Alabama was somewhat upset, until they hired Nick Saban. It cost them a few dollars more, but worth it. Plus, they're more 'thankful' than ever that they never got Rich Rodriguez. Oh, Alabama coach, Nick Saban just sign another contract extension.....with no buy-out! He also said that he'll be here forever.
How Prophetic ! ! !
<font size="4">
Rodriguez's 2006 decision saves Crimson Tide</font size>
Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez told the media in Ann Arbor, Mich.,
on Monday that his football program has abided by NCAA rules, despite
allegations from anonymous players and former players who say the team
has practiced far beyond the time allowed.
Mobile Register
By Mike Herndon
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
In Robert Frost's famous poem "The Road Not Taken," two paths diverging in a wood symbolize the decisions we make in life. Whether you take the poem's conclusion that taking the road less traveled "made all the difference" as literal or ironic, the point is that we live with the consequences of our choices.
That's true even when those choices are made for us.
So it was with Alabama in December of 2006, when the Tide was courting then-West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez after firing Mike Shula. Rodriguez turned down the Tide and stayed in Morgantown, only to leave for Michigan a year later.
Alabama was left with the other path -- the one that circled back around to Nick Saban, who previously had denied interest. Tide fans should be thanking their lucky stars every day for that turn of events.
While Alabama fans bask in the glow of the Tide's No. 5 national ranking and await another season-opening showdown in Atlanta, Rodriguez fought back tears under the glare of the cameras this week, denying that his staff had broken NCAA-mandated limits on practice time and other workouts.
Who made the allegations? Rodriguez's own players, according to a story in the Detroit Free Press.
When your rivals turn you in, that's to be expected. When your own players do it, you are losing control of the program.
There are a lot of things you can say about Saban, but you can't say he isn't in control in Tuscaloosa. He's had the textbook scandal, the Jimmy Johns embarrassment and rumors of other improprieties that have so far proven unfounded. But you can bet Saban's players wouldn't be slipping hints to the media about extra practice time.
The results on the field, meanwhile, speak for themselves. While Saban slogged through a 7-6 season during his first year in Tuscaloosa, absorbing an ugly loss to Louisiana-Monroe, Rodriguez's Wolverines bottomed out with a 3-9 mark last year in Ann Arbor, Michigan's first losing season since 1967. Why? One reason is because Michigan's players didn't fit Rodriguez's spread-option offense, particularly at quarterback.
Alabama's players in 2007 wouldn't have fit, either. Can you picture John Parker Wilson running bootlegs?
Saban led Alabama to a breakout 12-2 season in his second year. Will Michigan come anywhere near that type of success in 2009? The Wolverines will be lucky to get bowl eligible.
And the argument easily can be made that in assuming control of an Alabama squad that was 6-7 the year before he arrived, Saban inherited a program that was in worse shape than the 9-4 Michigan team Rodriguez took over.
To be fair, Rodriguez is not a bad coach. His offensive system is proven to work if it's loaded with the right type of athletes, and he may still turn Michigan's program around. But had he come to Alabama in 2007, the Tide would have suffered through the same worse-before-it-gets-better holding pattern Michigan is going through now -- such a radical change on offense usually demands it.
As they settle into their seats in the Georgia Dome on Saturday, Alabama fans should offer a silent thank you to Rodriguez for blowing the Tide off back in 2006.
It was the best decision Alabama never made.
Contact Mike Herndon at:
mherndon@press-register.com
http://blog.al.com/press-register-sports/2009/09/rodriguezs_2006_decision_saves.html
