Why is Saban More Consistent at Alabama Than He Was at LSU?

GreatDanish

Hall of Fame
Nov 22, 2005
6,079
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Saban is always getting better. But, his recruiting has been consistently elite since 2003. Something happened in 2003...
Success breeds success. It took him a few years to build his program into a championship caliber team. Once he did, recruiting became easier (since he can now sell his being a championship coach).

one other thing: we fans seem to think of coaches as either great or not great. In reality great coaches become great coaches - partially by whether they learn from their mistakes or not. Saban still makes mistakes, but one thing that sets Saban apart is that he continually seeks out his mistakes, and is willing to admit fault and thus get better instead of make excuses.
For a long time, he was becoming a great coach. Now, he is a great coach, and has been since his LSU tenure.
 

Bamatide44

BamaNation Citizen
Jun 26, 2009
87
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Selmaborn is right on the money. I couldn't have said it better. Great analysis.

I don't mean to be a downer, but keep in mind folks, we are lucky to be in the NC game two years in a row. We didn't control our own destiny after each season loss. We are fortunate that other teams lost! Of course, we had to be good enough to be right there waiting for the opportunity and we took advantage of it.
 

bamabryan

Hall of Fame
Jan 1, 2006
5,085
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57
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Alabaster, AL.
I don't mean to be a downer, but keep in mind folks, we are lucky to be in the NC game two years in a row. We didn't control our own destiny after each season loss. We are fortunate that other teams lost! Of course, we had to be good enough to be right there waiting for the opportunity and we took advantage of it.
I call it things evening out. We were snakebit after Coach Stallings resigned and before CNS became our head coach. We had a ten year period where hardly anything went right. We were due for great things to happen considering our great tradition. :)
 

TommyMac

Hall of Fame
Apr 24, 2001
14,040
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Mobile, Alabama
Don't sell "being Alabama" short.

When he arrived at LSU he had to change the culture as well as rebuild the program. LSU had 2 recognized NCs and only 7 SECCs and their last NC was in 1958. In other words, LSU had been a decent to good program in the past, but nothing earth shattering. Therefore recruits coming in had no reason to expect not just SECCs, but NCs as well. That's where tradition comes in.

And who has better tradition than Alabama...........no one. No one else can match Alabama for NCs, conference championships and bowl wins.........no one. So when a recruit comes in, sees our trophies, tours the Bryant Museum and checks out our state of the art facilities, well, how can he not be impressed.

Then when he actually puts on that Crimson jersey and runs through the tunnel of BD to the roar of 100,000 plus rabid fans, it'll really hit him that he now represents not just his coaches, teammates and fans, but also all those that came before him that built Bama's unparalleled past. RTR
 

teamplayer

Hall of Fame
Jul 31, 2001
7,571
2,329
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cullman, al, usa
I think Saban had things set at LSU to start completely dominating the SEC West. Les Miles is not a bad coach, but he has taken advantage of how well Saban left that program. Miles has certainly added his own flair, but I think Saban would have won two or three more titles down there by now. Here's hoping he adds his third at Bama on the seventh of January and that he stays for ten more years.
 

teamplayer

Hall of Fame
Jul 31, 2001
7,571
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cullman, al, usa
I call it things evening out. We were snakebit after Coach Stallings resigned and before CNS became our head coach. We had a ten year period where hardly anything went right. We were due for great things to happen considering our great tradition. :)
I had a basketball coach in high school who had a sign that read- I believe in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more luck I have. The point being that what many call bad luck during the Coach Dumbose and Coach Sheila years, I call a lack of discipline and hard work. As long as Coach Saban is in Tuscaloosa, our coaching staff and players will out work, out prepare, and outplay almost everyone else. That doesn't mean we will win all the time, but we will be in the national championship conversation almost every year.
 

Ole Man Dan

Hall of Fame
Apr 21, 2008
8,982
3,421
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Gadsden, Al.
While always a good recruiter, Coach Saban has now became a great recruiter.
Better talent equals more wins under Coach Saban.
Nothing against LSU, but Coach Saban now spends time recruiting Nationally. Not mostly in Louisiana...
(Thanks to our history and Coach Sabans present... We are now Internationally known)
Coaching staff evolves with each new hire, but continues to follow the same Offense & Defense... Success.
The coaching climate in Alabama is great. Coach Saban came in while we were down,
but he quickly brought us back. (Important)
At LSU there wasn't much of a winning tradition, until Coach Saban got there.
It's been a long time since Charlie McClendon... and Coach Bryant still owned Charlie...
At LSU Coach Saban practically had to start from scratch.
At Alabama we had the makings of a good team when Coach Saban arrived.
We just needed a coach to take over and demand that we win... (CMS missed on that one)
At LSU Coach Saban hadn't developed into the coach he is today.
A stop in Miami continued his education in Pro Style play.
Looks like we inherited an improved product.
Lastly: Coach Saban continues to learn.
 
