| Nick Saban: Miami or Alabama? |
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| Written by Freddy Miranda | |||||||
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Tuesday, 02 January 2007
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 After denying for some time that he was interested in the head coaching position at Alabama, Miami Dolphin’s Head Coach Nick Saban has scheduled a press conference to announce his final decision at 10 AM EST Wednesday January 3rd, 2006 at Dolphins Stadium. Dolphin’s owner Wayne Huizenga met with Saban on Tuesday and agreed to allow him to make his official announcement the following day. Huizenga wants Saban back but seems adamant at not permitting Saban to put the squeeze on the ball club. After meeting with the head coach Huizenga has an apparent optimism that Nick will return while other sources have different opinions. "I don't see Wayne being held hostage by Nick Saban and for all I know he could elect to seek tampering charges or some sort of compensation from the University of Alabama if this happens," said a source familiar with the situation. Nick Saban currently earns $4 million a year with the Dolphins and it appears that the Alabama offer is going to be so lucrative ($40 million) for Saban that, according to sources, he will ask Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga to match it. He’s basically asking for a raise after leading his team to a 6-10 season, Miami's second losing season since 1988. Since the dismissal of Mike Shula, the University of Alabama has been on a hunt to find a top tiered coach to restore the program back to national prominence. The job was offered to West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez a few weeks ago. After taking a night to sleep on the decision he decided he would stay at West Virginia. The Mountaineers showed their appreciation by coming from behind to win the Gator Bowl over Georgia Tech on New Years Day. In related coaching news, Arizona fired Dennis Green after a three year tenure perhaps to make room to offer USC Head Coach Pete Carroll the chance to coach Matt Leinart again. Atlanta fired Jim Mora after reports surfaced that Mora was quoted as saying he would love to coach the University of Washington Huskies. As we enter the NFL Playoff Wild Card Weekend, many insiders believe the fates of Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants and Bill Parcells of the Dallas Cowboys are tied to their teams playoff results. Other coaches potentially on the chopping block include Art Shell of the Oakland Raiders. Steelers fans expect an announcement from Bill Cowher whether he will retire from coaching after a disappointing 2006 season as head coach of the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.                        |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 January 2007 ) | |||||||