Beat writer, radio show host, sports writer out of Mobile twenty years ago. He was fired and ended up working in MS covering Ole Miss.
Three years ago, maybe, he had Kiffin headed to Auburn. That's the last time I read anything he's published.
People say he was "pro-Auburn." That might be the case. He definitely didn't take a positive approach to covering Bama in that era. And no. I can't blame him. There wasn't much to be positive about in the Shula era.
To say the least the people in the Mobile area starting "turning" on him and after this article ... yeah, he was done.
I give you this:
Neal McCready
Time to give up on Saban
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
So let me get this straight. Just last week, Alabama was so confident it could lure Nick Saban away from his $5 million-a-year job with the Miami Dolphins after New Yearās Eve that it offered its top position to West Virginiaās Rich Rodriguez. Now, days after Rodriguez changed his mind/played Bama for more cash, the Tideās sights are set once again on Saban, who just led the Dolphins to a 21-0 mauling of the New England Patriots.
One Alabama backer after another has insisted since Rodriguezās rejection that Saban is back on top of the Tideās wish list. Alabama fans, apparently plugged into Sabanās office and his $7.5 million home in Fort Lauderdale, believe the former Michigan State and LSU coach is unhappy with the NFL and the Dolphins and that heās willing to leave almost $15 million on the table in order to return to the SEC.
Turns out, they just might be rightābut only about the unhappy part.
āNick doesnāt ever look happy,ā said Chris Landry, a Baton Rouge-based NFL scout and analyst for Fox Sports Radio. āHeās always so focused and driven.ā
Saban, who is 15-14 in two seasons at Miami, is still a bit irritated at the Dolphinsā doctors, the same ones who told him during the offseason that free agent Drew Breesā injured right shoulder wouldnāt heal in time for him to throw a football this fall. Later, the same medical staff gave Saban the green light to trade for quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who suffered a severe knee injury last season while playing for the Minnesota Vikings. Brees signed with New Orleans and has guided the Saints to the verge of the NFC South championship while putting up MVP numbers. Culpepperās knee hampered his play early on, and the Dolphins have since turned to Joey Harrington.
So, no, Sabanās not super happy. If he had Brees, he just might be a Super Bowl contender. However, Landry said thereās no way Saban is leaving Miami, and Landry should know. The veteran NFL scout worked with Saban in Cleveland, played a key role in LSUās hiring of Saban and now runs his own scouting/consulting business in which he analyzes pro and college personnel for NFL teams. One of his clients, predictably, is the Miami Dolphins, and Landry insists Saban has no intention of walking away from the NFL after just two seasons.
āFrom a football/organization standpoint, his situation is perfect and he knows it,ā Landry said. āHeās got what he wants. Itās a chance of a lifetime. Heāll have success. He took a team with six-win personnel last year and won nine games. Heās doing a good job in my opinion. Theyāre an old team that heās trying to rebuild. That challenge kind of drives him. Thereās no question heāll have success in Miami and heāll be given the time he needs to have it.ā
Landry was surprised Sunday and again on Monday when various media reports kept the Saban-to-Alabama rumors alive. Landry, who is often consulted by NFL and college teams in their coaching evaluations and searches, hasnāt heard from Alabama recently, but if Mal Moore were to call, heād advise him to not wait on Saban. āI think that would take them out of some other candidates,ā Landry said. ā(Saban to Alabama) isnāt happening at all. Heās every bit committed to Miami. Alabamaās not even on his radar. After the season, heās going to be focused immediately on draft preparation and free agency. I think you can take that to the bank.ā Landry said media types are reading too much into Sabanās statements about the job. Several analysts have insisted that Saban is leaving the door to Tuscaloosa open with denials of interest that arenāt 100 percent emphatic. Those people, Landry said, donāt understand Saban.
Sabanās a coachās coach, meaning heāll never say a job is a bad one, never insult friends by saying he wouldnāt be interested in a position at their alma mater. For example, Landry said, Saban would never take the job at Ole Miss, but if Archie Manning were to call him, Saban would be respectful and flattered. Thatās happened, Landry said, when former Alabama players have talked to Saban about the Tide vacancy. That doesnāt mean he wants Mike Shulaās old job.
āHe might want to return to college one day,ā Landry said, ābut it wouldnāt be to Alabama.ā
By the way, Landry recommends Wake Forestās Jim Grobe for the Alabama job, pointing out that Grobe took a program with fewer resources than its opponents and won the Atlantic Coast Conference title. Heās surprised Alabama appears to be aiming higher.
āThereās a minority there that believes there has to be something bigger because theyāre Alabama,ā Landry said. āItās a good job, but you have to get the right fit. They have such a high regard for their program that they canāt see that the landscape has changed.ā
Contact Neal McCready at:
nmccready@press-register.com
