Question: Question about Saban, trying to get a feel for Dooley

[VolFan1]

Did Saban make the time for many interviews in the beginning at Bama? Does he now?

It seems as if the media around Knoxville is not too happy because Dooley is not taking time to do interviews. He is not being seen and heard everywhere. To my knowledge he has only spoken a couple of times. The times I know of him talking were during his introduction press conference, he did at least one recruiting breakfast the day after NSD, and he made an appearance a week or so ago at the Tip Off Club. From what I have heard he probably won't be doing the recruiting breakfasts in the future.

It seems like he is only going to make what appearances he has to make. He has also said that his assistants will have very limited availability. I am guessing they will only speak at Knoxville QB Club gatherings.

Bottom line is that it does not matter whether he is a media darling or not. The thing that will matter is W's and L's.

Does this sound like the way Saban handles the media?

 

[ROLLTRIBE]

Early on, I got the impression that CNS felt he had much more important things to do than interviews. As a result, he ticked off the media, and still does, but to a somewhat lesser degree. The man is dead focused on what he want to achieve, and to him, the media is a distraction.

 

[CapstoneGrad06]

From the beginning, and to this day, Coach Saban does a couple of interviews a week during spring and fall camp, as well as his weekly PCs during the season. Outside of that, he rarely speaks to the media, unless its for his charity event, or some sort of special event, like the Crimson Caravan or alumni/booster group.

 

[mikes12]

Early on, I got the impression that CNS felt he had much more important things to do than interviews. As a result, he ticked off the media, and still does, but to a somewhat lesser degree. The man is dead focused on what he want to achieve, and to him, the media is a distraction.

I think the word is clutter.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

Did Saban make the time for many interviews in the beginning at Bama? Does he now?

It seems as if the media around Knoxville is not too happy because Dooley is not taking time to do interviews. He is not being seen and heard everywhere. To my knowledge he has only spoken a couple of times. The times I know of him talking were during his introduction press conference, he did at least one recruiting breakfast the day after NSD, and he made an appearance a week or so ago at the Tip Off Club. From what I have heard he probably won't be doing the recruiting breakfasts in the future.

It seems like he is only going to make what appearances he has to make. He has also said that his assistants will have very limited availability. I am guessing they will only speak at Knoxville QB Club gatherings.

Bottom line is that it does not matter whether he is a media darling or not. The thing that will matter is W's and L's.

Does this sound like the way Saban handles the media?

Like CNS, Dooley is a football coach. Coach Dooley was hired to run the Tennessee Football Team. You've had your media darling. Look at the results.
(You've had your 'Clown Prince'...)
You will find that CDD is interested in schemes and Xs & Os.
It is a fortunate thing for Tennessee that CDD is not interested in making a spectacle of himself. Dooley will get lots of press when the cousins in Tennessee see positive news, see wins, and can look everyone in the eye and say that you won with class.
(I hate to say that it's been so long that part of the VOL fan base are gonna have to learn how again. Fulmer was out eating doughnuts when honor & class were discussed. Kiffin was missing in action also.)

Like the TV add: 'Are you in good hands?' Yes you are.

CNS controls what's said & who talks to the press. He believes in
'One Message', 'One Voice'... Think back, the media was not at all happy with CNS when he came to Tuscaloosa. They have more access now that CNS knows who he can trust.
CDD learned the CNS Philosophy and some very good principals for operations from CNS, and he's applying them on the Tennessee Football Team.

 

[Hal Bennett]

In the closing scene of the movie Patton, General Bradley, played by Karl Malden, says to Patton, played by George C. Scott, something like: "I think we are going to have to become politicians. Just being a general is no longer going to be enough."

Patton replies, "God help us."

The same surely holds true for football coaches. It is no longer enough just to be a college football coach -- or even a big high school head coach. You have got to deal with the media nowadays.

At Alabama we have talked about Coach Bryant as being "the greatest football coach." Well, a considerable part of his career was spent dealing with the media. All you have to do is look at chapters 20, 21, and 23 of his autobiography, Bear.

I think that one facet of Coach Bryant was his ability to do his own publicity. He had a genius for it. But the main thing about it seemed to be that he believed if you didn't get a handle on how the Press treated you, the Press would either ignore you or eat you up. He chose to get its attention, give it something to write about, and therefore to control it. That's right -- control it.

It has always seemed to me that after Bryant left the scene, here in Alabama, the Press, clumsily handled by the likes of Ray Perkins, forgot all about the relationship it had had with Coach Bryant. Instead of being the advocate of Alabama football, over the years the Press here settled into what the press had settled into on the national level. To be an advocate of your subject was no longer cool. The journalism schools evidently were teaching just the opposite.

