Nick Saban facing problems to solve creates ‘most dangerous version’ of Alabama

Nick Saban has problems ahead of him this season, but he’s the most dangerous version of himself in that scenario, so says On3’s Andy Staples.

Alabama fell short of the SEC Championship by losing to LSU within its own division. The Crimson Tide haven’t made the conference title game for two straight years since 2010-11.

It might be a surprise to see that happen again this fall.

“Let’s be perfectly real, they’re not (the favorite),” Staples said to colleague Jesse Simonton at SEC Media Days. “We spent 20 minutes yesterday talking about Georgia and the possibility of three-peat and it is very possible that Georgia will three-peat. We don’t even know that Alabama will get out of the West. But I will say this, Nick Saban with a problem to solve is the most dangerous version of Nick Saban.”

Simonton agreed and likened the scenario regarding Saban to Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

“The other thing that history certainly supports is that before Kirby Smart was manufacturing motivation and was coming up with these grievances that no one ever was really talking about, Nick Saban was doing that,” Simonton said. The teams that were claiming doubt and disrespect and then coming out and pulverizing opponents, well, JC Latham, their star offensive tackle, comes out today and it’s talking about all sorts of, you know, fuel to the fire, slap to the face. The idea that the dynasty is dead is complete, you know, disrespect and then he punctuated all of that by declaring that Alabama would win the national championship.”

Again, it’s not farfetched to predict a national title at Alabama. The Crimson Tide are on the shortlist of contenders for 2023.

Latham went on to explain how that mindset motivates not just him but the entire Alabama team. Everyone in Tuscaloosa is ready to prove the narrative wrong, whatever that narrative is, showing they are still the kings of college football.

Is that Saban manufacturing the motivation? Either way, it’s getting through to the team.

“It motivates me,” Latham said. “Our group, as a whole — we don’t like that. Guys try to say our culture has changed or our dynasty is over with. We say that’s a slap to the face because people think we’re not out there to be the best. We’re going to silence it all this year and we’re going to take each game in stride and understand what our goal is. There are guys out there who don’t think we are who we once were.”