AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > May > 28 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USSaban still steamed about “Saban Rule”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Destin, Fla.-Needless to say that Alabama coach Nick Saban is still steamed about the new rule that has taken head coaches off the road during the May evaluation period for recruiting.
It didn’t take much prodding here at the SEC Meetings for him to continue to make his displeasure known. It may have something to do with the fact that the change, which was passed in January, has become known as the “Saban Rule.”
“I understand why they did it,” Saban said. “It was because everybody was paranoid about what everybody else is doing. I got turned in all kind of times because I was supposedly doing this and that and I wasn’t doing it. I was just watching practice and evaluating players, which is part of our job.”
In the past head coaches could visit schools in May to evaluate a rising senior. They could talk to the coaches, watch practice or film. But they could not talk to the player other than an incidental contact or “bump.”
The problem became that many of these visits by head coaches were turned into big events. The high school coach, trying to help his player, would make sure the player came in contact with the head coach. Some coaches followed the rules. Some coaches participated and stretched the bump rule pretty thin.
There was really no effective way to enforce the no contact rule. So legislation was proposed to end the uncertainty by taking head coaches off the road and letting assistants do the evaluation.
It is worth noting that the legislation to make the change was sponsored by the SEC, whose coaches voted overwhelmingly for it. The vote, according to someone in the room, was not close. The NCAA passed the legislation last January.
Even some coaches who don’t agree with the new rule, like Florida’s Urban Meyer, understand why it was put into place.
“Coaches were being put in very uncomfortable positions,” Meyer said. “You’re not supposed to talk to the kid but you get to the school and a lot of people show up. The high school coach brings the kid out and so what do you do?”
Saban, who is known in the business as an aggressive and hands on recruiter, is not so understanding about the new rule.
During his NFL days Saban said he learned the value of player evaluation ahead of the draft. He takes the same approach in determining who Alabama will recruit. This rule, he said, takes one evaluation tool out of his hands.
“We get paid a lot of money and part of our job is evaluating players. If I’m in the NFL I’m watching guys play in college. I watch them in the combine. And then I work them out,” Saban said. “I think the interest we show in high school athletes promotes our game. And I like doing it.”
That is the key phrase. Saban knows that other head coaches don’t like that aspect of recruiting and he felt that gave him an edge. And when you’re trying to rebuild a program like Alabama, you need every edge you can get. A year ago he used that edge to put together the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class. Now it’s gone. That’s why he’s not happy.
Services »
Comments
By Atlanta Gator
May 28, 2008 8:42 AM | Link to this
It’s a good rule, Nick. Get over it.
By buck
May 28, 2008 8:44 AM | Link to this
1) Saban is known to push the envelope in regards to recruiting…there have been mulitple recruiting violations that have been turned over to the SEC from Auburn, Vandy and LSU to mention a few on Nick’s practices…..(this comes from a SEC coach who happens to be my good friend)….his commit was worded…”Nick thinks he is above the Law when it comes to recruiting”.
2) Granted on paper Bama had a great recruiting year last year….the questions is….how many of those players (over 25 in number)…get in school….and actually pan out….Time will tell. I do know that the 4 targeted players from Louisiana that he wanted all committed to LSU and that Bama will lose to Auburn and LSU for the 7 and 6 consecutive years this fall.
By AUtiger
May 28, 2008 9:14 AM | Link to this
Amen Buck!
By BullDawg Rick
May 28, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this
Good Ole St. Nick will also get another L hung on him “tween the Hedges” this season…
He’ll be tired & gone from Bummer in less than 5 years.. Book it…
BTW.. His reference to the NFL??? LOL He was a great evaluator of talent wasn’t he?? NOT!!!
Satan does live the NFL moniker though.. Not For Long…
By Miles
May 28, 2008 9:28 AM | Link to this
Destin, Florida…a high of 82 degrees today…about 71% humidity…winds from the southwest at 9 miles per hour…not bad!
By AltamahaDawg
May 28, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this
Oh good, another article on Nick Saban, it had been a few days.
By Jim
May 28, 2008 9:49 AM | Link to this
Atlanta Gator-
Urban Legend was not in favor of the rule either.
Buck-
Do you realize that LSU offered 11 recruits scholarships that committed to Bama? Most of which were from the Mobile area. It’s funny how the LSU fans didn’t have any problem’s with Saban recruiting when he was at LSU. Also funny that a couple years after he brought in the number #1 Class at LSU he won a National Championship…but I’m sure thats just more propaganda…blah blah blah. There is more Saban envy on this board than anywhere else.
Roll Tide
By Haywood Jablowme
May 28, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this
Both $aban and Urban Cryer are proponents of the old axiom, “rules are made to be broken”….or “it’s only illegal if you get caught”. I expect any rule that limits their contact with a potential signee will be met with hostility from their respective camps. Start looking for another coach, Bama….as soon as Saban gets tired of the rules, he will bolt for the NFL again…or wherever there are more dollars to be made.
By buck
May 28, 2008 10:01 AM | Link to this
blah blah blah….roll on you payroll tide…”I am a rolling baby”
War Eagle !!
By Lee Curso
May 28, 2008 10:03 AM | Link to this
and it’s only gonna get BIGGER and BIGGER!!
i have several LSU friends that know what Saban is capable of. it wasnt long ago they were b*** about hiring some yankee from michigan state. lol!
By Roswell Ed
May 28, 2008 10:04 AM | Link to this
What else can you say about this guy that hasn’t been said before?
What’s funny is that all the myopic sycophant Bammer fans will get on here and tell us how jealous we are that we don’t have Satan as our coach.
You guys just don’t get it.
Some men want to do great things.
Some men want to be great men.
Where would any of y’all put your coach?
By Bama Cheaters
May 28, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
Who is going to believe anything Saban says as he is a proven liar and fits right into the Tide program. Remember when Bama was caught cheating and blamed Fulmer for telling on them?
By Gene
May 28, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this
It is ridiculous that 16 and 17 year olds should be pandered to and pursued by head coaches during their junior year in high school. It is no wonder that many of them come to believe they are entitled to behave any way they please when they finally reach the college campus.
By Lee Curso
May 28, 2008 10:14 AM | Link to this
“Remember when Bama was caught cheating and blamed Fulmer for telling on them?”…..he did! whats your point?
By Lee Curso
May 28, 2008 10:15 AM | Link to this
“Remember when Bama was caught cheating and blamed Fulmer for telling on them?”…..he did! whats your point?
By Jeff
May 28, 2008 10:18 AM | Link to this
Saban = where theres a will theres a way and believe you me that guy will find it.
By mike
May 28, 2008 10:21 AM | Link to this
GET OVER IT CRYBABY. GO BACK TO THE NFL IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE COLLEGE RULES, OOPS, TRIED THAT… CAN’T HANDLE THE BIG BOYS.
By tigerhorn
May 28, 2008 10:29 AM | Link to this
Saban envy? What is that? Envy of a half dozen plus off field arrests in less than a year? Envy of a 6-6 record? Envy of 4 losses to close the season? Envy of losing to La.-Monroe at home? Or best of all, envy of dropping ANOTHER Iron Bowl to your biggest rival?
