I'm still one of those that believes a lot of his brilliance comes from coaching a group of superstars. I think he made a lot of bonehead calls at Bama and got away with it.
I'm swimming in a Bama sea here in the Rocket City. At the coffee pot, it's 80% Bama, a few Aubies, and a couple of us claiming orange.
The Kiffin complaints hit a peak when OSU beat Bama. Seems OSU couldn't stop the run, and Bama for some reason - late in the game - started passing. Huh? Anyway - Bama fans couldn't shut up about it around the coffee pot back then.
I've often wondered, when Saban got in Kiffin's face - was it an act of mentoring, or was it a realization that Kiffin was making some unconservative calls that could have cost the game, except that exceptional athletic ability saved the day. Always fun to watch Saban blow a gasket. ha ha.
Maybe it's just me. Shoot - I'll admit it. I hated that Kiffin put the USC mentality above Neylands Maxims when he was here. I hated the fact we had to live through the Dooley nightmare because of Kiffin's exodus. And I hated the fact that he ended up wearing Crimson. I could very well be in denial.