“We’ve always had sort of a mutual respect for how we sort of take each other’s people,” Saban said to Belichick of their relationship. “It’s one thing that I always try to emphasize to the guys: what I have a tough time with, aight, is we’ve had however many guys who have worked here who are at Georgia, Tennessee — whoever, wherever — is when they get those jobs, and in most cases you’ve helped them, is they have a hard time understanding why they can’t take your people.
“I’m gonna help you get a job, [only] so that you can take what I’ve tried to build here and destroy the continuity of what I have? It’s amazing how some of the assistants don’t understand why that’s not a good thing.”
Good thing for Nick Saban, that is. And I have a feeling Smart and Pruitt understand exactly why.
Get The Picture 
LOL.
Okay boss.
Whatever.
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Kirby took 2 guys with him … Schumann who wasn’t even an assistant (and seemed to be Kirby’s chief of staff) and Tucker who was at Alabama for a year.
Cry me a river, Little Nicky.
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If it’s so great there.. why would they leave? Also… If guys are going to take a step up In their careers, didn’t Nick day that’s a situation he understands? How many of those departures were guys that got that step up?
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I get the feeling that coaches stay at Bama just long enough to get the next step because Saban makes life so miserable for them. Junior ignored all of it because he had a pile of Al Davis and USC cash in a bank account. Saban couldn’t control him. Kirby stayed just long enough, got the education, and left as soon as his dream job opened. Even then, it took Saban talking Kirby out of leaving to take the DC job for Richt.
I have a feeling it’s a toxic work environment that coaches understand what they are getting into and know they want to get out ASAP.
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Yeah that’s why Kirby only worked for him for a decade.
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I don’t doubt coaches want to go learn from Saban, but they also know what they are getting into. They leave as soon as a job opens up.
Kirby stayed at Bama because he wanted to stay in the league until the Georgia job opened. He worked his @$$ off for Nick. Even with all of that he practically accepted the DC job in 2010 for Richt before Saban convinced him to stay with a pay raise.
Kirby was there for a decade … who else on his staff stayed that long?
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Cochran. And he has a lot of guys cycle back through. Steele, Sunseri, Sarkisian, Pruitt, guys like that.
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Cochran isn’t a coach, but that’s a good point.
All of those guys cycled back in just to leave as soon as they possibly could.
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Always a financial and resume upgrade.
Chaney left laterally. Does that mean Smart runs a toxic work environment?
Saban’s staff leaves because they are in high demand. Three former staffers won their conferences this year. Another played for it.
I mean, damn.
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Chaney — financial upgrade that Smart decided not to match
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Does Smart run a toxic work environment? I wouldn’t be surprised.
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You are the first UGA fan I have seen bring this up, I have felt all along Kirby may have picked up some of Little Nicky’s style that may not play as well in Athens, especially from a first time HC. Some of his tantrums, especially at assistants, in the midst of things not going well have to sting. We will never know for sure, but this is a reasonable possibility for someone who clearly worked a long time under this mentor, and certainly adopted several other pieces of “the process”. I have no insider info on this, just an observation I have made even during the good times.
Kirby is very emotional, and that has both good, and bad, effects on those around him. Thus far the vast majority of departures have been understandable as they were for higher career positions, and/or more money. We might see more lateral type moves that could give a different look to that.
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agree…
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Resume builder…especially in a title year, after a few years little nicky probably left Kirby alone for the most part
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But what if they say it’s not about control?
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“they can’t take YOUR people.” Nice!
Pretty sure they’re advancing their careers.
Tucker went from DB coach to DC which was a spring board to HC in Boulder.
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What does he mean by ‘take your people’? I’d be real interested to know who or whom, from among the numerous Alabama emigres, has poached in such an offensive manner? Or maybe it’s just Nick Saban doing what all employers do when they lose people to better jobs: saying so and so stole my man.
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It’s Nick’s world, baby, let’s just be thankful we get to live in it.
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He seems angry all the time. Maybe in addition to being short his pecker is also short. I’d be angry too.
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That seems like more of a Mrs. Terry problem than a Nick problem.
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I think Saban’s pissed that Kirby tried to take Cochran. Resulted in Saban having to give him a huge raise to keep him.
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Fuck Bama.
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It’s always the most entitled hypocritical little shits that take things the most personally and whine and complain the loudest when other people have the audacity to look out for their own best interests including leaving for greener pastures.
It’s like in the corporate world where the most desirable employers recognize that hiring the best and brightest means those folks will eventually leave for better opportunities and thus they embrace being a feeder system with alumni in high places. Meanwhile the bosses who complain that “employees aren’t loyal!” and “look at all I’ve done for you!” are almost always mediocre managers at second or third tier shops paying below market.
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I wonder if he’ll take Butch back in 4 years?
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This is the kind of fine whine the “ok, boomer” meme was made for. Sounds like Nick’s just sore he isn’t in the CFP this year.
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This was from the documentary, which was filmed over the summer, before Bama’s CFP future was known.
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If that is the way that Nick feels, he ought to have non-solicitation clauses in the contracts of his assistants so that they can’t take other assistants from Bama’s staff for a certain reasonable period of time if one leaves for a HC job.
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Obviously this doesn’t apply when Nick poaches coaches from other schools right.
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Saban says this shit for a reason.
So who are Kirby and Pruitt trying to hire off his staff?
Kirby is looking an OL coach (and possibly more). Pruitt will be looking for a defensive coach if Pittman hires Kevin Sherrer…
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Ask any Bammer and you’ll hear “kIrbY t00k a piCtURe of TEH reCRUiTIng BoARd!” within one minute. That’s probably at play here too.
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It’s football damn it there is no crying in football.
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