Saban Dishes on Dolphins Departure

Former Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban indicated the Drew Brees situation played a key role in his leaving for the University of Alabama

Fresh off signing a contract extension with the University of Alabama, Nick Saban somehow managed to bring up the Miami Dolphins this week when he was asked about the sacrifices he has made during his coaching career.

Saban was a featured speaker at the Texas High School Coaches Association’s annual convention and said all the sacrifices were made by his family as he moved from Michigan State to LSU before he brought up his two-year tenure with the Dolphins in 2005-06.

More specifically, he suggested it was the Dolphins' failure to sign Drew Brees after he was failed medically by a team doctor that prompted his departure from South Florida and back to the college ranks. 

“Look when the Miami Dolphins were going to sign Drew Brees," Saban said, according to 247Sports.com. "Drew was coming to Miami when I was the coach there. He was going to be the quarterback. That’s all we needed. We just went 9-7 and all we needed was a quarterback to be a playoff team.

"We were going to sign Drew Brees as a free agent. Dr. (James) Andrews operated on him and I went to Birmingham to see Dr. Andrews, and he said it’ll be fine. Our doctors failed him on the physical. (Drew) was there to sign with us. I actually made a deal with his agent that he wouldn’t tell anybody for 72 hours he failed his physical until New Orleans signed him. That’s how he ended up in New Orleans.

“So, I decided right then when that happened that we don’t have a quarterback in the NFL, we’re not going to win. I’m getting out of here. I’m not staying here. I’m not going to be responsible for this. That doctor didn't know his ass from a handful of sand. Drew Brees plays 15 more years, wins a Super Bowl, goes to nine Pro Bowls. And we didn’t take him in Miami, where he wanted to go. Some things you can’t control. When we left there nobody understood why. Well, that was why. There's always a reason. ... "

For those suggesting that Saban shouldn't blame anybody because he still could have chosen to sign Brees despite the failed medical, former Dolphins GM Randy Mueller shed some light on the issue during an appearance on Canadian sports radio network TSN.

Mueller said the Dolphins already had agreed to contract terms with Brees before he was red-flagged by team doctors who happened to be friends with then-owner Wayne Huizenga, thereby making it impossible to go against their advice.

"It's not like we could go against these guys," Mueller said. "We were stuck with the result of our physical."

Here's another issue one could raise with Saban's take. Why did it take him until after Brees signed with New Orleans to realize he couldn't win in the NFL without a quarterback?

After all, let's not forget he had the second overall pick in his first draft with Miami and decided to take running back Ronnie Brown when he could have had Aaron Rodgers.

Saban was 15-17 in his two season as Dolphins head coach, going 9-7 with Gus Frerotte as his starting quarterback in 2005 and then 5-11 when the team used Daunte Culpepper, Joey Harrington and Cleo Lemon in 2006.

It's a bit hard to believe that missing out on one player is what drove Saban away from Miami and straight to Tuscaloosa, though the move obviously worked out well for him and the Crimson Tide.

We'll never know what kind of success the Dolphins would have had with Brees and Saban as a QB-coach combo, though it does still seem pretty obvious that Saban's personality makes him better suited to coaching in college than in the NFL.

Former Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder has repeated in his role as radio talk show host that Saban had an issue dealing with grown men, and that wouldn't have changed even if he had Brees at quarterback.

So maybe Saban wouldn't have lasted in Miami much longer regardless because he was meant to be a college head coach and he's been as good as any in the history of the sport.