Relevant Lesson From Nick Saban
October 31st, 2019
Core belief.
Bucs coach Bucco Bruce Arians has accomplished more in the NFL than Alabama coach Nick Saban ever did.
That doesn’t mean Arians couldn’t learn something from Saban.
The Alabama coach may be the best college coach that has ever lived. Yes, perhaps better than Arians’ football mentor Bear Bryant. That’s not shade at Bryant; that’s just a high compliment to Saban, who also was a damn fine NFL defensive coach.
And Saban learned an important offensive axiom all coaches should heed. Saban learned this as a high school quarterback and it applies to the Bucs today.
In an outstanding story typed by Alex Scarborough of BSPN, Saban talks about the football coaches he played and worked for that molded him.
One of those men was his high school coach, and Saban recounted an order he received that he still lives by. And it should also be used by Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich as inspiration.
Saban, then 15, in a state championship game, played quarterback. His team had a fourth-and-12 situation trailing late in the game. Saban’s coach called timeout and Saban explained how the conversation with his coach went down at that break. A brainstorming session to save the team’s championship dreams.
What happened next will be burned onto that 15-year-old’s mind forever. He’ll go on to learn almost all there is to learn about football, but this will be perhaps his most important — and simple — lesson: Get your best players the ball, period.
“You know what?” Saban recalls [his coach Earl] Keener telling him. “It’s not so much about the play. You have an all-state split end out there, and you have the fastest guy in the state playing left halfback. I don’t care what play you want to call, but one of those two guys needs to get the ball.”
So what did Saban call? A play-action with a fake to the speedy halfback and threw a touchdown pass to the all-state split end.
Ballgame, state championship secured.
Reading this, Joe thought of last Sunday’s game between the Bucs and Titans, with the Bucs’ season on the line in a close game.
In the fourth quarter, the Bucs were horsing around with Breshad Perriman, who shouldn’t be on the roster, Dare Ogunbowale, who has no business being on the field, and Peyton “Up the Middle” Barber, who is a glorified backup.
Mike Evans in the fourth quarter? Ghost. Chris Godwin, one of the NFL’s best receivers? Not used enough. Cam Brate, a touchdown machine and a chain-mover? Hardly used.
Arians, who has veto power over any play called by his proxy Leftwich, decided to put the ball in the hands of hangers-on, neverbeens and two-bit scrubs.
That’s not winning football. Even a high school quarterback knew better.
October 31st, 2019 at 1:54 pm
Tanner Hudson dropped a TD in the EZ but that’s none of my business
October 31st, 2019 at 1:58 pm
Agree 100. Get ME13 the ball in crunch time get Godwin the ball get o.j the ball get Brate the ball get rojo the ball. You have all these play makers an they go to #19 an #44. It baffles me joe. Also baffled at that dam fumble recovery against Tennessee. It’s a Bucs life.
October 31st, 2019 at 1:59 pm
C’mon NPR- give it to us- I will not steal your thunder. It is Thursday……..
October 31st, 2019 at 2:01 pm
How many plays went OJ’s way at Alabama ?
October 31st, 2019 at 2:01 pm
Saban runs circles around arians and this clown show; saban was one of the best DCs in pro football before he went to MSU; he then was a qb away that he offered in drew brees but failed the physical to be the phins qb, now he is the greatest college coach of all time and much better than arians
October 31st, 2019 at 2:05 pm
An astonishing run of incompetence lives on as if mandated from above.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:08 pm
Winston’s literally the last QB you want to require that he get a certain player the ball. Probably working with a 50/50 chance that ends up as an interception.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:09 pm
Who had his hands on the ball for every offensive snap against the Titans? Who decides were to throw the ball?
October 31st, 2019 at 2:18 pm
Wonderful. Here’s the problem. You have a TE (Brate), who doesn’t get separation. Evans, who sometimes does, sometimes doesn’t, run his routes. And Godwin, who admitted they ran the wrong routes this week. Plus, a left tackle who couldn’t pass protect long enough to allow a 5 yard out causing a strip fumble on Winston. I’m not saying this because I think Winston deserves a pass. I’m saying this because the comment that Saban made had to do with a good team that had some competence. They’re in a place where the players did their jobs, so you can say something like “get the ball to your best players”. I’m going to ask it right now “who are the Bucs best players?” For pros, they sure do have lots of mental lapses, laziness, and overall stupid play by just about every player, every week. When you have a team where players do their freakin job on every play, you can use Saban’s philosophy.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:25 pm
Thank god Perriman is costing a compensatory draft pick in 2020 as of now. Such an awesome move that was totally worth it.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:30 pm
Geez this was stated weeks ago on the website. Evans, Godwin, Howard, Brate and RoJo need to be the top 5 touchers of the ball. It’s not rocket science. Perriman, Miller, Barber and Oba should be nothing more than fill ins.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:33 pm
@lord… i know that and you know that…. I wouldn’t be shocked if the gm didn’t know that.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:48 pm
You guys leave our GM and Perriman alone. Who else was going to make that tackle in the backfield? It’s Vinny’s fault anyways… I meant Dilfer… I mean Freeman… I mean Winston… you get the point.
October 31st, 2019 at 2:55 pm
Lord C … Do we know for 100% certain that Bucs will get a compensatory pick in 2020 IF we cut Perriman? And IF we do, cut him by what date? I have zero clue how the comp rules work (but it appears that Bill Belicheck has them memorized because he seems to get more comp picks than we get picks).
