'I know what my priorities are'

[DKW 86 7,433]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/foot...n.ap/index.html

Personally, I would be much the same if I were the coach. Unfortunately for Saban or the bama fans, they absolutely expect him to be very available. This will rock along until his first embarassing loss. When he doesnt jump up to explain and face the wrath of the bama fans...this will just seem to be arrogance to the Bama fans. Prescription for a lot of bad karma in Tuscaloosa.

'I know what my priorities are'

Saban focued on winning, not speaking at Alabama

Posted: Saturday June 16, 2007 5:09PM; Updated: Saturday June 16, 2007 5:09PM

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama's Nick Saban is a football coach, not a pitch man. His domain is the football field and film room, not the podium and banquet circuit.

It's in his contract. Right there on page 11.

The Crimson Tide coach knows, after all, that he'll be judged on wins and titles rather than speeches and commercials, anyway.

"Here's what everybody needs to understand: Why did I get hired here? To do what? Coach football, right? I'm a coach," Saban said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.

It's why his eight-year, $32 million contract, approved by university trustees on Thursday, stipulates that he doesn't have to make more than 15 appearances a year at alumni gatherings and other such functions. Don't expect to see him in commercials or on billboards either.

Saban said he had a similar limit in place at LSU and other stops. It's why he chose to recruit and hire a staff instead of saying yes to many of the 100 or so requests for appearances that poured in during his first two months on the job.

"It's a full-time job to run this football program and the guys that are on this team and get them to all do what they're supposed to do," Saban said. "I think that's what people expect.

"How many public appearances can you do? How many commercials can you make?"

It's a trade-off most Alabama fans will likely accept even if they'd love a little bigger slice of the $4 million-a-year coach's time.

"This is the way I've always done it," Saban said. "I do it because I know what my priorities are. I know what's important to being successful."

He also knows that his hiring in January raised expectations for a team that went 6-7 last season and hasn't had sustained success in a decade.

Saban did, after all, lead LSU to a Southeastern Conference championship in his second season and a share of the national title two years later. He prefers to talk about "the process" of achieving those successes instead of predicting when [or if] they'll happen.

"You've got to be realistic about your expectations," he said. "Expectations can be a negative when you have high expectations and they're not realistic and they don't come to fruition and everybody gets a negative attitude."

When something bad happens along the way, he won't be among those surprised.

"Something's going to go wrong. Count on it," he said. "Everybody talks about the SEC championship that we won in the second year [at LSU] or the national championship we won in the fourth year. But we lost to UAB the first year."

Saban and his wife, Terry, have already had some highs and lows during their first six months since he left the Miami Dolphins.

The biggest high: 92,000-plus fans filling Bryant-Denny Stadium for a spring game, believed to be a national record for what essentially amounts to a scrimmage.

"Never was there a more heartfelt moment by the Sabans [than] to see that kind of support for what we're trying to do as what there was at the spring game, with all those people coming to support the team," Saban said.

"I want people to understand that and realize that, because we went through a lot to get here."

The lows: He was roundly criticized in Miami for leaving a couple of weeks after vowing, "I'm not going to be the Alabama coach."

He admits to making mistakes, but says he was just trying to stay focused on the team, not himself.

"I was forced to make statements that I shouldn't have made relative to our future, and I was criticized for it," Saban said. "And rightfully so. I did it. I don't want to have grudges and I do care what people think. But I don't criticize others.

"I've got to be responsible for my own self-determination when it comes to that stuff and do the best we can to do it the right way in the future."

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

[WAR-MATT 2]

This is the way I've always done it," Saban said. "I do it because I know what my priorities are. I know what's important to being successful."

The man never stops lying.

South Link has stated he did commercials and public appearances and I have a friend that lives in Monroe that has said the same thing. He got his superiority complex when he went to the Dolphins. The Bama fans will hate this guy in 2 years just like Perk the Jerk.

[Jenny AU-92 0]

CTT is a prime example of how the personal relationships you build with fans, boosters and sponsors are the very thing that can save your bacon when the PTB come gunning for your ass. We all feel like CTT is OUR coach, that we "know him" personally, because he is so accessible. When the chips were down, it was the fanbase that saved him. And when the dust settled, he was still standing and the President of the U and the AD were gone.

As leader of the most bizarre, unforgiving, irrational fanbase in North America, Saban may come to regret that lack of earned goodwill one day... like if he loses to Mississippi State or Auburn starts counting toes...

[Legionfield 0]

CTT is a prime example of how the personal relationships you build with fans, boosters and sponsors are the very thing that can save your bacon when the PTB come gunning for your ass. We all feel like CTT is OUR coach, that we "know him" personally, because he is so accessible. When the chips were down, it was the fanbase that saved him. And when the dust settled, he was still standing and the President of the U and the AD were gone.

As leader of the most bizarre, unforgiving, irrational fanbase in North America, Saban may come to regret that lack of earned goodwill one day... like if he loses to Mississippi State or Auburn starts counting toes...

I don't think you will have to worry about that..... Teeth, maybe, but not toes.

[TitanTiger 20,503]

CTT is a prime example of how the personal relationships you build with fans, boosters and sponsors are the very thing that can save your bacon when the PTB come gunning for your ass. We all feel like CTT is OUR coach, that we "know him" personally, because he is so accessible. When the chips were down, it was the fanbase that saved him. And when the dust settled, he was still standing and the President of the U and the AD were gone.

As leader of the most bizarre, unforgiving, irrational fanbase in North America, Saban may come to regret that lack of earned goodwill one day... like if he loses to Mississippi State or Auburn starts counting toes...