The entire notion of “Saban Envy” is indicative of why Bama has fallen so far and been so mediocre for so long- Bammer nation wholeheartedly believes that past glory is a guarantor of current and future success. Until they start to grasp reality and live in the now, they will continue to miss the mark.
Saban is a good coach and at some point will achive a measure of success at Bama but it won’t be enough for the fans and he’ll be out of Tuscaloosa and in someplace like Austin, Ann Arbor, Clemson, Pittsburgh,or Morgantown by the beginning of the 2012 season.
By Wil Walton
May 28, 2008 10:33 AM | Link to this
It’s amazing that all the Big 10 (err… 11) fans look down their noses at the SEC and say that the SEC dominates because of cheating, and say that the schools are running football factories instead of institutions of higher learning. Where did Nick Saban come from again?
By UnderDawg
May 28, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this
True that, Tigerhorn…..The average stay for a coach at Bama since the Bear Bryant era has been a total of ……a whopping 3 years. How can any team expect unreal things like a National Title in 3 years? I believe it took Bobby Bowden 18 seasons to win his first one at FSU. Bryant is gone. Has been since 1982. Stop looking for the next Bryant, because there won’t ever be another one.
By Lee Curso
May 28, 2008 10:45 AM | Link to this
tigerhorn, at least your not envious! LOL!
By Lee Curso
May 28, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this
tigerhorn, at least your not envious! LOL!
By Gen Neyland
May 28, 2008 10:59 AM | Link to this
Aaahhh, Grasshoppers. Wise men have said that rules are made to be broken. But get the arse slung up for playing the game of ‘everybody else does’ shouldn’t make it right. It’s not WHO rats on WHO, it’s WHO cheats and WHO doesn’t… Or to others, it’s WHO gets caught and WHO doesn’t. I had a HS football coach tell me one day that cheating sure beats losing. What a lesson to coach up a kid, right..? In all aspects of life, there are people looking for that edge that gives them a bump over their adversaries. Playing by the rules may mean stretching them on occasion, but to knowingly surrogate wrong for right can mean probation in the NCAA…That’s all I got to say about that.
By Lee Curso
May 28, 2008 11:04 AM | Link to this
ya ya ya……….good ole squeaky clean rocky flop.
oh, DJ Hall just caught another pass!
By shane #1
May 28, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this
There was an intresting article in the Chattanooga Free Press about the top 20 recruits in 2005. Five left school after Their jr year to persue pro careers, some were academic casualties, and 11, {over 50%}, have been arrested. One of those eleven will be serving an 8 year sentence for being involved in a robbery and shooting. BTW, Fulmer seems to agree with Gene, he had one of the 20 that is no longer with the UT program. Fulmer puts some of the blame on the hype that these kids are subject to while still in High School. Nick’s carping is just a smoke screen, 2005 was before the Saban Rule took effect. Saban and Meyer cast wide nets when They recruit, offering well over a hundred kids a year. Hey, if a kid screws up or can’t make the grades you can always kick Him out! Nick and Urban, you claim to work so hard at recruiting, narrow Your focus and go after kids that fit Your program. You don’t need to recruit every 5 star player out there!
By (SEC) So Everybody Cheats
May 28, 2008 11:15 AM | Link to this
If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’! Woof! Woof!
By SEC Meetings
May 28, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this
The SEC should oust Kentucky and Vanderbilt from the SEC and bring in Virginia Tech and Clemson. Can you imagine that? Virginia after all was the capital of the Confederacy. Just a random fantasy to make the strongest football conference even stronger.
By Rich
May 28, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this
Maybe they should name it after Tubberville and call it the “Lazy Coaches’ Rule?”
He was getting his lazy azz kicked so he gets behind some rule that allows his lazy azz to sit at home.
He’s just buying time before he’s out at auburn.
By bamafan1
May 28, 2008 11:32 AM | Link to this
ALL OF TEH COMMENTS ABOUT BAMA FANS RECITING PAST HISTORY IS TRUE. EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED FROM YESTERDAY BACK IS PAST HISTORY. ALL OF YOU HAVE LOSING RECORDS AGAINST BAMA AND NONE OF YOU HAVE THE CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY. ENVIOUS, I THINK SO.
By kudzoo
May 28, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
This forum reminds me of an old African adage that says “It takes a pack of jackals to bring down the mighty lion.” You can almost smell the fear here.
By Lake Wales Dawg
May 28, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Urban Meyer doesn’t give a crap about the whole thing because his entire recruiting efforts are built around poaching players committed to other teams. Check it out and I guarantee you that right now he’s got fewer verbals than any of the other major SEC schools. But just wait till signing day. One he ain’t getting: Aaron Murray!
By Jamar
May 28, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this
Let the man outwork everybody if he wants to do that. Don’t pass rules if youre not wanting to work as hard. And all this hatin here seems like paranoia. and I’m a dawg at heart.
By Bob
May 28, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this
SEC Meetings, that’s all we need to do is try to make the SEC harder than it already is. We would never get a team back into the national championship game because they couldn’t get through conference without multiple losses.
By Matt
May 28, 2008 11:58 AM | Link to this
Oh, how funny it is to see the jealousy. Alabama has 21 SEC Titles and 12 National Championships. Everyone is just afraid of what is coming, and that is Bama getting back on top. I hope everyone has enjoyed it while we were down, because now the King has come to reclaim his throne. Roll Tide!
By JimmyD
May 28, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this
bamafan1 Sorry, I would rather enjoy the present than close my eyes and think about the past. kudzoo This forum reminds me of an old Southern adage that says “If it sells like zhit and looks like zhit it’s probable Saban talking” You can almost smell the tide.
By Spike
May 28, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this
Oh, please.. Cry me a river, Nick. You feel put upon by this rule? Poor you. Signed the Miami Dolphin Fans!!! Jerk.
By BamaDon
May 28, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this
I will say this about Nick Saban, he knows how to get his name in the newspaper and other print items. Yes he is a great recruiter and a sorry horse’s behind, but he does care want you think about him one minute. I really used to like Saban when he was the coach of the Miami Dolphins, but he lied like a congressman and took the job at Bama. I just hope before I die that Bama will get a head coach with some class and will follow the rules and not have rules named after them!! Well I have said enough!! ROLL TIDE!!
By Chuck Arnold
May 28, 2008 12:16 PM | Link to this
Nick Saban is as delusional as George Bush. He was a total, pathetic waste of time, yet he cites this experience whenever he needs to make a point? He was a loser in Baton Rouge (USC would have DESTROYED that secondary on 03) and he will be a loser at Bama, too. Have you idiots forgotten that this is the same man who “coached” LSU to a homecoming loss to UAB? That’s hall of fame material!
By Big Boy
May 28, 2008 12:20 PM | Link to this
TO BULLDAWG RICK: WE DON’T PLAY LSU “TWEEN THE HEDGES”, DO A LITTLE HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU LOOK STUPID AGAIN!
