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Colin Cowherd takes Jimbo Fisher’s side, calls Nick Saban ‘unprofessional’
Yeah, sure buddy. Colin Cowherd has talked many a time on his radio show(s) about his USC fandom. So I don’t know what you believe yourself to be accomplishing with this misdirection.
Yes he did. Jimbo was right to respond in kind and the SEC was right to reprimand them both.
Nope. Sanders was just more smooth about it. But he basically did the same thing.
1. Like Jimbo, he stated that he wouldn't receive a phone call because a private apology in response to a public accusation wasn't acceptable.
2. Like Jimbo with "They forget I know who’s been bringing the bag and dropping it off. I know this stuff. I’m not the one you want to play with when it comes to all of this stuff" ... the writer's take was strange.
Sanders was obviously referring to knowing about the under the table pay for play stuff and that if Saban pulled this nonsense again he would expose it. It was an explicit threat to expose Alabama, Saban or both concerning paying players the old fashioned way, not the NIL.
3. “But he took a left when he should’ve stayed right. I’m sure he’ll get back on course. I ain’t tripping.”
Yeah, when someone says "I ain't tripping" ... they are tripping. See 2. Sanders was letting him know that if Saban wants a war he will give him one.
Fisher and Deion are about the same age but have fundamentally different backgrounds. One guy is from urban Florida. One guy is from rural West Virginia. Fisher is a little bit country, Deion is a little bit hip-hop (though back when hip-hop was more about dance music than guns and drugs). They communicated different ways but sent the same message:
I don't want your apology.
And if you say anything about me again I will ruin you and your program because I know things about you that you don't want anyone to know.
And you had better believe that both messages were delivered.
"99% of these kids don’t care about making the playoffs"
Not true. The best way to maximize your NFL potential is to go to a program that wins 8-10 games a year and regularly puts players in the NFL and have them make you the focal point. That is why Matt Stafford went to UGA but most players don't do that.
"20 years from now if you are still talking about high school or college on a regularly you failed at life."
Take 2 CEOs. One won a sports title in school and one didn't.
Take 2 middle managers. One won a sports title in school and one didn't.
Take 2 longtime minimum wage workers. One won a sports title in school and one didn't.
If all other things are equal, which ones are better off?
It is already pretty much over for everyone but the fanbases. Saban did his job in letting his boosters know that they need to write more checks and to let the NCAA know that they need to make NIL rule changes that will help protect the institutional advantages that Saban has always enjoyed Alabama rather than disrupt them. He was willing to encounter blowback while doing so, but he was likely shocked that Jimbo was so aggressive.
Jimbo did his job too by sending a message: you can make all the points that you want but keep me, my kids and A&M's names out of your mouth while you do it. (Jimbo's saying "someone should have slapped him" ... yeah the Oscars debacle reference.) Saban was encouraging everyone to see A&M as an example of "everything that is going wrong with college football" but Jimbo made it clear that he wasn't going to allow anyone - even Saban - to do it without a fight. I guarantee you that no one else is going to try to pull this nonsense going forward.
"You are ok with Jimbo saying “someone shoulda slapped him” but not the statement CNS said?"
Let me put it to you this way.
Yes, Bama beats Georgia in the 2021 season title game if they don't lose Williamson and Metchie.
But Georgia beats Bama in the 2017 season title game if they don't lose Javon Wims at the end of the first half. (Wims didn't put up big numbers due to the nature of UGA's passing game, but he was UGA's only big, physical WR willing/capable to fight for contested balls. UGA's passing game mostly shut down when he was gone.)
Every Alabama fan talks about losing Williamson and Metchie.
No Georgia fan talks about losing Wims.
Difference? One fanbase is entitled.
Which one? The fanbase who refuses to acknowledge that Jimbo Fisher was responding to a public personal attack against the character and integrity of him, his players, his boosters and his institution. Jimbo Fisher had a job to do, which was make absolutely sure that his counterattack - which is what it was - would be just as widely circulated as Saban's attack. And Fisher got the job done.
