Saban likes this Alabama football team and more from ‘Hey Coach’
By Ronald Evans
Alabama football ‘goes silent’ each game week after Saban’s ‘Hey Coach’ radio show. Media access to Saban and players resumes in post-game sessions.
There are exceptions to Saban ‘going silent.’ He will do television game-hyping events, College Football GameDay will lob him some softballs about Alabama football. All Nick’s answers will be calculated. These television snippets have an Alabama football script that rarely varies.
On Thursday nights during football season, the Saban ‘Hey Coach’ radio show has a more open script. Nick’s answers are still calculated but he is more relaxed. He enjoys making jokes and he is more candid with his radio audience than other media events.
In a poker context, we are not suggesting Nick has any ‘tells’ he ever reveals. He has a narrow range of ‘very guarded’ to a ‘little less guarded’ to ‘simply guarded.’ For maybe a few dozen minutes every year, Nick is publicly unguarded.
Those minutes are mostly restricted to just after a national championship victory and the ‘Hey Coach’ show.
‘Hey Coach’ Snippets
- Nick said when he worked for Bill Belichick in Cleveland that his boss would often sleep overnight at the team facility. “I used to sneak out like a like a little kid at two in the morning.”
- Saban clearly enjoyed a caller’s question if he ever thought of planting trees at the top of Bryant-Denny. On Nick’s youth teams, his Dad made the players run to the top of a hill at the end of practice. Unable to see them clearly in near darkness, Nick Sr. made them return with a leaf from a tree on top of the hill.
- Jimbo Fisher and Nick grew up in West Virginia about ten miles apart. “There’s really good people from where we grew up. Hard-working people with great values.”
- When asked by a youngster if Tua “could learn the plays” if he had to fill-in for Jalen, Saban gave a patient, detailed answer. It was a very different response from those elicited by inane media questions.
- When asked about the status of the day-to-day players, Nick quipped, “I am going to pull a Jim Harbaugh and post it on my Twitter at 4:00 AM.” For those who are wondering, we do not believe Nick has a Twitter account.
More serious Nick moments
- Saban said the University arranged for a helicopter to transport Tony Brown’s father from his Houston-area home to College Station, TX. The elder Brown is in poor health and his home was isolated by the flood.
- According to Nick, the kickers have been consistently performing in recent practices. J.K. Scott will handle kickoffs and Andy Pappanastos will be the field-goal kicker. Also, both long-snappers, Fletcher and Meyer will play, one for punts and the other for field goals and extra points.
What has been evident from Nick’s comments going back to spring practice and throughout fall camp is that he likes the 2017 team. Greg McElroy and others have noticed a special Saban fondness for this group of players and how they go about their business.
Reported by al.com, McElroy said,
"“I also get the sense Nick Saban likes this group. This group has something to prove. I think that’s exhilarating.”"
Others have said the 2017 team has a chip on its shoulder coming off the national championship game disappointment. Nick Saban knows an Alabama football team with an avenging attitude is a guard against complacency. And Nick Saban hates complacency as much as he hates losing.
For anyone who may have thought otherwise, the 2017 college football season starts Saturday night in Atlanta. Everything before is just a preliminary bout before the main event. RTR Forever!