By saint nick
May 28, 2008 12:22 PM | Link to this
Barners,doggies,rocky floppers,tiggers,razorhashers,gapers,gamehogs, YOU HAVE BEEN PUT ON NOTICE!!!!!! FACE IT BAMA WILL BE BACK ON TOP SOONER THAN LATER!!!! HAVE FUN FIGHTING FOR THE CHICKFILA AND THE INDEPENDENCE LOSERS!!!!!!
By Sammy Kershaw
May 28, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
Face it Nick Saban is your daddy. Beleive it now, or wait until later. Only thing for certain is you WILL beleive it!!!
By UGAly
May 28, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this
“From my experience in the NFL” How’d that work out for you Nick?
By Bravesfan79
May 28, 2008 12:54 PM | Link to this
I used to be a big time fan of AL back in the Stallings days…now THAT was a hell of a coach!
But now, with traitor nick as coach, and the president coming out against a playoff system…. i just cant root for them anymore.
I hope UGa woops that a$$!!!
Saintnick: what are you talking about man, the season is already over because AL isnt ranked in the top 10 to start the year. You will be headed to just as meaningless a bowl game as everyother team in the country thats not in the championship game!
THE BOWL SYSTEM SUCKS!!
BUT HEY I GUESS ALL THE KIDS WOULD CRY IF EVERYONE DIDNT GET A TROPHY AT THE END OF THE YEAR!
Me…i played College Soccer…and once we were knocked out of the national tourney it was OVER!
No celebrating on the field just because we came in 10th in the nation or whatever. No jumping around like jackasses with our fingers raised in the air like we actually did something.
BECAUSE I PLAYED A REAL SPORT…WITH A REAL CHAMPION!!
Not some paper chump….i mean champ
By The General Feeling
May 28, 2008 12:57 PM | Link to this
Is anyone surprised the Bama head football coach is resorting to “boarderline” recruiting practices? It’s what they do at Bama, they cheat.
By Wil Walton
May 28, 2008 12:57 PM | Link to this
Big Boy, you might want to reconsider calling people stupid.
By YELLOWJACKETS REQUIRED
May 28, 2008 1:08 PM | Link to this
I’m Glad the SEC has implemented the SATAN rule. What is the latest ruling on the use of video conferencing?
I think SATAN was the first to use that technique in the SEC.
Love him or hate him, he is an innovator.
I still say BAMMER should have kept Bill Curry.
By War Eagle 02
May 28, 2008 1:09 PM | Link to this
I love how Bama fans can’t be humble. Not even after beating them (6) years in a row!! I am envious though, I want to be a degenerate redneck.
By Atlanta Gator
May 28, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this
Jim—-I know that it is difficult for some Dawg fans to believe, but many Florida alumni can read, and yes, I did read Tony’s piece and was aware that Urban Meyer was not in favor of the new rule. Nevertheless, it is still a good rule. Just because we’re fans of a particular university’s sports program, does not mean that we have to drink the Kool-Aid. (Translation: Just because Meyer, Richt, Saban, Spurrier or Tuberville said it, doesn’t make it gospel.)
By Andy Rooney
May 28, 2008 1:25 PM | Link to this
Didja ever notice how other than winning a national title at LSU, his record is pretty darn mediocre? Louisana Monroe, indeed.
By Haywood Jablowme
May 28, 2008 1:42 PM | Link to this
I AM STILL A BIG FAT REDNECK IDIOT!!! UGA ALL THE WAY!!!
By Bama Envy
May 28, 2008 1:45 PM | Link to this
Good God Almighty…how many allbarn fans are going to respond.
Maybe you would win a national championship every now and then if you quit worrying about The Crimson Tide and paid attention to your own program….no one else does either.
By Mike
May 28, 2008 1:56 PM | Link to this
As a Bama fan, I cannot imagine posting a comment on an article about Tubby or Fulmer. Kinda funny to see rival fans out in such numbers and so wound up. It’s becoming Saban’s world and the rest of the SEC teams are merely visitors, I suppose ;-)
Anyway, before you rival fans throw too many stones, many of the other SEC coaches have complained about the new “Saban Rule” too - and many are now using the video conferncing as atool (much like the text message craze of a few years back) - and the video conferencing is (at least by the letter of the current rule) very legal.
Finally, I don’t remember Sabaqn getting in trouble with the NCAA at LSU, I doubt he will here at Bama, either.
Keep on drinking the Haterade, SEC fans - it lets me know that Bama is on the way back.
Mike
By Bama Eagle Tide Plainsman
May 28, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
Anyone from Alabama fits the catagory of degnerate redneck - that’s the state and the school war tigers.
By Herschel Talker
May 28, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
Alabama fans live in the past. Your glory years have long passed you and players of today have no interest in going to Tuscaloosa when they can play for USC, Miami, LSU, UGA, UT or UF. All of which are more successful than the Tide. Saban sucks and along with Spurrier, his time has passed!
By shane #1
May 28, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
Atlanta Gator, You may be right about not drinking the kool-aid, never touch the stuff myself, but when the Bear spoke, THAT, was gospel! I agree with You in that I think the rule is a good one. I would also like to see an early signing day. I am sick of kids calling a press conference and going through the routine of trying on different hats! UGA got burned last year by Allen. In the future I hope They drop a kid that waffles on His commitment and give the slot to a kid that really wants to be there. There is no sense in several major universities being held hostage by an 18 year old that wants His 15 minutes of fame.
By Herschel Talker
May 28, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
This is the REAL Herschel Talker. Someone keeps stealing my brilliant moniker.
By gdawginkalamazoo
May 28, 2008 2:16 PM | Link to this
The Saban Rule, LMAO!
Miles, 38 degrees as the low in Kalamazoo, frost warning last night and tonight. At least the sun made an appearance. Wonder why Saban ever left MSU? Wonder why Jim Tressel wears a sweater vest year round? Hmmm 38 degrees just three days from June. At least the grass doesn’t grow very much.
By Scott
May 28, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this
Big Boy you said “TO BULLDAWG RICK: WE DON’T PLAY LSU “TWEEN THE HEDGES”, DO A LITTLE HOMEWORK BEFORE YOU LOOK STUPID AGAIN!”
This was in response to this comment by BullDawg Rick “Good Ole St. Nick will also get another L hung on him “tween the Hedges” this season…”
So what does playing Alabama between the hedges have to do with LSU. Or are you so STUPID that you did not realize St. Nick is the coach at Alabama. Who UGA does play between the hedges September 27th!
As for the rule, Saban will find another loop hole for his recruiting style. May not like it or him but he is a good recruiter and a pretty good coach. If he gets the time Alabama will be back contending for the SEC crown, but I doubt he will get the time or he will move on once he does win something. It is what he has always done.
By Herschel
May 28, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
Sorry, it is just too good!
By AltamahaDawg
May 28, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
YELLOWJACKET REQUIRED, how many times are you going to repeat that same post from several days ago on a different blog?