Just last week you guys were frothing at the mouth over Louisville and Pittsburgh coaches accusing Bama of portal tampering. Now you want Jimbo, A&M, Jackson State and Travis Hunter to take the high road to being publicly roasted by Saban?
"It wasnt a personal attack at all."
You can claim that 2 + 2 = 3 all you want. It is still going to be 4. Look @17Tide - and all Tide fans - you would have a point if it were merely Jimbo Fisher. But nope.
Jimbo Fisher.
Deion Sanders.
Travis Hunter.
Jackson State's AD.
Texas A&M's AD.
Greg Sankey.
Colin Cowherd.
and pretty much everybody else but Alabama fans has stated that it was an attack on Fisher, A&M, Hunter and Jackson State. The only people who feel otherwise are people that have a vested interest in protecting the image of their favorite program's football coach.
"I don’t agree that he singled out people"
Then you don't agree that 2 + 2 = 4.
"it helped this turn nuclear and get what he wanted all along. And that’s for media, admin, everyone talking about his original point in that NIL is off the rails right now and is that good for football moving forward."
Yeah sure kid. Where were you last week defending the coaches of Louisville and Pitt when they accused Saban of tampering? They weren't attacking anybody. They were just exposing the flaws in the transfer portal. Now the NCAA is going to better regulate the portal and it is good for football moving forward. Right?
Or how about it was just as wrong for Saban to personally attack coaches, players and programs with distorted charges that he knew were false when he made them that it was for the Pitt and Louisville coaches?
Hey, by the way ... yes Bama would have beaten Georgia had they not lost Metchie and Williamson. But Georgia would have beaten Bama in 2017 had they not lost Javon Wims - UGA's only big physical WR capable of standing up to Alabama's DBs - at the end of the first half. The difference: no one from UGA talks about losing Wims right before halftime. But it looks like Alabama are going to claim that UGA 2021 deserves an asterisk until the end of time.
My point? You Tide fans are entitled and it shows constantly.
I will freely admit my biases. I can't stand Cowherd. That out of the way ... I will defend Saban from Cowherd here. Mostly.
"Cowherd noted that Saban is also manipulative, is intentional and often has a message to send from the podium."
Called being a coach. When Pete Carroll did the same for Cowherd's beloved Trojans - and now that their current coach is doing it after promising Oklahoma fans and boosters that he would never leave - Cowherd had no problems.
"Saban’s message to his boosters was he needs more money to compete with programs like Texas A&M."
Not a problem.
"Cowherd said Saban is a hypocrite in the sense that he grayshirted players early in his Alabama tenure, a practice the radio host said was sleazy."
Greyshirts in and of themselves weren't sleazy at all. The only issue was when Saban would ask a recruit whose commitment he had already accepted to take a greyshirt instead. It happened a few times - Darius Philon was the most famous case - but Saban was far from the only coach who did it. Everyone only focused on Saban because he was winning titles.
“Nick Saban needs to apologize"
Saban had already done so before Cowherd went on the air, and Cowherd knew that he had.
"He picked on kids, he ripped a coach, he ripped a program."
This part is actually true. Folks who bash Jimbo for responding in kind aren't dealing with reality.
"It’s unprofessional"
True ... but not that big a deal. College football is a shark tank and Saban is a great white shark, the most ruthless and ferocious of them all. Everyone wants Saban as their head coach whether they admit it or not.
"and Nick Saban, frankly, is held to a higher standard."
He's a football coach, people. Saban broke no laws or NCAA regulations here. Cowherd has defended people for doing much worse.
"Nick Saban is Mount Rushmore, he’s up there with Woody Hayes and Bobby Bowden and whoever you want to put up there"
This part is honest, actual 100% comedy. It requires ... choosing not to know certain facts and I will leave it at that.
"Cowherd said, and added that the name, image and likeness system he favors is the player should be on campus for a year before an NIL deal comes in."
And this is it people. This is actually the main thing that Saban wants: for the NCAA to limit NIL to kids already on a roster. While there are legitimate arguments that can be made for this it is nonetheless self-serving: it is a way for Saban to level the playing field between Alabama and the programs who currently enjoy a financial advantage. But doesn't Cowherd realize that he is ripping Saban when he and Saban have the same position?
