Alabama Football: OC Brian Daboll weighs in on Belichick-Saban

The Sugar Bowl’s media session in New Orleans produced Alabama football’s offensive coordinator Brian Daboll comparing Nick Saban to Bill Belichick.

Who would you work for? New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick or Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban?

That was not the question posed to OC Daboll, but it is worth examining.

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Michael Casagrande of AL.com reported Daboll’s time with the media this morning. Daboll stated that both coaches “‘are very similar.’ Both are ‘demanding and detailed. They expect your best effort. They leave no stone unturned.’ Not much has changed with Saban from when he was a GA under him at Michigan State in the late 1990s.”

Words like these are almost superfluous when it comes to other coaches; however, in the cases of Saban and Belichick, it is the essence of what makes them the best coaches in all of football.

Belichick has five Super Bowl wins as a head coach. Saban has five national championships as a head coach. Belichick is a three-time AP NFL Coach of the Year. Saban is a four-time SEC Coach of the Year. Belichick’s annual salary is $7.5 million. Saban’s annual salary is just over $11 million.

One would think with all of that money that their fashion sense would be similar, as well.

When asked about the differences between Saban and Belichick, Daboll said, “‘I think Nick dresses a little better.’ He laughed. Everyone laughed.”

Belichick, even with all of that money, still is known for wearing sweat clothing that makes him look like he got them from the ‘Ode to Homeless’ collection. Meanwhile, Saban was recently still trying to figure out why anyone would want to wear ripped jeans in public.

As much as the fashion comment was funny, it also has a lot to do with how people perceive both men.

Belichick and Saban have shared a friendship for many years, starting with their love of football, since they worked together for the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990s. Saban learned much from Belichick on how to run a team just as Belichick learned a great deal from Saban, even if Belichick was his boss. Yet, even then, there were differences.

Belichick came from money, but people think of his power coming forth from some deeper place within. Some people have combined it with his fashion sense to create the following comparison:

“@BestOfNike: 10 Hilarious celebrity and NFL look-alikes

#8 Bill Belichick and Emperor Palpatine http://t.co/BZ3YU5px40” @AeronForsberg 😂😂
— Chewy (@Chouinard47) May 16, 2014

Meanwhile, it’s hard to find times when Saban is not looking like he’s going to a board of directors meeting, even when he’s on the sidelines.

That’s because their approaches, much like their temperaments, are different. Throughout publicized footage of both men, Belichick and Saban can get very cross with players or assistant coaches who do not give their best efforts. However, Belichick seems to keep much to himself during games and in the press, while Saban’s emotions tend to come out despite his efforts to restrain himself.

For example, watch the NFL Network’s A Football Life where it shows how the two men coexisted during their time with the Browns. While Belichick would vent frustration behind closed doors or through personal workouts, Saban would often be seen nervously moving his leg up and down while sitting in coaches meetings like he was warming up for a Rocketttes routine.

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Hence the fashion sense. Saban’s attempt at dressing professionally projects the image that he wants to give to himself as much as to the people around him, while Belichick seems uninterested in caring about what people think of him.

Whether that is good or bad remains to be seen; however, it’s interesting to note that Daboll has also picked up Belichick’s style to his responses during interviews. When he was asked “about how he worked with Jalen Hurts after the Iron Bowl, Daboll said they aren’t as worried as much about what happened a month ago as they’re looking to Clemson.”

That’s right, completely avoid the question by responding with which team you are currently facing. You have learned the ways of the Force, Belichick’s young apprentice!

Yet, Daboll’s now Saban’s padawan learner. Belichick’s way of delegating a master plan is impressive, but is Daboll actually learning more from Saban’s ‘Process’? Saban is known to be a much more hands-on teacher. He gets right into the drills with the players, no matter their ages or skill levels. Will that help Daboll more to become a head coach in his own right?

It begs the question: who would you want to work for, if given the chance? Do Belichick’s methods reflect the best coaching style ever seen or is it merely a reflection of some sinister, evil empire based on a lack of caring for other people’s feelings in order to win at all costs? Are Saban’s methods a sign of micromanaging or a skilled craftsman trying to pass on his knowledge through first-hand experience?

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Do or do not. There is no try for either of these men. Which path would you choose? Daboll has seen both. He was successful enough with Belichick to help him win five Super Bowls. Is the Force strong enough within him to also win a college football national championship under Saban as well?