I was just skimming some stuff earlier today, and wanted to compare the accolades that Saban heaped on Dooley, and is now focusing on Kirby Smart. I ran across the ESPN article which talks about Dooley being hired at LA Tech in 2006. Pretty standard stuff, until you get to the bottom and see this gem: . Couple of thoughts: 1. I used to think that Tennessee blew the biggest hire when they selected Buzz Peterson over Bill Self (then at ORU), but passing on Jimbo and Sumlin for Dooley beats it, I think. 2. Stop me if you've heard this one before: a school attempts to hire Wil Muschamp, who declines, and they end up hiring [ddiapos], instead. Link: Dolphins TE coach Dooley headed for La. Tech - College Football - ESPN
Disagree. If Jimbo or Sumlin turn out to be national championship caliber coaches, then I agree. I would have been optimistic about Sumlin, but it's not the same as missing out on Bill Self.
Here's an article from the Miami Herald when Saban was rumored to be coming to the Dolphins (Dooley was just being Dooley then, too, apparently): As conflicting media reports have surfaced regarding the status of the Miami Dolphins' pursuit of LSU coach Nick Saban, a source close to the action tells us that one of Saban's LSU assistants, [ddiapos], called a current Dolphins assistant coach on Friday. Dooley explained that, since he is going to be the special teams coach with the Dolphins next year, he wants to get some information about some of the players on the roster. Dooley currently serves as assistant head coach, running backs coach, and special teams coach with Saban at LSU. The move threw jet fuel on an already raging inferno in South Florida, where players are becoming increasingly upset by the overt pursuit of Saban, at the exclusion of other candidates. And Dooley's foolishness makes us wonder whether Saban really is the right guy for an NFL job. Shouldn't Saban have a tighter rein on these guys? More importantly, shouldn't Saban be hiring assistants who are smart enough to know when it might be prudent to exercise a little discretion? On this point, we're continuing to hear that Saban's handling of players and staff members will be a problem for him. Even folks who have high regard for Saban have told us that "he can grate on you," and that "he has trouble retaining coaches" because "he has mistreated a lot of people."
Where is LSUFreek when you need him? How was this missed? [video=youtube;SEHKDjjh8bI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEHKDjjh8bI&feature=relmfu[/video]