JessN: Sources say Saban, Bama are close on contract

I have not read this entire thread and do not intend to. I said this in another thread and will restate this. CNS had a special bond and relationship with Coach Moore and now that Mal is no longer with us this may have a strong impact on his decision. Don't know this for sure but a gut feeling.

Since team banquet was last night and CNS was either retiring or leaving…. I would hope he would tell the team first. So, by now (as I try to remain optimistic) something would have come out. There are two recent incidents that concern me though…
the first, when Battle said basically it was ok to leave with team up 35-0 & JMHO, but the way people who called themselves Bama fans acted after the IB loss. You know these stories made it to CNS desk…..

bamadws56 said:

Why Bill Battle? I haven't seen anything on here yet that points to Bill Battle being the problem. That doesn't mean he isn't, do you know or have you heard something to the contrary? To me it sounds like a Sexton/Saban issue.

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It's a few things really, one is that Bill Battle was an obvious quick fix, and has strong ties to Tennessee. That alone earns him some skepticism. That skepticism was validated when he suggested a former Tennessee coach, and Roy Kramer was the SEC's representatives for the playoff committee. I'm not sure if he was allowed to or not, but he didn't recommend anyone with any ties to Alabama!

Then, when he should have been busy getting Saban to sign an extension, and waiting on him hand and foot, he goes on TV and contradicts Saban's desire to have fans stay for four quarters. Even if he disagrees, it was incredibly stupid and arrogant to pretend as though his opinion even mattered.

Now, when he thought he had an extension Saban was ready to sign, and ironically would have put the pressure on Gus/Auburn when it came to speculation on the Texas job, somehow it's Gus that signs an extension and he's left empty handed. Remember, he's had a long time to sort this out, the rumors didn't just pop up, and in the mean time Baylor, Auburn, FSU, etc... got the job done with their coaches.

So, we're left with several reasons to doubt Bill Battle, and really not much to give us confidence. Hopefully this all blows over, and if he does get Saban to sign and extension and stay, I'll be supportive of him, but if he doesn't? I just hope he isn't around long enough to ruin the coaching search.

If I'm in Bill Battle's shoes, I am busy telling Nick Saban that from now on he's going to walk lockstep with Saban, and that Saban will get what ever he wants. If Saban does leave, he'll be the scapegoat and we'll always have to wonder if Bill Battle is the one that ran him off. If the guy doesn't know to keep his mouth shut, and doesn't get why it's important fans stay, what else is he oblivious to?

My comments are tainted with Crimson glasses, but if he decides to move on I just don't see him ever being able to spin the move in any type of positive light. He has done a great job of pushing the needle of the publics perception of him since he got here. At this point I think most people (outside of Miami) understand why he left and have moved past it. Like many others have said - if he bolts for Texas I am not sure he will ever be able to rebuild his reputation as anything other than a mercenary.

I am certainly thankful for what he has done for the program - but would put him in the same category as Fran as far as his professional ethics if he bolts now after all he has said recently.

this will be my last post in this thread. if he retires, it's one thing, but if he leaves for texas the sad reality is that after all they've said to the contrary, it will prove what we as alabama fans have collectively denied (and what basically everyone outside the bama fan base has accepted for years as truth)...that saban's word means absolutely nothing.

his time here has been wonderful for the university and i will always be thankful for what he has done for the university. that said, one doesn't have to respect him to be thankful for what he's done. bottom line is that if he goes to texas, i will have zero respect for him because i was raised in a family where nothing is more important for a man than his own word. no number of trophies or rings can make up for dishonesty.

not that nick saban gives a rip about what i think, but if he stays at bama til he retires, he can forever erase from his name the taint of being a prevaricator. if he goes to texas, he will never be able to live down that negative reputation.

i'm tired of this recurring saga and the only people who can end it are the sabans. whatever they decide, i just want them to make up their minds one way or the other so that everyone can simply focus on the future.

Wow, an inept AD and questioning the President who is fully supported by The Chancellor? Fear mongoring.

