Nick Saban spoke to reporters Monday, addressing Alabama’s 52-49 loss to Tennessee over the weekend while stating what his team needs to do to improve moving forward. Here’s a transcript of what he said as well as my take on what it means.
Opening statement
So after watching the film, this was kind of a collective loss by our team. I don't think we played the way we wanted to play, for sure. We didn't execute the way we wanted to play. We had a few great individual performances. Guys played extremely well. But we also had some guys that _ it's our expectation that we need as coaches to try to help them get to where they can play better.
There was too many things that we did in the game. I mean, 17 penalties is, you know, just 130 yards of field position. Probably lost about 70 yards in field position on special teams, whether it was poor execution by a specialist or the mistake we made in trying to pick the ball up when it wasn't a live ball.
I mean, that's 200 yards in the game, so that's like two touchdowns, probably. Gave up explosive plays on defense, which is something that we had done a good job to that point of not doing. And the last five plays of the game, we didn't execute. We can talk about running the ball but we dropped a pass, the clock would be running and we would be closer. We miss a 'hot' and don't run the route right, the clock would be running and we would be closer.
So this is something that from the bottom up — I mean, I'm talking about coaches, I'm talking about every player, I'm talking about me — we've all got to do a better job to help these guys learn from their mistakes, improve and get better. This is not the way you want to manage through a season by games coming down to the last play.
And the things that you did up to that point got the game to that point. We want guys to focus on, hey, have fun doing your job. Have great energy and enthusiasm, intensity and go out there and play the next play. Don't worry about results and the consequences of that result because sometimes that creates anxiety, which sometimes doesn't lead to positive performance. So that's something that we need to improve on.
Tony’s take: You can tell Nick Saban is frustrated. He’s been calling for better focus and discipline all season, and his players finally paid the price. Alabama’s 17 penalties were the most it's been flagged for in school history. The 52 points the Crimson Tide surrendered were the most since a 54-4 loss to Suwanee in 1907. That game was played on Alabama’s quad.
On Mississippi State
Mississippi State's an outstanding team. I think they're 5-2. Mike Leach is one of the most difficult guys offensively to try to defend relative to their offense. The quarterback, Will Rogers, does a great job of that. They're one of the leading passing teams in the country. They've got a good receiving corps. I think they're running the ball more effectively this year than maybe in years past.
Their defense is very aggressive, create a lot of turnovers, do a lot of pressuring the quarterback. They're good on special teams. They've got good specialists so it's going to be a challenging game for us. And we'll see how our players respond to the situation that we've created for ourselves.
Tony’s take: This is a better Mississippi State team than the one Alabama wallopped following last year’s loss to Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide should still be able to handle the Bulldogs comfortably, but it can’t afford to experience a hangover from last weekend’s tough loss.
On if there has been a specific type of penalty that has been the biggest problem
"Oooh. We've been harping on pass interference, to keep our hands off of people. I do think in some cases we do a good job of guarding them. We've just got to do a better job of timing up the swat or whatever. Too many pre-snap penalties, false starts on offense. I think we had three in the game. And two of them were guys that they're looking at the ball. They're not even thinking about the clap or the snap count or whatever. Jumping offsides on defense, we had a couple of those.
“Those are the kind of penalties that are undisciplined, not focused, not looking at what you're supposed to look at so we don't have those issues. But they all put you behind the eight-ball. When guys are out there competing, sometimes we drive a guy to the ground and end up getting a holding call. You like that kind of aggressiveness. You don't want guys to hold. We're certainly not coaching that, but there are penalties sort of of omission and then there are penalties that guys are just playing hard and trying to do the best they can and every now and then something bad happens. Easier to live with those than the others."
Tony’s take: Penalties happen, and Saban gets that. If his players are sticking to their duties and happen to make a mistake, he can live with that. It’s the careless pre-snap penalties or foolish personal fouls that really get under his skin.
On how undisciplined penalties are addressed, fixed in the week afterward
“I think you’ve gotta do it in practice. I think you create all these habits in practice. I think we’ve gotta make players more accountable in practice for doing things correctly, paying attention to detail and doing the little things right. We can’t go hang ‘em up for doing this. They’re our players. We need to get them to understand what they need to do not to allow these things to happen and understand the consequences of what happens when you do it, and I think if you continue to do it consistently, maybe we need to play somebody else.
There’s always a little fear that goes with respect and respecting what it takes to win. You also should know that, hey, my job could be in jeopardy if I don’t respect the things I need to do to win.”
Tony’s take: While Saban might be able to live with effort penalties, he’s had enough of his team’s undisciplined. It will be interesting to see if Alabama really does make a change in personnel on the field this week. This could be an opportunity for second-team players to make their move and earn increased playing time moving forward.
On if he was given an explanation on why the hit on Bryce Young wasn’t ruled targeting
“No, no. We turned the plays in. I’m sure the league office will look at it and make a determination. There’s two things that are an issue here: targeting but you’re also not supposed to hit the quarterback in the head. Last year against Texas A&M, Malachi (Moore) got thrown out of the game. The guy was out of the pocket, jumped up to block the ball and ended up, almost accidentally, hitting him in the head and got ejected from the game. So there’s really two things that should be looked at.”
Tony’s take: It certainly looks like Tennessee defensive lineman Omari Thomas should have been flagged for targeting for his hit on Bryce Young in the second quarter. Saban isn’t going to publicly attack the officials, but a complaint to the SEC offices has been filed. Unfortunately for Alabama, not much can be changed at this point.
