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
HAHA!
December 12th, 2012
9:21 am
How pathetic! So you can’t beat him and you can’t get rid of him so lets put a story about him possibly being lured away. Really? I think its funny and shows the mentalilty of this paper. There have been more stories to shoot this down than the one referenced above.
After I clean the eggs off my house...
December 12th, 2012
9:27 am
I’m turning pro with all my other under achieving dawgs.
A Murray
Demetrius Blackmon
December 12th, 2012
9:42 am
Coach Saban still owes me money. Do I get paid even if he leaves?
Travis
December 12th, 2012
10:54 am
Dear Nick
Please go to the NFL.
Signed
A Vol fan.
http://volmaxim.blogspot.com
Jimmy Johnson
December 12th, 2012
11:12 am
Ol’ Nick can’t stand it that I have won championships both in the college
and NFL ranks. He wants to be like me.
Kevin B
December 12th, 2012
11:14 am
I am a browns fan and I do not want him. In Miami he chose a bum for quater back instead of Drew brees. After realizing his mistake he thought it was better for him to quit the dolphins instead of actually coaching a young team for a few years. He is a cherry picking coach and if he is faced with a challenge he jumps ship and goes were he has the odds in his favor.
KingGator
December 12th, 2012
11:18 am
Saban to the NFL? Being that he coaches at a school that doesn’t require much coaching, I’m sure he’d like to go somewhere that he failed, and can truly make a difference before he hangs it up. I mean come on, what is the challenge for him at Bama? I would think coaching at Bama is comparable to coaching say, Kentucky in basketball. If you have half a brain, and can stay out of the NCAA jailhouse, you’ll win just because of the school’s name. If you truly want to see if you’re a good coach, you’d go to a school that has no history of winning and build a program like say Spurrier has done at UF and USC. Spurrier won a conference championship at DUKE!!! So, yeah, I can see whay Saban would want to bail. No challenge there at all at Bama. Just plug and play. Mindless exercise, and certainly no way to validate your career as a great coach
Pippa's hiney
December 12th, 2012
11:25 am
sounds good…and Chizek to Bama.
omg
December 12th, 2012
12:50 pm
If Saban goes pro where would all those georgia football players got to play college football?
Pitbull
December 12th, 2012
12:54 pm
If Saban leaves Bama, think of all of the Rebel flags that will be lowered to half mast in trailer parks all across the state of Alabama.
ahsoisee
December 12th, 2012
1:07 pm
Same old, same old. This may be a rumor from UGA to help them in recruiting against Alabama on some key players. There is no doubt that the AJC is biased for UGA against GT in particular and any other school who recruits against them. If I were a recruit, I would not consider UGA because of all the underhanded things that is provided for them. You can call it anything you wish, but it is still wrong and underhanded.
There is always an outside chance that a rumor will come true, but I treat these type as biased rumors to make the recruits leery of going to Alabama. And, I am not an Alabama fan.
MR
December 12th, 2012
1:51 pm
The article references a term bulldogs fans notoriously live by. “if”
I am not going to be the coach at Alabama, I am the coach of the Miami Dolphins
December 13th, 2012
10:34 am
I can not believe people would accuse me of not being forthcoming. I would never mislead my players, the people that hired me, or the fans.
Just the facts
December 13th, 2012
10:35 am
Those that accuse uga of planting this story– it originated in Cleveland. Get ur facts straight.
EagleEye
December 13th, 2012
10:55 am
Like I said..”I ain’t done yet”….or maybe I am!!
Drew
December 14th, 2012
5:43 am
Money talks and Saban walks
Fetus Breath
December 14th, 2012
8:50 am
How come you allow comments on this blog, but not the one about Steve Young where a poster called you out for being an idiot?
Typical AJC
Wood
December 14th, 2012
9:48 pm
Silly rednecks. Saban is a lier like Jaworski said and is loyal to nobody except his ego. He will quickly dump Alabama when he feels that there is no more fame for him in the College game. Likely, after the game against ND. Put the Saban statue on hold because you will eventually hate him for leaving.
//
December 16th, 2012
3:57 pm
never gonna happen? As soon as all the scandals come out including the transcript one (that’s right it isn’t just Auburn), payoff to players and on and on, not to mention losing to Notre Shame….he’s gone. Oh but he will tell the AD at Bama he is all in and haul @ss overnight just like he did at Miami.
//
December 16th, 2012
3:58 pm
that statue is coming down by the way in shame