What would you do?

Let me draw you a picture.

Suppose you had a high-pressure, high-paying job at Company A. You took the job a couple of years ago, thinking it was your dream job. As it turns out, you really liked the place you worked previously better. You and your wife are both unhappy, and wish that you had never left your old position. Then one day Company B, a company very similar to the one you used to work for, comes calling. You aren't sure about this new company - you are quite familiar with them and know that they've had high turnover in the past. However, you think you might enjoy working there in a way that you don't enjoy your current job, so you entertain the idea.

The next day, you're at lunch with your boss at Company A. An acquaintance comes up to your table. You aren't really friendly with this person, but you know that he knows many of your friends and talks to them often. He comes out right in front of your bos and blurts out, "I hear you're considering a new job at company B." How do you respond?

a) Say "Yes, as a matter of fact I am." This would be the truth. However, this would ruin your relationship with your boss, putting you in jeopardy when you aren't at all sure about whether you will take the job at Company B.

b) Say "No comment." This seems like a safe answer, but at the very least, your boss will suspect that you are looking for other jobs. Your boss has a reputation as a cutthroat businessman, and this alone might induce him to begin looking for your replacement.

c) Say "No, that's not true." Obviously this is a false statement. You don't know where this acquaintance got that information and you can be pretty sure that your friends will feel betrayed if it turns out that you DO take the job at Company B. But you don't want to burn bridges at Company A should it turn out that the opportunity at Company B isn't the one you're looking for.

Can you honestly say you wouldn't choose option C? Assume further that this acquaintance won't let it go, but insists that he has heard you were looking strongly at Company B, that you are at the top of their list, and that he wants you to look him in the eye and tell him that you will never consider a job at Company B. Now what do you do?

I wish that all the folks in the Miami media and ESPN would put themselves in Nick Saban's position before calling him a liar when he was put in a difficult situation where they likely would have done the same thing. I'm convinced that most of the media is offended not because Saban was disingenuous (although in all honesty it's likely that none of them believed him anyway), but because he dared to be disingenuous with them. What a bunch of hypocrites.

That being said, I am excited about Saban at Alabama. I didn't hate Mike Shula, but he proved himself insufficient to the task of leading this team. It's unfortunate that all the folks who cry about giving Shula more time either ignored or were unaware of the discipline issues that led to the disintegration of this team. Shula expected the players to act like professionals rather than the immature 18-22 year olds they are. And as he demonstrated in every facet of his tenure at Alabama, he was unable or unwilling to adjust when circumstances dictated that he do so. What this program needs more than anything right now is a leader. Saban will be that leader. Mike Shula never was.