Nick Saban jokes about defending Tua Tagovailoa's Dolphins, reveals why he can't watch NFL games

With Jalen Hurts’ Eagles set to face Tua Tagovailoa’s Dolphins on Sunday Night Football, their college coach, Nick Saban, joined SportsCenter to discuss the duo’s journey to the NFL.

As part of Saban’s spot on ESPN, he was asked about the Miami offense with Tagovailoa at the helm and how he would slow down what’s been the most productive offense in football. Rather than give away free defensive secrets on live television, Coach Saban responded that he barely has time to watch any NFL during the college season.

“I’ve got enough offenses in the SEC to try and slow down. I don’t have time to be thinking about that,” he answered, then explained that he can barely watch any other football games because his mind will immediately jump into coach mode.

“That’s one of the reasons I can’t enjoy watching the game. Because every time I watch a game I start thinking about… how would we be defending this? And it’s not even any fun, not after you’ve worked for hours a day trying to figure it out. So I can’t even answer that.”

However, he did offer some insights into why his former QB is such an effective passer in the Miami system.

“They do have a lot of talented players. Tua is a quick decision-maker, is going to get the ball out of his hand quick, understands the offense well. That doesn’t surprise me, that with the players he’s surrounded with, he’s having a great year.”

He’s even got one of his old teammates at Alabama, Jaylen Waddle, to throw to every week, too, which just has to make Nick Saban a happy camper.

Speaking of old teammates, Tagovailoa is obviously facing someone he’s familiar with Sunday night in Hurts, as their time together goes back to Tuscaloosa. But Nick Saban knows when the ball is kicked off, they will both be ready to compete. Both are going to be in tight division races down the stretch and every game matters.

“I know they’re both great competitors and they’re going to do what they have to do for their team,” Saban said of the matchup earlier in the week during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. “But I think there will be a mutual respect by both guys.”

With their teams both off to 5-1 starts and largely thanks to those quarterbacks, Hurts and Tagovailoa have found themselves near the very top of the MVP race. Who knows, they could wind up meeting in the Super Bowl, which would have to be a proud moment for Nick Saban.