On what needs to be done to limit explosive passing plays on defense
“Well, we’ve limited them all year long. We’ve had less explosive plays this year than we’ve had all year. We certainly don’t wanna give them up. They did a good job of taking those wide splits and creating some matchup things because of the wide splits. So guys gotta play with better focus, better leverage, gotta be able to cover people better. I mean, it’s as simple as that. They are our players. We think they’re good players. We think they’re capable. They need to play with good technique and good focus on the little things that help you make those plays.”
Tony’s take: Alabama gave up six plays of 20 yards or more against Tennessee, including five through the air. The Volunteers have one of the nation’s most explosive offenses, but the Crimson Tide’s defenders certainly could have done a lot better. Things will have to change if Alabama wants to have better success against a Mississippi State offense that ranks No. 9 nationally averaging 333 yards per game through the air.
Fortunately for Alabama, Mississippi State has done most of its damage on short passes. The Bulldogs rank seventh in the nation with 92 passing plays of 10 or more yards but have recorded just nine of 30 or more and one of 40 or more.
On what he expects from his leadership group after the loss
“Look, I think that our players all wanna win, and regardless of how everybody feels, we feel worse. The players are out there competing. They’re playing hard. Maybe not always playing smart, maybe making too many errors that we need to fix. And as coaches, we need to help them fix them, teach them. They need to learn from the lessons that – learning occurs best when you make a mistake. But you’ve gotta take advantage of that. And I think it’s important for our players to get that.
“It seemed like we had maybe – you wanna have great energy and you wanna be loose. I thought we were tight, especially starting the game. Coming out of the locker room, our players always chant. They weren’t chanting. I said, ‘Why aren’t you guys chanting? What’s up with that?’ It’s not that they don’t wanna do it, it’s not that they’re not trying. I just think we’ve got to place our focus in the right place and our psychological disposition in the right place so that we can – look, when you compete, it’s fun to compete when you play the next play.
“It’s no different than playing a pickup basketball game, aight. He’s got the ball, I’ve gotta guard him. I’ve got the ball, I’ve gotta beat him. That’s how you play, that’s how you compete. You have fun. Sometimes he wins, sometimes you win. But you’re having fun doing it and you’re competing. That’s what’s important. And you can’t worry about the outcome. You can’t sit there all tensed up because you’re afraid the guy’s gonna shoot a three on you. You’ve gotta play the play and then go play the next play if he does make a three. It’s so much more fun that way.
“Not looking at the scoreboard, not worrying about results, not being fearful of what’s gonna happen if something bad happens or if we lose a game. Just go play, compete, and then when the game’s over and we do that and do it well as a collective group, we can live with the results. So that’s what it’s our job, my job to help these players get to that point.”
Tony’s take: Following Saban’s press conference, Will Anderson Jr. admitted Alabama’s players “had a lot of anxiety” against Tennessee. The starting edge rusher said fixing the problem comes down to himself and other leaders on the team making sure they not only get themselves going but also fire up the rest of their teammates before games.
On if he just has to trust his players to be more disciplined or if it’s on the coaching staff
“It’s both. It’s both and everybody responds differently. I think you’re exactly right. But we can’t continue to tolerate guys that aren’t doing the things they need to do to be successful. Nobody is entitled to a position. Everybody’s earned the position they’re in by showing they have the capability and ability to do it on a consistent basis. And that’s something you have to continue. And the grind of the season, being the middle of the season -- a little bit hurt or tired or whatever -- you can’t lose your focus on doing the things you need to do to continue to improve and get better because other people are looking at your flaws too. So I told the players a little story about the carpenter who has a special light that carpenters see that the wood is exactly what he wants it to be. He’s looking for flaws in the wood. Well, people are looking for flaws in you whether it’s how you block or how you tackle or how you cover, whatever it is you do. How we cover punts, whatever it is we do and we have to be aware of that and know we have to correct these things so they don’t become issues for us in the future.”
Tony’s take: Once again, Saban is challenging his players to hold themselves to a higher standard. If they don’t, there could very well be changes on the field.
On what he says to Bryce Young about taking big hits
“Look, Bryce is a competitor and he’s a great competitor and he’s a good leader on the team and we need to do a better job of protecting him. We certainly don’t want him to get hit. Can we do that 100%? Sometimes he scrambles and runs and gets hit but he’s a competitor and he’s one of the guys that is a real warrior on our team relative to doing whatever he needs to do to help the team win whether it’s to scramble, sit in the pocket for the last minute and deliver a ball and maybe take a hit because of it. We don’t want that to happen and we need to do a better job to be sure that doesn’t happen. But can we eliminate it happening and will he ever be a guy that doesn’t do everything he can to help the team be successful and help that play have a chance to be successful? I don’t think so. I think that’s why he is who he is. That’s why he’s a great player because of that. So I don’t know how to change that.”
Tony’s take: Alabama would love it if Bryce Young could avoid taking shots, especially to his shoulder. However, you can’t make the Heisman Trophy winner change the way he plays.
On if pass interference should be a reviewable play?
“Look, my big thing is just consistency. Just call it the same for everybody and it’s hard to define exactly what you can and can’t do. I would rather see that happen. In the NFL, they defined exactly what you can and can’t do and it’s a really, really difficult judgement call but you knew exactly what you could and couldn’t do. I think that would be beneficial. I don’t know whether it should be a reviewable call or not. I mean, if we make everything reviewable, why would you call anything? I mean, we reviewed one of the hits on Bryce and it wasn’t."
Tony’s take: Making pass interference reviewable didn’t work out in the NFL, but when you see a call like the one on Malachi Moore during the fourth quarter of last week’s game, it makes you wonder if something should be done. Saban believes that could come from a better definition of what defenders are allowed to do during plays. Still, that often leaves a tough judgment call for officials to make.
