Watch: Nick Saban going viral for interview that should have Bill O’Brien worried
By John Buhler
Nick Saban changing the plays on Bill O’Brien is not a great look for the Alabama football team.
In a game where the Alabama football team was blowing out the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Crimson Tide head coach called a timeout to change a play new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien had dialed up.
That may not seem like much, but it is something. O’Brien is in his first year on Saban’s staff after his tenure as the Houston Texans head coach ended disastrously. While O’Brien had a tall task to begin with in replacing Steve Sarkisian at Alabama, defensive-minded Saban should not be changing his play calls at the line of scrimmage vs. a borderline bowl team in Mississippi State.
Alabama may have throttled Mississippi State 49-9 on Saturday night in Starkville, but this interview clip from Saban should have O’Brien worried just a little bit.
Nick Saban on calling a timeout to change a goal-line play against Mississippi State:
— Sidelines - Bama (@SSN_Alabama) October 18, 2021
This comes after OC Bill O’Brien opted to pass multiple times at the goal line last week.#RollTide pic.twitter.com/IenXtcxNBA
Nick Saban throws Bill O’Brien’s bad goal-line play call in the trash can
Though Alabama has embraced the forward pass in the last decade or so under Saban, any defensive-minded head coach prefers to chew up the clock offensively and win the field position battle with one punishing run at a time. While O’Brien is more inclined to throw it from his days as a quarterbacks coach, Saban calling a timeout after multiple goal-line pass attempts is a bad look.
And it’s not just replacing Sarkisian that O’Brien is up against. Since Lane Kiffin arrived in Tuscaloosa after getting tarmac-ed at USC, the Crimson Tide have had one great offensive mind after another calling plays. From Kiffin to Sarkisian to Brian Daboll to Mike Locksley to Sarkisian again, O’Brien’s Alabama success will be measured up to his offensive coordinator predecessors.
The good news for O’Brien is he has a Heisman Trophy contender in quarterback Bryce Young.
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