheerleader?

Florida State (your ACC Atlantic Division 5th-place finisher) defeated UCLA (your Pacific-10 4th-place squad) 44-27 in the fifth annual Emerald Bowl this evening, thereby sending both teams home for the 2006 season with 7-6 records. There are 32 bowl games dotting your television listings between December 19th and January 8th, and the Emerald Bowl is definitely… one of them.

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[T]he great drama in this evening’s game was whether Seminole head coach Bobby Bowden, now in his 31st season in Tallahassee, would finish the year sub-500 for the first time since his first season in Tallahassee. There’s more than one way to make history in a bowl game.

Indeed. I have, so far, watched zero of the bowl games. The college football season seemingly ended months ago and they’re still playing consolation games. Eventually, they will get around to playing the BCS Championship game, featuring teams that have been idle for weeks.

My Alabama Crimson Tide plays this afternoon in the Independence Bowl against Oklahoma State. Both teams had pathetic 6-6 seasons. Indeed, Alabama’s coach was fired seemingly ages ago and the Tide will be led by Interim Coach for Life Joe Kines.

Birmingham News writer Jon Solomon provides some statistics:

Seven 6-6 teams advanced to bowls this year, and four teams – including Oklahoma State – had only five victories against Division I-A opponents. Alabama and Miami added to their resumes with two victories each against winless teams.

Fifty-four percent of the 119 I-A teams are now in bowls. Television ratings and bowl payouts show there is interest.

One argument made for bowl games is they provide a reward to players for their season. Yet six-win seasons by Alabama and Miami rewarded their coaches with pink slips. “If we come out (today) with a win, I think it will be a mark for this team because we’ve been through it all,” Alabama running back Kenneth Darby said. “This season wasn’t perfect, but at least we come out with a 7-6 record. That would be a winning record, as far as I’m concerned.”

Bear Bryant wouldn’t agree, methinks. I suppose I’ll watch the game but, frankly, who really cares? Finishing 7-6 is hardly anything to cheer about.

Alabama’s Pursuit of Saban Continues

Yesterday, Nick Saban flat-out stated that “I’m not going to be the Alabama coach.” This was his fifth denial and the strongest.

Today’s Alabama papers all have headlines that are variants of “Saban Still in Denial.” All indications are that the courtship continues.

Paul Gattis:

Rumors have continued to linger and have become stronger in recent days, with industry sources saying that Saban and Alabama have reached an agreement on a deal. The only hold-up was awaiting the end of the Dolphins’ season, which will be Dec. 31.

It’s believed that Alabama will make one last overture to Saban after the season.

But if there’s a deal, why would there need to be another overture?

Ian Rapoport adds,

It is not clear how Saban’s words will affect Alabama’s pursuit of him. Several times previously, he has denied interest publicly, then sent a message through an intermediary to alert UA Athletics Director Mal Moore of his interest, a source close to the search said.

If, as I expect, Alabama doesn’t land Saban, then this will be yet another in a long line of recent embarrassments for a once-fine program. And, frankly, if Saban does sign, I’m embarrassed for both of them, since they’ll be led by the biggest liar this side of Bill Clinton.