Alabama coach Nick Saban has some of the most rigid media policies in college football.
Practice access is limited, assistant coaches aren't allowed to conduct media interviews except for rare occasions such as Cotton Bowl media access this week, and one-on-one interviews with players are scarce at best.
So it comes as little surprise that Saban acknowledged Tuesday just where his guarded position with the media comes from: New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick -- every NFL reporter's favorite guy -- for whom Saban served as defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns.
"I really do have a really grand appreciation for the media and what they do because it creates a tremendous amount of interest in college football, a lot of positive reinforcement for players who do a great job," Saban said. "So even though sometimes I may put on a front and try to protect our organization, our team, the people involved on our team ... I learned from Bill Belichick a long time ago you don't want to give too much information out about anything."
That's certainly a formula Belichick has put to good use in New England, where details on anything from injury to strategy aren't obtained with much of any assistance from the head coach. Saban, unlike his former boss, tends to be a little more forthcoming when it comes to injuries. But the basic principle of keeping information in-house has been standard practice in Tuscaloosa since Saban arrived in 2007.
And if Alabama players sound as though their own words are coming directly from the head coach, there's a reason for it.
"So we do have a media training program where we have someone come in early in fall camp and teach players how to speak publicly as well as how to be interviewed, how to prepare for an interview, how to bridge questions, and also know exactly the message that they want to send," Saban said.
Not surprisingly, Alabama players haven't provided anything in the way of bulletin-board material for Michigan State. The Tide will face the Spartans on Thursday in a College Football Playoff semifinal.
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