http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/16346109.htm The Miami Dolphins, rumored to be for sale in several media reports, are in fact going to remain in Wayne Huizenga's hands, the Dolphins owner told The Miami Herald today. ''Absolutely, positively, no way,'' Huizenga said when asked if he might sell the team. ``We are not selling, and there is no waffling on that. How's that for a definitive answer?'' Little has been definitive on that front since Internet reports surfaced saying Huizenga might make a deal with Florida Panthers minority owner Jordan Zimmerman. Even ESPN made reference to the possibility of a sale during its Christmas night telecast of the Dolphins game against the New York Jets. Huizenga didn't watch the broadcast but wishes he had. ''I would have walked right up there and let them know that's not true,'' said Huizenga, who bought the team from the Robbie family in 1994. Is he telling Saban how to handle questions?
Good report. So, Saban would not have to leave because of a change in ownership. So if he left, it would be because: 1. Huizenga wants to fire him because the team underperformed this year, or 2. Nick misses college ball and wants to go back to college level, or 3. Mrs. Saban hates Miami and sees Tuscalusa as a better place. 1. I don't see Huizenga firing Nick, this year. 2. I don't know about this one, but Nick was in the NFL before and in college, so I think he knew what he was getting into when he went to the NFL, except his offensive linemen didn't cry at LSU :grin: . 3. I don't think the coaches wives call the shots on their husbands career moves. When you marry in, you agree to make the moves and make the best of it for a few years. The Bammers seem intent on waiting till the season is over and making Saban an offer, and they seem to think he has at least even odds of accepting it, according to my read over at TideFans.com. To me, it hinges on #2. I still don't see it happening, but Bama would not hold up the search unless they had some idea they had a reasonable chance of success. Unless Mal Moore can't move on to a lesser coach without at least giving the appearance he tried to land a "proven big time head coach", like Spurrier, Rodriguez, Saban and 2 attempts was not enough. So he will pull out all the stops in trying to land Saban, so the fans don't skewer him. I curiously await the end of this saga.
Of all the names that I have seen mentioned, the one if I were a Bama fan that I would be most excited about would be Cowher, yet that rumor has very short legs. That may be because there is very little truth to it, but I think he would be a great fit there. The whole Saban thing just feels wrong to me. The results in Miami haven't been great, but quitting a challenge isn't how I would want my new coach coming in. Cowher, however, is thinking about walking away from a 14 year tenure. He may need a change to recharge his batteries. Whoever Bama hires, their fans need to realize that that the rest of the SEC isn't about to roll over and play dead. And they can't have 150 players on scholarship to keep players away from other teams. I never could understand why so many good players were willing to sign at a school where they had little chance of ever playing and stay.
3. Mrs. Saban hates Miami and sees Tuscalusa as a better place. After spending 4 months in Miami last winter, and two months in Bama about an hour north of Tuscalusa this spring, I could actually see this happening. I HATED Miami! It's not even the same country as far as I could tell. I did enjoy driving around with my LSU license plate for several weeks after the Peach Bowl listening to all the sports talk shows and callers being stunned that "The U" could lose that bad to LSU.:rofl:
As a Fins fan, this is great news. Huizenga is one of the best owners in the NFL, other than the Wannstedt years which I'm starting to think never happened.