My guess ... he doesn't care. He is just ripping Saban for choosing to coach at Alabama instead of his beloved Southern Cal. As I stated: can't stand Cowherd.
"So, you’re saying that nobody has ever accused Alabama of paying players?"
Yeah, except that when Spurrier was saying that about Mike DuBose and Gene Stallings he was actually telling the truth, and the NCAA probations prove it.
Let us call a truce.
1. You don't have a problem with what Saban said.
2. I don't have a problem with Jimbo defending himself, his players, institution and boosters.
Fair enough?
Eh. This was all just a dog-and-pony show to ward off tampering allegations. Could have just announced USC immediately as A. it isn't as if this "recruiting process" fooled anyone and B. it isn't as if there was any evidence of wrongdoing to punish him or USC anyway.
Saban is too busy counting his rings to care. Speaking of which, Saban truthfully only needs one of his portal guys or recruits - you are aware that he signed 5 top 100 WRs - to pan out to win the 2022 title. (The defense, running game and OL will all be better.) Meanwhile this kid likely won't even make the playoff.
It was an appropriate response considering that Fisher called Saban a narcissist with a god complex and accused Saban of having skeletons in his closet. And Bama fans, now that the SEC commissioner has stated the obvious - Saban attacked Fisher and A&M - please quit claiming otherwise. You would be just as furious had Dabo or the New York Times said the same about Nick and Bama.
I am thrilled that Jimbo responded personally to what was clearly a personal attack. Saban never went after Belicheck that way because Belicheck would have responded the same.
No, non - Alabama fans aren't going to buy the Saban spin. Saban attacked A&M, Jimbo, his players and boosters as having done something unethical. He said that the whole team was paid for. What else is it supposed to mean? Fisher defended himself and escalated the issue in his response, as he was supposed to do.
If you don't want blowback don't attack people to start with.
Ha ha I am not an A&M fan. I am just pointing out the hilarity of "synonymous with probation and players in jail" Gainesville casting stones at pretty much anybody.
@Horns Up, this is an SEC board and you aren't in the SEC yet. I have seen you guys boards and it was filled with hate and outrage against the SEC for ages. A&M earned their spot in the SEC by getting away from your attempts to drag them into the Pac-12 without asking. You Horns are just running into the SEC because your "Longhorn Network" didn't bring the revenue and recruiting advantages that you thought and you are desperately seeking to survive.
Everyone in the SEC knows that Texas destroyed the SWC.
Everyone in the SEC knows that Texas destroyed the Big 12.
Everyone in the SEC was thrilled when A&M got away from you guys and got the SEC into the Lone Star state, opening the door to huge media markets and a big media contract and a ton of recruits (again all of which you guys wanted to give away to USC, Washington and Oregon). A&M has even contributed a Heisman to the conference. And the A&M/LSU rivalry instantly became one of the best in the conference.
Everyone in the SEC likes A&M. (It is Jimbo Fisher and his outrageous contract that they have mixed feelings at best about. Were A&M to hire Bill O'Brien and give him a reasonable contract 90% of the negativity about that program outside of Baton Rouge would go away). But you guys - coming to us hat in hand - are going to need to adjust the attitudes and earn your spot. That is right. A&M is going to outrank you guys in the SEC. For years.
I still remember when John Mackovic humiliated Tom Osborne on ESPN when Texas was fleeing a falling-apart SWC! If you Longhorns pull nonsense in the SEC then you will be begging to get back into the Big 12 in 5 years.
"Saban never said TAMU cheated"
He said that every single player on that roster was bought. And he singled A&M out when lots of schools behaved similarly (A&M just was better at it and had more money). Sorry but not everyone is a Tide fan who is going to take a pro-Saban take.
@JoeF
This is what you don't realize. CLEARLY the previous system wasn't working in A&M's favor. So why not change it? Under the current system they are #3 in their own state to Texas and Oklahoma and can't compete with USC, Ohio State, FSU, Miami or the SEC powers nationally. So how is NIL going to make things worse for them than they already are?
My guess is that high school kids are smarter than you and know that only a tiny percentage of even Saban's Alabama signees will ever so much as receive an NFL tryout, let alone a paycheck. Alabama's 7 draft picks in 2022 only looks impressive when you consider that they sign 25 players a year.
This isn't the way to talk about them.
Upset because Jimbo owned you guys when he was FSU.
I meant Jimbo Fisher.
I was talking about Fisher.
You're just upset that he dominated you while at FSU. And please Gator fans whose program spent from the 1960s until the early 1990s on probation and then the Meyer era recruiting criminals ... glass houses OK?
"I think Booches94 said it best, they both should just shut it."
No, Saban launched an unprovoked attack on Fisher, his players and his program. Fisher was obligated to defend all three. If folks don't like Fisher defending himself they need to take it up with the guy who started it.
Alabama fans lining up to attack Jimbo Fisher for defending himself from a completely unprovoked attack by Saban in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...
Two things that are not a good look.
1. One of the richest and most powerful athletics programs in the country going after an FCS school. Bonus points when the rich and powerful is Alabama and the FCS school is Jackson State.
2. Nick Saban - who has made at least $150 million coaching for Michigan State, LSU, the Miami Dolphins and Alabama - knocking a teenager for taking $1 million despite knowing good and well that this teen could shred his knees and never make a cent in the NFL.
Cade Mays? No. But Jermaine Johnson? Definitely. He received Trey Scott's coaching for 2 years then went to FSU and dominated. But on the same token, we shouldn't forget that Derion Kendrick similarly came to for 1 season UGA from Clemson. The guy went to the playoffs 3 times with Clemson and was the only player on the roster with that experience. It showed with his getting 2 INTs in the title game!
So that still leaves UGA at 15.
No, it is year 6. Year 2, Kirby went to the title game relying heavily on Mark Richt recruits. Then there was a stretch where things were disappointing with a ton of big time recruits not panning out. It is fair to say that things began to turn around year 5 where UGA's only real weakness was at QB. Just because a narrative isn't true anymore doesn't mean that it was never true.
Take Saban. For the longest he had the reputation of never being able to develop a big time QB. Well, he didn't at Michigan State. He didn't at LSU. His Miami Dolphins tenure failed because he couldn't land a QB. And his initial QBs at Alabama were John Parker Wilson and Greg McElroy. I will always be a fan of AJ MCarron, but I won't argue with people who say that he wasn't a star. Then you had Blake Sims (undrafted), Jake Coker (same) and Jalen Hurts (who regressed because of a different OC and system every year). What happened after that? Three consecutive first round picks (presuming Bryce Young stays healthy) and their first ever Heisman winner at the position. Sure beats being "the guy who recruited JaMarcus Russell" right?
I guess we have forgotten how in 2018, 2019 and part of 2020 UGA didn't have a consistent pass rush and it really hurt them. Brenton Cox was a 5 star that everyone thought would fix it, and he is in Gainesville now (had 8.5 sacks last year). And UGA still hasn't developed a big time WR under Kirby. Hasn't developed a star QB (like his mentor Saban) either, and no Kirby recruit at tailback has come anywhere close to Michel and Chubb.
Kirby was a young coach (age 40 when hired) in his first head coaching job on any level. Clearly he and his staff got better at developing players, and quite possibly - or more likely - identifying which players to go after and which to pass up on the recruiting trail. Dan Mullen got into the habit of settling for guys that Kirby didn't want and we see how that turned out for him.
My guess: the Falcons PR people witnessed the UGA fan meltdown over their taking unpopular players instead of George Pickens, Nakobe Dean and Channing Tindall (Drake London of USC and a small school LB) and figured that they needed to do some image rehab with the local fanbase. So they took a couple of UGA players to help them break the record. Now all will be forgiven/forgotten. (For real though, the Falcons do need to draft more UGA players.)
To be fair, Shaffer can actually make the roster and give them interior OL depth, as the Falcons took no other OL in the draft and that position has never been a strength for them. FitzPatrick on the other hand is going to need to contribute on special teams to have a shot.