vinivedivichi
So you're telling me there's a chance...
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2005
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- 41
When Saban was first brought on as our head coach I was enamored with the possibility of another Bill Belichick. I will admit that I didn't really follow LSU that closely, but I knew that he had success there and at previous stops, and that he was an assistant in the NFL under Belichick. The general consensus amongst fin fans, I think it's safe to say, was that we were getting an X's and O's guy that would outcoach any opposing head coach.
After one year I don't think coaching (as in X's and O's) is Saban's best asset. Saban's greatest asset, at least the most visble one thus far, is his management of the team in general. When I say management I don't necessarily mean "GM" like in NFL terms, I mean it in more broad terms like a manager in a corporation. In many ways Saban has retooled the whole organization to function in a way that he sees will help us gain long term success.
The key to being a good manager IMO is making sound decisions based on a logical thought process. I think if you look back at his first year you'll see that every time a potential adverse situation came up, Saban handled it perfectly. Here's a few major decisions he made off the top of my head-
1). The decisison to not totally dismantle the team and start from scratch. After Wanny's last year many thought Saban should trade everyone and basically sacrifice a couple of years so that down the road we would be in better shape. So far, Saban has shown that he can reload while not totally sacrificing the present.
2). Not getting caught up in any of the 500,000 potential QB controversies. From the Gus vs. Feeley debate all the way to the give Lemon a shot at the end debate, Saban has had to listen to the fans and the media try to tell him who should be his quarterback. Instead of getting caught up in the moment and benching Frerotte after the third week or starting Rosenfels after 1 good quarter, Saban obviously stood by his early belief that Frerotte gave the team its best chance to win. Although some may still even disagree, it's hard to dispute that Saban made the right decision by sticking with Gus all year.
3) Bringing Ricky back. How many pundits crucified Saban for giving Ricky another chance? Wasn't that decision supposed to divide our locker room?
4) His general team vision. I love the fact that Saban has a very specific vision for the team and is step-by-step getting us closer to that vision. Whether its bringing in Carter and Holliday for leadership, or forcing overpaid veterans to restructure, or trading guys that may not fit into the long term plan, it's clear that the team is being molded to fit Saban's plan.
Those are just a few examples off the top of my head that show how important Saban's management of the team has been thus far. I am in no way disappointed with his X's and O's coaching (it's unclear still to me how involved he actually is on each side of the ball), but I am very pleased with his management of the team up to this point. I love the fact that we have somebody in charge that is basically impossible to second guess right now based on his history. From the draft to the handling of the media to the player management this guy has handled everything perfectly so far. It's hard for me to know the impact he has made in a strict coaching sense, but as far as managing the team he has been nothing short of perfect up to this point.
After one year I don't think coaching (as in X's and O's) is Saban's best asset. Saban's greatest asset, at least the most visble one thus far, is his management of the team in general. When I say management I don't necessarily mean "GM" like in NFL terms, I mean it in more broad terms like a manager in a corporation. In many ways Saban has retooled the whole organization to function in a way that he sees will help us gain long term success.
The key to being a good manager IMO is making sound decisions based on a logical thought process. I think if you look back at his first year you'll see that every time a potential adverse situation came up, Saban handled it perfectly. Here's a few major decisions he made off the top of my head-
1). The decisison to not totally dismantle the team and start from scratch. After Wanny's last year many thought Saban should trade everyone and basically sacrifice a couple of years so that down the road we would be in better shape. So far, Saban has shown that he can reload while not totally sacrificing the present.
2). Not getting caught up in any of the 500,000 potential QB controversies. From the Gus vs. Feeley debate all the way to the give Lemon a shot at the end debate, Saban has had to listen to the fans and the media try to tell him who should be his quarterback. Instead of getting caught up in the moment and benching Frerotte after the third week or starting Rosenfels after 1 good quarter, Saban obviously stood by his early belief that Frerotte gave the team its best chance to win. Although some may still even disagree, it's hard to dispute that Saban made the right decision by sticking with Gus all year.
3) Bringing Ricky back. How many pundits crucified Saban for giving Ricky another chance? Wasn't that decision supposed to divide our locker room?
4) His general team vision. I love the fact that Saban has a very specific vision for the team and is step-by-step getting us closer to that vision. Whether its bringing in Carter and Holliday for leadership, or forcing overpaid veterans to restructure, or trading guys that may not fit into the long term plan, it's clear that the team is being molded to fit Saban's plan.
Those are just a few examples off the top of my head that show how important Saban's management of the team has been thus far. I am in no way disappointed with his X's and O's coaching (it's unclear still to me how involved he actually is on each side of the ball), but I am very pleased with his management of the team up to this point. I love the fact that we have somebody in charge that is basically impossible to second guess right now based on his history. From the draft to the handling of the media to the player management this guy has handled everything perfectly so far. It's hard for me to know the impact he has made in a strict coaching sense, but as far as managing the team he has been nothing short of perfect up to this point.
