Through his first four games as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, it looks like Lane Kiffin was a great hire. The Tide are throwing the ball more than they did in past seasons and look more rounded on offense. They rank 12th in the nation with 335.8 passing yards per game after finishing the 2013 season ranked 45th with AJ McCarron under center. Nick Saban has decided that now is a good time to rub Kiffin’s success in the media’s face.
A reporter asked Saban on Tuesday if his communication with Kiffin has improved since the former USC coach first came on board. Saban went full “D–k Saban” on the guy and insisted it was never bad to begin with. He also took a few moments to beat his chest for making what looks like a great addition to his staff.
“If I did what you all thought when I hired the guy, he wouldn’t even be here,” Saban said, as transcribed by Jerry Hinnen of Eye on College Football. “Maybe that was the assumption — because nobody thought it was a good hire, that all of a sudden [our communication was] bad. I don’t know. I thought it was a good hire. Nobody else did. Now, I got beat up like a drum for doing it, and now all of a sudden it’s great.
“You guys don’t have any consequences for what you say or do. Our stuff ends up out there on the field on Saturday and if it ain’t done right there are consequences — in front of a whole bunch of people.”
[Related: Nick Saban is clueless about why Lane Kiffin is so disliked]
As for Kiffin finally opening things up on offense for Alabama, Saban wasn’t shy about pointing out that he has always wanted his teams to throw the ball more and stop taking such a run-heavy approach.
“I’ve been begging the offensive coordinators around here to open it up ever since I’ve been here … My philosophy hasn’t changed at all,” he said. “I’ve always asked for this. ‘Why don’t we throw the ball on this look instead of running this play where we can’t block everybody?'”
It should be noted that Alabama hasn’t exactly gotten to the meat of its schedule, but scoring 168 points in four games is pretty impressive. Kiffin has senior quarterback Blake Sims looking like a star. If the success continues, this probably won’t be the last time Saban rubs the media’s collective nose in it.
Video via 247Sports
