Saban says Dolphins had picked Brees over Culpepper
by Mike Florio

In what could be viewed as Alabama coach Nick Saban’s first toe in the water toward no longer being the Alabama coach, Saban has disclosed for the first time publicly that he picked quarterback Drew Brees over quarterback Daunte Culpepper in 2006.

“We chose Drew Brees,” Saban told Dan Le Batard of 790 The Ticket in Miami. “I’ve never ever talked about this publicly. . . . That’s the guy we made the first offer to.”

Saban said that Brees failed the physical after Brees and the Dolphins had agreed to terms. Brees had suffered a shoulder injury during the final game of the 2005 regular season.

Instead, the Dolphins sent a second-round pick to the Vikings for quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who had torn his ACL, MCL, and PCL during an October 2005 game against the Panthers.

Since Saban never does anything without a plan, the plan could be to clean the slate on the perception that he picked Culpepper over Brees, shifting the blame to the doctors and in turning clearing a path for NFL teams that may have lingering concerns regarding his perceived preference for Culpepper over Brees to chase Saban.

Though Saban may have no current interest in returning to the NFL, there’s nothing wrong with being chased. At a minimum, having suitors at the NFL level could get the folks in Tuscaloosa to pony up more cash in order to avoid losing him.

Indeed, as pointed out by our brethren at CFT, Saban made it sound like he won’t be leaving Alabama for the NFL.

You know, sort of like when he made it sound like he won’t be leaving the NFL for Alabama.

I'm not sure if anyone really cares about this. In fact, I would think that all Dolphins fans know that Saban wanted Brees but our docs said his throwing shoulder was bad, but then again, there are still fans that say that we traded Wes Welker to the Patriots when they signed him as a restricted free agent from us and gave us a draft pick as there was no way we could match the 'poison pill' in that contract to smooth things over with a divisional rival.

Anyways, I think Saban would have made a good head coach for us if he'd had a better GM. And I think he'd be crazy to leave Alabama. He's a great college coach, maybe an average NFL coach.

If he's telling the truth, and the medical staff didn't clear Brees, then you have a hard time holding it against him. But what makes me believe that this is total BS, is the fact that New Orleans WAS willing to sign him. That makes me think our staff just got cold feet. I seriously doubt that the medical staff in New Orleans is any better than the one in Miami.

The Miami Dolphins figure to be one of the most aggressive teams in bidding for the services of Peyton Manning, who will be released by Indianapolis on Wednesday morning.

In doing so, the Dolphins will be mindful of what happened six years ago when they let a prime opportunity get away.

In 2006, the Dolphins were in the market for a quarterback and had a chance to sign Drew Brees, who was coming off a devastating shoulder injury. Brees had been released by San Diego, which had decided to cast its lot with Philip Rivers.

Brees and his wife visited Miami, loved it, and the quarterback was prepared to sign with the Dolphins. Dolphins coaches and executives loved him too, seeing Brees as an ideal fit for that organization. What's more, they knew they were in competition with New Orleans, where Brees had visited on his way to Miami.

However, Dolphins doctors failed him on his physical, telling the team Brees' shoulder was iffy and that he might not be able to perform.

The Saints wound up signing Brees and wound up winning a Super Bowl with him. The Dolphins traded for Daunte Culpepper, who was an unmitigated flop.

Safe to say the Dolphins won't be quick to fail Manning on his physical.

Fates intertwined: In March 2006, Miami made one decision that shaped the lives of men, franchises and cities. After putting quarterback Drew Brees through a rigorous six-hour physical, the Dolphins decided not to sign the free-agent quarterback and instead opted to trade a second-round pick to Minnesota for quarterback Daunte Culpepper. As a courtesy, the Dolphins told Brees they would wait two hours to announce the trade for Culpepper so he would not lose any leverage with the Saints. A short time later, Brees and the Saints agreed on a six-year, $60 million deal.

Had the Dolphins ignored their doctors and signed Brees -- who at the time preferred to play in Miami -- two franchises would have reversed course, and the football world would look very different today. Nick Saban might still be coaching in Miami rather than Alabama. Bill Parcells likely would not be in Miami with all the coaches he brought with him. New Orleans might not be thriving the way it is now. And nobody would be reflecting on the circumstances that led Brees to leave Miami for New Orleans, and the game he has against the Dolphins on Sunday.

To me, it is how Saban left the Dolphins. The lying was bad, but just taking off and letting Huizenga pick up the pieces. Pure low class.