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Alabama Football: An Open Letter To Saban Haters – Get Stuffed!

By Brandon Nickel

KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks on during the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium on October 15, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Thanksgiving is not complete without stating why one is thankful. Or, in some households, the airing of grievances. Alabama football owes haters a big one.

Happy Thanksgiving, all of you Nick Saban haters out there!

Please, enjoy the potatoes, the corn, and all of the other trimmings of a traditional Thanksgiving feast. The only thing is that if you were looking for the turkey, all you needed to do was look into a mirror.

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This Thanksgiving vent of frustration has been long overdue. It’s been cooking since 2007, when Saban first came to Tuscaloosa to be the head coach of the Crimson Tide. It’s still moist because of the recent coaching woes in the Southeastern Conference continuing to bast it, again and again.

Seriously, look at the state of the SEC coaching landscape. These programs have been hiring and firing coaches, during Saban’s tenure, like they’re trying on new dresses for the prom. Not one of them has been a good enough fit to take Alabama’s spotlight and keep it. Some of them don’t even get past the fitting room stall:

In 11 seasons, Saban’s Crimson Tide football teams have won eight bowl games, including four national championships. “Since Nick Saban took over as Alabama’s coach in 2007, the Crimson Tide has compiled the best on-the-field record in college football at 114-18 and produced 18 NFL first-round picks,” according to AL.com in November 2016. That record is now even better at 130-19.

What does a head coach have to do to get some respect?

Apparently, Saban hasn’t done enough. He must have pissed off the wrong person in a previous life, because Saban continues to deal with college football critics spewing, pretty much weekly, that they don’t deserve their number one ranking in the country.

If that isn’t enough, they offend the man himself. They say that Saban needs to lighten up, smile more, or cut his players some slack. And, those are the tamest criticisms out there in the media. Much harsher statements, articles, essays, and televised comments have been made over the years.

Here’s a suggestion, Saban haters: Take that nice, big, giant bowl of turkey stuffing and cram the whole thing down the gullet. Stuff yourself so much until you can’t move your lips anymore.

Saban doesn’t expect anything less out of his players than what he expects out of himself. Nobody else should expect anything short of winning when they so much as look in Saban’s direction. He has taught his players to know the competition, know themselves, anticipate problems to prepare for, and to embrace change.

College football programs seem to need to embrace change every year that Saban coaches Alabama. Heck, over 25 programs have had to smile through that change since Saban made it to Tuscaloosa.

Try not to choke on the wishbone, because prayers won’t be answered if they involve Saban leaving Alabama any time soon.

The man is 66 years old. Him and his wife Miss Terry have found a home and seem very happy where they are. Their charity, the Nick’s Kids Foundation, has helped so many young people in the state of Alabama and continues to be a driving force of good in the community. Both on and off the field, Saban looks to be at peace with his legacy, so why would he give all of that up to try something brand new somewhere else?

All of the hostility towards Saban seems more like indigestion. The crimson pill must be too hard to swallow for some college football personalities.

In 2011, after the big tornado hit Tuscaloosa, when it would have been easier for Saban to sit back and throw money at the problem, he rolled up his sleeves and rallied his players with him to help the victims. He brought them food and drink, when others were too busy gasping at the tragedy and too afraid to go out to the people who needed aid.

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That’s really the man whom haters think deserves so much animosity?

Yes, Thanksgiving is a time for families to come together to celebrate, but it’s also a time for families to pass on some advice to each other. Stop being a foolish turkey and start giving thanks to Coach Saban.

His work has given stability to a much criticized SEC. Without Saban, the SEC may not have had so strong a representative in the national championship race for the last decade. His heart and soul has been devoted to one goal in making students into better men, both on and off the football field. He has worked so hard to help those less fortunate and to create a standard of excellence that is synonymous with Alabama and its people.

Take Saban away and what do you have left? A bunch of turkeys just wandering around, accomplishing nothing of significance.

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So, dive into your meals, Saban haters. Just try not drowning in the cranberry sauce, tonight. You’re going to need some stuffing to make the night complete, and you turkeys have some pretty big mouths to fill. How about a fifth national championship for a Saban-led Alabama football team crammed down your muzzle? Will that finally satisfy you?

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