Say Bye To Saban

The Sun-Sentinel's Alex Marvez is the first to report definitively that Nick "So Long" Saban is -- surprise, surprise -- leaving the Dolphins for the Crimson Tide. After lying about it for weeks, Saban's final insult was standing up team owner H. Wayne Huizenga, who he was supposed to meet this morning to tell him his decision. Instead he called Huizenga on the phone.

Well, at least he didn't Blackberry.

My reaction to Saban leaving is, "Who the hell cares?" While he might be competent, he certainly wasn't a stellar pro coach and he was dull as an offensive lineman's

hind end. Personally, if I had to pick any coach in America, it would be that Meyer dude at UF. I think he's brilliant and he seems like the type that would be damn good at any level.

Before I leave this topic, I need to get an answer. In his overwrought column on Saban this morning, the Sun-Sentinel's Dave Hyde wrote this:

"You left integrity and principle on the side of the road the first time you lied to Wayne Huizenga about your interest in Alabama. He gave you the keys to the franchise, spent wherever you pointed, took you on vacations to Croatia and Ireland and you're so dysfunctional in relationships that you lied to him like Sam Donaldson's rug."

"Dysfunctional in relationships"? That seems a little personal, but it's not what struck me about the passage. What I want to know is how anyone can lie "like Sam Donaldson's rug"? I think I might know what he's referring to (that he lies the way the rug lies on Donaldson's head?) but that doesn't make sense. Somebody's got to edit this guy.

-- ALSO: More on the late Michael Browning from Marc Fisher at the Washington Post.