Tuesday, January 12, 2016

I Hate Nick Saban, But...

By The Rabbi - OTSL Producer/Video Editor

His smug, arrogant personality and coldness to reporters reminds me of a college version of Bill Belichick.  The smugness is unbearable.  His constant rumors about going to the NFL also make me hate his existence in the college game.

However, the man's presence is necessary to the game.  If last night didn't reaffirm it, I can definitely say it now: he is by far the best coach in the modern game.

I know all the talk by people who are going to talk about his place in the history of college football, will be about how he's better than Bear Bryant, but I don't care.  Comparing Saban and Bryant is like comparing apples and oranges.  Comparing anyone in the non BCS/CFP era to anyone before is somewhat unfair.

As an LSU fan, the hatred I have for Saban is legitimate, but I can still respect the man.  In a very stacked SEC, Tricky Nick always finds a way to make his team rise above all the rest.  Four titles in seven years is a hell of an accomplishment.  When you realize why he didn't win those other three years it is even more amazing.

2011: Cam Newton emerged as a dynamic talent, and yet Auburn still needed a huge second half comeback to beat the Tide in their regular season game.

2013: The "Kick Six" against Alabama in a game where either team could have won kept the Tide from the National Title game and sent Auburn to play Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles.

2014: This remains a mystery.  I have two theories, though.  
  1. Ohio State really snuck up on the college football world.
  2. Alabama didn't prepare and treated the National Semifinal the wrong way.   
Either way, this was an anomaly.

Let's not forget that Tim Tebow might have cost the Tide a title or two as well while he was at Florida.

In watching Nick Saban win his 5th national title Monday night, I saw him do a few things we have seen before.

1.  Establish the Running Game 

Sure, Derrick Henry had a quiet second half, but the establishing of him in the first half allowed Alabama to throw the ball, a lot, in the second half, torching a Clemson defense that hadn't been torched like that in any game this season.

2.  Play to his QB's strengths 

Yes, AJ McCarron did start a playoff game this week (and did enough to win), but the three previous QB's behind center for the Crimson Tide basically amount to one good player COMBINED in the NFL.  Greg McElroy is already working for the SEC network; McCarron is not even the most well-known person in his own household; and although Jacob Coker did have an amazing second half, he doesn't show enough confidence to play QB in the NFL.  He held onto the ball WAY too much at times last night, but as always, Saban figured out a way to overcome it and made Coker look like a Heisman finalist in the second half.

3.  Out-coach your opponent

There's a BIG reason why Nick Saban doesn't lose to any of his former assistants and is now 5-0 when playing for a CFP/BCS National Title.  He's the best coach on the field.  Dabo Sweeney is a young coach who looked really good last night, for about three quarters.  Saban pulled out all the stops, especially going all Sean Payton with a surprise onside kick after tying the game at 24 (yet another face slap to the state of Louisiana).  

Which leads me to the one final thing in my praising of The Devil in college football coach form, the way he adapted to what Clemson gave him last night.  He didn't have the best player on the field in Glendale (that would be Tigers QB Deshaun Watson) and his team never showed they had the better unit on the field - be it offense or defense - until the 4th quarter.  However, the adjustments Saban made led to what truly might be the best of his five national title victories.  Saban needed to find ways in the second half to win himself a title and that's when he called for the onside kick; the multiple downfield passes; and screen plays that carved up the Tigers secondary.  As I said on the OTSL Twitter feed during the game, when Alabama plays at it's best, you just can't beat a Saban-led team.  Clemson brought their A-Game and still came up a bit short.

That's why Nick Saban is the best coach in the modern college game, as much as I wish it wasn't so.

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