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Started By
Message
re: Now that Saban's run is over, with 20/20 hindsight...
Posted on 1/11/24 at 7:35 am to IM_4_LSU
Posted on 1/11/24 at 7:35 am to IM_4_LSU
He wasn't pissed about him leaving. Everyone knew he was eventually going back to the NFL; it was "plane watch" every year.
Skip hated dealing with him and Sexton. If anyone remembers Saban was an a-hole and probably still is. He wanted a secretary fired for speaking to him in an elevator. We also don't have as many sycophants as Bama. Too many other distractions.
He was always going to succeed there, because everyone there took his shite and said "Thank You Sir may I have another". He did alot for LSU, but don't get it twisted; alot of people hated him. The people who dealt with him did; the money people loved him.
Skip hated dealing with him and Sexton. If anyone remembers Saban was an a-hole and probably still is. He wanted a secretary fired for speaking to him in an elevator. We also don't have as many sycophants as Bama. Too many other distractions.
He was always going to succeed there, because everyone there took his shite and said "Thank You Sir may I have another". He did alot for LSU, but don't get it twisted; alot of people hated him. The people who dealt with him did; the money people loved him.
This post was edited on 1/11/24 at 7:45 am
1
Posted on 1/11/24 at 9:12 am to lsusa
quote:
People see the success at Bama, and assume it would have happened at LSU just the same but that’s unlikely.
It is completely unknowable what would happen.
quote:
Saban had exactly 1 season with fewer
than 3 losses at LSU.
Miles had three in three seasons and a natty after he took over.
Hindsight is wonderful and also meaningless.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 10:00 am to lsusa
quote:
Saban had exactly 1 season with fewer
than 3 losses at LSU
This. A lot of revisionist history here.
I think its easy in 2024 to say that we should have fired the coach who had just gone 22-4 with back-to-back 11 win seasons to re-hire they guy who left you for the NFL 2 seasons prior. That would've been unprecedented then and likely still would be today.
I recall there were a lot of people who were not sold that Saban was the answer after losing at least 3 games in 4 of his 5 seasons at LSU. Every year there was a least one WTF? game were the team seemed unprepared & unmotivated (OM '01, VT '02, Blue Grass Miracle '02, UF '03). There were also massive uncompetitive blowout losses to UGA, UF, AU, VT, and even a very mediocre Alabama in year 3 ('02). There were glimpses of what could be but it wasn't obvious to those being honest. People were also fed up with the annual NFL flirtations.
So, to the OP's question of "with 20/20 hindsight" should we have done it, YES. But alot on here are revising history by pretending they knew Saban would become the coach he became.
This post was edited on 1/11/24 at 10:03 am
Posted on 1/11/24 at 10:24 am to IM_4_LSU
quote:
Skip was never going to do that he was pissed about Saban leaving.
The college coaching landscape was beginning to change with mega-contracts and skip wasn't riding that wave. Skip was a good coach but didn't have the vision to be AD. I also wonder how much hubris was involved. Up until Nick, there was only one coaching god at LSU.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 11:24 am to partywiththelombardi
quote:
now we have BK and are primed to potentially run the West
There is no more west and east
Posted on 1/11/24 at 11:29 am to lsusa
quote:
Saban tried to come back before he wound up at Alabama and was told “no thanks”
This little story has grown to mythical proportions over the years.
I highly doubt there were any real discussions.
Hell, Saban told Alabama no multiple times before they came back with the plane and an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 11:35 am to Broski
quote:
Saban had just gotten chewed up and spit out of the NFL.
People say this but he wasn’t fired and the Dolphins tried to keep him they were legit pissed when he left.
This post was edited on 1/11/24 at 3:01 pm
Posted on 1/11/24 at 11:46 am to mdomingue
with hindsight, of course you take Saban back.
Let's look at the time, though:
Saban won us our first Natty in 5 decades in 2003.
In 2004, team went 9-3. One of the worst followup seasons to a title we'd seen in a decade; other champions came back and won at least 10 the next season.
Did not win the SEC, or even the West. Lost to Auburn, got blown off the field (45-16) by Georgia.
SHOULD have lost the opener against Oregon State. LSU won that by 1 in overtime, after OSU's All-American kicker missed 3 extra points... talk about lucky breaks.
Then bumbled around in the bowl game, losing on a last second Hail Mary to Iowa, who wasn't even Top 10. We finished 16th.
There was every sign that 2003 was lightning in a bottle and LSU was headed back to mediocrity, while USC (the "other" 2003 champ) rolled through 2004 undefeated with a dominating win over Oklahoma.
On top of that, Saban was telling people he was returning, and then announced on Christmas Day he was leaving... thanks, Scrooge.
So he left, Les Miles comes in, and Les kicks it to another level. 10-1 regular season 2005 while the state gets rocked by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, runs out of gas against UGA in the SEC Championship, then blows the doors off Miami (still The U at that point) in the bowl. 40-3 on the field, and more impressive to many, won the post-game brawl afterwards. That was huge: Miami was the acknowledged bully of CFB, elite talent that pushed everyone around. And LSU fricked them up. We broke the U.
Followed that with 10-2, and then complete destruction of Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
Of note, it took Notre Dame until Kelly to get back to that level, and Miami never has.
Then 2007 and a complete beatdown of Ohio State for the natty. And along with that, maybe the best pre-game press conference ever- the "Damn Strong Team" speech when asked about taking the Michigan job.
At that point, Les Miles had LSU playing the storied teams of college football, the media favorites, and leaving them in bodybags.
THAT'S the timeframe where rehiring Saban was in play.
