Nick's just a peach of a guy plagued by incompetents he hand picked...good luck filling out your Alabama staff. He's long had a reputation as an SOB to work for - albeit a brilliant and charasmatic one - so I guess this will just add to the legend. Luckily it would apprear he had more success in finding his soul mate - they seem to think with one self absorbed mind.
"As Nick Saban sat in his new office, he expressed some of the frustrations he dealt with in his old one.
The former Dolphins coach, who was introduced Thursday as the new head coach at Alabama, said he had trouble working with General Managers Rick Spielman and Randy Mueller during his two years in Miami.
He also said he left the Dolphins in better shape than he found them, despite his losing record in two seasons as head coach.
"I don't know how to say this, because I don't want to throw anybody under the bus," Saban said. "When you look at the teams that have really good personnel people, that are doing what the coaches want them to do, finding the kind of players the coaches want them to find.
"When you don't do that, they say, 'OK, here are the three best guys.' These are the three best guys? None of these guys fit our criteria for what we're looking for. People have to be willing to accept their role."
Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene said the team - including Mueller, who continues to oversee the personnel department - had no comment on Saban's remarks.
Before he would leave LSU for the Dolphins in 2004, Saban demanded and received total organizational control from owner Wayne Huizenga. Saban handpicked the front-office personnel, each coach and every player that was employed by the team.
"Everything was done under his direction, under his format, with his knowledge," a source said. "I mean, everything. He picked every player that was here."
Also, several sources said Saban, on multiple occasions, was so indecisive in signing free agents that Miami missed out on players that went on to have success elsewhere.
Besides friction with Mueller and other team personnel, Saban had a difficult time handling his 15-17 record with the Dolphins.
"Losing is the tough thing," Saban said.
After the Dolphins got off to a 1-6 start, Saban's wife, Terry, said "winning" was what she missed most from the college game.
Saban blamed this season's 6-10 record on the team's quarterback situation. Daunte Culpepper was unable to come back healthy from knee surgery and backup Joey Harrington was inconsistent when he took over.
Still, Saban said he left the Dolphins in better shape than he found them.
"I affected the team in a positive way," he said. "I mean, we were a 4-12 team that was $17 million over the salary cap. The team is closer to being successful now. The salary cap is in much better condition. I gave my best effort for two years to do that."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2007/01/05/a8c_sabanside_0105.html
