Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- If you think Nick Saban is going to stop for a nanosecond to enjoy Alabama’s football resurgence, think again.
He’s not wired that way.
There’s always another meeting, something else to plan for, a defensive breakdown to correct or a key recruit to call.
Spend a little time in Alabama these days, and you’ll hear it often.
“We’re back!”
Saban, who wrote the book on living in the present, cringes at such talk.
Sure, the Crimson Tide might be No. 2 in the BCS standings this week and working on their second consecutive unbeaten regular season -- which hasn’t happened at Alabama since 1973 and 1974 -- but they’re far from being a finished product in Saban’s mind.
But, then, in his mind, there’s no such thing as a finished product.
“I only think there are three or four of what I’d call dominant programs in the country, and I don’t think we’re there yet,” Saban said during a wide-ranging interview with ESPN.com. “Florida is probably there. Texas is probably there. Oklahoma is probably close to being there. I know they’ve had issues this year, but who could afford to lose two top-5 picks, one of them being your quarterback, and not have it affect you in some kind of way? USC is certainly there.
“You get there when your players just go play because they want to be as good as they can be, and they’re going to do it every time they play. There doesn’t need to be some external factor that’s going to motivate them.”
How close are the Crimson Tide to being there?
“I’ll tell you at the end of this year,” Saban said.
Even the most zealous Alabama fan probably wouldn’t have predicted this much success this soon for the Crimson Tide. After all, they went 7-6 and lost to Louisiana-Monroe in Saban’s first season there.
But since that embarrassing loss, Alabama has won 20 of its last 23 games and put together back-to-back recruiting classes that were ranked among the top two in the country.
While it might be human nature to enjoy some of that success, it’s not Saban’s nature.
“Probably to a fault, what happens to you when you’re like that is that you don’t enjoy what you accomplish because you live in a constant state of anxiety with small moments of relief,” Saban said. "And that's something that just doesn't change."
In each of the last two weeks, Alabama has beaten nationally ranked foes.
“But by the time I’m showered and walking out of the building, I’m thinking about the next game,” Saban said.
Not even his wife, Terry, has been successful in getting him to soak at least some of it in.
“She’s done trying ... quit trying a long time ago,” Saban said with a guilty smile.
But that doesn’t mean he’s a complete football droid, which he's been accused of being in certain circles.
“I enjoy it in a different way,” Saban said. “My positive self-gratification comes from knowing that you’re getting the right people in your organization and the organization is functioning at the top end.
“It’s not about me and my ego and how many games we win. It’s about having everybody in the organization playing and doing what they need to do, not just as football players, but doing what they need to do to be successful as people.”
And believe it or not, Saban can live with losing.
He’s still peeved about the loss to Utah in the Sugar Bowl last season. But the loss to Florida a month earlier in the SEC championship game, a contest that carried much bigger stakes, doesn’t haunt him nearly as much.
“A lot of times, the winning and losing part of it gets blurred for me,” Saban said. “Even though I hate to lose, we played a damn good game last year against Florida and they played a damn good game and it was a hell of a game. We had a chance to win it, but they made the plays at the end of the game they needed to make to win the game. I’m not happy about it, but I don’t feel like our team was ill-prepared and didn’t play well or whatever.
“Now, the Utah game, I felt horrible as a coach. For whatever reasons, I don’t feel like we put our players in a position where they were going on that field to be as good as they can be and play their best. I think there was an arrogance about us in terms of how we approached the game, and I don't care what anybody says. Utah was a very good team.”
While the talent on Alabama's team is obvious, Saban still isn’t ready to say it’s on a par with what he left LSU after taking the Miami Dolphins job following the 2004 season.
"No, we don't have as many good players as we did there," Saban said. "We still don't have the depth we need."
LSU had a record 47 players on NFL opening-day rosters this season, and 33 of those players were signed by Saban.
One of the things that’s happened this season is that Alabama has been able to evolve both offensively and defensively. They’re much more diverse on offense and have been able to do even more on defense.
"Each year, the guys who run your [defensive] system can do a little more, especially when you’ve got an experienced group like we have and then you’ve got a guy like Ro [linebacker Rolando McClain], who’s really smart at getting it implemented on the field and called right," said Saban, who likes to joke that he's defensive coordinator Kirby Smart's graduate assistant.
"We always have a lot on defense. We practice a lot. We don’t do it all in the game, but we’ll take something we haven’t done and do it in the next game. But it’s not the first time we ever did it.
Offensively, Saban said the Crimson Tide probably relied too much on their offensive line a year ago.
“Last year, we kind of fell into a little bit of a trap,” Saban said. “We had such a good offensive line. It got easy to play to that strength and not develop it and do enough other things. When you play really good teams, you need to do that. It’s hard to just dominate really good teams up front."