By HannahMontana
May 28, 2008 2:45 PM | Link to this
You Aladambama fans need to get a grip. Yes, Satan should bring you back to contention, but you are not there yet. Lay off the smack talk, you are getting as bad as UGA fans!
By one up
May 28, 2008 2:47 PM | Link to this
UGA fans will always be jealous Saban isn’t their head coach
By gdawginkalamazoo
May 28, 2008 2:54 PM | Link to this
Shane #1, right on. The recruiting process is terrible. Thanks to Rodney Garner, Richt and the rest of the coaching staff we don’t have to face a lot of that. The quality kids know a good thing when they see it. That’s why we see quite a few kids on campus in January starting early.
By Smith
May 28, 2008 2:55 PM | Link to this
Two points:
I do find it ironic that that uses a name “Herschel Talker” speaks so feverishly about Alabama living in the past.
The rule does NOT preclude assistant coaches from visiting during spring evaluations. An (not the only)intent of the rule was to protect the high school experience for the young man. All the rule really effects are high-profile head coaches who want to evaluate talent personally.
By TC
May 28, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
Tebow? a QB? Oh, no son.. he is gonna play FB or LB…
By TC
May 28, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
Tebow? a QB? Oh, no son.. he is gonna play FB or LB…
By TC
May 28, 2008 3:03 PM | Link to this
I am the LAST person to defend Urban but his comment makes total sense that it was a lose-lose for coaches trying to follow the rules.
Talk to the HS player and break the rules or ignore the HS player amidst all the fanfare and say goodbye to any chances you had…
By Haywood Jablowme
May 28, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
Like my ole high School coach used to say…..Soccer is football for a*******holes……
By Herschel
May 28, 2008 3:04 PM | Link to this
Smith, you obviously miss the tongue in cheek point. What should I expect from a Bammer Fan?
By TC
May 28, 2008 3:06 PM | Link to this
@ one up - hilarious. Yeah, us UGA fans are sooooo in need of a HC.. I think we are doing just fine.
@ any Bama fan with a memory - make sure you bring that 3rd QB to Athens this year… pretty boy has half the juevos as Croyle…or even Pennington.
By tech-hater
May 28, 2008 3:07 PM | Link to this
Fake Haywood, the rest of us now agree….you’re a big fat redneck idiot….UGA all the way !!
By CarolinaJacket
May 28, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this
Shane #1, I guess the school could give a kid a deadline if they ran into a situation like you guys did with Allen. It wouldn’t be common but could be used at certain times. And I agree with you about “the hat” thing. That’s poor theatrics.
By Jack G
May 28, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
Its not Envy of Saban, its Fear.
When it comes to recruiting there are two kinds of coaches—-THE CAUGHT AND THE UNCAUGHT.
By shane #1
May 28, 2008 3:41 PM | Link to this
Zoo, not to rub it in but the beach was great this weekend. Temps in the low nineties and a nice beeze, and young things in bikinis galore! As to Your post, Richt and His staff seem to target certain players, while Saban and Meyer take more of a shotgun approach. That is why UGA only offered 60 someodd players while the other two offered twice as many. All three have recruited well, so both methods seem to work, but I prefer Richt’s method. No one has a crystal ball and You can’t tell how a kid is going to turn out. As a retired football coach buddy of mine says “You can’t look at the monkey and tell how good the circus will be.” However, I would think a 3 star kid with decent grades, a good work ethic, and the type of personality that will blend with his team mates will have a better chance of succeding on the college level than some prima donna 5 star. Two examples, Clint Boling and Ben Jones.
By Bravesfan79
May 28, 2008 3:46 PM | Link to this
Haywood: soccer is a sport played WITHOUT pads! Ever seen someones shin bone sticking out from their leg from a hard slide tackle?? I have in one of my college games. Along with many many broken legs, and spikes in the head. Oyea we dont wear helmets either!
In college we woke up and ran 3 miles in the mountains at 5am. Then had a long practice again later in the day.
I played baseball, soccer and basketball….and soccer was BYFAR the most physicially demanding!
You see plenty of fat football and baseball players, you dont see any fat soccer players!
Sounds like your football coach was one of the old washed up football players, with a beergut and eating twinkies on the couch.
Oyea did i mention soccer is the most popular sport IN THE WORLD!
I like College Football 2…..but because of the BCS i dont consider it on the same level as the major sports (NHL, NFL, MLB, NBA, College Basketball, European Soccer)
College Football is more along the lines of ….WNBA, Body building, dog shows….. all HYPE…little action!
Dont get me wrong, im rooting for UGA to win it all, but just dont have any faith in the system to get the title game right!
By GT
May 28, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this
Why do coaches sugarcoat what they do and why do we buy it. It is like being caught in a house of ill repute and saying you are shopping for something for your wife. College football and coaching are no longer part of the lazy feel good the rest of the college is part of. Once you pay a man a million dollars you start to expect a hired gun not a preacher. Hell the reporters especially the networks, are making millions. About the only person not making anything is the kid playing the game or his parents who probably did most of the real work.
By Bear
May 28, 2008 4:01 PM | Link to this
Citizens of Atlanta, I want you to appreaciate this blessed time. by the end of the year you will realize the future is NOW. This is not the year of the Bulldawg but the year the Tide ROLLS back into town, not once but TWICE. Get ready. You get two chances to see this mighty team, the Clemson game and the SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
Mark it down. It will Happen. SEC CHAMPS, 2008.
ROLL TIDE!
By Steve Spurrier
May 28, 2008 4:02 PM | Link to this
I wish this rule mattered to us…But no one wants to come play here. All we get are the second-tier hand me down players like Valdosta State gets.
By Bravesfan79
May 28, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this
Whats with all the young AL fans kissing Sabans azz so much.
Hes never done anything for AL except wip your azz with LSU.
Im a oldschool Bama fan, but man Saban is a traitor and i dont think hell ever do anything meaningfull at AL. Just look at all the d******* hes recruiting!
Saban cant hold a candle to Gene Stallings!!
UGA’s coach Richt is 10 times the man…and coach that traitor saban is.
All the oldschool Bama fans know Saban is a fake and yall wasted your $$ on him. All you dumb young cats come on here talking like hes a God or something. I guess because you dont know any better. Hey ignorance is bliss right??
I can name about 30 Pro and College coaches id rather have than traitor saban.
By Peerless Mama
May 28, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this
Can’t we all just get along?
By Ryan is the next Brady
May 28, 2008 4:12 PM | Link to this
Please Hershel Talker, as a UGA fan, don’t accuse Alabama fans of living in the past. Thats a ridiculous comment
Shane #1 great story out of the ‘Nooga Papaer.
GOO DAWGS!
By shane #1
May 28, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
CarolinaJacket, a deadline isn’t necessary, just let the kid know that as long as He is shopping, You are shopping. Then a if good Kid expresses intrest, sign Him and withdraw Your offer to the one that can’t make up His mind. Had Allen changed His mind earlier there were several other good players that wanted to be at UGA, Richt should have withdrawn the offer earlier.
