(10-09-2013 11:00 PM)JRsec Wrote: (10-09-2013 10:29 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote: For the most part they have...
Mike Shula was there not that long ago. Saban is a great coach, but he's getting older and the cycles usually have to do with losing someone who has terrific organizational and instruction skills. Saban has both which is a rarer quality than we give it credit for being. Athletes like Manziel are once in a decade events. Coaches like Saban are once in 40 year events. There have only been about a dozen or a few more like him in the history of the game. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Exactly. The SEC is a coaches' league:
Florida - Steve Spurrier, Ron Zook, Urban Meyer
Alabama - Gene Stallings, blahhhhhh x5, Nick Saban
LSU - the 1990's, Nick Saban, Les Miles
Tennessee - Phil Fulmer, Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, Butch Jones
With the exception of last season's disasters of John L. Smith and the last year of Gene Chizik, it can be argued that Arkansas and Auburn are the only schools with good to great hires each of the last three times. Arkansas had Houston Nutt, Bobby Petrino, and now Brett Bielema. Auburn had Tommy T, Gene Chizik, and now Gus Malzahn. We'll have to see how the current coaches do over the long haul, but it is looking pretty good right now. The point is that the SEC schools in the top half are so even in resources, history, access to recruits, etc., that it comes down to the details. What is a college coach? The Manager of Details.