Saban balks at the notion that he somehow had the reins on offensive coordinator Jim McElwain last season, but what he does say is that Alabama has branched out of its bunker mentality.
“My feeling on it is that you can’t win the war unless you get out of the bunker,” Saban said. “There’s not a lot of battles won if you stay in the bunker.”
His reputation as a demanding boss is legendary, but Saban says he's probably not as hard to work for as he once was.
“I still don’t think I’m hard to work for,” Saban said.
What he is anal about is the details. He’s unwavering when it comes to doing things the way he wants them done.
“I think what happens to most guys, and this is what people tell me, is that most guys have an issue with all the attention to detail we pay in everything that we do -- recruiting, academics, how we get ready for the season, how we do quality control, how we research, how we work, how we do things,” Saban said. “It’s a little tough on them because they’re not used to it, especially guys who’ve been college coaches. But that’s really how pro coaches work, because that’s all there is.”
Saban is as comfortable as he’s ever been with his staff, although he has at least two guys -- McElwain and Smart -- who will undoubtedly be commodities in the head coaching market sooner rather than later.
“I want our guys to get those opportunities,” Saban said. “They deserve those opportunities.”
The only opportunities Saban is thinking about are right there at Alabama. His contract was just recently extended and will approach an average of $5 million per year toward the back end of the deal.
He doesn’t have a buyout, but says he doesn’t need one.
He’s exactly where he wants to be for the rest of his coaching career and agrees that it would be foolish to want to go anywhere else after investing everything he has into getting Alabama's program back to where it is.
“I don’t want to go anyplace else,” Saban said. “I never would have left LSU if it weren’t for the NFL. I never would have gone to another college, and I’ll never go back to the NFL. I’ll never have another opportunity to go back, but I’d never go.
“It wasn’t fun for me. I enjoy so much more the kids at this age, this level and the impact you can have on them in other areas of their life. This is where I belong, and this is where I'm going to be."
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- If you think Nick Saban is going to stop for a nanosecond to enjoy Alabama’s football resurgence, think again.
He’s not wired that way.
There’s always another meeting, something else to plan for, a defensive breakdown to correct or a key recruit to call.
Spend a little time in Alabama these days, and you’ll hear it often.
“We’re back!”
 | |
| Dave Martin/Getty Images | |
| Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have won 20 of their last 23 games. |
Saban, who wrote the book on living in the present, cringes at such talk.
Sure, the Crimson Tide might be No. 2 in the BCS standings this week and working on their second consecutive unbeaten regular season -- which hasn’t happened at Alabama since 1973 and 1974 -- but they’re far from being a finished product in Saban’s mind.
But, then, in his mind, there’s no such thing as a finished product.
“I only think there are three or four of what I’d call dominant programs in the country, and I don’t think we’re there yet,” Saban said during a wide-ranging interview with ESPN.com. “Florida is probably there. Texas is probably there. Oklahoma is probably close to being there. I know they’ve had issues this year, but who could afford to lose two top-5 picks, one of them being your quarterback, and not have it affect you in some kind of way? USC is certainly there.
“You get there when your players just go play because they want to be as good as they can be, and they’re going to do it every time they play. There doesn’t need to be some external factor that’s going to motivate them.”
How close are the Crimson Tide to being there?
“I’ll tell you at the end of this year,” Saban said.
Even the most zealous Alabama fan probably wouldn’t have predicted this much success this soon for the Crimson Tide. After all, they went 7-6 and lost to Louisiana-Monroe in Saban’s first season there.
But since that embarrassing loss, Alabama has won 20 of its last 23 games and put together back-to-back recruiting classes that were ranked among the top two in the country.
While it might be human nature to enjoy some of that success, it’s not Saban’s nature.
“Probably to a fault, what happens to you when you’re like that is that you don’t enjoy what you accomplish because you live in a constant state of anxiety with small moments of relief,” Saban said. "And that's something that just doesn't change."
In each of the last two weeks, Alabama has beaten nationally ranked foes.
“But by the time I’m showered and walking out of the building, I’m thinking about the next game,” Saban said.
Not even his wife, Terry, has been successful in getting him to soak at least some of it in.
“She’s done trying ... quit trying a long time ago,” Saban said with a guilty smile.
But that doesn’t mean he’s a complete football droid, which he's been accused of being in certain circles.
“I enjoy it in a different way,” Saban said. “My positive self-gratification comes from knowing that you’re getting the right people in your organization and the organization is functioning at the top end.
“It’s not about me and my ego and how many games we win. It’s about having everybody in the organization playing and doing what they need to do, not just as football players, but doing what they need to do to be successful as people.”
And believe it or not, Saban can live with losing.
