This may have already been said, and if so I apologize for not reading every post in the thread, but it seems to me that the Sabans do very little without a purpose. What could some of those purposes be?
1. They are paving their way to go to another team. Unlikely. What is said in this article certainly seems to jive with the Texas rumors about "special presures" at Alabama. But if this were the case, I doubt they'd also say that they aren't leaving Alabama. We all read this article thoroughly, but most of the reporting I have seen has led with "Sabans Not Leaving Alabama"
2. They are paving the way for retirement. Possible. Maybe they don't want it to come as a shock when he steps down. I think we all dread the day it happens, as Earl said earlier. I don't know. Maybe they are trying to ease the blow if he wins three in a row and steps down.
3. They are trying to take the pressure off of the players. Possible to likely. Saban has repeatedly said this year that he feels as though the players have been under incredible pressure. He talked about it after VaTech and Colorado St. He had one on one meetings with players. Maybe, with this three game run up coming on, he wants to turn this into a story about him instead of a story about them.
4. They want something from the administration. Unbelievable, but possible. Mal is gone. It's possible that Bill Battle has not been as receptive to Saban's demands--whatever they might be--as Mal was. I find that hard to believe, but who knows? We didn't hear this talk before this year.
5. They are being honest, and hope they can change the culture. Possible, but certainly a sign of hubris. They've gotten everything else they've wanted from us, so why not this? In any event, this year, more than those in the past, it does seem as though we've become almost impossible to please. Those of you who hang out on the game thread have seen it first hand, and that is with our fantastic moderators.