Nick Saban’s famous sideline behavior sounds like it was manufactured to light a fire under other people.
The former Alabama coach is widely-viewed as the greatest coach in college football history. He won six national titles with the Crimson Tide and one with the LSU Tigers.
Saban’s intensity is legendary in the college football world. There are too many examples to count of him being fired up on the sidelines, even during blowout wins at Alabama.
NICK SABAN’S COMMENTS DURING SENATE HEARING DON’T CHANGE HIS LEGENDARY STATUS AS HEAD COACH
But was it all a ploy to get the attention of his players?
Sounds like that might be the case.
The former Alabama coach sat down with famous comedian Theo Von for an interview released Tuesday, and he pulled back the curtain on the reality of his sideline antics.
“You got to understand that in a competitive environment, I was trying to show intensity. Does that make sense? I don’t think I was ever, I mean, you want players to play with emotion. Have intensity, but you don’t want them to be emotional. So, most of those times when I look crazy, I really wasn’t being emotional. I knew exactly what I was doing, but I was trying to affect other people.
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“Wow, chess. That’s chess, Nick,” Von responded.
You can watch the moment below starting around 21:00, and make sure to let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
Nothing about Saban’s comments are overly surprising. The man is unbelievably smart and impressive. That’s why he has seven national titles.
He was willing to do whatever it took to gain an edge and secure a victory. If that means he needs to be fired up in order to get the attention of his players and staff, then so be it.
The strategy clearly worked. Having said that, I have a feeling his infamous shredding of Lane Kiffin was about as organic and authentic as it gets.
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That was an all-time college football moment.
What do you think of Saban’s strategy? Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
