Positive press is like "Rat Poison " per Saban

BamaInBham

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Feb 14, 2007
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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.
I'm not sure if you think I was saying that Saban is lying. If so, I was not. In fact, I was saying that though it may sound contradictory, he was telling the truth in both instances. There are times they have been quick to bury and there are times they praise to high heavens. I was just responding to your original post, that he needed to make up his mind. He's had 2 responses because the media has made 2 arguments which were not true. Bama was neither dead nor unbeatable.

But I certainly agree that his primary audience is his program, though there are other reasons too.
 

cuda.1973

Hall of Fame
Dec 6, 2009
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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.

HUH??? Pointing out to the media, that they are wrong (because they usually are) was his point. Two different seasons, two different situations. Only common factor: Saban is right. (When are people going to start taking him seriously? The results speak for themselves. Sounds to me like he knows what he is talking about.)

Plus, it gets the attention, of the team.
 

LA4Bama

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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.
I agree with some of this. But I think it's naive to believe some players don't read their praises and get a big head.

In both cases you mentioned, Saban was ripping the media for taking an extreme position (albeit opposite extremes) yet treating it like the whole truth. Saban is consistent; it's the media the flipped and flopped.
 
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Bubbaloo

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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.
Both can be and often are true at different times. It can also be as cold as Hades. It really depends on ones point of view at that time.
 

Chukker Veteran

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It seems to me that intense fan interest, much of which is generated by the media, in football is one of the important factors that has turned playing football into the money driven proposition that it is now. It's like the chicken and egg question, does the media generate the interest or just cover what's going on. Which came first?

I understand Saban's point, and I think the reporters do too...reading praise in the press can cause his guys to slack off. But I would argue, and I understand it's in fashion to bash the media at every chance...if Saban could wave a magic wand and have sports reporting just disappear...his multi-million dollar paycheck would likely also evaporate.

I think Saban loves the press attention, and loves to play at being outraged by it. :smile: He can hardly get through one of his rants these days without cracking up himself.
 

Bamabuzzard

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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.
He just likes ripping the media. I bet every morning while he's eating his Little Debbie he thinks of ways to rip them a new one. I can see the smurk on his face now.
 

B1GTide

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Apr 13, 2012
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Some of you crack me up. If the media is pumping up a player from another team and not a player from Alabama, you get your panties in a wad. Then they pump up the Alabama team and the Alabama tam has a bad game, and it is the media's fault? Seriously, I am laughing out loud.
 

BamaInBham

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Feb 14, 2007
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Some of you crack me up. If the media is pumping up a player from another team and not a player from Alabama, you get your panties in a wad. Then they pump up the Alabama team and the Alabama tam has a bad game, and it is the media's fault? Seriously, I am laughing out loud.
Who said it's the media's fault ? I was simply responding to your incorrect charge that Saban was vacillating in regard to his response to them. "Dead and buried" or "invincible". They are the ones who initiated things, and they have done both, he was simply responding to each case.

I'm not saying he doesn't use the media or sometimes abuse them, I was reacting to your specific charge. In fact, I noted that I do not respect his occasional rude behavior towards them - though there are times that they deserve "correction" :smile:. I never remotely implied that they should not praise or criticize. I certainly do not credit the media, even slightly, for Bama's good or bad performance. I was saying that I disagree with your charge that Nick "needed to make up his mind".

If you weren't talking to me please disregard :smile:, it's sometimes hard to tell.
 
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AlBamaWagg

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Jan 3, 2007
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I was waiting for Kiffin to be brought up.:smile: In reality, nearly every post on this has some validity in it. It's hard to know if he truly is upset or preparing for an acting career post football. I understand his sending messages through the media, but it could be done in a more respectful manner imo He speaks of respect many times, but his record with the media, like them or not, is not in line with his teachings, and is a very large part of the ill feelings that non BAMA fans have of him. That and kickin their butts routinely.
 

RT27

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Aug 13, 2017
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Nick was not blaming media, that is their job, he was in a way blaming the players for buying into the media hype. He uses the media like Baghdad Bob, he gets it out there so his players get it. Man has shown he knows what he is doing, I love his rants on the media, they know and we know exactly what he is doing. Many who are not from this area see this all wrong, at first media was not happy with how Saban did this stuff. They now know his game, they love it. It sells papers and gets internet hits. They do not do this stuff or ask the questions they do by mistake, they bait him. Knowing he will take it and run. Local media around here actually have a great relationship with Saban. They are all playing their parts and they all benefit from it. It took a while for them to get his methods, as they are not typical. Trust me, they love each other, they both get exactly what they want. This media vs Saban thing is just as they want it. It helps the media and it helps Saban, win win.
 

RT27

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Aug 13, 2017
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I was waiting for Kiffin to be brought up.:smile: In reality, nearly every post on this has some validity in it. It's hard to know if he truly is upset or preparing for an acting career post football. I understand his sending messages through the media, but it could be done in a more respectful manner imo He speaks of respect many times, but his record with the media, like them or not, is not in line with his teachings, and is a very large part of the ill feelings that non BAMA fans have of him. That and kickin their butts routinely.
Kiffin is trying to use media like Saban does, he just is not a s good at it. GO figure LOL Kiffen ends up looking like the petty fool he is, he knows his best chance of anyattention is to mention Saban, cause without Saban mention, no one pays attention to him. Bless his little heart bahahahahaha
 

Bubbaloo

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I do believe that two cats of different species got a dose of "rat poison" last night !! A cocky chicken soon finds the soup pot !
 

uafanataum

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I was waiting for Kiffin to be brought up.:smile: In reality, nearly every post on this has some validity in it. It's hard to know if he truly is upset or preparing for an acting career post football. I understand his sending messages through the media, but it could be done in a more respectful manner imo He speaks of respect many times, but his record with the media, like them or not, is not in line with his teachings, and is a very large part of the ill feelings that non BAMA fans have of him. That and kickin their butts routinely.
He already has as many wins in his first 6 games (3) as that team did in 12 games last season. He will be able to claim improvement with just one more win. He is not a bad coach, he's just a childish idiot.
 

Saban4Ever

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Sep 27, 2016
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I was watching ESPN this morning while I worked out downstairs. I loved Tom Ronaldi's story about Saban and his rants. It was funny. Usually I cry when I watch his stories so this was fun to watch. Saban gave a good interview with him too.
 

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