Nick Saban was once a tough coach to hire in the NFL because he wanted too much control. He rejected several NFL head coaching contracts because they didn’t give him enough of it. Saban made it abundantly clear he wanted to captain his NFL ship, and he didn’t want anyone's hands on the wheel but his.
Just before Christmas of 2004, after Wayne Huizenga had made his strongest push to hire Saban to coach the Miami Dolphins, essentially promising him full control over almost everything football-related, as well as an open checkbook for players, coaches, and facilities, Saban’s wife, Terri, remarked to her husband, "If you take this job, it won’t be [Huizenga’s] fault if you fail."
Like any wife, Terri Saban probably knows her husband well, and for us her statement was a behind-the-scenes peek at part of his personality, specifically his sensitivity to failure and his need for control to prevent it. With every other NFL contract offer Saban had gotten, he could have blamed potential failure on the team owners who wouldn’t let him captain his ship by himself.
Not this one. Huizenga had met Saban’s demands for full control and put him squarely in the driver’s seat of the Miami Dolphins franchise. Saban had been made captain of his ship, and everyone’s hands were taken off the wheel but his.
Two years later, after compiling a 15-17 record in his first two seasons with the Dolphins, including his first losing season as a head coach on any level, Saban faced his third year as head coach – what many believe is any first-time NFL head coach’s do or die year – with the daunting task of turning the team into a winner amidst many unsettling questions.
Could Daunte Culpepper rehabilitate his injury successfully and be a game-winner at the all-important quarterback position? Could the team assemble an offensive line good enough to protect him in only one offseason? Was the quickly-aging defense past its prime and on the decline? Were the players from last year’s draft, notably Jason Allen and Derek Hagan, good enough to make significant contributions next year? Did the team have enough money under the cap to improve it significantly through free agency when so many teams would be players in the free agent market that year? Would the players Saban drafted be able to step in and help immediately, or would they need time to develop as they do customarily?
The answers to these questions were in large part beyond Saban’s control, which meant he was facing his do or die year with the strong possibility of another losing season he could do little about. In other words, Saban’s ship had a good chance of sinking next year, and even his firm, exclusive grip on the wheel couldn’t control it.
And when ships sink in the NFL, we all know what happens. The owner seizes the wheel, gets rid of the captain, and hires a new one.
Indeed this was Saban’s fear. Reports from people close to him indicated that he was afraid he would be fired if he couldn’t produce a winner next season. In fact, one rumor indicated that he asked Huizenga for a no-fire clause for the remaining three years of his contract.
Sensitive to failure and with his ship potentially sinking, Saban attempted to gain the ultimate control over the team. In effect he tried to move Wayne Huizenga below deck so he couldn’t seize the wheel.
Huizenga stood his ground, so Saban jumped ship.
:dolphins:
Just before Christmas of 2004, after Wayne Huizenga had made his strongest push to hire Saban to coach the Miami Dolphins, essentially promising him full control over almost everything football-related, as well as an open checkbook for players, coaches, and facilities, Saban’s wife, Terri, remarked to her husband, "If you take this job, it won’t be [Huizenga’s] fault if you fail."
Like any wife, Terri Saban probably knows her husband well, and for us her statement was a behind-the-scenes peek at part of his personality, specifically his sensitivity to failure and his need for control to prevent it. With every other NFL contract offer Saban had gotten, he could have blamed potential failure on the team owners who wouldn’t let him captain his ship by himself.
Not this one. Huizenga had met Saban’s demands for full control and put him squarely in the driver’s seat of the Miami Dolphins franchise. Saban had been made captain of his ship, and everyone’s hands were taken off the wheel but his.
Two years later, after compiling a 15-17 record in his first two seasons with the Dolphins, including his first losing season as a head coach on any level, Saban faced his third year as head coach – what many believe is any first-time NFL head coach’s do or die year – with the daunting task of turning the team into a winner amidst many unsettling questions.
Could Daunte Culpepper rehabilitate his injury successfully and be a game-winner at the all-important quarterback position? Could the team assemble an offensive line good enough to protect him in only one offseason? Was the quickly-aging defense past its prime and on the decline? Were the players from last year’s draft, notably Jason Allen and Derek Hagan, good enough to make significant contributions next year? Did the team have enough money under the cap to improve it significantly through free agency when so many teams would be players in the free agent market that year? Would the players Saban drafted be able to step in and help immediately, or would they need time to develop as they do customarily?
The answers to these questions were in large part beyond Saban’s control, which meant he was facing his do or die year with the strong possibility of another losing season he could do little about. In other words, Saban’s ship had a good chance of sinking next year, and even his firm, exclusive grip on the wheel couldn’t control it.
And when ships sink in the NFL, we all know what happens. The owner seizes the wheel, gets rid of the captain, and hires a new one.
Indeed this was Saban’s fear. Reports from people close to him indicated that he was afraid he would be fired if he couldn’t produce a winner next season. In fact, one rumor indicated that he asked Huizenga for a no-fire clause for the remaining three years of his contract.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/dolphins/content/sports/epaper/2007/01/03/a1c_fins_0103.html
Sensitive to failure and with his ship potentially sinking, Saban attempted to gain the ultimate control over the team. In effect he tried to move Wayne Huizenga below deck so he couldn’t seize the wheel.
Huizenga stood his ground, so Saban jumped ship.
:dolphins:
