Nick Saban Addresses Outside Criticism After Texas Loss

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Noise surrounding the Alabama football program is at a higher level than its been in years.

The Crimson Tide, fresh off a 34-24 home loss to then-No. 11 Texas, has dropped all the way down to No. 10 in the latest AP Poll, only the second time Alabama has been ranked in the double-digits since the 2015 season.

Ever since the loss, fans and the media alike have taken to social media to give their thoughts on the team, the program, and where they personally believe the direction of the season is headed.

Even a multitude of former Nick Saban-coached Alabama players have chimed in, from Reggie Ragland, to Reuben Foster, to Marquis Maze.

But, to no one's surprise, Saban hasn't seen any of it.

"I don't really know what the noise is," Saban said. "I haven't listened to one talk radio show, I haven't read one newspaper. I have been focusing 100 percent of my time on the next team that we play, the last team that we played and what we need to do to fix that. And I think all the players would be better served, and everyone in the organization would be better served if they all did that.

"What somebody else thinks really doesn't matter. It's all about what you do and how you respond to it."

Saban isn't one to pay close attention to what the media is saying about his team, and never has been, but he does understand the reality that criticism is both inevitable and unbounding after a loss, especially for a program held to the standard that Alabama is.

"I talked to the players about internal standard versus external noise," Saban said. "I think that we didn't play great. People get upset that we get criticized, but why wouldn't we get criticized if we don't play well? [...] We didn't play good and I'm responsible for that."

Saban went into detail about the offensive struggles, specifically about what he referred to as "drive-stoppers." That is, offensive penalties, sacks and turnovers. In all three categories, Alabama posted a worse performance than Texas on Saturday night.

"In the real world, when you don't perform and you don't produce, you probably get criticized," Saban said. "Sometimes you get penalized. Some people lose their job when you don't perform well. You know that's maybe even worse than losing a game, when you can't feed your family, your children, and all that."

It goes without saying that Alabama is going to need a significantly higher level of execution for the rest of the season to return to the standard the program has set for itself.

The question remains whether the team will heed Saban's advice and block out the noise, or let it affect their performance to an even greater level going forward.