Nick Saban: Alabama 'no longer viewed as an elite team'

Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Saban throws shade at his Alabama team after loss?

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 10/14/21

Nick Saban obviously wants his football team to win every game they play. But he seems to also perversely enjoy it when his team doesn’t play up to its capabilities, because he seizes those moments to tell his players “I told you so.”

It seems like Saban was experiencing one of those “I told you so” moments on Thursday night during his radio show.

The Alabama football coach said that his Crimson Tide are “no longer viewed as an elite team.”

"We’re no longer viewed as an elite team,” Saban said.

— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) October 15, 2021

Saban doesn’t have enough time in his day, nor the interest, to monitor external opinions about his team. He has no clue whether others are saying they’re no longer elite following Saturday’s loss at Texas A&M.

Saban is probably saying this because he’s trying to motivate his players to play better.

Saban hates the “rat poison” that occurs when his players listen to people outside the program praising them and inflating their egos. But he sure seems to love to do the inverse. If Saban has his way, the A&M loss will be exactly what his program needed to be focused for the rest of the season to avoid slipups.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: