Nick Saban didn't use those exact words, but he made it clear. He would rather coach up his players, no matter how young, than dumb down his game plan.
The Alabama coach explained that philosophy in response to my question on the subject Monday.
"I have confidence in the players," he said. "I have confidence in the players' ability to learn. I think a lot of coaches sometimes say they're making it simple. I never wanted to be a guy that was making it simple but then not put the players in the best chance to be successful because you're being so simple, they really didn't have a chance.
"We probably always erred on the other side. When you do that, you actually develop a greater capacity for them in terms of the resource of information that they can handle, that they understand and they can adapt to in the game when things don't happen exactly like you thought they might."
After the Penn State game, Saban emphasized the need for a defense "to survive the script," the opening series or two of play calls that opposing offensive coaches put together.
He said Monday that, in the last year or two, as other teams have tried to outsmart Alabama, the opening scripts the Crimson Tide has faced often have looked nothing like what Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart expected them to look like.
For the most part, the Alabama players have been able to adapt because the Alabama coaches had educated them instead of babying them.
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