Did you know Nick Saban nearly got his ass WHOOPED by two NFL stars during his stint as Miami Dolphins head coach?!
It's true ... according to Jay Glazer -- the NFL insider revealed Tuesday that Daunte Culpepper and Zach Thomas ALMOST came to blows with the coach!!!
Glazer -- appearing this week on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd -- said it all happened sometime after Saban accepted the Dolphins gig back in 2004.
Glazer explains ... Saban tried to use the same hard-ass tactics in the NFL that he used with college players -- and it all failed miserably!