By jmpbama92
May 28, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this
Everyone says this is a good rule, yet no one tells their opinion on why it is a good rule. Think about the rule for a while, and then realize that it hurts the kids not the schools. The schools do not give a rats a$$ about the players they recruit until they commit. The kids need every opportunity to get a coaches attention and the SEC just $hit on that unbelievable. Everyone on this board only cares about how it affects their school…….what about of selfish jerks.
By gdawginkalamazoo
May 28, 2008 4:29 PM | Link to this
Shane#1, the bikinis come out for about a week in August here right after the ice breaks away from the shoreline.
bravesfan79, soccer is definitely a tough sport to play. Been there done that. We could out run the cross country team we were so well conditioned (keyword: were). Also hearing a leg snap when two people are going after the ball is not soemthing you will ever forget.
By DC Dawg
May 28, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this
It’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog with an honorable coach like Mark Richt. He’s visiting the troops in the Mideast while the sleaze coaches are slinking around… If I were a high school senior, it’s a no brainer who I would prefer as my coach…
By DC Dawg
May 28, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this
It’s great to be a Georgia Bulldog with an honorable coach like Mark Richt. He’s visiting the troops in the Mideast while the sleaze coaches are slinking around… If I were a high school senior, it’s a no brainer who I would prefer as my coach…
By Bama Man
May 28, 2008 5:12 PM | Link to this
Saban is doing the job that he has been paid to do like or not SEC fans. The guy busts his butt to out hustle the other coaches in the SEC to get the best players. The guy has a National Championship ring that proves he knows how to get it done. It shines brightly in the camera lights when he’s interviewed. Without Saban’s recruiting efforts at LSU , no title for Mr. Miles at LSU . How about you Auburn? (Tuberville’s NC’s = 0 unless you count the one that they fabricated) How about you Georgia? (Richt NC”s = 0) If I’m correct, I do not see any National Title Rings that they’ve won as a head coach. Enough said. Roll Tide!
By Cuz
May 28, 2008 5:22 PM | Link to this
Bravesfan, it is my understanding that there are more injuries in soccer than in football. Well if you use your head to hit a ball, it kinda makes sense or knocked senseless. I remember the Rugby players at my time at UGA, those guys were either tough or pain freaks. When you found a bunch of them drinking in a bar, it was a good idea to find another bar.
I harbor no ill will to soccer players, it just seems a tad bit boring unless you have a friend or kid playing in the game.
Another thing that amazes me is the ammount of kids playing soccer and soccer can not get any traction in attendence or television audience. A conundrum.
By Cuz
May 28, 2008 5:26 PM | Link to this
I don’t understand the preoccupation with Nick Saban. Okay he has a ring. Okay he hustles. Okay he has a big fat contract. And last but not least, he has Jimmy Johnson life like hair.
By who gives a rip
May 28, 2008 5:50 PM | Link to this
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
By FL DAWG
May 28, 2008 6:12 PM | Link to this
1) Rules are rules abide by them. That is part of what the coaches are paid to do.
2) If you push and bend rules to the breaking point, eventually you are going to have a governing body establish another rule. If coaches lived in the spirit of the rule, there would be less rules to abide by.
3) With that said, it is understandable why coaches bend rules as far as they can, they get paid to win in addition to following the rules. They have to do everything they can to get the best possible players on their team so they can win. In reality it is a catch 22 for the coaches.
By Cuz
May 28, 2008 7:37 PM | Link to this
I just read the article about Coach Richt, CTT, Coach Weiss, the Yale Coach and one other I cannot recall. It was an inspiring story. We are blessed at UGA with a great man as our coach. Evidently our Auburn cousins are also blessed.
I wonder where Coach Saban was during this trip. Oh yeah, trying to figure out a way to get past the Saban rule and maybe a video conference or two. Bama, you can keep him and his MNC ring, I won’t trade. And don’t try to up the ante by throwing in the Old worn out Ball Coach and a round at the Augusta National. He is toast and the National is closed for the summer. Belive it or don’t, it is a winter course. Thank you Bobby Jones, GT grad no less, and of course, no more. I met him when I was a kid. Okay he said get out of the way kid when I was in the way of his golf car, but hey he was from Tech, whadda you expect. He had a real nice pocket protector on his Green Jacket.
By TigerEducated
May 28, 2008 8:17 PM | Link to this
Nick,
Let’s hope the folks in Tuscaloser aren’t paying you for your talent evaluation ability.
I seem to remember your 1st-and worst-free agent signing in Miami was going with Daunte Culpepper at quarterback…
I know…I know. An absolutely terrible choice. But, what should really worry folks at the Capstone should be the guy he passed up…
None other than Drew Brees…
Nice job on that eval, Nick…Spot on…
By tsmonk
May 28, 2008 8:30 PM | Link to this
Yeah, Saban doesn’t care about the kids at all. Scumbag’s first freshman class got a 3.0 average. Best APR performance by the team, easily, since they’ve been tracking that score. Obviously no priorities.
By Bravesfan79
May 28, 2008 9:07 PM | Link to this
Cuz: your right, the respect America has for soccer is growing, just not among the people in charge of whats on American tv.
Take todays ENGLAND VS. US mens national game on tv today…it was only on espn classic and i couldnt see it. Sure it was only a exhibition…but im sure ESPN would of got better ratings for that than say…bowling, or WNBA, or alot of the other stuff they show.
They can put preseason NBA games on tv but cant put a rare matchup like England vs. US on tv? lame almost as lame as the bcs
By bIGdAWG
May 28, 2008 9:09 PM | Link to this
Mr. Adams whats wrong with this picture. We would like to keep one of the best coaches in the NCAA and you don’t want to pay him what he is worth. I wish they would pay you what you are worth. $0 and we could give it to M.R
The top five SEC coaches’ salaries in millions per year:
Coach……….School….Salary
1.Nick Saban..Alabama ..$3.75
2.Les Miles …LSU ……$3.5
3.Urban Meyer..Florida ..$3.25
4.Bobby Petrino..Arkansas..$2.85
5.Tommy Tubervi..Auburn….$2.8
5.Mark Richt….Georgia ..$2.8
By Public Relations
May 28, 2008 9:13 PM | Link to this
Saban’s a genius. Keep this in the headlines and all the hatin going on. 16 and 17 year olds just look at him in a higher level the more this happens.
Thanks for being another Saban victim posters. lol.
By SickandTired
May 28, 2008 9:40 PM | Link to this
Gosh I’m glad we Georgia fans have a good christian man like Mark Richt to lead us and recruit for us and never give a recruit money to come to Georgia. And never curse players on the practice field when the press isn’t around like drop the “f” bomb from time to time and assistant coaches that take our lords name in vain on a regular basis in front of the head coach. And oh gosh by golly we’re gonna win that national championship this year, just you wait and see, we have recruited the bestest of any school and done it honestly and without breaking the rules like everybody else in the whole gosh darn NCAA. Yes it’s good to be Georgia and dance like Superman in front of our young children. We are Georgia and you are not.
