Saban

[alamo]

When Saban got the Miami job there were of course fears that he would be a virtual Belichick clone and that would instill the toughness Miami has been lacking. And last season I think he was doing so, but no more. He's found that it's trickier to motivate and manage pros than it is college kids, and has changed his tactics. Witness these quotes after the game today (from Reiss):

(On the play of the Dolphins)
"I am really proud of the way our guys played today.

(On Joey Harrington)
"I thought Joey did a really good job out there today.

(On the Dolphins as a team)
I am pleased with the way the team responded to the challenges today.

I can't imagine BB saying such things after a loss.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

When Saban got the Miami job there were of course fears that he would be a virtual Belichick clone and that would instill the toughness Miami has been lacking. And last season I think he was doing so, but no more. He's found that it's trickier to motivate and manage pros than it is college kids, and has changed his tactics. Witness these quotes after the game today (from Reiss):

(On the play of the Dolphins)
"I am really proud of the way our guys played today.

(On Joey Harrington)
"I thought Joey did a really good job out there today.

(On the Dolphins as a team)
I am pleased with the way the team responded to the challenges today.

I can't imagine BB saying such things after a loss.

I thought the same thing about BB when I read Saban's comments. I couldn't imagine BB praising the team that had just thrown 2 int's, missed a fg, had a fg blocked, muffed a punt snap, had a fumble and had like 10 penalties. I think BB's comment would be more of a 'we didn't execute well enough to win and that is from me on down'. The 'we tried real hard and I am pleased' after all those mistakes and a loss? That is something a team that has been at the bottom for years, like Arizona, would say after a loss like that. Saban should have said 'we made mistakes and missed the opportunity to put oursleves in the best position for a victory. Me, the other coaches and the players need to execute better to put us in that best position'....period. His comments yesterday reminded me of a Pete Carroll press conference back in the day. Maybe Saban ought to go back to the college ranks. Maybe he is better suited for it. He still has time to turn the Phins around but the "pleased the way we responded to challenges" after a mistake filled loss is a baaaaad sign.

 

[ironwasp]

I read the remarks as coming from a man who knows his team is sitting on the edge of a big dark hole and that even the gentlest shove will push them into it.

I see no purpose being served in his getting in front of a camera and dissing his team to the world. There were positive elements to their game - they came back from 13-0 when it would have easy to fold, the D was tough, and until late on it was a one score game they could have won.

Whatever Saban says for public consumption, I'm sure he's saying something different behind the scenes.

 

[DarrylS]

BB would start with his taking the responsibility first, "we were outcoached today", then go onto the various aspects of the game... it is obvious that SABAN does not equal BELICHICK.. I like Miami, great interdivisional rivalry, but time is running out on Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor.. behind the scenes they must be getting very frustrated.

 

[alamo]

I read the remarks as coming from a man who knows his team is sitting on the edge of a big dark hole and that even the gentlest shove will push them into it.

I see no purpose being served in his getting in front of a camera and dissing his team to the world. There were positive elements to their game - they came back from 13-0 when it would have easy to fold, the D was tough, and until late on it was a one score game they could have won.

Whatever Saban says for public consumption, I'm sure he's saying something different behind the scenes.

But BB doesn't "diss" his team, just states they didn't get the job done. And the important part is he is results-oriented and doesn't accept less.

BB may say somewhat different things behond the scenes, but I doubt they differ from his public message as much as you think Saban's words do. It just seems to me this is a different Saban than I saw in early 2005.

 

[ironwasp]

But BB doesn't "diss" his team, just states they didn't get the job done. And the important part is he is results-oriented and doesn't accept less.

BB may say somewhat different things behond the scenes, but I doubt they differ from his public message as much as you think Saban's words do. It just seems to me this is a different Saban than I saw in early 2005.

The entirety of Saban's comments - rather than the selected quotes above - make it pretty plain that Saban was not happy with the result and that he felt a great many areas of their game left a lot to be desired. But there's absolutely no harm in the players hearing some positive words from the coach. Like I said, there were some positives, including - in the first half at least - Joey Harrington giving a little momentum to the offence and bringing them back into a game that was all but gone. Why not come out and say that some of it was good, like he did, without suggesting that the result or the whole performance was acceptable, which it was not.

 

[Hawg 73]

First of all, Saban does not equal Belichick. At least not in this lifetime. It's easy to win when the expectations are zero and you have the ability to sneak up on some teams. But, when you become a pre-season SB pick in some publications, people take notice! Now Saban is experiencing real NFL competition taking his team seriously. It ain't so easy!

 

[mavfan2390]

Saban is also whining about the calls....something BB would never do, BB always puts the blame squarely on himself and the teams.

and then we got the pass interference at the end of the game, which broke the game open for them and of course everyone saw that so you make your own decision on the call. It doesn’t make any difference what I think about it. If you couldn’t tell what I thought about it by the way I was acting on the field ... I will be insulted if you ask me the question. If you couldn’t see that I didn’t think it was a good call by the way I acted then don’t ask me the question because I don’t want to get into trouble.

http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/

 

[marty]

The entirety of Saban's comments - rather than the selected quotes above - make it pretty plain that Saban was not happy with the result and that he felt a great many areas of their game left a lot to be desired. But there's absolutely no harm in the players hearing some positive words from the coach. Like I said, there were some positives, including - in the first half at least - Joey Harrington giving a little momentum to the offence and bringing them back into a game that was all but gone. Why not come out and say that some of it was good, like he did, without suggesting that the result or the whole performance was acceptable, which it was not.

Considering how poorly they'd played in previous games, I think that Saban's positive remarks were well deserved.