re: Since hiring its new coach, the silence from the Alabama fans has been deafening!

Not hyperbolic at all. Most people hadn't followed Saban's career in the NFL previous to his time at Michigan State, either. The NFL teams were trying to hire him for almost the entire time he was at LSU, and not solely based on what he did at LSU.

I just think most fans weren't really paying attention until he was hired at LSU.