Saban on First Take on ESPN2 now

As I listened to Nick's comments about last years team, My thoughts went back to AJ's comments a few months back. The comments AJ took flak for. .. They sounded a lot alike. For those that didn't see it , Nick basically said complacency set in after the LSU game , and the team felt a sense of entitlement and did not do the preparation needed to win.

bamaga said:

As I listened to Nick's comments about last years team, My thoughts went back to AJ's comments a few months back. The comments AJ took flak for. .. They sounded a lot alike. For those that didn't see it , Nick basically said complacency set in after the LSU game , and the team felt a sense of entitlement and do the preparation needed to win.

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AJ went further than that, though. Thus, the heat some of us gave him. He talked about the freshmen not doing their part and not buying in. CNS had to address it by saying the freshmen weren't the ones playing.

I'll say this... AJ and Amari Cooper's statement on entitlement are on same page, but at same time, Cooper was saying it's not just freshmen, but upper level classmen... sounds like there is same issues on the team, but people are pointing fingers at each other, Saban was addressing the team as a whole. I think this subject has been addressed and beat to death already by media, Saban, Cooper, and others...

What was the gist of CNS' interview?

My take: How many players that were eligible to return this year were kicked off the team? That says something there. I think we had issues with a few Sr. players imho

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/07/nick_saban_not_buying_cheating.html#incart_river

"Alabama hasn't faced NCAA investigation about its recruiting in the time since Saban arrived in 2007. There were separate issues involving D.J. Fluker and HaHa Clinton-Dix last season, but Saban said they were dealt with inside the program." So it has been handled regarding Fluker's incident?

All along, to me, AJs comments the fact that he made them public in the manner in which he did and repetitively indicates to me that he was part of the problem too. I have always thought if you are considered a leader and no one is following your leadership there is a least some level of a problem with your approach or mission. While there were no doubt some players who put the season on cruise control after the LSU win there were also probably some players who were probably a little to self-righteous about their approach. Sort of a thought like "How dare you spoil all the success we have achieved before you got here". From his comments, I put AJ in this second group. His comments to me wreaked more of him being worried about making history and his legacy than really trying to meld the newcomers or role players into the front line team.

If you take his comments and the fact that we all know who was getting the lion's share of the PT in the latter part of the season when the breakdowns started occurring, I think it is fair to say that AJ himself may have been a bigger part of the problem than he would probably acknowledge or even realize. Because it is true, there werent many freshman playing late in the season last year...

Here's the video of the segment

I stopped watching when they brought up the IB. I can't stand to hear or see or think about that finish.

I love the way Stephen A. Smith corrected himself and called Coach Saban, Coach, instead of just Nick.

I swear I could listen to Coach Saban talk all day. I'd like to think that even if he wasn't at Bama, I'd still be a big fan of his. I don't know about you guys but I put him in a class with Coach Bryant and am very glad we have had two giants coaching at our favorite school.

CoachJeff said:

I stopped watching when they brought up the IB. I can't stand to hear or see or think about that finish.

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Better figure out a way to handle it. I fear we`ll see that runback eleventy billion times this season.

CoachJeff said:

I stopped watching when they brought up the IB. I can't stand to hear or see or think about that finish.

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A "most improbable play" which should be a catalyst for another National Championship run...

Tideflyer said:

Better figure out a way to handle it. I fear we`ll see that runback eleventy billion times this season.

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More like we will see it played back every season for the rest of our lives...especially EVERY single time the 'Iron Bowl' week arrives. That's the worst thing about it and it hit me in the moment it was happening. I will have to watch games on 'tape-delay' from now on when I DVR the season so I can hit the 30 sec skip button everytime I see them start to show it. I don't want to see it or hear it but it's NEVER going away....it's sickening.

Con said:

I love the way Stephen A. Smith corrected himself and called Coach Saban, Coach, instead of just Nick.

