SI's Monday Morning QB: "Saban Says"

RTR91

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Nov 23, 2007
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Stepping into Nick Saban’s office is stepping into a time warp. A velvety red curtain dims the sunlight behind his presidential desk; two straw hats rest on a carved wooden pole in the corner. The oriental rugs and leather tufted chairs are accessories to a Victorian home, not a glitzy, multi-billion-dollar football facility.

Saban is a traditionalist. In his world, the hurry-up offense is sacrilege, shocking and separating from a blocker and tackling in open space is welcome in the first 20 minutes of practice (physicality, after all, won him four out the last seven national championships). Mention satellite camps to the 64-year-old and you had better be talking about something involving NASA.

Practices are planned months in advance. The only newspaper Saban reads regularly is the Tuscaloosa News. He eats Little Debbie pies for breakfast and the same iceberg lettuce salad everyday for lunch, because he has better things to do than waste time deciding what to eat. Saban is mysterious, he is intense, he is always sought-after—you can bet any college or NFL team would hire him in a second.

This season, I’ll be writing a college football column for The MMQB. The idea is, along with addressing the wildly popular college version of the sport, bridging the gap between NFL and NCAA football. You’ll hear from scouts, NFL personnel, and influencers you never knew existed. You’ll meet the everyone from big-time coaches, Heisman front-runners, and this year’s Carson Wentz (still in the process of identifying him, stay tuned).

For the debut, I visited Tuscaloosa to meet Saban; for the NFL, he’s the one that got away. Ever since his abrupt divorce from the Dolphins after the 2006 season, Saban’s name has bubbled with any NFL opening. With each passing year, a return to the NFL seems more unlikely. As Phil Savage, the former NFL GM and Crimson Tide radio color analyst explains it: Alabama has become a lifestyle for Saban. His mother lives in Birmingham. He has a grandchild nearby. His uncle is on the sidelines for game day. Taking another job would disrupt that.

Even if Saban never returns to the NFL, the man who has groomed 55 draft picks (including 18 first-rounders) since 2009 has unparalleled perspective on the college and NFL Venn diagram. In a candid conversation, Saban—with a late August tan and his Sperry’s perched on an antique coffee table—discusses career regrets, draft reform, and a growing divide between college and pro offenses. The coach in his own words…
 

rolltide_21

Hall of Fame
Dec 9, 2007
11,447
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I was just about to post a link to this article. Really good read and some interesting answers by the coach. I agree with his explanation about the NBA model coming the NFL draft for early entrees. It would be almost impossible to make the numbers work out in recruiting.
 

RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
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The NFL just sent this release. Looks like what Saban advocated in this interview is starting to take shape...

 

Catfish

Hall of Fame
Oct 11, 2005
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Thank the Lord. When I saw "Monday Morning QB" in the thread title, I was afraid I was going to have to read something by Peter King.
 

CHATTBRIT

Hall of Fame
Dec 3, 2003
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The NFL just sent this release. Looks like what Saban advocated in this interview is starting to take shape...



It's about time as too many young men are swayed by unscrupulous agents, family needs, etc, that they feel obligated to jump to the League a year too early. it is sad that these guys may very well have needed another year in college which may earn them a draft pick , possibly a first day pick.
 

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