Alabama football needs to stay in the moment, says Saban
Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach Nick Saban wants to see his team get past the hype & do each play at their best. Can they get his approval tonight?
Being a real parent has nothing to do with biology and everything to do with love. That parent wants their son or daughter to give the best possible effort in everything that he or she does, regardless of the outcome. The smile that the parent gives after a game, the sign of approval, comes from knowing that the child did not give up and left it all on the field.
There is honor there. The parent would love to see their child win, but the parent is more interested in the child transferring that love into the discipline, commitment, toughness, effort, and pride that will make them better people in the future.
Right now, that’s what Nick Saban is looking for from his players.
The players on the Alabama football team may not be from his DNA, but Saban looks upon these players as his own children. He and his coaching staff have put in months of hard work to put together this group of young men. The coaches have sacrificed time with their own families in order to help get these players on the right path that they desire to take.
Now that the work has been done, it is time for Saban and the other coaches to see what their work has wrought. Andrew Astleford of SECCountry.com recorded some of Saban’s comments in his interview on the ESPN College GameDay set in Atlanta: “He said the No. 1 concern for him is if players can stay in the moment. He wants to find out if his team has the will to win in the first game of the season.”
Notice his word choice, here. Saban did not say that his team had to win or he was going to discipline them. He did not say that if they were to lose the game that they would have to find their own way home. He did not say that if they got blown out that he would not love them anymore. Sadly, those words have been used at many a Little League game or other youth sports match by parents watching their much younger children play.
All that Saban wants is for his players to not let the hype from the game tonight, against the Florida State Seminoles, overcome them. He does not want them to do more than what he has asked of them in practice. They need to play within themselves and to not worry about what the other team will do.
The bright lights of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta will shine on the Alabama players, whether they win or lose. It is the way that they handle adversity in front of those unforgiving lights that will determine how the fans, the coaches, and the media will see them.
Judgement, however unfair, will happen. So, if they will be scrutinized no matter what, then why not play how they want to be remembered?
When Saban was asked about how he felt about night games, “he said he used to hate playing night games. But as he has gotten older, Saban said he has approached the calm before a night kickoff as a ‘peaceful’ time. He said he views the hours before a night game’s start as a time to relax.”
Why not? According to Saban’s famous proverbs, the Alabama football team should expect to win because they have prepared every day, the right way, to do it.
Even if the team was to lose, their playoff chances are still good. What would be a nightmare for Saban, or any real parent, would be to see his students disrespecting themselves, the coaches, and the game itself by letting their emotions get the better of them. When it becomes less about talent and preparedness and more about the psychological, that is when to hit the panic button as a parent.
A father can only be a guide for the child. When that child becomes a young man, he has to step into the real world and take care of business for himself. The father cannot live the son’s life for him, no matter how much he wants to protect his son from failure or disappointment. All that he can do is hope that his son follows his teachings and is brave enough in the face of adversity to live with honor. That’s all that Saban can do at this point.
Next: Alabama Football: Key matchups in the FSU game
Hopefully, for Saban’s sake, his players make him proud that his efforts were not performed in vain. They cannot look at the scoreboard; they just need to do their jobs the right way. If they can do that, Saban will have the smile of an approving parent on his face… Likely not in public, and most likely very brief, but it will happen.