Nick Saban calls out Paul Finebaum for premature takes on Alabama: 'You only have to lose one game with Paul'

Alabama gets as much criticism as any team following a loss. That includes that from one Paul Finebaum, ESPN commentator and the host of his show on the SEC Network.

Nick Saban was addressing how Kalen DeBoer is handling his own transition to Tuscaloosa while on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’. That turned into him recalling his own losses with the Crimson Tide that often led to a reaction from Finebaum, including those that he may have overexaggerated or been hasty on in hindsight.

“I can’t make any predictions about the future in terms of what people’s patience is going to be but they don’t have a lot of patience at Alabama. They have high expectations,” said Saban. “You can’t get caught up in that. You’ve got to just focus on what you’ve got to do to make the team play as well as you can and don’t let any of that stuff affect you.”

“That’s one of the things that I think allowed me to not lose my mind while I was there. We got criticized every time we lost a game,” Saban continued. “I don’t know how many times that I heard Paul Finebaum say this is the beginning of the end. I mean – but it never was but he said it a lot. You only have to lose one game with Paul.”

This comes after years of takes from Finebaum regarding Saban and the Tide. It’s even more ironic since the two work together on the same network now.

Finebaum will continue to share his opinions across college football, including those about ‘Bama. They just may not be accurate in the end – much like ones he had in years past about Saban.

Saban on tenor surrounding DeBeor, Tide

Kalen DeBoer has found it difficult walking in Saban’s shoes over the past couple of weekends at Alabama.

Saban joined ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ on Friday where he gave advice to DeBoer on following his tenure in T-Town.

“When I went (to Michigan State), I was expected to do things almost exactly like (George Perles) did them because I had been on the staff. But, yet, through the years, I’ve learned some other ways to do things because of being with (Bill) Belichick. And, you know, some people like that. So, sometimes I felt a little like, ‘Why aren’t you doing it a certain way?’. But I do think that this is a tough transition for Kalen,” Saban said

“Anytime you take over a successful program, I don’t want to be judgmental about what they do because I think he has to do what he does his way. You know, he can’t be me, can’t try to be somebody that he isn’t,” continued Saban. “I think there’s more than one way to skin a cat and I actually think the guy’s been successful and I think his way will work. I just think it’s adjustment for a lot of the fans and the people but I think he’ll win them over because he’s a good guy and he’s a good coach and he’s got a good system and a good organization. I’m just trying to be supportive and helpful any way that I can so he can make a smooth transition.”