When Nick Saban came here, he did just what he had done at LSU. He got the attention of the Press, and through them he got the attention of the state of Louisiana. He made sense. He communicated. For some reason, he seems to have found the Press in Alabama to be more of a problem than the one in Louisiana had been. Or maybe his attitude towards the Louisiana Press was just concealed better, I don't know.

But Saban has done essentially what Bryant did regarding the Press. If Bryant didn't think the Press was helping him, he took steps to remedy that. That is obviously what Saban has done. The agreement Saban seems to want with the Press might be explained this way:

"Look, you want a great, continuing story to write about? Here, I can give it to you. But you may have to give up a lot of tendencies you have had writing about other coaching staffs A'ight?"

 

[TommyMac]

The man has work to do, work that is more important for your football program than schmoozing with the media jerks. You'll appreciate it down the road.

 

[VolFan1]

The man has work to do, work that is more important for your football program than schmoozing with the media jerks. You'll appreciate it down the road.

I think you are right. I have no problem with him not talking. I would rather see him concentrate on the task at hand. Lets face it, this 2010 has serious OL/DL issues. These are potentially HUGE problem areas. Not sure how I could stress that more There are other areas as well, but I would consider these two the worst. I would MUCH rather see Dooley concentrate on his team and on getting things headed in the right direction as opposed to making tons of media engagements.

Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait for spring practice to start so he will be talking some. As I stated, I think this is the least of his concerns.

 

[Honden]

CDD is a much needed breath of fresh air. Maybe, just maybe , we can witness this little thing called TSIO get back to what it was when I was a young man.

One can hope anyway.

 

[Honden]

I think you are right. I have no problem with him not talking. I would rather see him concentrate on the task at hand. Lets face it, this 2010 has serious OL/DL issues. These are potentially HUGE problem areas. Not sure how I could stress that more There are other areas as well, but I would consider these two the worst. I would MUCH rather see Dooley concentrate on his team and on getting things headed in the right direction as opposed to making tons of media engagements.

Don't get me wrong, I cannot wait for spring practice to start so he will be talking some. As I stated, I think this is the least of his concerns.

Are there 100k people that want to see the results of CDD's first spring? Do they want to know bad enough to attend the spring game?

 

[nickknx865]

Are there 100k people that want to see the results of CDD's first spring? Do they want to know bad enough to attend the spring game?

I don't think we've ever had 100,000 for a spring game. The last 2-3 years, Neyland's been under renovations, so parts of the stadium haven't been open.

 

[InsaneMustang]

Maybe he looked at the previous coach and realized that talking is way overrated.

 

[InsaneMustang]

I don't think we've ever had 100,000 for a spring game. The last 2-3 years, Neyland's been under renovations, so parts of the stadium haven't been open.

Is that what you call the seat re-alignment project?

 

[CapitalTider]

I think prior to CNS (and I'm not sure how it got started or who started it) there were a TON of obligations placed on the Alabama HC's time. There were tons of alumni clubs to visit, charity events, etc. CNS is very focused and does not want extra demands on his time that he felt should be spent coaching and/or recruiting. One of the conditions when he took the Alabama job was that a large portion of those extra time demands would cease. Initially I think that ruffled some feathers and contributed to a certain impression of CNS. However, with his results so far I imagine much of that has been forgotten.

 

[BamaBeta]

Maybe he looked at the previous coach and realized that talking is way overrated.

Not sure if it is true, but it definitely is a good strategy.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Is that what you call the seat re-alignment project?

I can actually fit into a Neyland seat. However, I keep getting seated next to someone who's about a 1.5 Neyland. Some years ago, I went to the UA/AU game, Frannie's last stand when he nuzzled Tuberville. We sat in the upper east backed seats and I was JessN's guest. The two friends of his with us could not get their butts between the armrests, so they sort of sat up on them. I sat between them. It was pretty miserable...

 

[VolFan1]

There won't be 100,000 at the spring game.

 

[CapstoneGrad06]

I don't think we've ever had 100,000 for a spring game. The last 2-3 years, Neyland's been under renovations, so parts of the stadium haven't been open.

Obviously not. The record was Alabama's, with just over 92,000 for a spring game. Ohio State broke it last year with 95,000.

 

[Saban14]

There won't be 100,000 at the spring game.

Obviously. You guys will be lucky to have 60k.

Here is a basic summation of CNS/Dooley:

CNS = Awesome, 2 national championship rings, excellent recruiter, "The Man."

Dooley = 17-20 at La Tech, wants to be CNS, run a bland offense and basic defense.

 

[VolFan1]

Obviously. You guys will be lucky to have 60k.

Here is a basic summation of CNS/Dooley:

CNS = Awesome, 2 national championship rings, excellent recruiter, "The Man."

Dooley = 17-20 at La Tech, wants to be CNS, run a bland offense and basic defense.