📡 Nick Saban explains how Alabama scouts referee crews, analyzes them after games - AL.com

[Bama News]

Nick Saban explains how Alabama scouts referee crews, analyzes them after games

Nick Saban describes the preparation process for each referee that calls Alabama games.

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Nothing rallies a divided nation like hatred for referees.

A call or two could impact the ending of any big game, so Alabama wants to stay ahead of the controversy. Answering an audience question at his radio show live in Orlando on Monday, Nick Saban explained his program’s strategy for handling refereeing and the curveballs they can throw.

The coaching staff has a meeting on the morning of game day to discuss the crew assigned to their game and the history they have compiled on each referee.

“We have a list of all the things they call because some crews call things more often than others,” Saban said ahead of the Citrus Bowl against Michigan on Wednesday. “Some referees you know protect the quarterback and call roughing the passer. Some guys call more pass interference than others. Some umpires call a lot more holding so we always want to know what’s the history of what these crews call.”

From there, they relay the information to the players in the locker room before the game.

Alabama struggled with penalties this season. Entering the bowl game, it sits at No. 119 nationally averaging 69.4 penalty yards per game.

Pass interference can be the most difficult call to scout when assessing officiating crews, Saban said.

“And it’s also the one that has the least consistency in how people call,” Saban said. “So you want to know what can I coach the players to do so they don’t get called for pass interference.”

Saban also used the controversial targeting call on Ohio State’s Shaun Wade in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl semifinal as an example.

“So, you try to take all this information you can get from officials so that you can coach the players better,” Saban said. “And it’s good for player safety and you don’t want to get your players in a position where they get penalized for something they didn’t know they couldn’t do.”

There’s also a postgame breakdown of how the officials performed by the Alabama coaching staff.

“Not necessarily to complain about it,” Saban said, “because we have a lot of respect for officials and officiating and what a difficult job it is. “But it’s the only way that they have to improve what they do is if you ask ‘Why was this call and why was it called and then they give feedback. And sometimes they admit they that what they did was maybe not exactly right but it gives them an opportunity to know it and it gives you an opportunity to know how to coach the players.”

 

[RollllTide!]

Steak dinner would probably help their eye site before a game more than anything. Lots of carrots as a side dish.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Between the call bama vs lsu were their guy was outbounds...on the catch..and the not scoop n score for clemson vs
And the not PI for ok vs lsu..... also the targeting....
Big plays affecting the games

 

[Rolltide24]

Whatever our staff is doing, it ain’t working... Maybe we just try coaching our guys on discipline and not committing penalties. Worst year I can remember as far as volume of penalties.

 

[mando]

Whatever our staff is doing, it ain’t working... Maybe we just try coaching our guys on discipline and not committing penalties. Worst year I can remember as far as volume of penalties.

I know a lot of people that would think something must be working to win 10 games. I understand your sentiment but bama is really not that far from being the best team in the country so it seems extreme to say it ain't working. In my mind clean up the penalties (as you stated), get the injured players back and add another years experience for some young ones will do wanders for next years team.