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Creg Stephenson |
'4th & Goal Every Day' will be published in August
As radio analyst for the Crimson Tide Sports Network and a long-time friend of Nick Saban, Phil Savage has insight into Alabama's football program that few others have.
Savage, a former NFL assistant coach, scouting director and general manager who now doubles as the executive director of the Reese's Senior Bowl in addition to his radio duties, puts that knowledge to work in an upcoming book. "4th & Goal Every Day: Alabama's Relentless Pursuit of Perfection," co-authored with veteran sportswriter Ray Glier and including a preface by Saban and a foreword by ESPN's Rece Davis, will be released Aug. 29 by St. Martin's Press.
AL.com's Creg Stephenson obtained an advance copy of the book, and read it from cover-to-cover this past weekend. It's a fascinating inside look at Saban's recruiting and development program at various stops in the last 25 years, as well as a behind-the-scenes account of big moments in Alabama football during the last decade.
Here are five things we learned that might interest Alabama fans, and college football fans in general.
1. Savage sends Saban a detailed scouting report prior to every game
Savage and Saban began working together with the Cleveland Browns in 1991, Saban as defensive coordinator and Savage as a low-level defensive assistant. When he became radio analyst for Crimson Tide football in 2009, Savage took it upon himself to email his opposing team scouting report for the season opener against Virginia Tech to Saban. Saban was so impressed with Savage's work that he requested Savage do so for every game. Savage has continued to send his scouting reports prior to each of the last 111 Alabama games, and Saban includes them with his and his assistants' own reports in preparation for that week's opponent.
2. Saban's 'Process' didn't begin with Bill Belichick
Though Saban was greatly influenced by and borrowed liberally from his old friend Belichick while they worked together with the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990s, the roots of Saban's program go back some 50 years. In recruiting the best possible talent, Saban uses a version of the Dallas Cowboys' computerized scouting system, formulated by Gil Brandt, Tex Schramm and Tom Landry in the 1960s. Prospects must meet various "critical factors" in terms of body type, athleticism and character, and are assigned numerical grades in several categories before they are even considered potential recruits for Saban's team.
3. Cooper Bateman's starting nod vs. Ole Miss in 2015 is (kind of) explained
The 2015 Ole Miss game is an outlier in Alabama's 2015 national championship season, and not just because the Crimson Tide lost for the only time that year. It's also memorable because Cooper Bateman unexpectedly started over Jake Coker at quarterback. Savage writes that Coker and Saban got into a loud argument in Saban's office following a meeting during Thursday of that week, after Coker grew frustrated that Saban would not decide on a clear No. 1 quarterback. Savage stops short of implying that Coker was benched for disciplinary reasons, but the fact remains that Coker took over midway through the second quarter of the Ole Miss game and started every game after that.
4. Some insight into the famous sideline blowup between Saban and Lane Kiffin
Saban and Kiffin's shouting match in the final moments of a 38-10 win over Western Kentucky in September 2016 was caught on camera and became a viral moment. Neither Saban nor Kiffin said publicly what caused the dustup, which occurred after a careless Alabama fumble led to a Western Kentucky touchdown in garbage time. Savage writes that Kiffin said into his headset "dumb players make dumb plays," which all the Crimson Tide coaches heard. Saban snapped back with "no, dumb offensive coordinators call dumb plays." There were probably a few expletives left out.
5. Texas A&M tipped off its plays during Alabama's 2016 win over the Aggies
In the weeks leading up to the Alabama-Texas A&M game last October, Savage picked up on film that the Aggies' offensive tackles would adjust their stances depending on whether the upcoming play was a run or a pass. Saban verified this information through his own film study and incorporated it into Alabama's game plan, with inside linebacker Reuben Foster checking the tackles' stances prior to each play. Foster totaled 12 tackles, Texas A&M averaged three yards per carry and Alabama won 33-14.
And that's just the beginning. Savage puts forth dozens of other anecdotes, insights and opinions that fans are sure to eat up regarding Alabama football and Saban's success in Tuscaloosa over the last decade.
"4th & Goal Every Day" is available for pre-order via Amazon.com.