KrAzY3 said:

As far as Nick goes, I hope he understands how tarnished his reputation would become if he left Alabama. He's a great coach, but what he's doing at Alabama was cementing his legacy as the greatest coach of his era. The odds are dramatically against him recreating what he did at Alabama, at Texas. Three BCS titles? I know he's a great coach, but I don't see him getting three more anywhere, much less if he has to start over in any respect, and remember they're running off a coach that went to the BCS title game twice. Sadly, it's not yet a forgone conclusion that history will view him as a better coach than Urban Meyer for example, and if he leaves Alabama now, he'll insure his legacy is not viewed as fondly as Bear Bryant's. The national impact would be huge. He'd be viewed as everything that's wrong with college football, a coach leaving for millions of dollars at a time in which the players are not paid, he'd be viewed as unloyal, and a liar. He's good enough at his job that he'd recruit well at Texas, and he'd have them in the title hunt at some point, I'm sure. He won't have the chance to retire a Texas legend though, but he can retire a legend at Alabama.

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I think you raise a good point about his legacy. Could Nick get another title or two at UT if he coached another 5-7 years there? Maybe, but odds would be against it.

Just look at how fortunate we were to get our last two...took depending on others to lose in front of us in late November. It is what it is and doesn't diminish the title but the point is out of 3 NC at Bama, two of them depended on a fair degree of good fortune.

Plus, the legacy of Coach Bryant is largely built upon the fact he lasted so long and won in different eras with different styles. If CNS stays at Bama for another 3-4 years and get just one more title his legacy will certainly be on par with Coach Bryant considering the drastic changes in the way coaches must "win now" or get fired. If he coached a full 10 years and won 4 NC he'll be considered the greatest coach of the 21st century.

And if CNS is frustrated with the HUNH he just be getting deeper into it in the Big 12.

davefrat said:

this will be my last post in this thread. if he retires, it's one thing, but if he leaves for texas the sad reality is that after all they've said to the contrary, it will prove what we as alabama fans have collectively denied (and what basically everyone outside the bama fan base has accepted for years as truth)...that saban's word means absolutely nothing.

his time here has been wonderful for the university and i will always be thankful for what he has done for the university. that said, one doesn't have to respect him to be thankful for what he's done. bottom line is that if he goes to texas, i will have zero respect for him because i was raised in a family where nothing is more important for a man than his own word. no number of trophies or rings can make up for dishonesty.

not that nick saban gives a rip about what i think, but if he stays at bama til he retires, he can forever erase from his name the taint of being a prevaricator. if he goes to texas, he will never be able to live down that negative reputation.

i'm tired of this recurring saga and the only people who can end it are the sabans. whatever they decide, i just want them to make up their minds one way or the other so that everyone can simply focus on the future.

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Great summation. I agree. I've got great memories of seeing Bama win the last two titles in person and nobody can take that from me. But I'll not view him the same if he leaves for another stop after what he's REPEATEDLY said about finishing here.

I don't know who the Sabans are getting advice from but surely there is somebody telling them to think about these things?!?!

My goodness. The level of anxiety in this thread is borderline clinical.

Earle may know something more, but, unless I'm missing something, the ONLY things the rest of have been told are:

1. Saban was offered a contract extension.
2. He has not signed off on the extension as quickly as anticipated.
3. The delay may be because he's giving some thought to Texas' offer.

Unless there's more to it than that, the situation is hardly worth any anger, sadness, or blame at this point!

BamainBoston said:

I'll remember him as the coach who won three national championships until you see him on the UT sideline.

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fify

What about this article? Texas president says they are not pursuing CNS. Take this with a grain of salt, though.

Bamabuzzard said:

People lie.

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True, but let's hope he isn't this time.

Lord I am worried...seems like a lot of people know a lot more than they can post. I checked some other boards but cant seem to find anything. Not good.

Very much like Saban's line to the Miami press that he wasn't talking with anyone... until they pushed his buttons and he cracked saying he wasn't going to be our coach. Up until that point he simply said he wasn't talking... but Sexton WAS.

Whatever the answer is, I hope we get it quickly. At some point this is going to get ugly and affect recruiting. If we're going to need to go shopping we need to be able to do it in the front of the crowd, not the back.

Yes definitely could affect recruiting, interesting that CNS made the rounds with all of our recruits this past week with plenty of photo opps.