How Close was Saban to Coaching Texas

BamaMoon

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What a lot of Bama fans do not want to acknowledge is that Saban is a football coach by trade and he is not a lifelong UA fan. To Coach Bryant, the UofA was "momma" and "momma called" and he came home. The UofA is not home to Saban, it is a job.
That's no different than 99% of the workforce. If you get an offer of more money and a better opportunity for yourself and your family you have to take it, or at least listen. Almost all of us would do the exact same thing. I completely agree with you that UA to Saban is nothing more than a job, and there's nothing wrong with that IMO. It's all business..


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There are very few that could ever be a "momma called" situation and CNS is not one of them. About the only very high profile guy I can think of that would come home, crawling on broken glass, would be Dabo Swinny. Plenty of former Bama players who are coaching, but Dabo is probably at the top of that list.

I've become a fan of his and I believe his coaching has matured as he has. Don't know if he'd ever be in the hunt, post CNS, but he'd be a "momma called" kind of coach and love the University that Coach Bryant did.

In the meantime, let's hope CNS has another couple of National Championships in him before he goes to the lake.
 

AlexanderFan

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I can hear it now: "I guess I'll just have to say it. I'm not going to be the Texas coach."

While I'm sure Saban knew what Sexton was up to, there's no way he could have issued a denial that would have done anything other than inflame the situation. Sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut.
Right. Saban's past has dictated his silence from now on. He will never escape it as long as he coaches and has scheduled press conferences. Had he said anything it would've just been worse.
 

dayhiker

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Being a real believer in every man earning whatever he thinks that he can make, especially in a field like coaching where there is no such thing as job security, I don't see this as a bad way of handling the situation. Yes, he could have nipped it in the bud, but why would he? This is his life, and he played his hand. He held his cards close to gain greater advantage. That is just how the game is played by professionals.

There were no victims here. No one was left holding the rope. If some people had their feeling hurt, they will get over it with the next championship.
The not feeling appreciated part of the argument is what rubs me the wrong way and is certainly not the way professionals play the game.
 

KrAzY3

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The not feeling appreciated part of the argument is what rubs me the wrong way and is certainly not the way professionals play the game.
You mean that Terry quote? I was one of the few people here, I guess, that took that in context and kind of agreed with it. Fans went nuts after that Auburn game, death threats, and all kinda of nonsense, rather than being able to take a deep breath and go wait, Alabama just won two titles in a row and almost won a third, that's awesome! That always struck me as exactly what Terry labelled it as, though I tend to use the word "spoiled" or "entitled" here when I'm referring to it.

But, there's a certain irony to an attitude some have of... I have less appreciation for Saban because Terry didn't feel appreciated enough. In either case the article doesn't really say anything new, just makes a couple of claims that we heard long ago and never have been substantiated in either case. I was worried then, he didn't go, I don't really care either way now. I think some Alabama fans want to be wanted a little too much though.

I always took the comments from Terry and Nick as "coaching up" and some fans responded. The crowds have been louder overall, the stadium finally has shown the capacity to be loud, there's less leaving in the third quarter. Fans can still work on the whole, a team that doesn't win a national championship is a failure stuff, but I doubt anything will ever change that unfortunately.

Edit: I suppose I'll add that there's no need to feel affection for Saban anymore than I think he needs to have affection for the fans. We expect him to get the job done and as long as he does, I don't care if he hates the fans. On the other hand, I think he expects the fans to do their part to, in terms of cheering the team on, and that's hard for some to deal with, particularly if they feel they already do their part.
 
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mittman

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He could have nipped it in the bud.
He could have been just playing his cards right.
He may not have the deep feeling for Alabama. (I tend to disagree with that. It appears to me that he has developed it since he got here, especially after April 27, 2011.)
He was burnt before making statements and he could have been just making sure that didn't happen again.

All that said, it doesn't matter one iota to me. I didn't even click the link. What he has done, continues to do, what he means, and continues to mean to UA overrides it all for me. It will take a lot more than this to keep me from being a big fan of his, even if he had left. I would have been upset especially if he went to Texas, but I would have got over it. He has meant that much.
 

TideEngineer08

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You mean that Terry quote? I was one of the few people here, I guess, that took that in context and kind of agreed with it. Fans went nuts after that Auburn game, death threats, and all kinda of nonsense, rather than being able to take a deep breath and go wait, Alabama just won two titles in a row and almost won a third, that's awesome! That always struck me as exactly what Terry labelled it as, though I tend to use the word "spoiled" or "entitled" here when I'm referring to it.

But, there's a certain irony to an attitude some have of... I have less appreciation for Saban because Terry didn't feel appreciated enough. In either case the article doesn't really say anything new, just makes a couple of claims that we heard long ago and never have been substantiated in either case. I was worried then, he didn't go, I don't really care either way now. I think some Alabama fans want to be wanted a little too much though.