Continue reading...
As radio analyst for the Crimson Tide Sports Network and a long-time friend of Nick Saban, Phil Savage has insight into Alabama's football program that few others have.
Savage, a former NFL assistant coach, scouting director and general manager who now doubles as the executive director of the Reese's Senior Bowl in addition to his radio duties, puts that knowledge to work in an upcoming book. "4th & Goal Every Day: Alabama's Relentless Pursuit of Perfection," co-authored with veteran sportswriter Ray Glier and including a preface by Saban and a foreword by ESPN's Rece Davis, will be released Aug. 29 by St. Martin's Press.
AL.com's Creg Stephenson obtained an advance copy of the book, and read it from cover-to-cover this past weekend. It's a fascinating inside look at Saban's recruiting and development program at various stops in the last 25 years, as well as a behind-the-scenes account of big moments in Alabama football during the last decade.
Here are five things we learned that might interest Alabama fans, and college football fans in general.
1. Savage sends Saban a detailed scouting report prior to every game
Savage and Saban began working together with the Cleveland Browns in 1991, Saban as defensive coordinator and Savage as a low-level defensive assistant. When he became radio analyst for Crimson Tide football in 2009, Savage took it upon himself to email his opposing team scouting report for the season opener against Virginia Tech to Saban. Saban was so impressed with Savage's work that he requested Savage do so for every game. Savage has continued to send his scouting reports prior to each of the last 111 Alabama games, and Saban includes them with his and his assistants' own reports in preparation for that week's opponent.
2. Saban's 'Process' didn't begin with Bill Belichick
Though Saban was greatly influenced by and borrowed liberally from his old friend Belichick while they worked together with the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990s, the roots of Saban's program go back some 50 years. In recruiting the best possible talent, Saban uses a version of the Dallas Cowboys' computerized scouting system, formulated by Gil Brandt, Tex Schramm and Tom Landry in the 1960s. Prospects must meet various "critical factors" in terms of body type, athleticism and character, and are assigned numerical grades in several categories before they are even considered potential recruits for Saban's team.
3. Cooper Bateman's starting nod vs. Ole Miss in 2015 is (kind of) explained
The 2015 Ole Miss game is an outlier in Alabama's 2015 national championship season, and not just because the Crimson Tide lost for the only time that year. It's also memorable because Cooper Bateman unexpectedly started over Jake Coker at quarterback. Savage writes that Coker and Saban got into a loud argument in Saban's office following a meeting during Thursday of that week, after Coker grew frustrated that Saban would not decide on a clear No. 1 quarterback. Savage stops short of implying that Coker was benched for disciplinary reasons, but the fact remains that Coker took over midway through the second quarter of the Ole Miss game and started every game after that.
4. Some insight into the famous sideline blowup between Saban and Lane Kiffin
Saban and Kiffin's shouting match in the final moments of a 38-10 win over Western Kentucky in September 2016 was caught on camera and became a viral moment. Neither Saban nor Kiffin said publicly what caused the dustup, which occurred after a careless Alabama fumble led to a Western Kentucky touchdown in garbage time. Savage writes that Kiffin said into his headset "dumb players make dumb plays," which all the Crimson Tide coaches heard. Saban snapped back with "no, dumb offensive coordinators call dumb plays." There were probably a few expletives left out.
5. Texas A&M tipped off its plays during Alabama's 2016 win over the Aggies
In the weeks leading up to the Alabama-Texas A&M game last October, Savage picked up on film that the Aggies' offensive tackles would adjust their stances depending on whether the upcoming play was a run or a pass. Saban verified this information through his own film study and incorporated it into Alabama's game plan, with inside linebacker Reuben Foster checking the tackles' stances prior to each play. Foster totaled 12 tackles, Texas A&M averaged three yards per carry and Alabama won 33-14.
And that's just the beginning. Savage puts forth dozens of other anecdotes, insights and opinions that fans are sure to eat up regarding Alabama football and Saban's success in Tuscaloosa over the last decade.
"4th & Goal Every Day" is available for pre-order via Amazon.com.
Continue reading...
