I was going to do a little smack in response to this comment …
Nick Saban thinks Kirby Smart finishing the season at Alabama will actually benefit him at his new gig in Athens.
Smart was officially announced as Georgia’s head coach last week but will split his time between Athens and Tuscaloosa until Alabama finishes its season. That decision has ruffled feathers but Saban thinks Smart will receive positive attention for his work leading the Crimson Tide’s defense.
“I also think that it will be a tremendous benefit to him,” Saban said. “He’ll get lots of recognition coaching in this game. There will be a lot of people out there watching this game and I’m sure it’ll get mentioned a few times that he’s going to be a head coach of an SEC school, and I know he wants to do a good job because of that.”
… until I looked down the page and saw this:
Saban has personal experience juggling two jobs — he accepted the Michigan State job while still with the Cleveland Browns — and vowed to help Smart in his transition. Saban and Smart are only in the second week of their new situation but Saban thinks everything is going as planned.
“We’re trying to help him manage his time, so that he can do a good job for us and he can still do what he needs to do for them,” Saban said. “So far I think that’s working out okay.”
You know what? Saban most likely is sincere about that, which makes sense if you think about it, as Smart didn’t have to come back to Tuscaloosa. So there’s that. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, so we’ll have to see how things play out over the next couple of months before rendering final judgment.