That is what several players have told me. Many of the LSU players described their relationship with Saban as a "business relationship."
One Bama player has already stated that coach Saban doesnt even know his name. I forget what he calls him but it is something like pudding butt because it jiggles when he runs. And he is serious. :hihi: Kinda hard to build close relationships with some players if you do these kind of things but some of these Bama players a weak. It comes with the territory, suck it up and stop whinning.
If anything, I can imagine the players would have been sick of the on-again, off-again I'm leaving for the NFL routine. If I, as a fan, was tired of his leaving threats, one can only wonder what the players went through.
I really don't expect any coach to hold hands with the players. The ones that make the NFL may cuss him now, but will be thankful later. Kinda like Bobby Knight and his team here in Lubbock. The ones who pay the price aren't the ones complaining.
Maybe, only they know for sure. Look, this was my face the day the story originally broke and I saw Manny CRYING on TV......... :dis: There's no crying in football.............EVER. Well siince then I've learned that MW has been suffering from clinical depression for years. I feel bad for him as a person and glad that he's realized that football is not a good job for him.
I guess the personality of a coach works differently with different kind of players. For me, the Saban/Knight type approach just wouldn't work. I relate more to the kind of coach who can motivate you to get the job done without being a yelling, cussing maniac. Any Bama fan who was ever around Coach Bryant and the team would know that he was not a "screamer." He was a master recruiter and motivator but not a great game coach. Coach Stallings was the game coach for all practical purposes. Yet Bryant's approach was pretty dang effective. One of my all time favorite coaches was Joel Eaves. He was the basketball coach at Auburn and also an ass't football coach (offensive line) under Shug Jordan. The basketball arena at Auburn is named after him. He later went to Georgia where he was very successful also, ending his career as their AD. Coach Eaves was a true gentleman but got the job done. The defensive line coach at Auburn at the time was a guy named Sot Senn. He was the fiery type who liked to scream at the players and make them butt heads until they were bleeding. But if you asked any Auburn player who was the most effective they would tell you Coach Eaves in a heartbeat. They hated Senn and said when he jumped all over them for making a mistake, they would just do it again to piss him off. But they said when you got "that look" from Coach Eaves, he didn't have to say anything and you didn't want to make the mistake again. I'll take the Coach Eaves type any day.
i think what we' ve learned is that in todays world the sabans and knights can still be very effective but in the short-term. 4-5 years then the reputation carries over to next group and wears on them. kids then know they are going to be beat down mentally as opposed to when it was new they didnt know what to expect. today kids are different obviously and the hardass approach wears thin a lot quicker than it did when we were kids. john brady could be used in that example as well but he never was a great coach overall. but hes a hardass. shelf-life of a saban type is the 4-5 yr mark which fits well with his personality then its best for all parties to move on.
I think this is exactly right. Saban is the kind of guy who will be hypercritical, will question his players' manhoods, will question the size and functioning of their genitalia, will think nothing of berating a player publicly, etc. This kind of approach works with SOME players but not all, and even for the ones who respond to it, it eventually wears them out and they stop responding. Think of it like YOU were working for a boss who constantly screamed and yelled and criticized everything you did. At first, most people respond to that by working harder. Eventually, most people will just tune it out and stop listening. Finally, it starts to grate on the nerves and you want nothing more than to be out of that situation.
Jimmy Barnes knew he'd never make the field even in a 100-0 landslide of a game. 3rd string if very best. He's just using an excuse for wanting to play (and I dont blame him for wanting to leave for PT) elsewhere. There is no doubt in my mind that Saban is an Ahole on the practice field...but isn't he supposed to be??? This isn't another Shula where you can do what you want because he doesn't want to be mean. It's about maturity and management...and holding your players accountable for their actions on and off the field! Just like another poster stated (deceks?)....The ones who make it to an NFL roster will be thankful.
I guess only time will tell but I will say this, the teams #1 and #2 (In most polls) have coaches who seem to balance those much better- having fun in the process. Guess there's no, "One way" to coach but I know which type I'd prefer playing for. :thumb:
