Report: Cleveland Browns may lure Saban back to NFL
Alabama’s Nick Saban could become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns, the Boston Globe is reporting.
It’s far from a done deal, and a number of pieces would have to fall into place, but the Globe said on Monday that if the Browns hire Michael Lombardi as general manager as rumored, the door could be open to bringing in Saban as head coach. Saban and Lombardi, who is currently an analyst for the NFL Network, worked together for the Cleveland Browns in the early ’90s, where Saban was defensive coordinator and Lombardi was player personnel director.
According to the Globe, “Saban has let it be known that if he returns to the NFL — where he flopped, going 15-17 with the Dolphins from 2005-06 — it would likely be with Lombardi playing Scott Pioli to his Bill Belichick.” Pioli and Belichick are the GM-coach tandem who created a New England Patriots dynasty.
The Browns are suffering through another woeful season at 5-8 and have had only two winning seasons since 1999.
Owner Jimmy Haslam might have more than one reason for luring Saban to the NFL: He’s a prominent University of Tennessee booster, and the Vols are 0-6 against Saban’s Alabama teams.
For his part, Saban has already won two national championships at Alabama (and one at LSU) and will be going for another one on Jan. 7 against Notre Dame. With no mountains left to climb in the college game, could Saban be looking for another shot at the NFL?
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420 comments Add your comment
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 11th, 2012
6:56 pm
@dream on…you’re one stupid POS sport.
You UGA fans embarrass yourself but then again your one trophy speaks volumes. Nick will not be leaving Bama. Enjoy your bowl game.
jonkdawg
December 11th, 2012
6:58 pm
But ND cant go sleep on Al. Dick Satan loves gutsy playing call.
DREAM ON
December 11th, 2012
6:59 pm
rhett you are delousional as the rest of your fan base. Alabama is on the way down and out. Remember how it was before satan come. He realizes it and is bailing. Reminds me of urban cryer and the chicken king spurrier. You bammers will be on suicide watch!!!! Remember what i told you boy!!!
Sakura
December 11th, 2012
7:04 pm
Bama can beat Ga 9 outta 10 times that s fine we don’t need but 1 time to beat you, then we will loao. enjoy the one time victory you see mate?..that’s what we say in Aussie.
Sakura
December 11th, 2012
7:06 pm
Bama saves by the Satan…
rhettt
December 11th, 2012
7:07 pm
dream on – when you apply your acme cream to your teenager face tonight, remember, almost nobody gives a second thought to your johnny-come-lately opinions. Mature and we might give you a second thought, maybe. Atlas, on second thought, no more acknowledgements from me about you. Blabber as you wish. You are insignificant!
jonkdawg
December 11th, 2012
7:08 pm
Alabeerma fans make me wanna go use bathroom crapping I’lll be bock!
jonkdawg
December 11th, 2012
7:10 pm
Rhettt u upset mon? Dick is going back to NFL bi bi.
DREAM ON
December 11th, 2012
7:11 pm
Wet Willie i am not a dog fan but i pulled for them against satan. They had the better team though. My team Notre Dame will tame you elephants. You are stupid enough to think you can buy satan,but he has all the money he needs. The program is going down and he knows it. You will be back the previous before the satan rea. GO NOTRE DAME!!!!
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 11th, 2012
7:11 pm
I don’t know what the offer will be, but it’s all about money from this point on for Nick. He will go if the offer is good enough or he will stay if the offer is good enough.
DREAM ON
December 11th, 2012
7:13 pm
THE BAMA REIGN IS OVER AND IT STARTS WITH THE LOSE TO MY TEAM THE IRISH!!!!
Tampa Gator
December 11th, 2012
7:14 pm
I think if Bama wins the title this year, he is gone to Cleveland to test his coaching skills with the big boys one more time. Then, if he fails again, he will head to Ohio State when Urban has a nervous breakdown when his QB graduates and build that program back up from the near shambles Meyer will leave behind……..and then…..Meyer is hired by Bama….and he will say…..”I finally have my dream job……and who is my QB?”
DREAM ON
December 11th, 2012
7:16 pm
I THINK IT IS ABOUT PRIDE. BAMA HAS BEEN EXPOSED AND SATAN KNOWS IT. DONT THINK MY IRISH WATCHED THEIR WEAKNESSES GEORGIA EXPOSED DEC 1!!! ALL THE OTHER SEC TEAMS ARE STEPPING UP AND HE KNOWS IT!!!
Tampa Gator
December 11th, 2012
7:19 pm
I think the country and the SEC is going to be shocked when they find out how really good and well coached Notre Dame is this year. Bama is going to have their hands full.
Anti Tampa Gator
December 11th, 2012
7:21 pm
No Tampa Gator you NEED Saban to leave so boy wonder Muschamp can get close to a BCS title game and you know it. How many times has Saban beat Florida in a row 3 and add Muschamp at Texas it is 3 plus 1 .
Stop giving an opinion that is more wishful than fact.