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TidePride50

3rd Team
Jan 16, 2010
296
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0
Perfect Storm. You take Saban plus Alabama, that equals the well oiled machine we are witnessing.


RTR '12!
 
Dec 15, 2000
541
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Shellman Georgia
As just a dumb ole country boy from Georgia, I offer this...

CNS became more perfect with time. Plain and simple. He perfected his "process" and was able to sell it. If you need any example, well this year is the one to prove it. Saban is noted for defense, but this year he has let the offense carry the load. This year the offense has been more ball-control, run the clock, and make the other team stop us than the previous years (I know this will be contested, but hear me out first). In previous years, Saban has asked the offense to do what it could, and then told the defense to stop the opposition.
To me, this is improvising, adapting, and overcoming. I think Saban has been masterful at this throughout his career, but especially this year.
I also think that he took a note from two of history's great leaders...Coach Paul Bryant and President Ronald Reagan, surround yourself with great people.


Just my .02 worth. Feel free to flame.
 

NBF_Bama_Cavalry

All-American
Dec 2, 2002
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www.dixiebikers.com
I think it's a combination of Nick Saban evolving as a head coach and "we're Alabama." I think Saban was a pretty darn good coach while at LSU but. in all honesty, I wasn't real excited when he was hired at Alabama. That's because I saw him as a "pretty darn good coach" but I never dreamed he would be the dynamic force he's become since the beginning of the 2008 season. I think he's a better coach than when he got off the plane in Tuscaloosa that first day and will continue to improve as long as he stays in the profession.

I also believe "we're Alabama" plays a part in it. Ever since Jan 1, 1926 when Alabama defeated Washington in the Rose Bowl there's been a dedication to football that doesn't seem to exist at other SEC schools. That game established Alabama as a national power and, except for relatively brief periods in the years since, Alabama (adminstration, fans, players, etc) expect to win and compete for national championships. It's part of what separates Alabama from Auburn - the goals are higher and everyone from the university president to the equipment manager expects to achieve those goals. Players come to Alabama to win championships - they go to Auburn to beat Bama.
 

Redwood Forrest

Hall of Fame
Sep 19, 2003
11,042
907
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76
Boaz, AL USA
Bryant at Tuscaloosa = Magic. Saban at Tuscaloosa = Magic. Listen, even poor coaches win SEC championships at Bama. Let a really, really good HC come to Bama and you have magic.
 

buzzincuzzin

All-American
Jan 8, 2006
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The difference in Coach now is that he(unlike most coaches) has bought into the coach-speak he's been spouting. The "stay-focused-do-the-right-thing-every-minuet-to-be-sucessfull-type stuff. I've never in my life seen a coach(including Coach Bryant) adhere more closely to his own words in his every day life than Coach does at this stage of his life. $.02
 

BamaInBham

All-American
Feb 14, 2007
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At Bama,

mediocre coaches produce good results (e.g., Drew, Perkins, Franchione, etc.)

good coaches produce great results (Thomas, Stallings)

great coaches produce transcedent results (Wade, Bryant, Saban)

Certainly it is true that Saban has improved since LSU, but being at Bama definitely helps. FWIW, Saban may surpass all of Bama's great coaches. If Bama wins on 1/7, it will "officially" be in one of the greatest runs in college football history at a time when the SEC is at it's peak - incredible. And it may be in the midst of the greatest run ever with the the best coach ever against the best competition ever. In the last 4 years Bama is 20-5 against ranked foes, including 11-3 against the top 10. If Bama beats ND this class will have the most wins by an SEC Sr class with 49. It currently is tied with last years' Bama class and UF '09 for the most wins ever by an SEC Sr class. It was a big deal when UF topped previous Bama classes (with several more losses) but no one mentioned last years' achievement nor this years' possibility.

(To 4Q: IMO, Bama's previous 25 years produced more than 6 good years - there were 12 years of 9 or more wins, these were during 11 game regular seasons. And probation/scholarship reductions were a primary cause of the lack of consistent greatness.)
 

ELTider

Scout Team
Sep 23, 2006
186
0
40
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Athens,AL
Kirby Smart.

I realize that CNS is the brains behind the defense but Kirby has allowed him to focus efforts in other areas of the program.
 

BamaInBham

All-American
Feb 14, 2007
4,465
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Stallings belongs in the 'great' category - he averaged over .800 over seven seasons...
Thomas has a similar record. But both men inherited far better programs than Wade, Bryant and Saban, thus their winning % benefitted greatly. It's just an opinion, but in mine, Stallings was a good coach.
 

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