Nick Saban’s experiment in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins was something of a flop. Yet, the league has never lost sight on the Alabama head coach thanks to the program he has built in Tuscaloosa and the continuing stream of NFL-ready players he sends to the league.

With the sustained dominance Saban has secured at Alabama it would take a pretty nice job to get him to leave and start over. Namely, he would not have to start over.

Sports Illustrated believes a situation like the Indianapolis Colts, should they fire Chuck Pagano, would be perfect for a coach like Saban:

Even Saban has admitted that had he signed Drew Brees (coming off major shoulder surgery) over Daunte Culpepper in 2006, he might still be the coach of the Dolphins. The only way Saban comes back to the NFL is if he already has a quarterback in place because he knows the often impossible task of finding and acquiring a franchise quarterback. He certainly would have that with the Colts and, at age 64, this would seem to be one of if not the final chance to make the jump back to the NFL and wipe the one blemish from his résumé.

Indianapolis would also be perfect for Saban (as opposed to, say, the Giants) because it’s a small market that is sort of a like a college town (this would help sway Saban’s wife, Terry, who did not like the Miami experience at all). The biggest x-factor is Irsay. It would be difficult seeing Saban agree to work forIrsay with the owner’s current visibility. He would have to make substantial promises to stay unseen and unheard while Saban was in power. Would Irsay do that, possibly by passing control to one of his daughters? Carlie Irsay-Gordon ran the team when her father was suspended.

The NFL’s “black Monday” is not until after bowl season. And despite Indianapolis’ 6-7 record and injuries to starting quarterback Andrew Luck, they can still make the Playoffs by winning the division. A decision is a long way away.

It would be interesting though if this particular job did come open. Luck has already established himself as a strong quarterback and if a good quarterback was all that prevented Saban from staying with the Dolphins, then this would be a job to jump for.

The Colts, like the Crimson Tide when Saban arrived, have had success in the past and were looking for a revitalization. Sports Illustrated might be right. This could be the kind of job Saban at least gives a hard look at over other times he has considered the NFL.

Then again, this is all speculation from one of Sports Illustrated’s columnists. There is no meat to this report yet.