“I think we have a lot to improve on as a team,” Coach Saban said. “I don’t think we’re anywhere near the kind of team we’re capable of being, especially from a consistency standpoint. I think we show signs at times of being a good team, but we also make a lot of mistakes.”
The Crimson Tide offense, under the direction of offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin, has been operating at record levels in the 2014 season. Through four games, Alabama averaged 588 yards per game for 2350 yards total – the most production in a four-game stretch ever for the Crimson Tide. Alabama is 22nd in the nation with 42 points per game, but Saban said penalties and sloppy execution hold the offense back from its potential ceiling.
“Whether you don’t cut off the backside linebacker on a running play, whether somebody doesn’t cover the right guy, whether somebody doesn’t cover the right guy the right way, whether somebody doesn’t run the right pass route or make the right release – all these things have a consequence, and when you do them correctly, they also have a consequence as well,” he said. “The big focus this week for our team is to improve.”
Saban said hiring Kiffin, while controversial, was always a good thing and fits his offensive philosophy.
“I’ve been begging the offensive coordinators around here to open it up since I’ve been here,” he said. “My philosophy hasn’t changed at all. 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? Which is what we do now. It’s a pro philosophy, and Lane’s got experience as a pro coach. That’s his background, that’s what he does.”
