Patriots coach Bill Belichick plays it close to the vest when talking to reporters, refusing to divulge information about injured players, or expound on strategic decisions. Alabama coach Nick Saban says that’s an important lesson he learned from Belichick.
At today’s media day before Alabama’s Cotton Bowl matchup with Michigan State on Thursday, Saban said that he appreciates the role reporters play in the sport, but he doesn’t give reporters information because Belichick taught him that giving out information can put a team at a strategic disadvantage.
“I really do have a really grand appreciation for the media and what they do because it creates a tremendous amount of interest in college football, a lot of positive reinforcement for players who do a great job,” Saban said. “Even though sometimes I maybe put on a front to try to protect our organization, our team, the people involved on our team -- I’m talking about coaches, players, everybody in the organization -- I learned from Bill Belichick a long time ago you don’t want to give too much information out about anything, so sometimes I think that comes off as a lack of appreciation. But, really, I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for what everyone here does for college football in promoting the game as well as the players who play it.”
Saban was Belichick’s defensive coordinator for four years in Cleveland, and Saban has applied a lot of the lessons he learned from Belichick to become one of the most successful college coaches ever.
