did anyone see what saban said on game day?

[trout54 55]

Frankly, I think this could all be a PR move to improve his image. Everyone in the country knows what kind of a smug a$$ he is. If he is truly testing the job market, it would benefit him to polish the way the country views him. It's probably painful for him, but his management staff has probably impressed upon him that it is necessary if he ever wants to get away from the REC.

[FormerlySec38Row34 56]

I thoughtr it amusing that he managed to dis' his team and compliment Auburn at the same time. He was talking about AU's offense and maintaing your discipline with respect to your rush lanes. He said if you're not disciplined and clamp down in the middle, Marshall would make you pay on the edge. He knows this from personal experience and you could tell it was grinding on him.

[3rdgeneration 6,473]

My husband swears he's going to retire. Thinks there's an outside possibility that he'll pull a Meyer and retire for a year and then take the Texas job. That will give Mack Brown time to "plan" his retirement and retire at the end of next year and will give Saban a little time off before he moves on. That will keep the Bama faithful from tearing down his statue and he will remain a demigod with their fan base.

He has seemed tired with no energy or passion. He's just going through the motions this year.

[cooltigger21 0]

My husband swears he's going to retire. Thinks there's an outside possibility that he'll pull a Meyer and retire for a year and then take the Texas job. That will give Mack Brown time to "plan" his retirement and retire at the end of next year and will give Saban a little time off before he moves on. That will keep the Bama faithful from tearing down his statue and he will remain a demigod with their fan base.

He has seemed tired with no energy or passion. He's just going through the motions this year.

interesting theory. Anything is possible. Just have to see how it plays out. The bammers would still go off even under that scenario.

[CJBas 4]

he made the comment he and tommy tuberville were friends. i have never heard that and frankly it shocked me. i thought saban disliked tommy because of his fear the fingers etc........

Some people, especially when speaking publically, will call any aquaintance a friend. Maybe Saban isn't completely devoid of manners after all.

[jaysnooginz 0]

I have met Saban in person on two occasions. It is my opinion that when he is not busy doing football related things, and has time to interact with you, he is a very kind and personable individual.

Again, this is from my own personal experience with the man, and talking to him over lunch for around 45 minutes.

[blueridge 29]

It is a scientfic fact that folks who have decided to leave Tuscaloosa immediately start becoming better persons.

[Plaric 4]

It is a scientfic fact that folks who have decided to leave Tuscaloosa immediately start becoming better persons.

Mike Shula was always a nice guy lol

[wakeriderof87 31]

He has seemed to be less a**holeish all season. I think he is getting older and is realizing he wants to be remembered as a great football coach first, not as a giant jerk.

[cptau 169]

Actually, Saban has been going to ESPN charm school. He was showing off what he'd learned to his future employer. As someone earlier said, take a year off like urban, then he could either stay out as an espn analyst or pick an open coaching job.

[eibua12 81]

he made the comment he and tommy tuberville were friends. i have never heard that and frankly it shocked me. i thought saban disliked tommy because of his fear the fingers etc........

Saban was more open and candid than I have ever seen him before. I was surprised when he said this about Tubs. He was also extremely complimentary of our team and was somewhat charismatic. I was totally confused and still wonder if it was impersonator. He was the total opposite of how he acts at his normal press conferences.

Doesn't surprise me a lot of coaches are friend at the end of the day it is just a job for them, yes they have a love for a school or team but that doesn't mean they can't be friends. Oh and all of this on GameDay was one big recruiting ploy, come on.

[wakeriderof87 31]

On the Tuberville front, I seem to remember Tubs making positive statements about Saban while at AU. Our fans didn't appreciate it a whole lot at the time.

[Builder 86]

Much will happen soon. An earlier post touched upon Saban's reasoning to leave bama. I also agree with another post that losing to Auburn did take some pressure off him.

[Auctoritas 2,828]

If you go back and listen, he didn't say "friends", he said they were "close". That's why it was even more surprising.

I know I am in the minority, but every time I've heard him on the radio, like for SEC Media Days, he's always been very approachable with understated humor. Even a huge AU grad and homer like Chuck Oliver on 680 The Fan in ATL speaks very highly of him and how pleasant he is in private.

Come to think of it, he's gotta at least be able to put on that front to walk into a living room and make Mama OK with him taking her baby.

[Rootin'FromArkansas 0]

That was nothing more than the Pre-Texas Head Coach talking there in Big 12 territory Saturday plain and simple!

He must be on some type of medication.....he seemed personable and relaxed

[au75 75]

I think he is gone to Texas.

