No, Saban wasn’t chilling on open date Saturday
October 13, 2008
TUSCALOOSA—Six weeks into the season, Alabama coach Nick Saban just couldn’t enjoy the open date last weekend.
On a day when some of the biggest games in the country were being played, Saban admitted he tried to watch a little college football, but couldn’t enjoy it.
“It’s really hard for me to enjoy watching the game,” Saban said Monday. “You look at it too much like a coach. They get in a formation you say how would we adjust to that? What would we do against that? Next thing you know you might as well be going in there and turning the computer on and can’t enjoy the game because you’re kind of going through the same program as if you’re playing the game.
“Even watching Texas and Oklahoma. I’m adjusting to formations and matching patterns — and we don’t play either one of those teams. But anyway, it’s not much fun. And there’s not really a way to relax during the season, as much as you might try to. You have a lot of things you want to prepare for and lot of things on the horizon.
“It’s always been my way is to get it done and relax when you get it done. When you feel the hay’s in the barn and you’ve prepared and made the decisions and judgments that you need to make against the next team. And taught it to players and hopefully given them enough repetition that they know what to do. ... You’re kind of sitting there, shaking your leg, waiting to do that. But you’ve got to get these guys some time off, too. That’s part of the benefit of having a bye week. The work and their rest and recharging.”
