the Miami Sports Dude

Nick Saban is going to leave the Dolphins to be the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide? The rumors just won't go away.

I've had my theories ever since West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez turned down the University of Alabama for their head coaching job vacancy. Since that happened, the Crimson Tide has yet to hire anyone. Which leads me to my theory: they're waiting for the NFL season to end so they can pounce on Saban and throw stupid amounts of cash at him. Saban can yell and spit and get all huffy about these rumors all he wants. But they're not going away. Not until Alabama hire themselves a new head coach.

I have a strange feeling that these last two games will be Saban's final two as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Really, the only reason he'd stay is for pride's sake. To not leave the team while he's still in the midst of trying to re-build and restore it.

But from what I've read, Alabama has a lot of money to spend for their new coach. And they aim to spend it. They aim to make a big splash with their new hire because -- much like the University of Miami -- it's a college program with rich tradition that has lost its luster over the last few years. And they aim to get it back by hiring a big name.

Saban is first on that list. And because the rumors won't die, because Alabama has yet to hire a new coach, because Saban has never really come out and vehemently denied that he's considering this job (even though, if he did, it wouldn't make much difference because all coaches are bald faced liars), because 'Bama has a shitload of cash, because Saban has never exactly been the most forthcoming guy with the media, because he's not exactly the most beloved figure in South Florida right now, and because the Dolphins' prospects and future look extremely dim -- well, all signs point to Saban going Red.

And leaving the Dolphins and their fans in the lurch.

Which means if the Dave Wannstedt era left this franchise a train-wreck, then Saban's contributions left something worse ... a cleanup crew that not only failed to clear the wreckage but decided to spew gasoline all over the demolished train cars and flicked a lit cigarette out the window as they drove away ... to Alabama.

Update: In today's post practice press conference, Saban again denied the rumor. But it doesn't mean anything to me -- not until 'Bama hires a coach not named Saban.