He’s still peeved about the loss to Utah in the Sugar Bowl last season. But the loss to Florida a month earlier in the SEC championship game, a contest that carried much bigger stakes, doesn’t haunt him nearly as much.
 | |
| Marvin Gentry/US Presswire | |
| Nick Saban says he enjoys working with college kids and having an impact on other aspects of their lives. |
“A lot of times, the winning and losing part of it gets blurred for me,” Saban said. “Even though I hate to lose, we played a damn good game last year against Florida and they played a damn good game and it was a hell of a game. We had a chance to win it, but they made the plays at the end of the game they needed to make to win the game. I’m not happy about it, but I don’t feel like our team was ill-prepared and didn’t play well or whatever.
“Now, the Utah game, I felt horrible as a coach. For whatever reasons, I don’t feel like we put our players in a position where they were going on that field to be as good as they can be and play their best. I think there was an arrogance about us in terms of how we approached the game, and I don't care what anybody says. Utah was a very good team.”
While the talent on Alabama's team is obvious, Saban still isn’t ready to say it’s on a par with what he left LSU after taking the Miami Dolphins job following the 2004 season.
"No, we don't have as many good players as we did there," Saban said. "We still don't have the depth we need."
LSU had a record 47 players on NFL opening-day rosters this season, and 33 of those players were signed by Saban.
One of the things that’s happened this season is that Alabama has been able to evolve both offensively and defensively. They’re much more diverse on offense and have been able to do even more on defense.
"Each year, the guys who run your [defensive] system can do a little more, especially when you’ve got an experienced group like we have and then you’ve got a guy like Ro [linebacker Rolando McClain], who’s really smart at getting it implemented on the field and called right," said Saban, who likes to joke that he's defensive coordinator Kirby Smart's graduate assistant.
"We always have a lot on defense. We practice a lot. We don’t do it all in the game, but we’ll take something we haven’t done and do it in the next game. But it’s not the first time we ever did it.
Offensively, Saban said the Crimson Tide probably relied too much on their offensive line a year ago.
“Last year, we kind of fell into a little bit of a trap,” Saban said. “We had such a good offensive line. It got easy to play to that strength and not develop it and do enough other things. When you play really good teams, you need to do that. It’s hard to just dominate really good teams up front."
Saban balks at the notion that he somehow had the reins on offensive coordinator Jim McElwain last season, but what he does say is that Alabama has branched out of its bunker mentality.
“My feeling on it is that you can’t win the war unless you get out of the bunker,” Saban said. “There’s not a lot of battles won if you stay in the bunker.”
His reputation as a demanding boss is legendary, but Saban says he's probably not as hard to work for as he once was.
“I still don’t think I’m hard to work for,” Saban said.
What he is anal about is the details. He’s unwavering when it comes to doing things the way he wants them done.
 | |
| Doug Murray/WireImage.com | |
| Nick Saban says he has no plans to return to the NFL. |
“I think what happens to most guys, and this is what people tell me, is that most guys have an issue with all the attention to detail we pay in everything that we do -- recruiting, academics, how we get ready for the season, how we do quality control, how we research, how we work, how we do things,” Saban said. “It’s a little tough on them because they’re not used to it, especially guys who’ve been college coaches. But that’s really how pro coaches work, because that’s all there is.”
Saban is as comfortable as he’s ever been with his staff, although he has at least two guys -- McElwain and Smart -- who will undoubtedly be commodities in the head coaching market sooner rather than later.
“I want our guys to get those opportunities,” Saban said. “They deserve those opportunities.”
The only opportunities Saban is thinking about are right there at Alabama. His contract was just recently extended and will approach an average of $5 million per year toward the back end of the deal.
He doesn’t have a buyout, but says he doesn’t need one.
He’s exactly where he wants to be for the rest of his coaching career and agrees that it would be foolish to want to go anywhere else after investing everything he has into getting Alabama's program back to where it is.
“I don’t want to go anyplace else,” Saban said. “I never would have left LSU if it weren’t for the NFL. I never would have gone to another college, and I’ll never go back to the NFL. I’ll never have another opportunity to go back, but I’d never go.
“It wasn’t fun for me. I enjoy so much more the kids at this age, this level and the impact you can have on them in other areas of their life. This is where I belong, and this is where I'm going to be."
Sort comments by: Most Recent | First Posted
Comments that include profanity, or personal attacks, or antisocial behavior such as "spamming" or "trolling," or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. We will take steps to block users who violate any of our terms of use. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Chris Low
Low joined ESPN.com in 2007 after 10 years with The (Nashville) Tennessean covering the University of Tennessee and SEC. The Rock Hill, S.C., native lives with his wife in Knoxville and has three sons.
SEC SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 11/21
Final Mississippi State 21 Arkansas 42 Final Chattanooga 0 2 Alabama 45 Final Florida International 3 1 Florida 62 Final 8 LSU 23 Mississippi 25 Final Vanderbilt 16 Tennessee 31 Final Kentucky 34 Georgia 27
