The phrase “rat poison” has entered the college football vernacular thanks to the efforts of Alabama coach Nick Saban, but he’s not the only one who believes in the concept.
Urban Meyer, former Ohio State coach and current Fox analyst, used the phrase Saturday in the wake of Wisconsin’s stunning loss at Illinois. Meyer said that he felt hype could impact players. He reasoned that the Badgers, with a Heisman candidate in Jonathan Taylor and playoff aspirations, may have been a bit distracted or overwhelmed by that chatter.
“Nick Saban calls it the rat poison,” Meyer said.
Saban sure does, and it’s a phrase he’s proven to be quite fond of. The Alabama coach doesn’t want his players hearing too much about how good everyone thinks they are. It’s a nice, succinct phrase to describe what a lot of coaches fear — getting lost within one’s own hype. Meyer knows it. All the great coaches do.
