Nick Saban credits age for relatively mellow sideline behavior

Many college football fans have noticed what appears to be a calmer Nick Saban prowling the Alabama sidelines this season.

Instead of his customary anger, he's appeared more mellow and likely to offer reasonable critiques in lieu of outbursts.

"I’ve found that players respond better to teaching and showing them what they did wrong than they do just yelling and screaming. I don’t think that does a lot of good," he said last year on his radio show, "Hey Coach."

So when Saban let Terrion Arnold have it after an easy Mississippi State touchdown on Saturday, fans of Alabama (4-1, 2-0 in SEC play) were happy to see that competitive fire once again.

Tide faithful can thank Saban's wife, Miss Terry, for raising the energy level on the sidelines, but as for what led to a somewhat tranquil first four games of the season, they may not like what Saban had to say in his radio show on Thursday.

Saban, who turns 72 on Oct. 31, said it's due to his age.

"As I've gotten a little older, I'm probably not as volatile as I used to be," said Saban, as reported by Bama247's Mike Rodak.

Saban admitted that he's been "a little laid back" about the Tide's self-inflicted mistakes recently, but it remains to be seen how much longer the septuagenarian remains in his current role.

This is his 17th year at Alabama, and the Tide's 2020 championship gave him seven total titles, one more than the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant.

Additionally, Bryant never had a player at Alabama win the Heisman Trophy, while Saban has had four. 

With so much success already and a mellower outlook on life, how much longer Saban prowls the sidelines is a question keeping many a fan up at night.