Nick Saban Isn’t Soft But His Tide Players Are

OK, I am so tired of hearing this from the media and on social media.

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Heck, one well-known sports broadcaster basically said Coach Saban was "lost" and reminded him of his "grandfather".

.You can watch him talk about it below.

*Video from ESPN College Football/YouTube

I believe we are all missing the point and the real issue with the Crimson Tide football team of 2023.

Coach Saban hasn't gotten "soft", the players have!

Far be it for me to criticize the athletes of today for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

However, it is not 1995. Or 2005. It's not even close to the way it was in 2015.

As the host of the Alabama pregame show on 95.3 The Bear and Tide 100.9FM/1230AM, I hear lots of things about the team.

My co-host on the pregame show, Christian Miller, played for the Tide and in the NFL.

He opened my eyes to this new state of athletic competition.

Coach Nick Saban has learned, as all great coaches do, how to relate to the athletes of today.

That's his job. Right?

Coach knows you can't throw stuff and a sideline fit in 2023. You can't grab a kid by his facemask and light him up these days.

That famous video of Saban chasing Christian Miller up and down the sideline can not happen today.

Players today will go into a shell or just completely shut down if you "yell" at them in the heat of the moment.

This is partially due to the years and years of giving EVERY kid a ribbon that competes. How about these not keeping score at some leagues for young people in America?

How do you expect young people will be as young men if they never are told that it just was not good enough?

I have lots of respect for our young athletes. I'm sure it may seem like I don't.

I'm just tired of hearing blame always directed at the coach this season. The athletes need to take responsibility for their performance as much as the coach does.

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