[bg5 536]

I heard a rumor yesterday that Ellis Johnson was going to retire and Saban was going to be our new Defensive Cord.. With Gus over the Off. and Saban over the Def. we would win the BCS for the next 10 years. Don't know whether its true or not.

[juscAUse 1]

he made the comment he and tommy tuberville were friends. i have never heard that and frankly it shocked me. i thought saban disliked tommy because of his fear the fingers etc........

Saban was more open and candid than I have ever seen him before. I was surprised when he said this about Tubs. He was also extremely complimentary of our team and was somewhat charismatic. I was totally confused and still wonder if it was impersonator. He was the total opposite of how he acts at his normal press conferences.

If I'm not mistaken, when he was at Miami (NFL) he came to Auburn to vet Ronnie Brown and stayed at Tubs house. Most fans take football very personally. To most coaches, its pretty much a job.

[DC4AU04 21]

I heard a rumor yesterday that Ellis Johnson was going to retire and Saban was going to be our new Defensive Cord.. With Gus over the Off. and Saban over the Def. we would win the BCS for the next 10 years. Don't know whether its true or not.

Careful some updyke could see this and poison our wires. They are already teetering on edge after losing the iron bowl, AU in the BCSNCG, and the wildfire rumors of Nick to TX. Its an explosive situation.

[DKW 86 7,550]

You know folks, maybe he is feeling like coach Fran and "just wants his life back."

[wdefromtx 3,162]

I heard a rumor yesterday that Ellis Johnson was going to retire and Saban was going to be our new Defensive Cord.. With Gus over the Off. and Saban over the Def. we would win the BCS for the next 10 years. Don't know whether its true or not.

Careful some updyke could see this and poison our wires. They are already teetering on edge after losing the iron bowl, AU in the BCSNCG, and the wildfire rumors of Nick to TX. Its an explosive situation.

If we win the NC I think we should torture Updyke by adding 2013 Auburn Tigers National Champions to his monthly restitution invoice.

[bikeriderga 134]

I am not sure what Saban will do. He knows that AU will have most of this team back next year and he will be breaking in a new QB and losing the best Linebacker in the SEC. He knows that the pressure will be on to beat AU. Losing two years in a row to AU will send the fanatical Bammer fan base into a frantic "end of the world" type scenario.

Saban is a great coach and Alabama is very fortunate to have him. However, his wife seems to be tired of the redneck lunatic fan base. She stated after the Iron Bowl, that she is tired of the disrespect.

After death threats on players, the Updyke experience, the starting of a petition to the NCAA with a photoshop image that Chris Davis was out a bounds, the death of a mother in B'ham because she was not upset enough by a fellow Bammer fan, coupled with barrage of fans questioning Saban's calling of the plays, she may have just had enough.

If Saban does leave, it will not be because of Gus or Auburn's rise to the top. It will be because about 25% of the Bamzos are complete and total nuts and flakes.

Last night in the Georgia Dome, we were sitting near two of them that had on Bammer hats and Mizzou jerseys in the Auburn section. When the Jumbotron was replaying the Chris Davis Iron Bowl run, everyone was pointing at them. I started a cheer, they ain't Bammers, they are Updykes. Everyone in our section joined in and started laughing at them. They left shortly thereafter.

[cehuff21 0]

It's pretty simple guys... Whether he respects us or not or mean what he says does not matter. The point is lobbying for the SEC and being constant across the board. If he says this year that he believes we SHOULD NOT jump Ohio State, what is he going to say next year or in the years to come if he is in the same spot? As long as he and the rest of the SEC is constant in their lobbying, it can't come back to bite them in the butt (see Urban Meyer). If he says this year Auburn should jump Ohio State, then next year or another year he can say, "even I said in 2013, about our biggest rival that they, at one loss, should jump an undefeated "major conference" team". I think ya'll are analyzing his personality and all kinds of other stuff way too deep. He was there because he knows football, he doesn't sound like an idiot when speaking, and can give insight. And his words with his football stature rings deeps in college football.

[ausburn 159]

What I remember him saying is that if Auburn won the SEC Championship game Auburn deserved to play in the national championship game. He then made a case for a one loss SEC team as deserving to play in the championship game. He did not say the same about Mizzou which makes me think he was leaving the door open for Alabama if Auburn had lost and Ohio State lost. He was complimentary of our offensive line and stated that our defensive line gave their quarterback problems.

[yeaauburn 21]

He must be nibbling on the "no doz" and sniffing the "air wick".