Nick Saban explains why he is easier on players after a loss

Alabama head coach Nick Saban is known for his fiery demeanor on the sidelines. However, Saban takes a different approach with his players following a loss.

Saban joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday and explained why he is easier on his players after a loss than after a win. The Crimson Tide suffered a 10-point loss to Texas over the weekend.

“I think that people are going to be affected by external factors. So regardless of how much we talk about ‘the standard comes internally, motivation comes externally,’ we still are all affected by what happens externally,” Saban said. “So if everybody’s hearing how great they are, sometimes you need to get on them a little bit to make sure that they’re not going down that road. And sometimes when they’re getting criticized a lot, you know, you need to pat them on the butt.”

Saban has done a lot of patting on the butt this week after Alabama dropped from No. 3 to No. 10 in the AP Poll.

There is talk that the Alabama dynasty is over and that the end might be near for Saban.

With so much outside noise about the Crimson Tide no longer being elite, Saban is trying to build back up the confidence of his players.

“There’s a time when you’ve got to pat them on the butt. There’s a time when you’ve gotta kick them in the butt. And there’s a time when you’ve gotta just not say anything,” Saban said. “And knowing how to do it and when to do it is probably pretty important.”

Nick Saban reveals his message to Jalen Milroe, Alabama QBs after Texas loss

One position in particular where Nick Saban needs to build up confidence is at quarterback.

Saban shared his message to Crimson Tide signal caller Jalen Milroe and other Alabama QBs with McAfee.

“I think that the quarterback position probably always gets a little too much credit when things go well and they probably also get a little bit too much criticism when things don’t go well. That’s sort of the nature of the beast, and everybody needs to understand that,” Saban said. “But I think the quarterback position is like every other position, if you want security in your position you have to play well. And that’s what every position on our team and every player on our team, that should be their mindset.”

Milroe completed just 51.9% of his passes for 255 yards, along with a pair of touchdowns against Texas. He also threw a pair of interceptions. Milroe had a much better performance in Week 1 versus Middle Tennessee State, and will strive improve and to mimic that stronger showing in Week 3 as the point guard of Alabama’s offense.

“So what do you have to do to correct the things you didn’t do well and give yourself a better chance to create value for yourself in terms of how you play, but also that’s going to benefit the team? And I think one thing about the quarterback position is you’ve gotta be the point guard. You’re the point guard first, you’re gonna distribute the ball each and every play and you’re not the shooting guard,” Saban explained. “So you don’t have to worry about making plays or forcing plays, you have to worry about distributing the ball to the right guy and not turning it over.”