Why living up to Nick Saban’s standard is ‘impossible’ for Kalen DeBoer

Kalen DeBoer has about as big of a pair of shoes to fill as anyone has ever had to step into. It almost doesn’t matter at all, though, because, in the opinion of many like Jake Crain, he is never going to be able to fill them to begin with.

Crain, the host of ‘Crain & Company’, joined on during Wednesday’s episode of ‘Andy Staples On3’ to discuss the retirement of Nick Saban and transition to DeBoer at Alabama. His point was more so out of respect to what Saban accomplished in Tuscaloosa because, based on his achievements, he doesn’t think DeBoer will come even close to living up to what all that the last head coach gave to the fanbase.

“Well, it’s impossible because, again, this man is the architect, right?” said Crain. “The landscape is ever changing – I keep saying that. But you know what we always say? And I think about this – I haven’t had kids yet with my wife but I do want to spoil my kids to some extent. I want to give them everything, I want them to have every option. I want Christmas to be the best ever, I want them to get every single thing that they want.”

“Nick Saban was the greatest Sant Claus ever to Alabama fans. If you were born in a certain segment at a certain time? You have known nothing but the best Christmases ever. Wanted a pony? You got a pony. Wanted a truck? You got a truck. Wanted a pony that was made out of a truck? You probably got that too,” Crain said. “Well, guess what? Sometimes the economy goes down. Sometimes Christmas isn’t as ballin’ as it used to be. Instead of being upset about the present times because they’re not as good as what they used to be? You ‘oughta be very thankful for the memories. That doesn’t mean that the standard should be lowered but it does mean that reality shouldn’t be accepted.”

We all know the resumé of Saban, especially during his tenure with the Crimson Tide. 206 wins, seven national titles, and everything else that comes with being one of the best to ever do it.

The question now is how those at Alabama react to what’ll likely be a clear step down from that rare air. That’s why, while DeBoer may be successful in his own right, Crain is watching to see the fall out from whenever his first slip up comes.

“What I fear and what I’ve continued to say? Again, I look at it and I know how the sausage is made. I’ve been there and no team has sent me a check yet in a while. So I’m going to tell you what I really think,” Crain said. “Kalen DeBoer’s tenure at Alabama will be defined by the amount of freak-out that happens after the first thing that inevitably goes wrong goes wrong.”

“Maybe it’s at Wisconsin, maybe it’s Georgia at home,” continued Crain. “Nick Saban had a little bit of leeway when it went wrong. He had a little leeway when it wrong because, one, of what he had done in the past and, two, he always tends to fix it. That’s what he did this past year. Kalen DeBoer will not have that leeway.”

This changing of the guard is one that will have had all eyes on it from the moment it started. However, Crain is just warning everyone now to take it easy on DeBoer as he attempts to take over for Saban. That means appreciating the past while also getting familiar with a future that might not be as prominent as the era that they’re leaving behind.

“It is like the Soviet Union. ‘Bama fans are used to perfection or it didn’t happen. One of the greatest quote from the movie called The Death of Stalin is when the Soviet plane crashed, it killed all those hockey players, and the first thing they said was that Soviet Union planes don’t crash,” Crain said. “Well, guess what? At some point, the Berlin Wall has got to come down, buddy. You’ve got to expose it to the world. You’ve got to come back down to reality.”

“What a great ride it must have been, what an incredible ride it must have been,” said Crain. “You should be thankful for the memories.”