Hindsight, sure Saban was better. But at that time, Saban was a dick who left us on Christmas Day, while Les came in and was the guy who actually elevated the floor of the program. His first 3 seasons were all better than Saban's second-best year, and things were rolling.
Let's look at the time, though:
Saban won us our first Natty in 5 decades in 2003.
In 2004, team went 9-3. One of the worst followup seasons to a title we'd seen in a decade; other champions came back and won at least 10 the next season.
Did not win the SEC, or even the West. Lost to Auburn, got blown off the field (45-16) by Georgia.
SHOULD have lost the opener against Oregon State. LSU won that by 1 in overtime, after OSU's All-American kicker missed 3 extra points... talk about lucky breaks.
Then bumbled around in the bowl game, losing on a last second Hail Mary to Iowa, who wasn't even Top 10. We finished 16th.
There was every sign that 2003 was lightning in a bottle and LSU was headed back to mediocrity, while USC (the "other" 2003 champ) rolled through 2004 undefeated with a dominating win over Oklahoma.
On top of that, Saban was telling people he was returning, and then announced on Christmas Day he was leaving... thanks, Scrooge.
So he left, Les Miles comes in, and Les kicks it to another level. 10-1 regular season 2005 while the state gets rocked by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, runs out of gas against UGA in the SEC Championship, then blows the doors off Miami (still The U at that point) in the bowl. 40-3 on the field, and more impressive to many, won the post-game brawl afterwards. That was huge: Miami was the acknowledged bully of CFB, elite talent that pushed everyone around. And LSU fricked them up. We broke the U.
Followed that with 10-2, and then complete destruction of Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.
Of note, it took Notre Dame until Kelly to get back to that level, and Miami never has.
Then 2007 and a complete beatdown of Ohio State for the natty. And along with that, maybe the best pre-game press conference ever- the "Damn Strong Team" speech when asked about taking the Michigan job.
At that point, Les Miles had LSU playing the storied teams of college football, the media favorites, and leaving them in bodybags.
THAT'S the timeframe where rehiring Saban was in play.
Hindsight, sure Saban was better. But at that time, Saban was a dick who left us on Christmas Day, while Les came in and was the guy who actually elevated the floor of the program. His first 3 seasons were all better than Saban's second-best year, and things were rolling.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 11:52 am to Scoob
I totally agree with your post, but Saban was back in 07, not after the Miles NC.
The fricker actually landed in Tuscaloosa for the press conference the morning of the ND Sugar Bowl
The fricker actually landed in Tuscaloosa for the press conference the morning of the ND Sugar Bowl
Posted on 1/11/24 at 12:43 pm to GasMan
I don’t think Saban would have come back here
Posted on 1/11/24 at 12:44 pm to GasMan
Of course, but LSU admins had their feels in a wad.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 12:46 pm to partywiththelombardi
quote:
Most Bama fans today would rather be in our shoes than theirs
This is absolutely false
Posted on 1/11/24 at 12:55 pm to H-Town Tiger
quote:
People say this but he wasn’t fired and the Dolphins tried to keep him and were pissed when he left.
He wasn't setting the world on fire record-wise and was having an issue establishing his authority with professional players.
He wasn't fired because he was two years into a contract that included ownership stake so no shite Miami wasn't going to cut bait that quickly, but things were heading that way.
This post was edited on 1/11/24 at 12:57 pm
Posted on 1/11/24 at 2:35 pm to GasMan
Speaking of hindsight..
This is what I always mention to my fellow Tiger and Saints fans ..
If Saban did not say no to Brees, he likely wouldn't have left the Dolphins.
But that would also probably mean no Super Bowl for New Orleans and Tom Benson would have moved the Saints to San Antonio by now.
This is what I always mention to my fellow Tiger and Saints fans ..
If Saban did not say no to Brees, he likely wouldn't have left the Dolphins.
But that would also probably mean no Super Bowl for New Orleans and Tom Benson would have moved the Saints to San Antonio by now.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 2:44 pm to partywiththelombardi
quote:
I've already suffered the pain and the price emotionally, mentally from what Bama became
It could have been us. It should have been us.
thanks Skip.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 2:52 pm to mikeytig
quote:
It could have been us. It should have been us.
Many of the same people that say this are the same ones that say the media’s Bama bias is real and they own the SEC offices and officials and get every benefit of the doubt both on field and off and everyone turned a blind eye to their recruiting “advantages”.
All things he never would have enjoyed in Baton Rouge.
He wouldn’t have had the same success here as he did at Alabama because LSU isn’t the blue blood program and media darling that Alabama is, period.
Yes, he would have been great and yes we probably would have another title or two but no he wouldn’t have won six NCs and 9 SEC titles here.
Get over that simple truth.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 3:10 pm to Broski
quote:
He wasn't setting the world on fire record-wise
He was 15-17 there have been better and worse (Bill Walsh was 8-24 after 2 years) but you said he was “chewed up spit out” so quit crawfishing. He wasn’t great but it was too early to say he “failed”.
quote:
having an issue establishing his authority with professional players.
Yes it seemed like he didn’t like it and immediately regretted it, he was better suited to the college game and obviously figured that out quickly.
quote:
He wasn't fired because he was two years into a contract that included ownership stake so no shite Miami wasn't going to cut bait that quickly, but things were heading that way.
That’s certainly your narrative but we really don’t know “where it was headed”. Lots of coaches had similar or worse records after 2 years that went on to great things.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 3:11 pm to GasMan
quote:
Now that Saban's run is over, with 20/20 hindsight...
There was no need for hindsight to know that answer, I wanted it back then.
Posted on 1/11/24 at 4:00 pm to GasMan
YES.
100%.
100%.
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