Nick Saban Show and Hey Coach: SEC Championship Edition
As the football team prepares for their SEC Championship matchup against Georgia, the head coach of Alabama speaks with Eli Gold and the Crimson Tide Sports Network about the program.
During the fall, the Crimson Tide Sports Network’s weekly “Hey Coach Show” airs on Thursday nights; however, on Wednesdays due to Thanksgiving, the show is broadcast. The show is broadcast live from Baumhower’s Victory Grille, which is close to the campus of the University of Alabama.
The sixteenth edition of the fall semester features head coach of Alabama football Nick Saban discussing the team’s victory in the Iron Bowl and giving a preview of the upcoming game against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Gold “I know you detest thinking back, but last weekend was incredible. I really liked the way you handled it. You raised one finger to receive an additional point, and everything else went as usual for you.”
Saban: “Yes, after that we had to play two defensive plays. Win or lose, there are a lot of life lessons to be gained from gaming. While everyone is concentrating on the result, what factors affected that result? We probably missed a field goal and left two or three touchdowns. We therefore overlooked a few opportunities to provide insights into how that might affect a game, but you make a play at the conclusion and discover how that might influence a game in a
Sisler, “What does your 24-rule at home look like at home with Miss Terry when you’re celebrating a big victory?”
“You’re putting me on the spot here,” said Saban. It would be best to ask her! No, we always cherish our time together because it’s not something we get to do very often. Naturally, it’s not fun when you don’t succeed, but when you do, we usually have a good ride home, we listen to our favorite music, we discuss the game and possibly some of the things we could have done differently, and then we usually try to decompress.
of it. If we played football during the day and went home at night, we might watch a little bit of it. She is in charge of turning on Netflix or Amazon when we grow tired of that, which doesn’t take long at all.”
Sisler replied, “What are you watching right now?”
Saban: “I know it’s about an Italian inspector, but I’m not sure.” To start, what strikes me about this is that we watch these shows and we only watch, say,
, since I get home at ten o’clock or whatever, one episode per night. However, because the subtitles are in a foreign language, we must read them. And Terry keeps telling me to “turn it up,” but I don’t know what I’m turning up.”
Gold “Dallas Turner a finalist for Bednarik, Will Reichard a finalist for the Groza, Jalen Milroe a finalist for the Manning award, Justin Eboigbe a semifinalist for the Comeback Player of the Year.”
Saban: “Everyone you mentioned has played exceptionally well. I don’t get to see everyone, but it’s difficult for me to believe that there are many players who have contributed more to their teams than those guys. The most astounding thing about Eboigbe’s recovery, in my opinion, is how he overcame his injury, the difficulties he faced along the way, the doctors and specialists he saw, and his perseverance. Because of everything he’s been through, I think I feel more emotion for him than any other member of our team has ever had.
more than anyone else on our entire team has ever had.”
Gold, “I would like to thank the medical staff for Ginger Gilmore.”I think Ginger does a great job of making sure there’s a female in the training room because a lot of our players would go talk to their moms or their grandmas or whatever,” Saban said. In fact, they will disclose to a woman things that they would never discuss with their coach, whether it be about personal matters or domestic conflicts. We’ve always had incredibly good physical and mental health. Programs in psychology and psychiatry
and Ginger handles everything. She’s done a really good job of earning the players’ trust, which I think is crucial so that we can use all of our resources to support players. This is something that I believe is much, much bigger now than people realize, especially in young people, all the things they get exposed to on the internet and how difficult it is now to stay focused so that you can be successful in school, make good judgments as a person so you can develop value for your brand, and then how you develop as a football player too.”
Sisler, How do you take care of yourself? What do you do, massages and ice baths?”
Saban: “Not at all. I take a seat in my chair. I believe
and Ginger takes care of everything. She has done an excellent job of gaining the trust of the players, which is, in my opinion, essential if we are to support players with all of our resources. I think this is a much bigger issue now than most people realize, especially with regard to young people and all the stuff they are exposed to online, as well as how hard it is to focus in order to succeed in school, make wise decisions in life in order to build your brand, and then how you grow as a football player.” Sisler, What self-care practices do you follow? Do you give massages and take ice baths?
Saban: “Not at all. I sit down.