I always took the comments from Terry and Nick as "coaching up" and some fans responded. The crowds have been louder overall, the stadium finally has shown the capacity to be loud, there's less leaving in the third quarter. Fans can still work on the whole, a team that doesn't win a national championship is a failure stuff, but I doubt anything will ever change that unfortunately.
My problem is that as bad as we Alabama fans are (and we ARE bad at being overbearing), Texas fans are as bad or worse. And he knows that.

I don't like the little tirades he's gone on regarding fan support and other issues.

All that aside, look, I'm happy he is our coach. I can't imagine another guy out there that would mesh with the Alabama way better than Coach Saban. He's just got his quirks that have rubbed me the wrong way. When he does leave, he's going to be extremely difficult to replace. I don't look forward to that day.
 

BamaBackerBill

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Like has been stated already and like most coaches, Saban is a coach that is looking out for he, his family, and his product. I'm sure he has grown to have an admiration and appreciation for the University, but this is all just business to him and most all coaches.

Things don't always get handled properly or the way we want it to, but the sooner one understands it is what it is, then any type of change can be accepted without major concern. I would have hated to see Saban go, but know it's comig probably sooner rather than later and understand that change sometimes has its advantages. He has built Bama back into a power with a solid foundation and with the proper changing of the guard and the correct timing, can allow Bama to continue to thrive and contend for a long time.

The good thing about him not leaving to go to Texas, gives Bama a great opportunity to keep him until he decides to retire and then pass it on to the next worthy coach. Most good, competitive coaches would be chomping at the bit to coach at Bama now with the tradition, facilities, and foundation the program has. Bama, nor any other program of the modern era imho, has ever been at this type of consistent level. It's hard to really grasp how impressive it is while going through it, but one day looking back; it will be hard to beat.
 

GP for Bama

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I still believe this was all a Jimmy Sexton plan to get a hefty raise out of Bama. We probably should have given him a substantial raise after the 2012 season. In fact, I think a raise would have happened after 2012 if not for the untimely death of Mal Moore.

Sexton is the best at this....he has played this angle many, many times.
 

dvldog

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I still believe this was all a Jimmy Sexton plan to get a hefty raise out of Bama. We probably should have given him a substantial raise after the 2012 season. In fact, I think a raise would have happened after 2012 if not for the untimely death of Mal Moore.

Sexton is the best at this....he has played this angle many, many times.
Why would he have to play the "going to Texas" card? Don't you think he could have just said, "We would like a raise based on the results CNS has produced". Pretty sure he would have gotten the raise w/out any ill will or un-needed pub. Could have been kept in-house. JMHO.
 

RTR91

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Didn't we have the same discussion last week about the same excerpt from this biography?

I asked Casagrande about the book being unauthorized by Saban. He said it means Saban didn't really help the author but he also didn't stand in his way in getting information or writing it.


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KrAzY3

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I don't like the little tirades he's gone on regarding fan support and other issues.
We all bring our own bias, that's unavoidable. I don't agree with Saban on adding an extra SEC game, and I didn't agree with him on the playoff (although his comments after an all but forgotten SEC championship seemed to express some regret with how things are now). However, when I do agree, or what is said parallels beliefs I already held? It's very hard for me to take it the wrong way, I kind of want to stand up and applaud it because he's about the only guy in a position to actually change things.

Alabama fans have always been able to show up in droves, that's true. But there's also a sort of country club atmosphere that can set in as well. Alabama games, particularly in certain seating areas have become kind of social functions for the well-to-do. They showed up, they supported Alabama financially, but... you know, they really couldn't be troubled to stand up and cheer a whole lot. That's so gauche right? And my wife, who is from Germany and is an American football fan (even attended NFL Europe games, NFL pre-season in Berlin, etc..) noted this. She was like all all knew each other and said hi to each other but they didn't want anyone standing up and cheering.

This coupled with what was obviously lackluster student support at games, did in my mind create very real issues. Now, did most fans fall into those two categories? No, they did not, and a lot of those fans took umbrage to the statements as they felt they were being unfairly targeted. I can see both sides from their perspective, as in those fans weren't really the problem, and didn't warrant some of the criticism. However, when you had two segments of fans that were leaving early, and being apathetic, it also exacerbated things when more impressionable fans followed their example. I did think it needed to be addressed and I did bring it up on the forum.

Perhaps the "lack of appreciation" comments cut the deepest though, but once again I agreed with those statements from my perspective, however I certainly can see how fans who were appreciative took issue with that. Some were even upset when Terry made those statements, as though before the Auburn game really made a bit of difference, not like the football players cared, heck I'm sure a lot of football players agreed. I mean those guys had won to championships in a row and after they "failed" the death threats came. That's just... that's horrible.

