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Nick Saban's reaction to a great defensive play shows his never-ending attention to detail and how he is never satisfied

Tyler Lauletta   

Nick Saban's reaction to a great defensive play shows his never-ending attention to detail and how he is never satisfied

Nick Saban

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The Alabama Crimson Tide have been as close to perfect as a team can be, but head coach Nick Saban still finds flaws in the team's film room sessions.

  • The Alabama Crimson Tide are the best team in college football, thanks in no small part to head coach Nick Saban's attention to detail.
  • In a recent SEC Network segment, Saban broke down an interception Alabama had against Ole Miss, still finding flaws in his defense's play despite the successful outcome.
  • It's moments like this that make it obvious why Saban is one of the best coaches in football.


Alabama is the most dominant program in college football.

The Crimson Tide have won an astounding five national championships since 2009, and it's possible that the 2018 team is the best that the school has ever produced.

But even with their run of dominance, head coach Nick Saban can still find flaws in his team.

In a recent edition of the SEC Network's "Film Room," Saban sat down with David Greene to break down a few plays from Alabama's win over Ole Miss earlier in the year.

While talking about the play, Saban compliments his safeties on how they hid their coverage - a move that led to an interception and a huge return that set up an Alabama touchdown.

But despite the takeaway, Saban still saw room for improvement - Deionte Thompson, who picked off the Ole Miss quarterback, had taken the wrong route while returning the interception. While he managed to get the ball back to the Ole Miss 15-yard line, had he run to the numbers as Saban suggested, there's a good chance he could have made it to the end zone.

You can watch Saban break down the play below.


You might think that an interception would be enough for a defensive player - the goal of the defense is to stop opposing offenses from scoring - but for Saban, there's always room to be better.

Saban's attention to detail is one of the reasons he's considered the best coach in college football, and a big part of why the Crimson Tide is in the national title picture every year.

His keen eye for mistakes is famous even among his players - when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was told after a game that Saban had said he exceeded expectations, he responded with disbelief.

"He has to be joking with you guys because that's definitely not what Coach Saban tells us," Tagovailoa said. "There's always room for improvement. Not only with Coach Saban but within our whole coaching staff and within ourselves, too. There's always room for improvement."

The Alabama Crimson Tide are currently 8-0, their closest game being a 45-23 victory over Texas A&M. They look well on their way to another national title but don't expect Saban to be taking it easy any time soon.

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