Understanding Saban Speak Tells the Real Meaning of What He's Saying

Covering Alabama football regularly and attending other Alabama functions with Nick Saban as the speaker is the only way to learn "Saban Speak." There's a subtle difference between what he says and what he means.

The players know this all too well. So do the assistant coaches. I've even been told by players they can tell by his body language how the talk is going to go.

They say if he grabs the lectern or a table he's mad and trying to stay under control. If he pumps his hands up and down he's frustrated about something and if he tilts his head, he's happy. But when he makes and holds eye contact with you and doesn't take his eyes away, watch out.

After learning all this I went back to watch some of the post game press conferences I'd taped and I have to say they were spot on.

But for the fans at home that don't get to witness the little things, let me help you out with some of the "Saban Speak"; or "Sabanisms", as I like to call them.

AIGHT

Short for "All right," aight has two meanings but the most common one is used like this. "We had four opportunities to make TDs this game and we only made one of them, aight!"

What this means is that yes he knows they sucked in the red zone, everyone in the stands knew they sucked in the red zone and it sure wasn't ALL RIGHT. Most of the time when he says aight, he means it ain't all right.

Another example is in the press room when he says, "Well it's easy to second guess the play calling after the game aight!" This of course means, "You're a jackass for trying to be an armchair coach after the game and that ain't all right."

But if he says aight with a smile on his face, (rare, but it does happen) or a smirk, (which is also rare) then it simply means "Are you following me?" "Do you get what I'm saying?"

An example would be, "So I got Cody trying to be my new best friend and all, aight, because he's wanting more third down opportunities. And he wants to spend a lot more time with me aight..."

OPPORTUNITY  

No word is used much more by both Nick and the players he's mentored than opportunity. Opportunity usually means chance, as in Saban saying, "When Javvy couldn't play that just meant somebody else had to take advantage of that opportunity."

But opportunity also means goal, as in "We have the opportunity to beat any team." Yes, you could say that means chance too; but in Saban Speak, when he's talking long term, he means that it's a goal to have happen.

IMPROVE 

When you hear Nick say, "Some players may need to work a little harder because the goal of every player is to improve," that means, "This guy is slacking off and he better get his *%*@ together and do what he's been taught to do."

If he's complimenting a player by saying he's improved, he means he's finally got his #%*@ together and it's about time.

The Shoulder Shrug  

When Saban talks and shrugs his shoulders in that "I don't know" manner, you can believe he's not saying I don't know. This is his signal for, "Yes I know, but I can't kill them."

As in a reporter asking about kickoff coverage and the answer is, "Well, that's something we certainly need to improve , and it's an opportunity (See above definitions) that we need to capitalize on rather than let it be a problem." (Followed by a shoulder shrug)

The Air Quotation Marks 

Is perhaps the funniest side of Nick Saban. I can't see him do it without thinking of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies. To all opposing teams, they see Nick as the "Evil Genius" bent on conquering the world. The college football world anyway.

Once the players made me aware of this, I couldn't believe how many times he does this without my being aware of it. Like his reference Monday to the Mississippi State game and how tough a team they were, and how it could have been like a (insert air quotation marks here) street fight.

He doesn't do this as alliteration like most speakers. He does it to place more emphasis on the words so you'll pay more attention to them. It's almost like a teacher telling you be sure and underline this.

Rocking Side to Side 

When Saban's telling a story or recounting a game and he's rocking side to side, he's bored. He's saying something that needs to be said or saying something so it won't be asked later and he's just getting it out of the way until he gets to the good part.

So now that you know Nick, take the time to watch his post game press conferences. Students have parties and watch them and take a shot each time he says AIGHT; but for the average fan, watching them will take on a whole new meaning now that you've learned Saban Speak.