By SecIsFootball
May 28, 2008 9:48 PM | Link to this
Cuz….I love the “we are so blessed” comments. So, 6 coaches went over to Iraq, which means what, 130 didnt go. What scumbags all of them are. Saint Unsportsmanlike Conduct Richt really showed them. Our basketball coach has made the trip over there 2 or 3 times if I am correst with a number of other coaches. I guess that makes Felton an utter dirtbag for not making it there. Nice try!!!
BravesFan79….You tell us the same thing on here all the time. Yes you hate Saban. However, if you are an “old school” BAMA fan, you would support the team and players no matter what. Do us a favor and cheer for the Cow College in West Opelika!
By Bird-Dawg
May 28, 2008 9:55 PM | Link to this
Hey CUZ, Guy you crack me up! You need a regular column on the AJC. You could replace Terrence Moore any-day in my book. When were you in The Classic City going to school? We might know one another.
Hey Big Dawg, Based on your salary survey Nick Satan(sorry) Saban and Booby Petrino are definitely OVERPAID
The thing that REALLY sucks is that St. Nick gets paid more to lose a game than CMR makes to win a game. One big thing we’re forgetting about St. Nick and that is that he has to TOLERATE the TideNation. One really would need to be a SAINT to deal with those people. Heck, Bill Curry never had a losing season while he was there, (he just couldn’t beat The Plainsmen), and they threw a cinder- block through his livingroom window.
Bill Said “time to go”. Let CTT and the Tigers open up a can of Whupa$$ on the Tide for another couple of years and its SAYONARA for Nikisan.
By GATOR CHOMP
May 28, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this
Hey U LOOSER PUPPIES DONT BREAK YOUR ARMS PATING YOURSELVES ON THE BACK SICKandTIRED STOP DREAMING U FLEAD OUT MUTT
By War Eagle Trash
May 28, 2008 10:06 PM | Link to this
War Eagle 02, You are a piece of trash, you’re an Auburn fan. Go back to your barn and your pig, I mean sister, I mean wife.
Auburn fans are so pathetic. These are the worst years in alabama history and all you can do is put up a pathetic little 6 fingers. Nothing meaningful. How many fingers can you hold up for National Titles (real ones, not voted on by the community paper)? Just as many as Bama.
This is the high-water mark for Barn football, and Bama still has the longest winning streak in the series. We’re about to start a better one though. You can guarantee Bama fans won’t be as big of losers as you and hold up any other number than 1, which is what we will be in a few years.
You will always be #2 in the state. Deal with it.
By SlideRule
May 28, 2008 10:10 PM | Link to this
BAMMUH Fans! Why are you so pi$$ed that Georgia fans are dissing your recruiter? It is an Atlanta paper. Why don’t you raise hell on the local Tuscalooser paper? Oh, I forgot we’re talking about BAMMUH.
Personally, I’m looking forward to the Clemson vs. BAMMUH game in the Ga. Dome. That game will serve as a consolation prize for BAMMUH since they definitely won’t be playing for the SEC Championship in the Dome.
It will also serve as the first time of three that BAMMUH gets whipped by a team called the Tigers. Clemson, LSU and Auburn.
Y’all will end up the season just like last year, with Auburns boot on your neck.
By UGAy
May 28, 2008 10:20 PM | Link to this
I would like to take this time to congratulate UGAy on their preseason #1 ranking. I hope the rings look real nice for that. The only rings they will ever get.
Most overrated and underachieving coach in the SEC
By Barack O'Bama
May 28, 2008 10:25 PM | Link to this
Yes, I am an Alabama fan. I am a fan of the state of Alabama. That is how I got my last name. It is actually Irish. O’Bama means literally - “FROM A L A B A M A “
I would like to have the votes of everyone from Alabama, but mainly the educated ones. Therefore I guess only Auburn graduates will be voting for me. I find that most people who go to the Univ. of Alabama never Graduate! They just like to say they attended.
Go Tigers!
By Top Dawg
May 28, 2008 10:36 PM | Link to this
“During his NFL days….” Give me a break.
By lame^^^^^
May 28, 2008 10:36 PM | Link to this
.
By Rome Dawg
May 28, 2008 10:38 PM | Link to this
Alabama will never win a National Championship with Saban treating the Alabama faithful and media the way he does. Auburn will again start winning the recruits back.
Plus they will never win with Kirby Smart coaching the defense. He is just a Satan, I mean Saban puppet. He dissed Georgia for Saban. He can rot.
Go Dawgs
By Jacob the Church Mouse
May 28, 2008 10:44 PM | Link to this
I rebuke you satan (I mean Saban) in the name of Jesus Christ!
The SEC is onto your evil ways, so better watch it dude.
Go with God!
By billy bayou
May 28, 2008 10:44 PM | Link to this
Just watched the top 10 worst coaches in NFL history that should have staayed in college..#7 Nick Saban, so when he talks about “as a pro coach’ forget whatever comes after because he was horrible as a pro coach and everyone on the planet knows that is a fact.
By Cuz
May 28, 2008 10:56 PM | Link to this
Bird, I erolled winter 78 changed majors and graduated spring 83. I stayed in Athens two more years as a supervisor for the UGA transit system. I started driving the team to games in 81 and continued for years. As a supervisor I would sometimes get a call from Coach Dooley’s staff for a bus to take the first string down to the stadium from the practice field. Coach wanted them by themselves without the others. Man watched some great scrimmages from the fifty a few rows up. Coach Dooley was as nice a person as you would ever meet. It was fun being with the players hollering and carrying on before the game. Always had Dawg music cranking as loud as the bus stero would go. Great times, great memories. I am proud to be a Georgia Bulldawg.
SEC, hey it is not my fault that your coach is the great Satan. I am amazed the Baptist Baman’s (B square) let Satan be head coach. Ah just kidding, probably just some minor Demon. Saint Mark is pretty good at exorcising them demons. Remember Loosa 2007. I believe faithful Bama fans lost the faith that day. Can you say loser, sure you can. A real Popeye can of whupazz is awaiting you in Athens. CMR will bring the canopener.
I agree Bravesfan, heck I would choose to watch soccer over bowling. And we must think about the children. There are kids who play that are now out of school and could have watched a real match.
Oh Bird, Terrance Moore has diplomatic immunity. He can say or do whatever he wants, heck I just don’t read his columns. I don’t have time for racist this, bigot that.
UGA homophobe, are those the same cool party rings from the seventies. Man everybody got a party ring, and if you order today, we will throw in a Mr. Microphone, a Ron Popel pocket fisherman and a can of spray on hair.
By Saban
May 28, 2008 10:58 PM | Link to this
Dolphins Before Saban: 4-12 Dolphins w/Saban: 9-7 & 6-10 Dolphins After Saban: 1-15
I’d say he did pretty good with what that $*hole of an organization down there had to give him.
