Positive press is like "Rat Poison " per Saban

I guess negative press is like crack then

It's a cinch we EARNED any and all negative press that comes from this game.

The amazing thing is how many in the media are too stupid to understand he is speaking to his team through them. And then the few that do understand, criticize him and call it unnecessary. And yet, this man has lead his program on an unprecedented run in this modern era.

By which he means, "past performance is not an indicator of future results".

A half-time lead similar to the previous two weeks, and then a score early in the second half, and we can relax, right? Because the team is that good. Send in the backups and freshmen while we cheer from the sidelines.

Bit it did not turn out that way, and Saban's point is, once you have relaxed, and start mailing it in, in the modern game a team can score 28 points or more in a quarter, and no lead is truly safe.

I was deeply concerned as I watched A&M put passes into ludicrously tight windows. The game was definitely slipping away. Vandy and Ole Miss just wanted the game to be over - but last night, Bama just wanted the game to be over. Big, big difference.

Guess the national media still hasn't been completely processed. I can only imagine CNS' shocked face when he realizes there are sports writers who don't like him.

You had me until, "Bama just wanted the game to be over." While a close final score, the outcome was never in question.

DrollTide said:

By which he means, "past performance is not an indicator of future results".

A half-time lead similar to the previous two weeks, and then a score early in the second half, and we can relax, right? Because the team is that good. Send in the backups and freshmen while we cheer from the sidelines.

Bit it did not turn out that way, and Saban's point is, once you have relaxed, and start mailing it in, in the modern game a team can score 28 points or more in a quarter, and no lead is truly safe.

I was deeply concerned as I watched A&M put passes into ludicrously tight windows. The game was definitely slipping away. Vandy and Ole Miss just wanted the game to be over - but last night, Bama just wanted the game to be over. Big, big difference.

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I love the way Saban is. We need to stay focused. This week happens to be Arkansas and Homecoming. I read that Austin Allen got hurt and did not play (shoulder) in 4th quarter v South Carolina. Their 2nd string is a redshirt freshman who is 6'7, 270 pounds. Wow. I guess Saban will need to plan for both.

I expect us to win by double digits but we need to get back to playing BAMA football for 60 minutes.

Coach Stallings once said that's it's impossible to get college kids up for every game of the year. That you're lucky if they're really fired up for 4 or 5 games each season. I think CNS understands that positive press does nothing but make that job harder on the staff. Other than recruiting, IMO, one of his greatest attributes is being able to make 19 and 20 year old kids focus more often than they normally would.

The Ols said:

You had me until, "Bama just wanted the game to be over." While a close final score, the outcome was never in question.

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The Ole Miss and Vandy games were never in question. The second halves were pure scrimmage. But not even Minka's interception truly put the Aggies away. The game was still quite losable at that point.

I say "Bama just wanted the game to be over" because our team was go-slowing with the starters, trying to drain the clock, whereas A&M was going hurry-up and still trying to win it. This is a big difference from the last two weeks.

I guess I'm in the minority about the game. I never felt it was in jeopardy.

Saban is correct in how young players lose focus as the media proclaims them unbeatable. Just ask Oklahoma. They looked like one of the top teams until weeks of praise. They were as flat as I've seen a team coming off a bi-week.

Not one of Jalens best games but there's enough blame to go around and as I just said above I never felt the game was not in hand. Lot of stuff to work on. I did like our young players on the D'line. It just looked like a conservative win to me. I'll take it.
Our players wanted to dominate Ole Miss and did so. We just needed to win this game and stay healthy. I believe we did this.

Roll Tide. I'm happy.:BigA:

His point is very much valid, even if his words are quite harsh and maybe a bit much for the safe-spacers in the media. Our guys certainly read their own press, and know they are highly regarded. They know nobody though A&M could beat us, or anyone can until we get to the NC game. Well, these guys really are good, but they can be beaten if they do not stay focused. While I never really though A&M would beat us, they certainly managed to put a good scare on us. I am not sure that would have happened quite that way had we not gone in a bit over-confident after beating our last two opponents 125-3.

Oh, and one of my first thoughts after the game was over was "Nick is definitely going to use this game as a teaching tool and motivation to get our boys focused going forward." That thought brought a smile to my face.

Saban is just talking to his players through the media. The reality - the media has nothing to do with player complacency.

