Alabama coach Nick Saban said it was “disappointing” that former assistant Tim Davis called him the “devil.” (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Thursday night that it was “terribly disappointing” to hear that former assistant coach Tim Davis had referred to Saban as “the devil himself.”

“It really is a little terribly disappointing,” Saban told reporters Thursday night in Atlanta, according to AL.com’s Don Kausler Jr.

“I try to do right by the people that work for me,” he added. “It’s a tough, demanding job. And at the same time, if anybody had an issue or problem with me, I would want them to just tell me.”

Davis coached under Saban at both Alabama and with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. He is now an assistant at Florida under head coach Will Muschamp.

At a booster club meeting in Melbourne, Fla., on Tuesday, Davis made the Prince of Darkness comparison when saying how much he liked working for Muschamp.

“I’ve always wanted to work with Will,” Davis said. “Will’s got a plan. Will coached under the devil himself for seven years. I only did three. He did seven. And his DNA is not any different than Nick.”

This isn’t the first time someone has made the comparison. Earlier this year, Vanderbilt coach James Franklin called Saban “Nicky Satan.” Davis’ charge was a little different, Saban said, because they coached together.

“It’s just disappointing. If somebody has a problem with me, I’d appreciate it if they’d tell me. If I’m doing something to offend somebody, I’d certainly like to do whatever I have to do to fix it. It’s not our intention. It’s not what we try to do.”

Nick Saban was the Browns defensive coordinator under Bill Belichick in the early 90′s. (Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Nick Saban could be the Cleveland Browns’ next head coach if new owner Jimmy Haslam hires the right general manager, according to a Boston Globe report.

There have been a lot of rumors around the Browns that NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi could be the next general manager should new team president Joe Banner and owner Jimmy Haslam decide to make a switch after the season.

According to two NFL sources, there is indeed fire behind that smoke.

Lombardi would bring more than just an NFL resume that includes a term as Raiders GM under then owner Al Davis, and front-office positions with the Browns and Broncos.

There’s also the person Lombardi could deliver as head coach: Alabama’s Nick Saban.

According to the NFL sources, Saban has let it be known that if he returns to the NFL — where he flopped, going 15-17 with the Dolphins from 2005-06 — it would likely be with Lombardi playing Scott Pioli to his Bill Belichick.

Saban reportedly regretted accepting the Dolphins job and hiring general manager Randy Mueller, who was not a disciple of Belichick’s approach to acquiring and managing personnel. Saban left the NFL to take the Alabama job in 2007.

Mueller, who was a good personnel man when running his own ship with the Saints, had to learn Saban’s system on the fly, and it never really clicked.

Saban first got a taste of Belichick’s methods in the early-90′s as the Browns defensive coordinator. Lombardi was the team’s Director of Player Personnel.

Haslam’s role as an influential University of Tennessee booster, could come into play if he’s able to lure Saban away from SEC rival Alabama.

Speaking at a teen suicide awareness fundraiser in Nashville Wednesday, Alabama head football coach Nick Saban said that he agreed with the concept of a plus-one playoff system and that he does not believe it should be comprised of only conference champions.

“There are conferences that are in the BCS that if they played in the SEC, their champion may be in fourth or fifth place,” said Saban, according to ESPN.com. “If you’re one of the best two teams, you should be able to play in the game.”

In addition, Saban also believes that the money made from such a playoff system should be returned to the players.

“I’d like to see us use the bowl system we have now, and I’d also like to see the money that gets made from this four-team playoff go back to the players,” Saban said, according to the report.

Star Atlanta high school running back Justin Taylor, a former Alabama commitment who instead signed yesterday with Kentucky, spoke candidly about being mistreated by Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban during the recruitment process.

“The way they talked to me, they respected me … but as far as pulling the scholarship, I think they did me wrong,” Taylor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I was the No. 7 to commit, that’s all I’ve got to say. I was committed to them for a year. They could’ve handled it better.”

Taylor committed to the Crimson Tide last season, but Saban then went back on his promise and asked him to “grayshirt,” or enroll in January 2013 instead. Saban claimed it was because of Taylor’s knee injury senior year, but it’s been speculated that Saban may have oversigned recruits for next fall.

“I knew I wasn’t going to Alabama when I met with Coach Saban at my high school a couple of weeks ago,” Taylor said. “When Coach Saban came down, I just had this feeling in my heart. I prayed about it and God told me … and I know this sounds kind of crazy … but God told me that Alabama was not the place for me.”

Recently resigned New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer will meet with Alabama head coach Nick Saban, a source has told AL.com.

The recent BCS National Champions now have a vacancy at their offensive coordinator position after Jim McElwain made the decision to leave Tuscaloosa to become the head coach of Colorado State. According to AL.com, Saban is looking for an experienced offensive coordinator to compliment the school’s already well-established defensive system.

Shottenheimer served as the Jets offensive coordinator from 2006-11. He was recently replaced in New York by Tony Sparano.