Saban was not a bad coach at Miami
By Cuz
May 28, 2008 11:07 PM | Link to this
Barak we might be kin. My family is from Northern Ireland. They call us the black Irish. Good luck in bamastan. I don’t think you get the Bama vote nor the Wareagle vote. But you can get some good barbeque. You look like you should gain some weight. Load up on ribs and tater salad. Oh yeah you are from Illinois. You say potato, I say tater. You say tomato, I say mater. Tater, mater, recruit violator, heck lets call the whole thing off.
By Rabun Dawg
May 28, 2008 11:10 PM | Link to this
Hey UGAY, Please explain to us what formula you use to define Mark Richt as overrated and underacheiving? I guess that a couple of SEC titles and some national rankings in his tenure to date qualifies him for those monikers? That is brilliant on your part, and sounds like a very jealous fan from the ACC bunch that resides in Georgia!
By Cuz
May 28, 2008 11:13 PM | Link to this
Saban, those win-loss ratios won’t land you a lot of friends in Bamastan. Dr. Phil can’t cure Miami’s problems. And Saint Nick, Great Satan, whatever you want to call him, won’t get the Pachyderms back to their rightful place in the football universe with Coach Tubby beating him every year. Get used to misery.
By War Eagle
May 28, 2008 11:15 PM | Link to this
Suitcase will be gone in a couple of years, so why comment on this transplant?
By Tider1
May 28, 2008 11:26 PM | Link to this
I do have to laugh reading this trash, sounds like the majority of you are whistling past the grave yard. I can garauntee the ones woofin’ the most here won’t be found when season’s over.
You can trash Coach Saban as much as you like but you know he’s turning things around and it’s going to be sooner rather than later. Bama will have at least two upsets this year and one will be between the hedges.
Richt seems to be a good man but as a coach he always manages to choke at least once a season. It’s amazing that he’s had the talent he has had there and still under achieves……
You can trash talk and bash our coach and program but it won’t change the fact that this team is turning around and you will not like the results.
And for the barn fans here your new “Spead Eagle” (can’t help but laugh when I hear that) offense it’s gonna be spread alright…. you better hope you D can win some games for you because it aint gonna fly.
By Cuz
May 28, 2008 11:30 PM | Link to this
So War, the eternal question, what program will he be drawn to like a magnet to quit Bama. Answer, the graveyard of coaches, USC east. They are carving his tombstone now.
I can’t wait for College gameday in Atlanta for the Bama-Clemson game. 45 minutes devoted to Saint Nick and a 30 second mention that Tommy Bowden comes from a coaching family. Think I might go outside the conference and pull for the mistake on the lake.
By SECIsFootball
May 29, 2008 12:49 AM | Link to this
Rome Dawg…I am not sure about your comment about how Saban treats the fans. Now, he is a jacka$$ to the media (most of them at least) but he has done nothing to treat the fans poorly. He may not spill every bit of info to the fans but I would not call that treating fans poorly. I think BAMA fans are happy with the progress he is making in bringing players in. He will build a winner and you can bet on it.
As for Smart…ARE YOU KIDDING ME? First you say he turned down UGA for Saban and then you say BAMA cannot win with him coaching the D. You must forgive the guy for deciding to stay with Saban where he is now a DC where as at UGA he would be a position coach. Maybe you feel that a guy should just accept the honor of simply coaching at UGA instead of going with the option that is best. As for him being a Saban puppet, it seemed to work out well for Muschamp, who I believe everyone said would not not help LSU D win. Well, Saban, Smart and Muschamp have something Richt doesnt and that is call a national championship ring. But, seriously…congratulations on your preseason national title. Maybe if you guys can actually not get beat down by UT this year, you will have a shot. I do think it will require black jerseys and consistent endzone celebrations to keep the necessary motivation.
By heeldawg
May 29, 2008 5:12 AM | Link to this
Tider1 (and other Bama fans):
First of all, I don’t begrudge a man trying to get an edge. Saban is a competitor, and he is simply willing to do whatever he can get legally away with to win. That’s his job. No problems there. If a loophole exists in the rules, it’s okay to jump through it until it is plugged.
That being said, there are folks who are willing to do things that are frankly morally reprehensible or are overt violations of established rules. Included in this are Spurrier’s willingness to give losers like Stephen Garcia second or third chances (the record of Spurrier ignoring such behavior at South Carolina is truly pathetic), Urban Meyer’s abandonment of his own recruits (witness his abortive recruitment of Frankie Green earlier this year or of the multiple “non-contributors” that he has encouraged to leave the program to open up scholarships for new recruits), and Fulmer’s “really, we’re laying down the law if he gets a seventh DUI” approach to All-SEC punter Colquitt’s alcohol problem. A similar problem can be seen with coaches who will say anything to a recruit to get him to come to their school (witness Miami telling 6’4” 270 pound, 4.8 sec 40-yard-dash recruit Allen Bailey that they’ll let him play linebacker, when all the world knows he’ll be a DE. What is he playing now? Yep, you guessed it—DE. And Urban Meyer famously told a QB recruit that Florida was recruiting Tim Tebow as a “linebacker or fullback”).
The problem people have with Saban is that he is viewed as lacking in character—that he’d do anything, even illegal stuff, to win, and that he is not a man of his word (“I am not going to Miami” was followed by “I am not going to Alabama,” and then he went both places). While the former may or may not be true (he’s not been placed on probation yet), the latter clearly is, and is, in itself, a legitimate indictment of his character. Georgia fans like Mark Richt mostly because he wins ball games, but I don’t think anyone would say that he is dishonest, selfish or that he misrepresents himself to his players (as a case in point, he kept Albert Hollis on scholarship for five years despite career-ending football injuries that never let him play a down in Athens). Georgia fans like the fact that he is a man of good character, as well as a winner. I don’t think anyone will see Nick Saban spending his vacations helping the poor in Honduras or visiting the troops in the Middle East anytime in the near future. It is true that no amount of good behavior would save Richt’s job if he were a bad coach (Ray Goff was a good guy, too), but it’s nice to have both attributes in your head coach if you can.
With regard to Bama’s chances this season, the Tide should be a little better this year, but you’re talking mighty big talk for a team that went 6-6 and lost at home to Louisiana-Monroe. If Saban can win in Athens this season, then he’s a better bench coach than I give him credit for being. He’s always been a great recruiter, and he had a great year recruiting this season, but he’ll need more than a bunch of freshmen to beat a loaded Georgia team on a mission this season. Defensive depth (or, rather, the lack of it) will be the Tide’s undoing this fall. Saban’s team may give the Dawgs a fight in the first half, but the Georgia talent on offense will be too much for the Tide in the second half in that game. I look for a ten-point Georgia win, with Moreno and company doing most of the damage against a worn-out Alabama defense in the second half.
Quality depth, my friend. That’s the advantage Georgia has over every other SEC team this season (even Florida). You’ll see it as it happens.
Doubters, you were warned.
