Did the NIL and the portal really force Coach Saban…

Saban is and was the ultimate competitor. He would never shy away from the game unless he felt the game had passed him by. When players who would normally come to his office to talk about team goals for the next season start coming to his office and asking about financial incentives that will keep them on the roster, you know it's time to hang it up. Especially when you're in your early-70s.

NIL was a HUGE reason Saban retired. What 1987 said.

Cignetti seems to be a hard arse and doing fine in this era.

I think the problems are player personnel and roster management based. People serious about being good at anything want to win at whatever they do. In this era, you can't just find the best talent and if they're a bit lazy then MFing them into a playable state. You got to find high character kids.

I think the games people say our players quit in were less about quitting and more about being so poorly prepared to play their competition that it looked like they weren't trying because it is the only way to explain away the schematic and execution work being put upon our guys by the opponent.

Our kids are fairly high character because they had several opportunities this year to check out and they picked the other path. However in a single elimination playoff there is no redemption for the last egg laying.

We have a problem with several position coaches and until those get fixed then we're going to have these problems. Additionally, I think this staff has got to get back to the intrinsic motivation of getting better every rep and play. We play up to the level of disrespect we imagine. After that comeback v. OU, I don't think our team REALLY felt like they were the underdog even if they were in Vegas.

Indiana was better coached and better motivated. Those guys were focused on getting every play right and they damn near did.

It's not complicated. I think we're generally getting young men with the right stuff between the ears. They've got to be put in a better position to win by the coaches.

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Cignetti seems to be a hard arse and doing fine in this era.

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Cignetti’s two teams at IU have had an average age less than two years lower than the Packers current roster (22.5 vs. 24). He plays more 6th year seniors than underclassmen.

He has targeted mature non-superstar players that can take hard coaching and understand the team concept. It’s been a smart move in an time where the game mostly revolves around the whims of 18 and 19 year olds.

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Cignetti’s two teams at IU have had an average age less than two years lower than the Packers current roster (22.5 vs. 24). He plays more 6th year seniors than underclassmen.

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This. The amount of players on Indiana's roster who have been playing college football for the last 4-6 years is insane.

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The NIL and portal killed virtually any coach from the “old school”. You can’t coach hard anymore. You’re managing personalities and ego more than ever in college. Too hard to coach kids up on discipline and buying into a system if the roster is a revolving door.

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Yep.... though one thing I think gets lost in this is.... there ARE coaches that are *great* managing that. Lord willing, we've hired a couple of them on staff, hopefully Kalen is one of them too.

A little bit of both along with his age. Dude is bombing down the highway to 80.

That’s why when people here were literally orgasmic about the guy, I said let’s see if they’re still at this level two years down the road.

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Alabama fans are insufferable

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That is why the head coaching job is a pressure cooker. From the biggest booster to the trailer park fan, Bama fans expect to win every game by 20 and dominate. Some would have fired Saban after the 2010 Auburn game.

Saban was driven on the sideline and the practice field, but he also actually has a life away from football unlike JoePa who would’ve died on the sideline if not for Sandusky or Diddy Bowden who FSU had to run off or, donning Kevlar, Coach Bryant who was not in good enough health to coach his last season and as he once said he would checked out a month after his finale.