Alabama (12-1) is two wins away from its fourth national title in six seasons. The Tide meets Ohio State (12-1) in the national semifinal game Thursday night.
Saban has taken great delight in watching the Kiffin-designed offense — which features more passes and less time between plays — run up some truly impressive numbers. Heisman Trophy finalist Amari Cooper has 115 catches for 1,656 yards. Blake Sims has thrown for 3,China Jerseys Cheap,250 yards with 26 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. T.J. Yeldon and Derrick Henry have both rushed for more than 900 yards. The Tide has piled up more than 600 yards in four games, as many as it had in the previous 24 years.
"Divisive?" Kiffin said, feigning disbelief. "Gosh, this was going so well."
About the same time three NFL teams were firing their coaches — it was "Black Monday," after all — Kiffin said he has every intention of returning to the Crimson Tide next season.
Kiffin said it's not been an issue at all.
Emerging from a Saban-imposed media blackout, Kiffin was back in the spotlight Monday after a season of redemption as Alabama's offensive coordinator. He's restored his reputation as one of the game's most innovative minds but was quick to shoot down any speculation that he might be looking to ride that momentum right back into the head coaching game.
As always, he got the last laugh.
It was the first time Kiffin has addressed the media since August. Saban does not allow access to his assistants during the regular season and,Cheap China Jerseys, rest assured, he surely got a report on everything that rolled from his coordinator's lips.
"Yes. Definitely," he said during his 45-minute session in a hotel ballroom, not far from the Mississippi River. "I think that we've still got a lot of stuff that we can do better."
Kiffin was a good boy, by and large, opening up just a bit but largely staying true to the company line. It was a far cry from the cocky, entitled demeanor he displayed through much of his head coaching career, from the NFL's Oakland Raiders to college stints at Tennessee and Southern Cal, never seeming to show the least bit of appreciation for landing jobs that were far beyond his resume.
"I knew I was getting a very, very good coach," Saban said. "I don't think anybody else expected what I expected, to the point where I even got criticized for doing it by a lot of people. But I got what I expected. You (in the media) didn't get what you expected."
"I think the assumption about us being so different is very fair," Kiffin said. "But I don't think it's really accurate. We may not have the same personality, but we do have a lot of the same beliefs when it comes to coaching. ... Even though people assume we throw the ball wherever we've been, we've always tried to run the ball."
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Lane Kiffin was modest in his goals and complimentary about the team he'll be facing in the Sugar Bowl. He went on and on about how much he's learned from Nick Saban, while insisting it's no big deal when his boss yells at him.
Decked out in a black suit, pink shirt and mauve tie, his sandy hair all gelled up, Kiffin thanked Saban for the opportunity to get back on the sideline — "I should pay him" — and said he's become a better coach simply by observing how things are done at Alabama.
Not to worry.
Kiffin showed he can still get off a zinger when the moment calls for it,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, joking with a reporter who framed a question by calling him "divisive."
He was the guy everyone loved to hate, right down to the lampooning he got from Comedy Central's "Tosh.0," which portrayed Kiffin hosting a local access show with an empty trophy case in the background.
Many questioned how Kiffin would handle working for someone else, especially an iron-fisted coach such as Saban.
Even though they are the oddest of coaching couples, Saban has continually poked at the media for doubting this partnership would work out.
"That was why this was so perfect for me," Kiffin said. "You come in here,Wholesale Jerseys China, you don't question anything. You don't go, 'Why isn't he doing this?' You go, 'Wow,Cheap NFL Jerseys, he's doing this, this, this and this.'"
Very un-Kiffin-like,Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic, you might say.
