BAMANEWSBOT
Staff
What is it with the Miami Dolphins and bad quarterback decisions?
If the Dolphins had figured out nine years ago that Drew Brees' shoulder was not really going to be a problem going forward, and they'd landed Brees as a free agent rather than trading forDaunte Culpepper and his bad knee, Nick Saban might still be in the NFL.
Saban has said that the Dolphins chose Brees after the 2005 season, Saban's first in Miami, but Brees failed the physical. The Dolphins still wanted him but at a lower price.
Brees chose to go to New Orleans. As a result, the Saints would later win a Super Bowl, and Alabama would later win three national championships.
Alabama should send Brees a thank-you note on the first day of fall camp every year. The Miami team doctor deserves some crimson love, too.
Now comes word from Brett Bielema that he was very much in the mix to leave Wisconsin to become the head coach of the Dolphins after the 2011 season. Bielema told ESPN.com he was in serious negotiations with the organization and made one of his priorities clear.
He wanted to draft Russell Wilson, who'd played spectacularly well for Bielema and the Badgers during that 2011 season as a graduate transfer.
The Dolphins said no. Wilson was too short.
Bielema said he withdrew from consideration for the Miami job, and three years later, surging Arkansas is glad he did.
You can't watch the Super Bowl today without noticing the coaches and thinking about their connections to college football. Bill Belichick already has established himself as one of the best coaches in NFL history, and some experts might consider him No. 1 if he and the Patriots win their fourth Super Bowl title today.
Belichick, of course, has been a mentor to Saban. They're such kindred spirits that former Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who now starts for the Patriots, saidthe two men are identical twins in how they run their organizations.
"I literally think that they're exactly the same," Hightower said.
Let's not get carried away. Has anyone ever seen Saban slumming in a thrift-shop hoodie?
Then there's Pete Carroll. He's already one of only three coaches who's won a college national championship and a Super Bowl - Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer are the others - and he's 60 minutes away from a second straight Super Bowl title with the Seahawks.
The more you watch Belichick and Carroll succeed, the more you have to wonder what might have been with Saban.
Check that. You don't have to wonder. Had the Dolphins signed Brees at quarterback, had Saban stayed in Miami, is there any doubt he would have built that organization into one of the NFL's best?
Forget anyone short-sighted enough to suggest Saban failed in the NFL. Please. He didn't stick around long enough to finish the test.
Fortunately for Alabama, two years was enough to scratch Saban's NFL itch. As he moves toward a ninth season with the Crimson Tide, it seems clear that he has no intention of going back to try it again.
But now Arkansas has to wonder how much Bielema will be tempted to give the NFL a shot one day down the road. So does Auburn with Gus Malzahn, especially given the success Chip Kelly has enjoyed with his innovative offensive system with the Philadelphia Eagles.
There are distinct differences between college football, even at its highest level, and the NFL, but coaching is coaching.
Carroll has proven that. Had he stayed, Saban would've done the same.
Continue reading...
If the Dolphins had figured out nine years ago that Drew Brees' shoulder was not really going to be a problem going forward, and they'd landed Brees as a free agent rather than trading forDaunte Culpepper and his bad knee, Nick Saban might still be in the NFL.
Saban has said that the Dolphins chose Brees after the 2005 season, Saban's first in Miami, but Brees failed the physical. The Dolphins still wanted him but at a lower price.
Brees chose to go to New Orleans. As a result, the Saints would later win a Super Bowl, and Alabama would later win three national championships.
Alabama should send Brees a thank-you note on the first day of fall camp every year. The Miami team doctor deserves some crimson love, too.
Now comes word from Brett Bielema that he was very much in the mix to leave Wisconsin to become the head coach of the Dolphins after the 2011 season. Bielema told ESPN.com he was in serious negotiations with the organization and made one of his priorities clear.
He wanted to draft Russell Wilson, who'd played spectacularly well for Bielema and the Badgers during that 2011 season as a graduate transfer.
The Dolphins said no. Wilson was too short.
Bielema said he withdrew from consideration for the Miami job, and three years later, surging Arkansas is glad he did.
You can't watch the Super Bowl today without noticing the coaches and thinking about their connections to college football. Bill Belichick already has established himself as one of the best coaches in NFL history, and some experts might consider him No. 1 if he and the Patriots win their fourth Super Bowl title today.
Belichick, of course, has been a mentor to Saban. They're such kindred spirits that former Alabama linebacker Dont'a Hightower, who now starts for the Patriots, saidthe two men are identical twins in how they run their organizations.
"I literally think that they're exactly the same," Hightower said.
Let's not get carried away. Has anyone ever seen Saban slumming in a thrift-shop hoodie?
Then there's Pete Carroll. He's already one of only three coaches who's won a college national championship and a Super Bowl - Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer are the others - and he's 60 minutes away from a second straight Super Bowl title with the Seahawks.
The more you watch Belichick and Carroll succeed, the more you have to wonder what might have been with Saban.
Check that. You don't have to wonder. Had the Dolphins signed Brees at quarterback, had Saban stayed in Miami, is there any doubt he would have built that organization into one of the NFL's best?
Forget anyone short-sighted enough to suggest Saban failed in the NFL. Please. He didn't stick around long enough to finish the test.
Fortunately for Alabama, two years was enough to scratch Saban's NFL itch. As he moves toward a ninth season with the Crimson Tide, it seems clear that he has no intention of going back to try it again.
But now Arkansas has to wonder how much Bielema will be tempted to give the NFL a shot one day down the road. So does Auburn with Gus Malzahn, especially given the success Chip Kelly has enjoyed with his innovative offensive system with the Philadelphia Eagles.
There are distinct differences between college football, even at its highest level, and the NFL, but coaching is coaching.
Carroll has proven that. Had he stayed, Saban would've done the same.
Continue reading...