I don't think you he will have to worry about that...Teeth, maybe, but not toes. because he won't last that long.

Fixed.

[saniflush 0]

CTT is a prime example of how the personal relationships you build with fans, boosters and sponsors are the very thing that can save your bacon when the PTB come gunning for your ass. We all feel like CTT is OUR coach, that we "know him" personally, because he is so accessible. When the chips were down, it was the fanbase that saved him. And when the dust settled, he was still standing and the President of the U and the AD were gone.

As leader of the most bizarre, unforgiving, irrational fanbase in North America, Saban may come to regret that lack of earned goodwill one day... like if he loses to Mississippi State or Auburn starts counting toes...

I don't think you will have to worry about that..... Teeth, maybe, but not toes.

Your right. Auburn folks count "teeth". SPUAT folks count "tooth".

[TitanTiger 20,503]

Damn, if we're counting teeth on this streak that means we've hit ten and are shooting for 42 in a row!

Dumbass.

[Legionfield 0]

CTT is a prime example of how the personal relationships you build with fans, boosters and sponsors are the very thing that can save your bacon when the PTB come gunning for your ass. We all feel like CTT is OUR coach, that we "know him" personally, because he is so accessible. When the chips were down, it was the fanbase that saved him. And when the dust settled, he was still standing and the President of the U and the AD were gone.

As leader of the most bizarre, unforgiving, irrational fanbase in North America, Saban may come to regret that lack of earned goodwill one day... like if he loses to Mississippi State or Auburn starts counting toes...

I don't think you will have to worry about that..... Teeth, maybe, but not toes.

Your right. Auburn folks count "teeth". SPUAT folks count "tooth".

I have all mine. Do you?

[saniflush 0]

without a doubt.

[Legionfield 0]

without a doubt.

You guys are fun....

[saniflush 0]

without a doubt.

You guys are fun....

You are as well!

[Legionfield 0]

without a doubt.

You guys are fun....

You are as well!

That one is funny!!

[WAR EAGLE!!! 0]

Hold on.........

Does a Bama fan really have a picture in his sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY????

Holy Crap....

[saniflush 0]

Hold on.........

Does a Bama fan really have a picture in his sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY????

Holy Crap....

You can't make shite like that up!

[BamaGrad03 0]

Hold on.........

Does a Bama fan really have a picture in his sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY????

Holy Crap....

Uh, not exactly. It's a quote from a CBS announcer right after we beat the crap out of UF. He was talking about how UF was riding a "high" coming into the game because they had just embarassed UK.

[bellefay1 1]

Hold on.........

Does a Bama fan really have a picture in his sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY????

Holy Crap....

Uh, not exactly. It's a quote from a CBS announcer right after we beat the crap out of UF. He was talking about how UF was riding a "high" coming into the game because they had just embarassed UK.

Seems like just yesterday. Book stores had to stock up for the rush. Frame shops in the Birmingham area were flooded with eager folks wanting to get their Sports Illustrated framed. Bama is Back the magazine proclaimed. Nothing but blue skys ahead. Optimism was flowing like draft beer at the Flora-Bama.

Sadly, a year later, the bag used to carry that framed Sports Illustrated out of the store was used as a make shift mask for the Mississippi State game. What do folks do with those prints of Mike Shula (or whoever) standing next to Bear Bryant anyway?

[creed 1,642]

...if saban just wants to coach and not have to deal with the non-football related activities he should be a coordinator, instead of a head coach. let's face it, the reason head coaches get the money they get is to be a positive public representative for the university, define the mission and goals of the football team, and to take the heat when things are not going well. based on saban's job definition i think ua over-paid for his services, but you can't blame saban for that, it's just one the many stupid things ua has done since the mid 90's. the real problem with saban will come when the big-money donors want access and stroking for their money. as trivial as that sounds it happens...ask jim donan that's one of the reasons he was sent packing from georgia.

[Legionfield 0]

Hold on.........

Does a Bama fan really have a picture in his sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY????

Holy Crap....

Uh, not exactly. It's a quote from a CBS announcer right after we beat the crap out of UF. He was talking about how UF was riding a "high" coming into the game because they had just embarassed UK.

Yeah, what he said...... Thanks BG

[AuburnChopper1 0]

Hold on.........

Does a Bama fan really have a picture in his sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY????

Holy Crap....

Uh, not exactly. It's a quote from a CBS announcer right after we beat the crap out of UF. He was talking about how UF was riding a "high" coming into the game because they had just embarassed UK.

Yeah, what he said...... Thanks BG

Let me start this in the style of BG;

"UH, NOT EXACTLY"....

BG, he (Legionfield) DOES have a sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY....

You just happen to be correct about the source of that sig...

Congrats on that though....

[Tiger in Spain 0]

Hold on.........

Does a Bama fan really have a picture in his sig stating Bama's superiority to...KENTUCKY????

Holy Crap....

Uh, not exactly. It's a quote from a CBS announcer right after we beat the crap out of UF. He was talking about how UF was riding a "high" coming into the game because they had just embarassed UK.

Yeah, what he said...... Thanks BG

Congrats. Maybe this season, you can change to . You have to beat them first, of course. Then, will be the 4th worst program in the

Onward and upward. Remember, the key is taking baby steps. Rome wasn't built in a day!

[quietfan 233]

... Rome wasn't built in a day!

I forgot, how many MNC's does Rome have? I confuse them with UAT sometimes since in both cases their Golden Age is ancient history, and they're like two old ladies with nothing to talk about but past conquests.