Batman and Robin, Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin, Dark Knights in Tuscaloosa

Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin are an unlikely duo.

What gives Nick? Why would someone of your coaching pedigree need this type of circus surrounding you on the sideline? Are the Tide fans onboard with this whole Lane Kiffin ‘Boy Wonder’ situation cause I just don’t get it? Let’s delve into a little history and get to the root of the matter, cause in all honesty, this hiring has ‘black mail’ written all over it.

Lane Kiffin’s body of work in football circles rings like a swindling, traveling preacher selling snake oil from an outsider’s perspective. Kiffin comes in, says all the things you want to hear, makes you invest your life savings and all that is holy to you (Alabama Football), and is gone in the middle of the night, leaving many wondering why they put so much trust into him in the first place. We can start at:

2007 Oakland Raiders

This will be a quick run down, hopefully. Kiffin became the youngest NFL coach at the age of 31, Raiders finish dead last in the division, team goes 4-12. The eccentric Raiders owner Al Davis called Kiffin “a flat-out liar” and said he was guilty of “bringing disgrace to the organization” at his firing press conference. Why then did you hire him?

2008 Tennessee

Here’s where things started to come to a boil when it came to Kiffin’s credibility, if he hadn’t already been exposed. One season at Tennessee. One. Gave them a 7-5 season. Had great wins in South Carolina and Georgia but yuck losses to UCLA, Florida, and Alabama. Called out then Florida coach Urban Meyer as a ‘cheater’ for violating NCAA recruiting rules. His year there has been called ‘a lie upon a lie’ in Volunteer football circles and a sore spot for many in Knoxville. Lies and disgrace again. Why then did you hire him?

2010-13 USC Trojans

The longest term that Lane Kiffin has had so far was with his ‘dream job’ at USC, as he so aptly put it. To be fair, Kiffin was there in the 2004-2006 dominating USC days. Was the Offensive Coordinator when names like Leinart, Bush, and Lendell White came through. They were glorious days, culminating in Kiffin having an 88% winning percentage as the OC and winning national titles. Then Reggie Bush happened and was declared ineligible for the entire 2005 season. Head Coach Pete Carroll bolted to the NFL and all of that 2005 USC season was vacated including the national title. And so he returned in 2010, was bowl ineligible that first year but in 2011 the Trojans won the Pac 12 South. It was enough of a year to have them ranked a preseason #1 in most polls going into 2012. That ’12 year was a disaster. The Trojans would be the 1st team since 1963 to enter the year as a preseason #1 and finish out of the polls at the end of the season. 7-6. The hype was gone but Kiffin stayed. In 2013 the vultures started circling. After losing 62-41 on the road at Arizona State, and having lost to Washington State at home 10-7 three weeks before, USC brass decided that enough was enough. USC AD Pat Haden even decided that Kiffin wouldn’t even make it back to campus, pulling him off the team bus after the team landed at LAX and handing him his walking papers inside a small terminal at the airport. Why did you let him stick around so long?

Does it seem that when Lane Kiffin parts ways, either by his own accord or being fired, that the one doing the firing or left holding the bag, takes it or makes it personal, as if they couldn’t stand him in the first place?

Which brings us to Alabama and Nick Saban. Lane Kiffin came to Tuscaloosa in late 2013 to review the Crimson Tide offense and after OC Doug Nussmeier left for Michigan, Kiffin applied and got the Offensive Coordinator position in January of 2014.

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So the question of the year to Nick Saban is: Why? Surely Coach Saban knew the history, but more importantly, knew the baggage that accompanied somebody like Lane Kiffin and the controversy that this hiring would bring didn’t he? As far as the Alabama fans are concerned, they seem to be waiting to pass judgment until it counts, not really saying anything until conference play starts, which is Saturday against Florida. Luckily for Kiffin, Alabama has been somewhat mired in a quarterback quandary between Blake Sims and Jacob Coker and who is going to be the primary signal caller. Alabama is a -14.5 favorite at home against the Gators and shouldn’t be much of a hassle for the Saban described, ‘most qualified person to run this offense’ in Lane Kiffin. But what if the Bama/Florida game goes into the 4th and the Tide only leads by one score and it’s due to the ineffectiveness of the Alabama offense? What if an undefeated Alabama is down 13-17 in Baton Rouge in the 4th Quarter, deep in their part of the field with 2:37 left? Is a guy that left Tennessee hanging, or called off a bus to get fired or that has shown his bad judgment over and over again the guy you want calling plays to get the Tide downfield and keep that undefeated season alive? In Baton Rouge?! That’s why I say that the Tide fans are waiting. They’re a smart bunch. Waiting for Kiffin to make that mistake. Cause what might’ve gotten him out of town in L.A. or Knoxville won’t fly in Crimson Tide country. Just in case Kiffin should Google up ‘Back ways out of Tuscaloosa via County Roads’ while on difficult road trips and have that in the back of his pocket. Just in case.

But what if Alabama wins their 4th title in 6 years? What if they win 2 out of the next 3 titles with Kiffin at the OC helm? It would lend more to Saban’s genius than Kiffin’s prowess in calling plays. Remember who has the statue out in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium and it isn’t Lane Kiffin. It reeks of a ‘no-win’ situation for the self induced but deeply embattled Lane Kiffin. Win and the Tide were supposed to, and maybe the Alabama fans will help me forget my past, as he would presume. Lose and well…Somebody will hire me, thinks Kiffin, they always do. Snake oil anyone?