Roy Exum
This week started badly for Alabama coach Nick Saban. After suffering a 23-17 upset at Ole Miss two weeks ago, the once-fearsome Crimson Tide looked darn-near lethargic in eking out a 14-13 win at Arkansas last Saturday and the fan base was visibly shaken. Forget that Alabama is ranked No. 7 in the AP poll; the Crimson doomsayers are ready to write this off as a rebuilding year.
So Nick was in a fiery mood at his Monday press conference. “I was just happy to see our players be happy about playing a game and winning. It really sort of, if you want to know the truth about it, pisses me off when I talk to people that have this expectation like they're disappointed that we only won the game, 14-13, and in the way we played.
"Really, that's frustrating. You want to talk about something that's frustrating. That's frustrating to me!" he spat out angry words.
But then something happened and the hunch here is that it doesn’t bode well for Texas A&M when the Aggies play in Tuscaloosa at 3:30 p.m. (CBS) today. Earlier this week it just so happened that Saban ran into the Crimson Tide’s golf coach, Jay Seawell, whose men golfers have won back-to-back national titles after being runner-up three years ago.
Seawell told Saban he had similar struggles – with high expectations – but that tension and worry doesn’t help. And the golf coach used a clipping from the legendary movie, “Seabiscuit” to bend Saban’s thinking.
Saban recalled the movie and his conversation with Seawall, “They had so much pressure on them because of their debt and the horse had to win the Triple Crown, the anxiety and the tension, and all that, and finally she just said, 'Let the horse run,' and it won by 31 lengths at the Belmont," the coach explained. "Well, that's what we're trying to let our guys do, just let them run. Just let them play."
By Thursday Nick had bought in to the improvised game plan. "I tell you what, I'm really excited about the team that we have," Saban told reporters. "You know, when we started this year, I think people need to understand ... We came here to start a program, we stayed here to restart a program and rebuild the program based on all the principles and values that made us successful in the past. This team has worked very, very hard to develop.
"And I know sometimes the reality hasn't met everybody's expectations, but that doesn't mean they haven't worked hard. It doesn't mean they aren't really good young men who need your support. They need your help. They don't need to be criticized. They need to play with confidence, and what did I say earlier? You've got to let them run and they grow up for you're going to be proud of them, but you have to give them a chance to grow up."
Alabama is a 10-point favorite over the Aggies, ranked 21st with a 5-2 record, and obviously this is a key game in the ever-cruel SEC West. But if Alabama has a breakout day, Saban just might give his school’s golf coach the game ball for reminding him of Penny Chinery’s famous words: “This isn't about going back, it's about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can go unless you run.”
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