October 31st, 2019 at 2:56 pm
I declare this the best Joe Bucs Fan article ever written.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:03 pm
BTW Joe, great story about Saban & his high school coach. With the game on the line, getting the ball to your best player(s) would seem like a no-brainer. But noooo.
And oh ya, my wife’s an Alabama grad & loves her Bama football, as I do. And Nick Saban. But don’t ever say around her that Nick is “perhaps better than Arians’ football mentor Bear Bryant”. Them’d be fightin’ words. And I guarantee, you’d lose.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:04 pm
Joe
I need your help.
I have season tickets going back to 1976. I can’t even give them away!
Why should I keep buying them? Does hope really spring eternal?
October 31st, 2019 at 3:08 pm
100% agree. I love this article.
Sometimes coaching is common sense. These guys can overthink it. If godwin and evans have a 80% catch rate and perriman/dare are 20%, I mean what in the world are we thinking?
I feel a shift in our franchise coming though. 3-5 halfway through year one shouldn’t have been unexpected. If we can finish 5-3 or better in the second half, next year will be much better.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:09 pm
Good post.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:14 pm
Since he was hired BA has not coached. He has delegated. Bucs also have the worse player evaluation in the league.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:22 pm
DB55. Mike Evan’s dropped one in the end zone as well. On a drive that ended in a field goal.
So that’s 11 points in missed opportunities there. Plus the 7 points for the scoop and score that was stolen from us.
We should have won by 14 points.
We should be a 4-3 team right now if not for the afformentioned circumstances and a missed chip shot FG vs the Giants.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:29 pm
BA can no longer coach. He’s a glorified BS artist who assembled a staff of cronies, some of whom were out of football until BA rang the cash register.
He needs to be sitting on the dock of his lakeside GA home playing with his grandkids, not on an NFL sideline.
The Bucs need a real GM, not another BA hanger on, to turn this mess around.
Is Derrick Brooks available?
Peace, out.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:39 pm
It dont matter how good you are if the refs are screwing you.
October 31st, 2019 at 3:55 pm
Hey Coy, I know a 12 year old Buc fan who has never been to a game. So if you want to dump a couple of tickets to any game, reach out.
October 31st, 2019 at 4:03 pm
I can see the similarities
in this story. An older, wizened head coach let a 15 year old QB run his offense.
Much like BA letting his his yet to be proven OC . There does appear to more guidance from the high school coach than from BA. Coming out after the game and saying you don’t like a particular play seems like hindsight to me.
October 31st, 2019 at 4:12 pm
Yes only throw to chris godwin, mike Evans and howard because no one else is competent enough to do what they’ve been doing since kids. No one else should be dependable got it….basically no one else should get a shot to make an impact.
I blame leftwich for not targeting his best playmakers at all in critical situations but yes he should be seeing what hes got and who has the balls to step up
October 31st, 2019 at 4:37 pm
What is the lesson??? Lie through your teeth? Brucie boy has that down pat. A yo e remember Saban telling the media one night “let me state in no uncertain terms I am NOT leaving Miami I am happy here and I will NOT be coaching Alabama!” The very next morning the scumbag was gone!
October 31st, 2019 at 4:38 pm
I agree that Barber up the gut was a bad call. But I also agree with not leaving a 4th down on the shoulders of a qb who throws up wing and prayer heaves when there’s adversity.
October 31st, 2019 at 4:43 pm
They may have been open
Jameis threw to perriman
And Jameis was already frustrated with perriman 2 times earlier in the game
So why did he throw that way.
Mike appeared doubled but he is always open with his size and hops and basketball background.
October 31st, 2019 at 6:07 pm
If Arians is a good coach, then why are there so many obvious blunders that we’d not expect even rookie coaches to make? I’m holding to my guns that he’s not all that. And given his team doesn’t seem to be responding, maybe they think the same thing.
October 31st, 2019 at 9:34 pm
Yup.
Gotta agree with Joe(s?) on this.
October 31st, 2019 at 9:52 pm
Saban is very critical about ball security.. Winston would long have been replaced!
October 31st, 2019 at 10:05 pm
Too much logic in this column.
Defense Rules Says:
“… my wife’s an Alabama grad & loves her Bama football, as I do. And Nick Saban. But don’t ever say around her that Nick is “perhaps better than Arians’ football mentor Bear Bryant”. Them’d be fightin’ words. And I guarantee, you’d lose.”
Good for you. I like a girl with a little spunk!
October 31st, 2019 at 10:16 pm
AwShbucs Says:
“We should be a 4-3 team right now if not for the afformentioned circumstances and a missed chip shot FG vs the Giants.”
.
.
Does that include the refs calling VH getting stiff-armed “hand fighting;” and the replay’s inability to actually see a fumble recovery means the refs get to arbitrarily declare who recovered?
November 1st, 2019 at 12:25 am
Very well put, Joe. I agree 100%.
November 1st, 2019 at 6:12 am
Dead on Joe!
November 1st, 2019 at 1:46 pm
Great food for thought here Joe!
November 1st, 2019 at 4:26 pm
Right on. Agree 100% with your 4th Qtr fiasco. Plus D has to stop opposing offenses (Tannehill?) some of the time.