Paul Finebaum explains why Alabama, Nick Saban have slipped

In modern college football history, and arguably all of college football history, there is no better coach than Nick Saban. Throughout the time he’s coached, analyst Paul Finebaum has watched and praised him. Now, following a loss full of mistakes to Tennessee, Finebaum has become critical of Saban.

While speaking to ESPN’s Matt Barrie, Paul Finebaum explained where he thinks Nick Saban has slipped up. This comes as there is more and more criticism for the on-field discipline at Alabama.

“It’s hard to really quantify what the problem is at Alabama,” Paul Finebaum said. “To me, if you talk to any coach or any former player when players continue to make the same mistake over and over again, you know, there’s something going on.”

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“I had an old-time friend of mine from Alabama text me last night. He said, ‘Do you think Saban is losing it?’ Now, say that just to bring it up. No, I don’t think Nick Saban is losing it,” Paul Finebaum said.

“But, is the program the same as it was two or three years ago, no. It was at a different state.”

In 2020, the season impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, Alabama won the national championship in what many considered to be Nick Saban’s best coaching job ever. In 2021, they played for the national championship. With just one loss in 2022, it’s hard to see where the dip is in results. However, if you watch the games themselves, it’s easier to see where people like Paul Finebaum are concerned about the state of the program.

“Now, there’s always been these dips. If the kicker could’ve made the 50-yarder, we wouldn’t be sitting here having this conversation. Kicking has always–I mean, Alabama lost a shot at a couple of national championships because of the field goals. And then, last year and the year before that, he was making these field goals. So, I mean, I don’t understand all that,” Paul Finebaum said.

“Those things happen, but this program really doesn’t seem all together, in spite of how close they came to winning that game on the road yesterday.”

So, Paul Finebaum is seeing a renewed issue with special teams at Alabama. This is then mixed with a program that isn’t working as well as a unit as it used to act. It’s a problem that Nick Saban will need to figure out if he wants to make another championship run this season.

Next up for Alabama is Mississippi State.