As it happens every time at this year, Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has been linked to a coaching job in the NFL.
According to reports from the Boston Globe, Saban has been linked the Cleveland Browns coaching job and is the top candidate to replace current head coach Pat Shurmur after the season.
According to the Boston Globe: " There have been a lot of rumors around the Browns that NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi could be the next general manager should new team president Joe Banner and owner Jimmy Haslam decide to make a switch after the season. According to two NFL sources, there is indeed fire behind that smoke."
Further in the same report, the Globe writes about what Lombardi could do to bring Saban into the picture.
"There's also the person Lombardi could deliver as head coach: Alabama's Nick Saban. According to the NFL sources, Saban has let it be known that if he returns to the NFL it would likely be with Lombardi playing Scott Pioli to his Bill Belichick."
Haslam purchased the Browns earlier this year and is looking to hire a new head coach and team executive after taking over control of the club last month. Mike Holmgren recently left the team after three seasons and head coach Pat Shurmur is not expected to be retained.
Lombardi has previous NFL front-office experience, including as a general manager for the Raiders and other positions with the Browns and Denver Broncos. He was Cleveland's Director of Player Personnel when Saban worked as defensive coordinator under head coach Bill Belichick in the 1990s.
While it seems crazy to go from the best team in college football to one of the worst in the NFL, in terms of coaching legacy, it kind of makes sense. What else can Saban truly accomplish at Alabama? If he wins the championship game against Notre Dame, he will have delivered three national championships during the BCS era and returned the program to prominence.
Saban was head coach of the Miami Dolphins in the NFL and it didn't work out, but that was more about his team than himself. Had the Dolphins cleared Drew Brees's shoulder when he was a free agent, everyone might be talking about the miracle Dolphins and not the Super Bowl champion Saints.
As head coach of the Dolphins, Saban was just 15-17 and went with quarterbacks like Daunte Culpepper, Cleo Lemon and Gus Frerotte after passing on Brees.
In the college ranks, Saban has to reshape his team every two to three years as players filter in and out of school and into the draft. He has to fight SEC coaches for recruits, he has limits on practice and time with his players. Saban is a workaholic and was even seen taking notes just minutes after winning the BCS championship last season. He could work all day if he could. In college football, sometimes you cannot do that.
If Saban moves to the NFL, he won't have to battle for recruits or worry about NCAA sanctions or issues with practice time. Saban is the highest paid coach in college football with a $5.5 million salary, but would likely get a mega-deal if he signed with an NFL team anyway.
Two days after the report from the Globe, Saban's wife Terry spoke in a radio interview in Alabama about the future of the head coach.
"To answer your question [of her Saban having any interest in rebuilding another college program or returning to the NFL] and get right to the point, no. We're very comfortable here. We love it here. It's a great fit for our family. It's a good fit for me. As far as we're concerned, this is where we'll retire someday. As far as jobs go, this is it for us. I don't mean to be presumptuous. I would have to talk this over with Nick, but as far as I'm concerned, this is it," Saban said.
Saban has won at every school he has been with, including at LSU, Alabama and Michigan State. The only place he hasn't: the NFL. All coaches have something to prove. The one thing Saban has yet to prove is that he can win at the highest level of football.
Although Saban has not directly commented on the rumors yet, it really doesn't matter what he says, it's about what he does. When he was head coach of the Dolphins rumors came up about him taking the same job with Alabama.
Saban was hounded by reporters about the rumors and said: "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach." Two weeks later the school introduced him as the head coach. In his career, Saban has won three national championships and four SEC conference titles.
This season the Browns are just 5-8 and are in fourth place in the AFC North under second-year head coach Pat Shurmur. The team is ranked 20th in passing offense and 24th in rushing with 100 yards per game. After opening the season with five straight losses, the Browns have won three in a row, including Sunday's 30-7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Alabama will next play on Jan. 7 in the BCS national championship game in Miami against No. 1-ranked Notre Dame.