By SecIsFootball
May 29, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this
HeelDawg…Very good points in your above post. As a BAMA fan I understand very well the issues that some fans have with Saban but to see so many people attack him for being angry with the new Saban Rule is ridiculous. It is like they want to fault him for wanting to work hard. When that rule went out for a vote several months back, 3 were against it. Saban, Meyer and Richt. The 3 coaches who have been known to outwork everyone else in recruiting. Then the video conferencing thing he was attacked for as well and it is completely legal. What is most surprising is the huge amount of UGA fans who are taking shots. BAMA and UGA are not rivals. Never have been, never will be. I can understand AU and UT fans but the amount of UGA fans who have some bitterness toward Saban is a bit ridiculous.
As for Richt…Yes he portrays himself as a very good person and does some great work with his mission trips. While you will say that you will never see Saban doing things like that, I think it is safe to say you wont see 99% of the D1 coaches doing that either. To call Saban out is unfair. I think what Richt did last year with the endzone celebration against Florida was a very classless more. In intercollegiate athletics to tell your team (whether it be the few guys on the field or the entire team) to get a unsportmanlike penalty call is very much crossing the line. But UGA fans applaud that and crap all over Saban for wanting to work hard and for whatever else they can seem to find. I am sure you are not aware but I can come up with 4-5 players that had severe enough injuries to end their career and Saban made sure to put them on a medical scholarship so they can work towards graduation and not have to pay for it. Another practice that is completely legal.
As for Saban’s bench coaching abilities. Well, just look at what he did at LSU. LSU had 3 winning seasons in the 90’s. In year 1 he went 8-4 and lost to UAB (our La.Monroe last year) and in year 2 he won the SEC Championship. In his 5 years at LSU he won 2 SEC titles (in 3 appearances) and a NC. Not exactly what I would use to label him a bad bench coach. Now, it would be big if he went into Athens and won. However, I would not expect a blow out. Last year, UGA had to win in overtime against a 6-6 team that lost to La Monroe. I dont believe an SEC title is in the cards this year but in 09 is the year I think we become serious competitors for the SEC West Title. This year I think we aim for a NYD bowl game and to ruin a few teams seasons. We will see what happens in the fall.
Finally, thanks for making a post on here that has some valid point. Those are few and far between.
By Tider
May 29, 2008 9:20 AM | Link to this
everyone needs to quit worrying about what alabama is doing and start worrying about their own team.
By shane #1
May 29, 2008 9:33 AM | Link to this
Zoo, so bikini season only lasts a week up there? Well I was not far from where Tony is now, and enjoyed watching the tan, nimble, little beauties from Fla, Ga, and Ala cavort in Their little swimsuits. The thought of pale, pasty skinned, corn fed, midwestern girls in bikinis just flashed through My mind. Be thankful it’s just one week!
By Boclive
May 29, 2008 9:38 AM | Link to this
I thought the days when BAMA could go into Georgia and get recruits that UGA wanted, Tennessee and get recruits that UT wanted, Florida and get recruits that UF wanted, Louisiana and get recruits that LSU wanted, Texas and get recruits that the Longhorns wanted, etc., etc., were LOOONNNG gone. But I was wrong.
And that’s why they call it the “SABAN RULE”.
Personally, I just want to beat Auburn once in a while. Roll Tide.
By BammerHead
May 29, 2008 1:37 PM | Link to this
Even an ex-wife looks good on paper, Dogs.
By Jobama
June 2, 2008 12:54 PM | Link to this
I wish all of you the best.
May the barn be forever bound by an academicly anemic institution that promotes sociology majors (with no class, literally)and group-bang cheats on online testing. It will be great watching the holy trinity at the barn infighting as they all hate each other—$Lowder$ vs. Tubs vs. Troy coach vs. real fans who think Tubs should do less duck hunting vs. Rev. $hett. When lowder’s bank fails, you guys are in deep dodo.
May the stellar “Christian” coach at jaja continue to sell his soul/religion to get a player whilst he employs “hear no evil, see no evil” towards yo alum with big bucks who are paying jaja’s way to the top. Jeez—just cause you can’t make a good test for your basketball players (and football WAS rooted in that) your cheating ways will become known to all soon enough.
Utee: may you forever be albatrossed with Phat Phil. Nuff said. You now have a good president who will halt the ATM cheating, insurance fraud, academic fraud….that only spells DEFEAT for your wimp-a** program. Better save that tooth you have left. It’s all you got.
UF has you all by the ballz and will dominate you in every way in the future of your lifetime. What they don’t get, Bama will if you ever make it to SECG through them. I am looking forward to Bama’s yearly meet with the Gators.
Roll Tide.
By Cookin' a Whoopin'
June 2, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
Read it and weep:
from: http://tiderinsider.com/inside/football/recruiting/updates/080602-tr.html
Trent Richardson picks the Tide. A top priority for the Tide’s recruiting class is the running back position. It appears that the Alabama coaches would like two top backs in this class. They got one of those today when Pensacola-Escambia blue-chipper Trent Richardson committed to Alabama. Richardson chose Alabama over LSU, Florida, Mississippi State, Auburn and Georgia, among others
By lotterman
June 2, 2008 3:49 PM | Link to this
Hey Hershel Talker, you say that Saban and Spurrier’s time is up huh, well it doesn’t look like Spurrier’s time is up quite yet for kicking that bullpuppy azz he seem’s to have kept right on rollin with the gamecocks right where he left off at with the gators!!! And all you second hand, jonny-come lately sec rejects (aubarn, uga, lsu, fla) can BELIEVE this Bama is on it’s way up. Bama’s gonna trash uga “tween the hedges” and oh yea, it’s a good thing tubby has that 6 in a row because he sure doesn’t have anything else to brag about his time at the cow college, well except for a broke down caddi and a lot of steroid induced NFL cripples!!!! ROLLTIDE!!!!
By TrueCrimson
June 12, 2008 4:14 PM | Link to this
Jealousy rears it’s ugly head. You can curse the Crimson Tide until the cows come home to Auburn. It makes no difference to a Bama fan.
We know where we’re going — because we’ve been there before.
The rest of you just wouldn’t understand.
RTR!!!
By 13's lucky
July 2, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
The rule was passed not only because of Saban, but because its Bama. Its nothing other than paranoia. It wouldn’t have came up this soon if Saban was still at LSU. That’s OK though, BAMA will be back with or without the Damn rule!!!
By 13's lucky
July 2, 2008 2:08 PM | Link to this
The rule was passed not only because of Saban, but because its Bama. Its nothing other than paranoia. It wouldn’t have came up this soon if Saban was still at LSU. That’s OK though, BAMA will be back with or without the Damn rule!!!
By Arella
January 18, 2009 6:46 AM | Link to this
Hi, I have been here for several times now and thought to sign your guestbook. Very nice! Keep up the good work. I am from Japan and learning to read in English, give true I wrote the following sentence: “Mark kistler imagination station the coolest learn to draw in web site in the cyber galaxy.”
Thank you very much 8). Arella.
By CrimsonDenizen
March 19, 2009 11:39 AM | Link to this
Hahaha, I just read the comments up top about all the games Bama was gonna lose last year. LSU, Auburn, UGA… I’m sure you guys will get them this year, right?