With Urban Meyer becoming the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s a reminder that some of the greatest college football coaches in history weren’t able to make it in the NFL.

At the top of that list is Alabama coach Nick Saban, whose brief stint on the Miami Dolphins’ sideline reportedly ended after a couple of his own players tried to fight him.

In an appearance on “The Herd,” Fox’s Jay Glazer noted that Saban failed as an NFL coach because he didn’t treat his players like men, which almost led to physical altercations with former Dolphins Daunte Culpepper and Zach Thomas.

“Nick Saban, the reason why he didn't make it in the NFL, Daunte Culpepper tried to fight him one day, and the security guy stepped in,” Glazer told Colin Cowherd.

The Dolphins hired Saban one year after he won the national championship as LSU’s head coach. In 2005, Saban led the Dolphins to a 9-7 record in his first season with the team. Miami added Culpepper, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, to be its starter in 2006.

It was a disastrous year for Culpepper, Saban and the Dolphins, who finished in last place in the AFC East with a 6-10 record. Culpepper played in just four games because of injuries and threw for more interceptions than touchdowns.

While the quarterback only spent one season in Miami, linebacker Zach Thomas played 12 seasons with the Dolphins. Thomas also had his issues with Saban in the coach’s second season as an NFL head coach.

“And then I think his final straw is that he questioned Thomas’ toughness, and Zach almost kicked his butt,” Glazer said. “That just doesn't work on this level.”

Thomas made his seventh and final Pro Bowl in 2006.

Saban left Miami after the 2006 season to become the head coach of Alabama, where he has since won six national championships. He is the highest-paid coach in colege football.

At the same time Saban was struggling in Miami, Meyer was considered the king of college football coaching by winning national titles at Florida in 2006 and 2008. He becomes the latest college coach to attempt to make the leap to the NFL.

Nick Saban of the Alabama
Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide leads his team on the field prior to the game against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare Stadium on Nov. 25, 2017 in Auburn, Alabama. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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