Saban rips the media when they have Alabama "dead and buried", then he rips the media for suggesting that Alabama can't be beat. Make up your mind, Nick.

B1GTide said:

Saban is just talking to his players through the media. The reality - the media has nothing to do with player complacency.

Saban rips the media when they have Alabama "dead and buried", then he rips the media for suggesting that Alabama can't be beat. Make up your mind, Nick.

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He's just using them as a pawn in his quest to motivate his players. They're a tool to him - a means to win more games and he'll bend what they say in any way that can help his team get motivated and focused.

I think Nick despises sports media but he recognizes it's power and ability to raise the profile of his team which helps with recruiting and it's ability to speak in a different way to his players. I know you haven't cared for the way he yanks reporters around in the past so we don't have to get into all that, but I think he knows that he's being contradictory. No press is the best press in Alabama - or bad press potentially.

Also he's not really saying NOT to post praiseworthy press but it's not doctorate level psychology to know that praise and adulation can breed complacency and apathy. So I didn't really take it as him criticizing the media but just stating the effect that it has on his players - it's more a criticism of them and how the accept and process outside influence IMO.

Contrast those statements with the ones from Butch Jones and I think you'll see a big difference. Jones outright whining and trying to bend the media to his will directly and Saban trying to use the direction of the media to influence his team, no matter what the coverage. His disdain for them is evident - he may feel that he has to work against them more often than they are a benefit but it all works out.

I wish a member of the media would stand up at the post game presser and ask " So, Coach Saban, what message would you like to deliver to the team today?"

B1GTide said:

Saban is just talking to his players through the media. The reality - the media has nothing to do with player complacency.

Saban rips the media when they have Alabama "dead and buried", then he rips the media for suggesting that Alabama can't be beat. Make up your mind, Nick.

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I think CNS just doesn't like the media. They do have a job to do, but I don't like them either to be perfectly honest.

B1GTide said:

Saban is just talking to his players through the media. The reality - the media has nothing to do with player complacency.

Saban rips the media when they have Alabama "dead and buried", then he rips the media for suggesting that Alabama can't be beat. Make up your mind, Nick.

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I often agree with your take on things, but not this time because IMO, both are true at different times. Like when Bama lost to OM in '15, the media was quick to bury Bama, not just for that season but many hailed it as the "end of the dynasty". At times, like after Vandy and OM this year, many declared them unbeatable except for possibly Clemson. I believe that Bama is so in college football's head that they waffle between seeing signs that Bama is declining or resigning themselves to Bama reigning. It's the nation's long national nightmare, though they are getting more and more used to it :smile:. I've never seen anything like it.

Coach Saban's least attractive trait to me is his occasional rough treatment of the media, though I think I understand why (I care nothing for the media as a whole, especially non-sports). Not only is he often talking to his team as many know, but when they are "not doing their job" or are taking advantage of their position or are trying to stir things up, it deeply irks him.

BamaInBham said:

I often agree with your take on things, but not this time because IMO, both are true at different times. Like when Bama lost to OM in '15, the media was quick to bury Bama, not just for that season but many hailed it as the "end of the dynasty". At times, like after Vandy and OM this year, many declared them unbeatable except for possibly Clemson. I believe that Bama is so in college football's head that they waffle between seeing signs that Bama is declining or resigning themselves to Bama reigning. It's the nation's long national nightmare, though they are getting more and more used to it :smile:. I've never seen anything like it.

Coach Saban's least attractive trait to me is his occasional rough treatment of the media, though I think I understand why (I care nothing for the media as a whole, especially non-sports). Not only is he often talking to his team as many know, but when they are "not doing their job" or are taking advantage of their position or are trying to stir things up, it deeply irks him.

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Saban isn't lying. What Saban is doing is trying to tell his team that they can only win if they ignore distractions and work hard. The distractions can come from the media, sure. The media can plant positive and negative thoughts in the minds of players. But the reality is simple - the media cannot win or lose games for Alabama. That is 100% on the players and coaches.

So, what is really happening when Saban says these things? He is telling his coaches and players to focus on the job at hand and ignore outside distractions. Complacency comes from within. It is a beast that we all have to fight when we believe that we have "arrived". Complacency is the rat poison here, not words in a paper or on a TV show.

Positive press is like "Rat Poison " per Saban

Lincoln Riley now says of Saban's comment, "I think he put it nicely." His Sooners apparently affected by "rat poison".