To me, the lack of appreciation was spot on. After Alabama won their second NC, Auburn had more fans at their spring game than Alabama. I couldn't fathom that, Alabama fans actually had something to show up and cheer for, but the attitude had become that of entitlement. Oh Alabama win another championship? Of course they did, that's no big deal. That to me does come off as what she labelled it as. I think twenty years from now a lot of Alabama fans are going to really get the point, that for most of us this will be the best era of Alabama football in our lives, and we just won't appreciate it fully until it's gone. We'll wish we'd never missed a quarter of play, we'll wish we'd taken every kid we knew to A-Day or a game so they could experience a bit of it to. That's the context in which I viewed those comments.

The fans did get coached up though, like it or not. Perhaps with the exception of A-Day attendance, they've cleaned things up a bit. Staying longer, cheering louder, it seems for every fan that took exception, at least one got the memo so all in all it seemed worth it.
 

B1GTide

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One last contribution - this was likely Saban's last contract negotiation. To continue the "cards" analogy, Saban has a royal straight flush on the last hand of the night and he wanted to maximize his returns. There are no "friends" at the table at a time like this. This isn't poker with your buddies. This is the last table at the World Series of Poker in Vegas, and everyone at the table is there for one reason - to serve their own interests.

Saban could have folded the cards, or played them differently, but why would he get less than he could on this, his last hand?

IMO, when he won, Alabama fans won, and everyone should be happy for him because it meant happiness for you and your program.
 

GP for Bama

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Why would he have to play the "going to Texas" card? Don't you think he could have just said, "We would like a raise based on the results CNS has produced". Pretty sure he would have gotten the raise w/out any ill will or un-needed pub. Could have been kept in-house. JMHO.
Like I said...I believe a substantial raise would have happened after the 2012 season if Mal had lived. When Coach Battle took over, he took a little while to "survey the landscape". Then the season started, then Texas probably unofficially contacted Sexton...and it took off from there.
 

sanjosecrimson

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first off I am very happy and excited that CNS is and will continue to be our coach for the unforeseeable future. this article is water under the bridge for me. I could care less what happened and how it all went down, bottom line CNS is still our coach. period.

as far as his allegiance and love for Alabama is concern, I am an optimistic person and usually have a bright outlook on Life so I tend to believe that an individual can not help but develop some sore of attachment/ fondness to a place or person over a period of time. CNS may not be similar to Coach Bryant with his love and loyalty to UA, but this is his lonest tenure at any one place in his long coaching career. that is good enough for me.
 

deliveryman35

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Based on everything I've read and heard about it, he at least gave their offer very serious consideration. Texas has more resources to offer than any other job in college football but it is also a complete rebuild job at this point in time and I'm not sure Saban wanted to tackle something of that magnitude at this point in his career. Also, I don't think that Saban would have total control of the program in Austin--he has that here.
 
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GP for Bama

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Based on everything I've read and heard about it, he at least gave their offer very serious consideration. Texas has more resources to offer than any other job in college football but it is also is a complete rebuild job at this point in time and I'm not sure Saban wanted to tackle something of that magnitude at this point in his career. Also, I don't think that Saban would have total control of the program in Austin--he has that here.
I agree.
 

CB4

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While Bryant's love for Alabama ran deep, remember also that in 1969 he gave very serious consideration to taking the Miami Dolphins job. I think in the end his heart won out by choosing to stay at Alabama. I also believe that those days have long since passed.

I think we as fans hope our head coaches "internalize" the job to the extent that the program, the university, and the passion becomes an integral part of who they are. In truth, I think most coaches look at it as strictly a business situation, knowing they are only a couple of sub par seasons away from being shown the door.

As I've gotten older, I've come to accept it. Don't know if I like it, but I've come to accept it.
 

GP for Bama

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I honestly think Saban is NOT being overpaid now. He gets around $7 million a year. With what he has accomplished at Bama he should be the highest paid coach in football (college or pro). Payton with the Saints makes about $8 million. Saban winning 3 National Championships (so far) is an accomplishment of historical proportions (in football terms anyway). Bama could justify paying him $9 to $10 million.

I'm just saying...he's a bargain...and I am very glad he chose to be here!
 
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Al A Bama

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Football season needs to hurry up and get here! RTR!!!!!!!

Too many NEGATIVES about this thread topic. We need to be thinking POSITIVE thoughts on the Crimson Tide for the coming year. He's our coach and one of the best in the business. So sad that Texas doesn't have him! NOT!

In the first game, I don't want to hear too many "On Wisconsins". Maybe only prior to and at the beginning of the game. I want to hear, "Yea Alabama" many times prior to and during the game.

Is Miss Terry reading this thread? I hope not.
 

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