Nick Saban famously uses his planned-out openings during each of his press conferences to send a message to his team and Alabama has clearly received his messages at half time especially against Tennessee a week ago.
But even then, there are times when Saban wonders whether the players are truly listening to some of the things he wants to get across.
During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, Saban explained that he wonders sometimes if some of his messages get through to the players, especially when he’s giving presentations in meetings.
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“In that environment, at halftime, before the game, I do think they are listening,” Saban said with a smile. “Sometimes when I am giving them a presentation in a meeting, and, maybe even saying the same thing, and they are just sitting there in a theater seat, I wonder sometimes if they are really listening.”
Saban did have a sense of humor about the level of attention from the team during some of the meetings and it’s understandable for student-athletes minds to wander a bit during the long stretches of the week.
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But when push comes to shove just like it did when the Crimson Tide trailed the Volunteers 20-7, Saban drew a line in the sand with his team, ultimately lighting the fire for a second-half comeback.
“I told the guys at halftime everybody has a choice in life,” Saban said. “What do you want to accomplish? What are you willing to do to accomplish it? We sure didn’t play the way we are capable of playing in the first half. If we go out and play the way we are capable of in the second half, we can still have a chance to be successful and win the game.
“They responded well, and I was really proud of the way they overcame adversity again to win.”
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