Link: Spurrier latest words of wisdom

Tide Warrior

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His thoughts on the Georgia-South Carolina game moving from the second week of the season to the sixth week in 2012.

“I don’t know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended.”

Not sure here, one minute takes a shot at Saban, next says he is the best.


His thoughts on Nick Saban and what he’s done at Alabama.

“He’s got a nice little gig going, a little bit like (John) Calipari. He tells guys, ‘Hey, three years from now, you’re going to be a first-round pick and go.’ If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they’ve always won there at Alabama.”

His thoughts on who’s the best coach in the SEC.

“I think it’s Saban. He’s considered the best. Les Miles is considered one of the best, when you look at number of wins. I believe you’re as good as your record. You are whatever your record is. Don’t give me any excuses or that you can’t win at this place.”

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/41850/no-turning-back-for-spurrier-gamecocks
 

RTR_UA#1

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His thoughts on Nick Saban and what he’s done at Alabama.

“He’s got a nice little gig going, a little bit like (John) Calipari. He tells guys, ‘Hey, three years from now, you’re going to be a first-round pick and go.’ If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they’ve always won there at Alabama.”




What is the old ball coach trying to tell Coach Saban........ "Hey, you ain't no good unless you can take a REAL loser and make them a winner."

Sour grapes Spurrier!!!!
 

RedStar

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I think his comments go hand in hand with comments I've heard over the last few years about Saban never being able to eclipse Bear Bryant. I hear on the radio all the time that Alabama will always be a Bear Bryant school and never a Saban school, no matter how much he wins.

Where does this come from, and why does it matter? I'm almost 28, and Coach Bryant died over a year before I was born. Unless you're 40 or older, you probably don't remember very much about Bear Bryant as a coach. Even at 40, you were 11 when he passed away?

I'm extremely appreciative of what Coach Bryant did for the University of Alabama, but he wasn't the first coach to win here. Our tradition didn't start with him, and I don't understand the notion that every other coach at Alabama is fighting to get out of his shadow. We've had 4 coaches win multiple National Championships, and Saban has won both of his in only 5 years here. If he sticks around another 5-10, there's no reason to think we don't end up with at least 2-3 more.

Unless some future coach down the road does more than Saban, then he'll always be the coach I think of when I think of Alabama football. That's not meant as disrespect to Coach Bryant, but he died before I was born. I know his accomplishments the same way many of you know Frank Thomas & Wallace Wade's. I watch it on film, but I didn't live it.

Sorry Spurrier, but Saban did go somewhere else and win. He lead LSU to their first National Championship in 45 years and only their 2nd in school history. Saban's accomplishment's stand on their own, he doesn't have to win 6 to escape the shadow.
 

TideEngineer08

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Am I the only one who has grown tired of Spurrier?

He used to be funny back when he was in the middle of his run at Florida and he was making jokes about Tennessee and Auburn. It almost sounds like he wishes Saban would leave Alabama. Not every coach can win here. We've had several losers here, between the winners.

I don't think Spurrier would have been able to have near the success here that Coach Saban has had at Alabama. "If he wants to be one of the greatest coaches"? Come on Spurrier. He already is. Get over it.

The more I think about his comments, the more it really does sound like sour grapes. Sad. The mighty surely have fallen a long way. He's not at Florida anymore, and this ain't 1995.

Edited: Oh and another comment on "if he wants to be one of the greatest coaches." What Coach Saban has done at Alabama, he would have done almost anywhere else. Now, I'm not talking about Ole Miss when I say that. I'm talking about LSU (obviously, he was on his way there), Auburn (yes, he would have), Tennessee, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M. I understand that recruiting is Coach Saban's life blood (it's every program's life blood), and he does need a good recruiting infrastructure. But his system of discipline and "the Process" will work anywhere. It is the one true universal system. Guys learn to play great because it's the right thing to do. The motivation comes from being your best all the time, not stats or championships or the NFL. Those are simply manifestations of the Process.

Alabama is extremely fortunate he was available. And we are extremely fortunate we got him. Whatever any particular program's ceiling is, Nick Saban would get that program to that point. IMO.
 
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Well, I can safely say I've lost all respect for him. Does he even know what he is talking about? If he does, does he believe it? Stay off the spice or whatever they are calling it nowadays. He's just mad because He didn't come to Bama and do it and can't get it done at USCe. Clowney will have to do by himself. Melvin Ingram is gone now, defense will suffer!
 

crimsonaudio

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Love how his thought on Saban and on who is the best are somewhat contradictory...

So, record is what determines who is the best, and that's Saban, but everyone wins at Alabama...
 