We know it is Christmas and not too late to send Santa your wish list with Saban and Richt both leaving.
Liam Park
December 11th, 2012
7:23 pm
Georgia has the Braves, the Falcons, the Hawks as their pro teams. Alabama has none,but wait, they’ve got the two pro colleges: the War Eagles and the Elephants and 3 of the last 4 national championships in “college” football.
concern
December 11th, 2012
7:35 pm
Saban had losing record in the big league. Have always said he needs to rectifiy that.
NO Doubt he does not want to came across as a LOSER. He may be up to it but I doubt it.
RunninWithTheDawgs
December 11th, 2012
7:38 pm
It really doesn’t matter if Saban leaves Bama. They WILL NOT put up with mediocrity and a looser is totally out of the question. Whichever coach they bring in to replace him will be a proven winner and perfectly capable of carrying on their winning ways. That’s just the way it is with Bama.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 11th, 2012
7:52 pm
Let me see Florida actually started playing college football in 1990 and UGA stopped playing in 1980. Is that about right?
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 11th, 2012
7:55 pm
@dreaming on…Las Vegas has your Fighting Priest a 9 1/2 dog good buddy then again I know you really know football.
Truth
December 11th, 2012
8:00 pm
Ain’t going anywhere. If and when he does in the future, he has more than done the job at AL. He has done more in his first 6 years at AL than any other coach in the SEC, ever.
Anti Tampa Gator
December 11th, 2012
8:09 pm
There is a great deal of wishful thinking tonight on here.
Some begging and hoping Saban is leaving, some wishing that Notre Dame beats Alabama and the SEC streak is over, some although a small amount of hurt dawg fans hoping that the Irish beat Alabama.
Dream on, please give us how do you think Notre Dame can immolate the offense of Georgia? The Dawg Qb is much much better than the Irish two Qb’s combined, the UGA O line is better than Notre Dame’s, UGA’s Wideouts are better than Notre Dame’s Wideouts and on and on. The UGA D line and Linebackers are better and faster than Notre Dame’s along with the DB’s.
This is going to be a blowout by halftime, Notre Dame barely beats Michigan at home while Alabama had them beat in the first quarter. The closest Notre Dame got to any SEC caliber team was Stanford and Stanford would finish maybe 5th or 6th in this league.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 11th, 2012
8:23 pm
Notre Dame best have their A game locked and loaded. This game will be viewed by more than any of the other games and Nick Saban and the Bama understand this game can deliver even better recruits going forward. If the source is coming from Boston then you know it’s has no legs and sure can’t swim nor fly and chances are it can’t dodge very well either. Just saying.
Region 7-AAA
December 11th, 2012
8:28 pm
I love reading all these comments where people are flat out saying, “He will not return to the NFL.” Who died and made you his decision maker?
Put in Timeout by Ken Sugiura,Filtered by Mark Bradley, Banned once by Bill King & Chip Towers but only slightly loved by Jeff Schultz.
December 11th, 2012
8:41 pm
Will his Style work with NFL players? They will not be scared of him.
globeflyer
December 11th, 2012
8:44 pm
Bama? Education? I think the William V. Campbell trophy speaks for itself, doesn’t it? As long as UGA is not in “first place”, you guys can just keep flopping your lips, the end result is the same. (I think UGA and Bama are tied for “Campbell’s”) I wonder which school has the highest graduation rate?
Truth
December 11th, 2012
8:52 pm
Saban and his style of coaching does not translate to the NFL. His old boss in New England is not near the tyrant Saban is. Coach B is known as a pretty tough task master but not to the degree of Saban. If Saban is smart, he will stay in AL and continue to rack up the titles.
Truth
December 11th, 2012
8:54 pm
It is great to see so many GA fans on an AL article. They have been pretty unwelcoming to other fans in their yard. Nice of them to step out and see the other side.
Be Real
December 11th, 2012
9:04 pm
Dude has more power in the state of Alabama than the governor…and is on top of the college football world right now. But…he’s considering trading all of that for a chance to coach…the Browns?
Next year’s Bama team might just be in the mix again…why walk away??? The Browns???? Really??? ROLL TIDE ROLL
on brother!
December 11th, 2012
9:24 pm
much easier job for more money…he is gone gone gone
on brother!
December 11th, 2012
9:25 pm
no recruiting, no boosters and much bigger bucks…the NFL has way more money than alabama…so sad bama fans…rofl.
Buzzzed
December 11th, 2012
9:28 pm
Over signing is the reason for Saban’s success. He can’t win outside the SEC.
The Baskervilles
December 11th, 2012
9:41 pm
If Saban did want to try it again, so be it Bama is looking at its third NC in 3 yrs He earned every penny.
