Nick Saban explains how Alabama will balance football, fun in Dallas

The Alabama football team is headed to a College Football Playoff game in Dallas as a heavy favorite for the second consecutive year. There is a national championship to win, but it won’t be all football all the time. 

On Monday, head coach Nick Saban discussed how he will make sure the team has a good time in Texas while trying to win their fourth playoff title. 

“We want our players to have fun,” Saban said. “We want them to have fun in practice, we want them to have fun in the game. But we also want them to get the kind of rest, take care of themselves. Don’t put themselves in positions where it could be a detriment to their brand or their ability to get ready and perform in the game.”

The team will arrive in Dallas on Sunday, Dec. 26 and have a normal week of practice leading up to the game on Friday.

“We’re going to be there for a while. I want the players to enjoy themselves, but I also want them to be smart about how they take care of themselves,” the head coach added. “That’s all part of this being a business trip.”

Saban to let players make some big decisions

While there is a clear goal in mind for the Crimson Tide, Saban is not going to micromanage his team to try to get there. He believes they are responsible enough to do it themselves. 

“Most of the time, their willingness to do that pretty much says what they’re committed to and how important it is to them because it becomes a priority for them to play well in the game,” he said. “I usually let the players decide what the curfews are and that type of thing.”

Alabama announced yesterday they will revert back to the COVID-19 protocols they had last season as an added precaution as cases rise across the country. Players will be allowed to go home for the break, as they were last year, but they have been educated on staying safe. According to Saban, over 90% of his team has gotten booster shots to accompany their vaccines. 

The Cotton Bowl kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN on New Year’s Eve. This will be the Tide’s third playoff game at AT&T Stadium, and they have outscored their opponents 69-14 in the previous two games. They are a 13.5-point favorite over the Bearcats, who are making their first appearance in the playoff.