Seriously? "or his wife’s comments about the fans who pay for that contract"
Let's not forget there are multiple suitors willing to pay more. That's comes off to me like telling a player that gave a team a home town discount to remember who pays his salary. Remember that he doesn't have to be here.
I also think the Monte Kiffin reference was uncalled for. I have a lot of respect for JessN, but this article sounded a bit emotive, or should I say unappreciative?
I'm just going to address this part of it since apparently my point didn't get sufficiently made in the Auburn wrap-up story:
At some point, you have to believe in your own self worth, to the extent that you don't let someone define you, FOR you.
The Alabama program is bigger than Nick Saban, by many degrees. It always has been and it will be fine once he decides to retire or leave for something else. Yet because of the success of the last four years, some people not only don't want to be critical about things when it is warranted, they also seem to want to silence anyone else who dares to do so. I guess they're scared Saban might leave unless everyone is stepping in formation down the same road together.
There's a difference between having respect for a coach's ability, and worshiping a human being. I will gladly do the first; unless I'm related to or married to you, I'm not doing the second. And if that makes me a bad fan in your eyes or if you think it jeopardizes Saban's employment at Alabama, so be it.
Nick Saban is about to be getting paid $6 million to $7 million (or more) per year to coach football.
To. Coach. Football. Criticism/analysis comes with the territory.
As for the Monte Kiffin reference, I'm not equating Nick Saban to Monte Kiffin. Yet, anyway. I am, however, noting (correctly) that Kiffin was once an innovator on the defensive side of the ball but, in more recent years, has either run out of ideas or has dug in his heels and refused to take input from his assistants. The defensive scheme Alabama currently runs struggles against tempo teams and teams with mobile quarterbacks, and has dating back to 2007. Oklahoma's defense last night, which is built to defend spread teams, was almost identical to the defense Joe Kines had built at Alabama (3-3-5, OLBs the size of safeties, smaller defensive ends). It is completely different than Saban's preferred system, so if more SEC teams start making the move toward tempo offenses, Saban will hit a crossroads point. He will either adjust, or not. I don't know for certain what the results will be, but I know what the trend indicates.