Dave
December 11th, 2012
9:45 pm
Gosh blogs, message boards, and talk radio are killing our society. Why does everyone say Saban failed in the NFL? I remember a 9-7 year just missing the playoffs then an injury filled 6-10 year. Def not great but he can do better if he had more control. I could totally see him trying again. All this Kirby talk is hilarious too. He didn’t turn down Auburn and is there even evidence he interviewed with Tennessee? People saying Alabama would pay him 4 million a year is laughable. He’s never been a coach and at this time there is no evidence he will be muschamp or Dooley. Kirbys first job will pay him around 2 to 2.5 tops.
Wet Willie...keep on smiling
December 11th, 2012
9:56 pm
Hey Joel , I missed the article about NFL teams seeking Mark Richt? Can you post it again.
@buzzed…UGA and the preacher man signing 40 this year and you speak of Nick? Typical Bama envy.
CBS forecast Bama with 5 1st round picks this hear…yes our rebuilding year with 22 freshmen played (11 true and 11 redshirt). Got to go to my janitor job at Publix.
Flo - Ri - Duh
December 11th, 2012
10:11 pm
Saban is loyal to Saban……. and NO ONE ELSE. He said he wouldn’t leave LSU, Miami Dolphins, etc. He even gave a press conference to announce he wouldn’t leave the Dolphins. One thing moves Saban……….. MONEY. Don’t think he will go to the Browns but The Texas Longhorns have been working on him a while. They have pockets even deeper than Bama or the Browns. Very very wealthy alumni. Saban was seen on their campus twice last year. They are not used to losing and have offered Saban the bank to come there in 2014 as their current head coach will be retiring. Saban’s wife said this week that Saban used to come home happy after a win but he doesn’t come home happy any more. Saban’s good for about 5 years in one place – and then he gets that rabbit feeling – run rabbit.
Flo - Ri - Duh
December 11th, 2012
10:16 pm
Saban’s leaving, most likely, in 2014 and will take Kirby Smart with him. Paul Johnson will be the next Bama head coach – and Saban will be headed to Hook ‘em Horns.
Flo - Ri - Duh
December 11th, 2012
10:18 pm
UGA is also going to have 5 1st round draft choices, Jarvis Jones, John Jenkins, Rambo, Ogletree and Shawn Williams.
Pitbull
December 11th, 2012
10:18 pm
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!
Maybe Bama can get Petrino before he reports to Western Kentucky if they create a job for his motorcycle riding girlfriend.
wins-by-a-link
December 11th, 2012
10:41 pm
Think Saban won’t leave Ala, Who would have thought he would have left LSU for Miami?
Fat Drunk Georgia Fans
December 12th, 2012
12:29 am
Flo – Ri – Duh
December 11th, 2012
10:16 pm
Saban’s leaving, most likely, in 2014 and will take Kirby Smart with him. Paul Johnson will be the next Bama head coach – and Saban will be headed to Hook ‘em Horns.
Absolutely The Dumbest Post on ANY Blog at AJC.COM or any other blog.
But we have come to expect idiotic post like this from the drunk, rubber helmet wearing, shortbus riding, wallet to chaining wearing dwaggie.
Mike Price
December 12th, 2012
1:03 am
I am still available!
clay
December 12th, 2012
4:28 am
Funny how the only ones that are thinking he stays are the Alabama fans because they know if he does, then all the bandwagoners get to go back home, and ESPN gets to find another team to root for because it will be back to 6-6 seasons over the in T-town.
Dawgmeister
December 12th, 2012
6:19 am
As a Georgia fan, I don’t see Saban leaving Alabama until he’s ready to retire. Another thing to consider is I don’t think that the Bama boosters would ever let that happen. As long as the crystal keeps coming along with SEC titles and Auburn beatdowns, the Browns will have to look elsewhere for a coach.
tom
December 12th, 2012
6:58 am
this cannot happen too soon.. War Eagle
Gator Mike
December 12th, 2012
8:08 am
I admire the loyalty of the Bama fans to Saban. Hopefully, Saban doesn’t get too full of himself and break any rules to get Bama in trouble again and embarras the SEC.
Additionally, the Bama fans appear to be looking at the impending game with ND the same way Ohio State fans approached the 2006 Championship Game with the Gators. We all still chuckl at how that worked out for the suckeyes. Hope Bama wins, but do not underestimate the underdog. UGA could have beaten Bama with another 10 seconds on the clock. Bama can be beaten.
mark
December 12th, 2012
8:53 am
Hey Markman,
If you are going to get on the rednecks in Alabama, then you should consider hitting the spell check on your posts. “Riddens” might just be spelled incorrectly!! What a joke.
The Bear
December 12th, 2012
8:57 am
I would hate to see Saban leave. If he does Bama will have a lot of options to fall back on. But “Oh what a ride so far”!
Roll Tide
Ben
December 12th, 2012
8:57 am
He should take on a real challenge, be a man and go turn a low rated school into a national powerhouse like Pertrino is gonna do at Western Kentucky.
Oh wait, nevermind, Petrino is scum, and no other school would take him
mark
December 12th, 2012
9:04 am
Hey Useless Bums,
Learn how to spell Walmart before you post! Look who the uneducated redneck is!