Coaches: look before you leap to the NFL: coaches who have no previous pro experience are better prepared than coaches who think the NFL experience is an interactive exhibit at the Super Bowl

Going from coaching in college to coaching in the NFL seems like an easy transition, like going from swimming in your backyard pool to swimming at the health club. The reality, as new Dolphins coach Nick Saban is about to find out, is it's more like going to swim in an ocean.

"It is a completely different game," says Colts president Bill Polian, who has interviewed three college head coaches for pro head coaching vacancies without hiring any of them. "It would take a college coach a year, maybe more, to get used to the league and the pace that is required at this level."

There are reasons successful college coaches such as Butch Davis and Steve Spurrier are stripped naked by the NFL.

* It's almost impossible for a college coach to prepare for what he'll deal with at the highest level of competition. Coaches such as Saban who have previous pro experience usually are better prepared than coaches who think the NFL Experience is an interactive exhibit at the Super Bowl. But even former NFL assistants have a lot to take in after being away from the league.

Jimmy Johnson tried to familiarize himself with the ways of the NFL when he was a college coach, making visits to the training camps of the Cowboys, Falcons, Rams, Raiders, Dolphins, Chiefs and others to get a feel for practices. Still, Johnson was surprised at how small the margin for error was once he was hired by the Cowboys. "You can be sloppy in college and still win," says Johnson, who made the transition better than anyone. "You can't in pro."

* The offenses and defenses are much more complex in the NFL. Can you imagine an offense like the one the Colts use on the college level? And, of course, the players are faster and stronger in the NFL.

* The longer NFL season is an adjustment for coaches who haven't run the marathon, just as it is for rookie players. NFL coaches have to find ways to keep their players fresh and healthy over a grind that can last up to 27 weeks. NFL coaches have roster limits that don't concern college coaches, so dealing with attrition is another new problem.

"It's a long season with no easy weeks," Johnson says. "It can wear on you, and it's hard to keep your guys up. In college, you point for certain weeks. In the pros, you have to be steady."

* College athletes, as a rule, are more coachable than pro athletes--in part because of the tie between achievement and ego. When a millionaire superstar doesn't go along with the program, a coach doesn't have much recourse. "It's difficult to keep some of the less intelligent ones working hard because they have more money than they ever imagined," Johnson says. "In college, they fall in line with the rest of the team; there is more of a common goal. In the pros, money, agents and stats are a bigger part of the goal."

* Another issue for college coaches making the jump is hiring assistants. Pro coaches know other pro coaches, whereas college coaches are more familiar with their former fraternity. "Knowing the schemes that have been successful on our level is important, as is the ability to hire assistants who can implement those schemes," says Falcons general manager Rich McKay, who has interviewed five college head coaches without hiring one.

A good coach might be a good coach, but the currents of the NFL can make a good coach drift.

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Rich Brooks, Rams (1995-96), 13-19 His college mentality didn't play in the pros.

Tom Coughlin, Jaguars (1995-2002), 68-60 For an expansion team, his methods were ideal.

Dennis Erickson, 49ers (2003-04), 9-23 Never had a chance because of budget issues.