Nick Saban wants rule change that appears to target Tennessee

An offensive rule change that Nick Saban wants would help Alabama, but hurt Tennessee.

Nick Saban is never afraid to let it fly when he thinks the game’s rules are no longer serving him.

Although he has done a remarkable job of adapting in his 60s and early 70s, as illustrated by hiring the pass-happy Lane Kiffin to be his offensive coordinator nearly a decade ago, Saban will always challenge authority, especially with the got dang zebras…

In speaking with Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, Saban expressed a desire to see college football implement substitution rules to help him reset his Alabama defense and be in line with player safety. Fate would have it, this proposed rule change of sorts would actually be a major thorn in Josh Heupel’s side, as it would make it harder for rival Tennessee’s offense to operate.

"“The way it used to be, the [official] would spot the ball and you couldn’t snap the ball [immediately]. When a team can snap the ball within seven seconds of the [play] clock, is that really good for player safety? I’m just asking the question. When you are on the defensive side, you can’t even change personnel.”"

He does have somewhat of a point here with player safety, but we’ll get to that in a hot minute.

"“People are going so fast that you can’t catch your breath and can’t substitute anybody. They could control it a little bit if they say a team makes a first down and then you get an opportunity to sub players on defense. That would be one thing. You can go fast if you want, but if you make a first down, the defense [gets to sub]. Now, if [the defense] doesn’t sub, you can keep going fast.”"

Saban’s defense has been a major issue on why the Crimson Tide have not won it all since COVID.

Let’s discuss if there actually is merit to Saban’s latest rant of sorts or if he is off his rocker again.

Nick Saban wants to slow down the game to help Alabama, but hurt Tennessee

Of course, any defensive-minded head coach like Saban would be in favor of improved substitution patterns. The offense usually gets to dictate when players can be subbed in and out. However, when teams like Tennessee go up-tempo, there is not much teams like Alabama can do if they have a mismatch on defense. It is more complicated than that, but I do understand the beef.

Where Saban loses me in this is to say this is all about player’s safety. Football is a collision sport with 100-percent injury rate. Slowing the game down may prevent players from getting hurt, but speeding up the game may decrease the number of plays, and therefore opportunities for players to get hurt. There are ways to prioritize player safety, but you can see both sides of the coin here.

Ultimately, Heupel is an Air Raid disciple and this is the type of offense he is going to run, whether Saban likes it or not. However, there is a reason why blatant up-tempo spread attacks do not win championships. Your entire system is set up to overcome real talent deficiencies. It has to be more complex to put less athletic players in space to win. Hence, five-stars will and will always matter.

If Saban out-recruits Heupel, his Crimson Tide are going to be smoking more cigars than the Vols.

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