Better Coach: The Bear or Saban?

[Deltamud77]

Go.

[webbmaster]

Ditka

[mshunter77]

11 mini Ditkas. My first thought is Bear mainly because he really never had truly elite talent all over the field like many other big programs in his time. He was able to get the most out of his players and actually got them to play better than they were. Bear is the one that brought southern football to the attention of America and honestly the SEC may not be what it is now if he does not do that. Although Saban has elite talent he is doing it during a period when it is much harder to stay on top for an extended period of time. If Saban can win this one and add a couple of more over the next 5 years or so then I think you have to go with Saban.

[champcaller]

Saban.

Being that much better than everybody else in this day and age is truly something imo.

[eSJay]

Both were the best in their era, but 2 totally different eras so difficult to compare like apples.

The Bahr won like 14 conf championships & 6 NC's. Spanky has half the NC's & no where near the SEC titles. By the end of his career, he could surpass the drunks NC record though.

The Bahr never beat touchdown Jesus. Spanky will do that in Jan 2013.

[webbmaster]

Spanky...the Drunk....u funny

[Deltamud77]

Ditka

Is it impossible for you to actually answer a question and not act like a 12 year old in the process?

[webbmaster]

Is it impossible for you to actually answer a question and not act like a 12 year old in the process?

No. But thanks for asking.

[RedEyed Duck]

Ditka

Is it impossible for you to actually answer a question and not act like a 12 year old in the process?

I don't think any BAMA fan wants to touch this question with a ten foot pole.

[JaMak84]

I don't think any BAMA fan wants to touch this question with a ten foot pole.

No shat! Can you imagine how many tatoos would have to be redone; or babies and coonhounds renamed if it was decided that Saban is the better coach?

[Po Monkey Lounger]

Like one poster said above, it was two different eras, so hard to compare.

But, the Bear was not only successful during the pre-integration, single platoon college football era, but also guided the Tide into the post-integration and two platoon football era continuing that success. That separates the Bear from his peers of that era, such as Vaught at Ole Miss. And that successful transition laid the groundwork for what Alabama football is today.

The suggestion above that the Bear did not have elite talent is laughable. For a significant portion of Bear's career, there were few, if any, scholarship restrictions. Bama stockpiled the very best players available like cord wood. They just reloaded every season.
It is much harder today to achieve that level of consistency at the top. Saban, so far, has done as good a job in this area as any of his peers.

And coaches don't stay at the same schools for as long now. So, it is doubtful that Saban will be at Alabama for as long as the Bear's tenure.

[bigoak]

The thing that stands out about Saban's succes is today's scholarship limits. For one team to be so dominant when you can only have 85 on scholarship is truly amazing and a testament to how great of a coach Saban is. The Bear was not only able to sign the best players but he was able to keep good players from signing with his rivals because there were no scholarship limits. You don't want a good player to sign with Tennessee so you offer him a scholarship even if you are 4 deep at that position.

[Deltamud77]

The suggestion above that the Bear did not have elite talent is laughable. For a significant portion of Bear's career, there were few, if any, scholarship restrictions. Bama stockpiled the very best players available like cord wood. They just reloaded every season.
It is much harder today to achieve that level of consistency at the top. Saban, so far, has done as good a job in this area as any of his peers.

I know a few old guys that played for Bear and some that played for Vaught and McClendon that have said that the Bear would recruit players with no intention of actually playing them, but with the intention of keeping them out of the hands of rival schools. I have also heard that Bear was one of the reasons for scholly limits because of the aforementioned philosophy.

I personally think that Saban is the best college coach that has ever coached given the level at which the sport now operates. Back in the Bear's day, one or two games would be on TV per weekend. Now, every game is on TV in some capacity. It is now a multi-billion dollar industry. Recruiting is a multi-million dollar industry (Rivals, 247, Scout, ESPN, etc.). Saban manages it all with ease it would appear.