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That's not that big of a deal with me, although I refer to him as Coach Saban. I've never referred to any Bama coach in any way other than "Coach Last name", but these guys are pretty big in their fields themselves. I can assure you that if Coach Saban had addressed Stephen Smith he wouldn't call him "Mr. Smith".
Fowler calls him Nick, Herbstreit calls him Nick. I don't have a problem that.
My only gripe with the interview was that Coach Saban said he, "Saw it coming", after the LSU game.
I agree. I've preached that for month's. We weren't the same team.
If he saw it coming, then it's his responsibility to change it. To eliminate any possible complacency he sensed that led to the demise at the end of the season. That's why he get's the big bucks. I'm one of his biggest fans, but when you have players with all the talent in the world, it's never their fault, it's yours.
It's like Coach Bryant said, "If we win, they did it, if we lose, I did it".
Coach S. is the best football coach in the world but the players weren't the only reason we ended the season with two losses.
sip

Alasippi said:

That's not that big of a deal with me, although I refer to him as Coach Saban. I've never referred to any Bama coach in any way other than "Coach Last name", but these guys are pretty big in their fields themselves. I can assure you that if Coach Saban had addressed Stephen Smith he wouldn't call him "Mr. Smith".
Fowler calls him Nick, Herbstreit calls him Nick. I don't have a problem that.
My only gripe with the interview was that Coach Saban said he, "Saw it coming", after the LSU game.
I agree. I've preached that for month's. We weren't the same team.
If he saw it coming, then it's his responsibility to change it. To eliminate any possible complacency he sensed that led to the demise at the end of the season. That's why he get's the big bucks. I'm one of his biggest fans, but when you have players with all the talent in the world, it's never their fault, it's yours.
It's like Coach Bryant said, "If we win, they did it, if we lose, I did it".
Coach S. is the best football coach in the world but the players weren't the only reason we ended the season with two losses.
sip

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What could have the coaches done at the end of the game against Auburn? From what I have heard, the coaches reminded the players it was a live ball, and they fought to get the 1 second on the clock to have a chance to win the game. It did not work out, but that happens....... IMHO, Alabama lost the game to OU due to the AU game......

I am sure Coach Saban and the coaches were on the players... but look at this from a player point of view- "Man, we are winning even without my best effort. We are Alabama, and we have the best talent/coaches...." The players are 18-23 years old..... they make bad decisions sometimes.....

I think that what happened last year will motivate not only this year's team, but next years.... so if Alabama wins the next two NC, look back at that AU return as the reason.....

TideFaninFl said:

What could have the coaches done at the end of the game against Auburn? From what I have heard, the coaches reminded the players it was a live ball, and they fought to get the 1 second on the clock to have a chance to win the game. It did not work out, but that happens....... IMHO, Alabama lost the game to OU due to the AU game......

I am sure Coach Saban and the coaches were on the players... but look at this from a player point of view- "Man, we are winning even without my best effort. We are Alabama, and we have the best talent/coaches...." The players are 18-23 years old..... they make bad decisions sometimes.....

I think that what happened last year will motivate not only this year's team, but next years.... so if Alabama wins the next two NC, look back at that AU return as the reason.....

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The end of the Auburn game isn't the issue. It's straight out of Coach Saban's mouth, "We weren't very good against Mississippi State, and we weren't very good against Auburn". I didn't say it, he did.
If we weren't, he has to take responsibility, and it's really that simple. All he had to say to totally satisfy me is, "Ultimately, that's my responsibility".
As far as the end of the season inspiring us to be better this season, we'll see.
I certainly hope so. But the coaches have to vow to be better as well as the players. It's a total team or organizational effort.
sip

Alasippi said:

The end of the Auburn game isn't the issue. It's straight out of Coach Saban's mouth, "We weren't very good against Mississippi State, and we weren't very good against Auburn". I didn't say it, he did.
If we weren't, he has to take responsibility, and it's really that simple. All he had to say to totally satisfy me is, "Ultimately, that's my responsibility".
As far as the end of the season inspiring us to be better this season, we'll see.
I certainly hope so. But the coaches have to vow to be better as well as the players. It's a total team or organizational effort.
sip

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I think Coach Saban did take responsibility.....