Does Alabama football have enough talent to win a championship? Nick Saban in wait-and-see mode
Alabama football coach Nick Saban is encouraged by his team so far but is still waiting to find out if the Crimson Tide has enough talent to win a national championship this season.
"I will say this about this team," Saban said. "I don't know if this team is talented enough to win a championship, but I do think they've shown signs of having the right stuff. We've got a lot of good guys on the team. We don't have a lot of complainers. We don't have a lot of negative people. Lot of people are positive. Lot of people buy into doing things the way we want them to do it and to the standard we want them to do it to."
Saban was asked Thursday at his radio show at Baumhower's Victory Grille how he would assess this team so far compared to the championship teams of the past. Saban first noted he doesn't like to compare teams because he doesn't think it's fair.
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"But there are some things championship teams have always had in common," Saban said.
Saban noted how Alabama has had teams talented enough to win a championship that haven't won one. "Talent is not enough," he said. Mindset is key as are elements such as total commitment, discipline, work ethic, perseverance and pride in performance.
"You've got to have the right chemistry on your team where everybody buys into it," Saban said. "The leadership on the team does not put up with anybody who's not bought into it and not doing things they're supposed to do. I think that's what sets a part a championship team from some of the teams that were talented enough to win a championship but didn't."
In addition to the positive attitude and buy-in of the 2023 team, Saban said he also has noted a willingness to work. He also said the team has "pretty good chemistry" and they like playing and practicing.
"They have fun," Saban said. "They enjoy their work. So that hasn't always been true. I don't know if we have enough talent to do it, but so far, because the grind of the season of the season can challenge you and test you whether you can persevere ... that kind of commitment to things, I've been encouraged by the competitive character this team has."
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Nick Saban in wait-and-see mode if Alabama football has talent to win title
