Nick Saban reveals importance of ‘nerve control’ in coaching

It isn’t easy being Nick Saban. During Thursday’s episode of “Hey Coach & The Nick Saban Show,” the Alabama head coach revealed the intangibles necessary to reach the heights he has.

“It takes some I’m going to call it nerve control,” Saban said. “You have to be able to control your emotions. You have to play with emotion, but not be emotional because in games like this [week’s], when you get emotional, then you don’t make good choices and decisions.

“You lose your focus on what you need to be doing and you make bad decisions and bad choices, which can cost you in terms of your execution. So, nerve control is important. Play with emotion, but don’t be emotional and make poor choices and decisions.”

Saban and Co. certainly avoided poor choices in their 56-7 season-opening win over Middle Tennessee State. In the victory, Alabama was clinical, carving up the Blue Raiders for 431 yards. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide gave up just 211 yards on the other side of the ball.

Nick Saban mentality rubs off on Jalen Milroe

Saban wasn’t the only one who showed off his cool in the contest. After earning the starting spot, QB Jalen Milroe didn’t waste any time. The redshirt sophomore completed 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 194 yards and three touchdowns.

Milroe also led the Crimson Tide in rushing, boasting 48 yards and two touchdowns. Despite his jaw-dropping performance, Milroe didn’t let his emotions get the best of him. He stayed focused on the future.

“I think it was a start. It was a start for everything and the one thing that I want to do is just improve,” Milroe said following the win. “That’s one thing I wanted to do was appreciate the win, number one. But, also, look in the mirror and try to look at, ‘Hey, how can I be a better leader? How can I be a better passer? How can I be more efficient?’. So just, overall, just trying to improve.”

Milroe’s eyes-forward approach was eerily similar to his head coach.

“Every player has to understand that just because I played well, I still want to try to improve a few things that I could have done better,” Saban said on Wednesday. “If a person keeps that mindset, then they’re always improving, alright? Because you’re never satisfied and you’re always trying to do better.

“You don’t let complacency creep into your game, and that certainly hasn’t happened with Jalen. So hopefully the confidence that he gained in this game will certainly help him to continue to play better and better in the future. That’s what we hope for as coaches, that’s why we try to encourage them to do so.”

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