Nick Saban Makes The Football-Smoking Analogy That The NFL World Doesn't Want To Hear

Alabama coach Nick Saban has spoken out on a controversial proposal that would effectively kill the up-tempo offenses that are now commonplace in college football.

He implied that the sort of fast-paced offenses popularized by teams like Oregon and Baylor are a player safety risk.

He also made the analogy that everyone in NFL world dreads: playing football is like smoking.

Here's what Saban told ESPN:

"The fastball guys say there's no data out there, and I guess you have to use some logic. What's the logic? If you smoke one cigarette, do you have the same chances of getting cancer if you smoke 20? I guess there's no study that specifically says that. But logically, we would say, 'Yeah, there probably is.'"

Let's break down Saban's logic:

• Every play in a football game is dangerous
• The more plays you run, the higher risk of injury you have
• Therefore, the number of plays per game should be limited

The logical extension here is that there should be zero plays, because football is inherently dangerous.

That's the conclusion that the NFL has fought hard to avoid.