Nick Saban highlights Pete Rose story to explain how he handles his players

Guest speakers have been a staple of Alabama fall camp over the years. Head coach Nick Saban brings in influential people to Tuscaloosa, giving players the opportunity to learn and maybe gain inspiration ahead of the season. Saban can take away a thing or two as well, using a story from Pete Rose on Saturday.

Coaching has changed throughout Saban’s tenure with the Crimson Tide. He admitted he’s still learning how to handle this crop of players early in fall camp. But Rose said former Cincinnati Reds manager Sparky Anderson learned how to balance his relationship with players.

Saban has just been on the tougher side recently, maybe needing to lighten up with them in the coming days.

“I kind of like what Pete Rose said the other night,” Saban began during his Saturday press conference. “Sparky Anderson, he said, was a great manager. He asked him one time ‘What’s the key to handling players?’ He said ‘Well, you got to know when to kick them in the ass, when to pat them on the ass, and you got to know when to not say anything.’

“So, we’re trying to figure that out. But I think I have been kicking them in the ass a little bit more than I have been patting them on the ass. So, we’ll just keep on keeping on.”

The story came from Saban after talking about the physicality of Alabama in practice and then during Saturday’s scrimmage. He admitted there is some work to do since they are in the early stages of preparing for the 2023 season.

Saban clearly wants them to toughen up a bit, claiming to have been a little more stern with them over the past few weeks.

When thinking about Saban’s coaching style, the “kick them in the ass” is more of what everyone thinks of. A good Saban rant can be quite the spectacle, especially during the middle of a game on the sidelines. Plenty of players — and coaches — have been on the receiving end after making a mistake.

Maybe as the opener begins to inch closer, there will be a few more pats from Saban. But with how important the 2023 season is for Alabama, the players will need to be performing well on a daily basis.

Saban wants to get the Crimson Tide back to the top of the college football world. Some old-school coaching styles may be required to get there.