Dare I say it? Nick Saban is overrated!

[Bennett4prez]

What is with all the praise for this guy? According to ESPN.com's Coach Ratings, Nick Saban is sporting a 74% approval rating while fellow 3-6 head coach Norv Turner sports a lowly 15%. Why? An easier schedule, an easy win over the Saints and here Saban is, riding high, on pace for one more win than Dave "The Goat" Wannstedt. He got Ricky Williams back, drafted the top prospect from the draft, and is still floundering with a team who had enough talent to go 10-6 only two seasons ago. C'mon, Dave couldn't have messed things up that badly. So, what gives? Is Saban really on the upper-half of coaches?

[Keyser_WV]

It's a little early for this discussion. I mean the guy has coached 10 games at the pro level.

Lets see where Miami is after 3 seasons. That is generally how long it takes for a coach to turn around a team.

It seems to me that they are playing hard for him and that says alot about a coach.

If they go out and get a decent veteran QB I bet they could improve to 8-8 or something close to that next year.

Why are people so quick to call someone overrated? Let's give the guy some time.

[ngub12]

agreed. its too early. and please, FEW coaches are comparable to the pathetic dave wannstedt who is about as solid as jim hofher the ex(yah!) UB football coach.

[logan]

well it isn't the same team that went 10-6 three season ago really. the o-line isn't as good for one. the defense isn't either other than taylor and thomas. ogunleye ,madison and surtain are no longer there. those are not guys you just replace. the wr's outside of chambers are garbage and lately he is looking like crap also as he is dropping balls all over the place. trying to compare this team to three years ago really isn't a fair comparison in the least.

[Free Bagel]

Not sure why you would compare this team to the team a few seasons ago that had a totally different O-line instead of the one last year. Having seen a lot of both, this team has already made vast improvements over last year.

[Plindsey88]

Yes, Wanny and company did screw things up that bad... For starters, it's very tough to win anything without an offensive line... And the Miami line was decimated when Saban arrived... Secondly, the QB situation has still not been resolved... Frerotte was a quick fix to get them through the season, but we won't know what Saban really has going for him until they get in a young signal caller for him to bring along.... Thirdly, if you remember last year, the team EVERYONE wanted to play against was Miami, and up until the Pats knocked them off this past week, Miami was the team many, if not most, analysts were picking to win the AFC East.... Going from everyone's dream opponent to a playoff contender, with aspirations of knocking off the World Champs in the span of one off-season is pretty freaking incredible....

Miami is one of those "any given Sunday" teams right now, who has a legitimate shot of beating most teams in the league on any given week.... To go from where they were last year to there without the benefit of a decent quarterback or offensive line says a lot about what Saban is doing in Miami....

Remember that it took Marvin Lewis 3 years to get the Bengals out of the dog house, and now look where they are.... Give Saban 3 years, and then we'll judge how good a coach he is...

As for Norv Turner, the guy is a great offensive co-ordinator and a CRAPPY head coach... That's all there is to it.... Where ever he goes, it's the same story....

[boojumsnark25]

dare is say it? you're wrong!

The guy has had 10 games in the pros. He took over a team that was terrible last year. Just wait for a few years when he starts getting the guys he really wants in there. Saban is not overrated, he is an excellent coach.

Think about it...the Buffalo game, they were down, and about to score when Ronnie Brown fumbled....the Falcons game, they threw a pick at the 20....and the patriots, they couldnt score from the 5....so they could easily be 6-3 instead of 3-6.

If they were 6-3, that would be a miraculous turnaround from last year, and you would say hes a good coach for it. They knocked off Denver and Carolina, and they haven't been out of a game yet. That being said, I think that the Dolphins are better than their record shows. They've just made some key mistakes that have cost them games. So with that being said, I think Saban has already made great strides in returning Miami to being a respectable team.

[footballchick23]

Miami has the toughest strength of schedule...SD is a close second...it's not an excuse, but definitely a point to consider.

[Kensat30]

You've obviously forgotten how bad the Dolphin's were last season.

[maddog60]

I think more to the point, Saban shouldn't really be ranked at all. It's too early to say he's overrated, but it's also too early to praise him as the solution in Miami.