KrAzY3

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I still think Spurrier is funny. His remark about Georgia was amusing (and I still wonder why such a supposedly moral coach always has players in trouble).

As to Saban, what he said about Saban wasn't harsh at all. What do you expect him to do? The guy's not considered the best SEC coach anymore, and that has to hurt a bit. It's basically a challenge, like ok, Saban is so great, let's trade places. Of course, a real winner puts them-self in a position to win and that ain't South Carolina.

Spurrier has some fantastic quotes, is a fantastic coach, and really has been part of what has made the SEC great. Yes, he's a rival but he deserves respect.

"You can't spell Citrus without UT"
On Auburn books burning:"But the real tragedy was that fifteen hadn't been colored yet!"
On if coaching in the NFL would be more difficult: "yes, because there's no Vanderbilts in the NFL".
After losing to Miss. St.: "Their fans are going to give us a big head. we aren't good enough to be worthy of running on the field to tear the goal posts down. We're going to be in the locker room thinking we're pretty good because after they kicked our tails they decided to tear the goal posts down"
And yes, as much as I hate to say it, his comments about Alabama recruiting were in fact funny: "In 12 years at Florida, I don't think we ever signed a kid from Alabama, but I hear the scholarships they were giving out there were worth a heck of a lot more than ours"
 

TideEngineer08

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Spurrier was at Florida, what? 12 years?

And it's been about 12 years since he left Florida, right?

I respect how he changed the culture of the SEC with the passing game. I respect how he awakened a sleeping giant at Florida. But I don't respect him as one of the game's greatest coaches anymore. Had he retired in 2001 instead of going to the NFL, I would have called him one of the all time greats. His career since then has been less than spectacular. IMO, he's not even in Saban's league right now and won't ever be.

It took Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia collapsing and falling flat on their faces for him to take South Carolina to the SEC title game. And Auburn demolished them like a 1-AA team.
 

Black Warrior

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I think Spurrier is banking on the power of suggestion and perhaps CNS will move on so CSS doesn't have to face him any more......
 

Alasippi

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Spurrier is a great coach in my opinion but he's a total D.A. when it comes to speaking at press conferences.

First of all, NO, we haven't always won at Alabama. We've won consistently only when we've had great coaches.

Secondly, Nick Saban has never accepted a job at a University where the football team was winning.

Michigan State wasn't winning, LSU was below the pits, and Bama was in a horrible downslide.

He turned all three programs completely around. So much at M-State and LSU that they were able to keep on winning big even after he left.

He builds a solid foundation that is extremely difficult if not impossible to tear down if his successor simply follows his guidelines.

Spurrier meanwhile has really not accomplished very much at South Carolina other than losing by the biggest margin in SEC Championship Game history, to Auburn.

At Florida, if, as he says, "record is everything", then Urban Meyer kicked his butt.

His best coaching performance, to me, was winning an ACC Title at Duke.....and maybe I'm wrong...but wasn't that before FSU and Virginia Tech even knew the conference existed?

I think Stevie needs to play golf and shut up. He's really nowhere in Saban's league and no one else is either.

sip
 

TIDE-HSV

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I think his comments go hand in hand with comments I've heard over the last few years about Saban never being able to eclipse Bear Bryant. I hear on the radio all the time that Alabama will always be a Bear Bryant school and never a Saban school, no matter how much he wins.

Where does this come from, and why does it matter? I'm almost 28, and Coach Bryant died over a year before I was born. Unless you're 40 or older, you probably don't remember very much about Bear Bryant as a coach. Even at 40, you were 11 when he passed away?

I'm extremely appreciative of what Coach Bryant did for the University of Alabama, but he wasn't the first coach to win here. Our tradition didn't start with him, and I don't understand the notion that every other coach at Alabama is fighting to get out of his shadow. We've had 4 coaches win multiple National Championships, and Saban has won both of his in only 5 years here. If he sticks around another 5-10, there's no reason to think we don't end up with at least 2-3 more.

Unless some future coach down the road does more than Saban, then he'll always be the coach I think of when I think of Alabama football. That's not meant as disrespect to Coach Bryant, but he died before I was born. I know his accomplishments the same way many of you know Frank Thomas & Wallace Wade's. I watch it on film, but I didn't live it.

Sorry Spurrier, but Saban did go somewhere else and win. He lead LSU to their first National Championship in 45 years and only their 2nd in school history. Saban's accomplishment's stand on their own, he doesn't have to win 6 to escape the shadow.
Interesting perspective. Since I was on campus when Bryant returned and had my prime during his, I tend to think of his golden era and forget the accomplishments of Wade and Thomas. It's only natural at your age to think of the post-Bryant era, despite his long, long shadow...
 

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