“It’s rat poison”, “It’s a trap game, y’all”

Alabama just scored a massive home win against Georgia and, of course, trying to avoid disappointment. Playing the usual SEC bottom feeder Vanderbilt – even if the Commodores are fiery in 2024 – only adds to the possibility of a flat, earth-shattering performance.

So the Crimson Tide are trying to avoid the trap game and falling victim to the “rat poison” of consuming too much praise, as the former head coach put it. Nick Saban coined the term. However, to help get the message across, director of player personnel Josh Chapman I have some useful accessories: real rat traps.

“It was yesterday, Chap comes in and throws a bunch of rat traps. “It’s a trap game, y’all!” » » Offensive lineman Parker Brailsford said Tuesday.

And in Brailsford, the message was well received. He knows the time has come to calm down and weather the storm by taking the best shots his opponents have to offer.

“I mean, I agree. These are definitely games that – I wouldn’t even say it’s a trap game, I’ll just say I think Vanderbilt is a good team and I think we’re just going to make everyone the best, like always.” , Brailsford said. “Like I said, the standard is the standard, we’re going to play ball.”

Alabama is catching Vanderbilt after a bye week and, to some extent, reeling after a 2-0 start turned into a 2-2 run to open the season. The Commodores’ most recent outing was valiant, however, a double overtime loss to Missouri that was about to go for a third until Vanderbilt missed a game-tying field goal attempt.

Either way, the rat traps serve as a reminder: Any team Alabama plays in the SEC can beat them.

“It’s just about making sure we respect the team we’re playing and not just saying, ‘Oh, it’s just Vanderbilt.’ Vanderbilt is a very good team,” linebacker That Robinson said. “They got Missouri to double overtime. And we just have to respect that, you know? You just can’t go and loiter, you have to respect the team and go out there and play our level of football.

And even though the term “rat poison” was coined and popularized by Saban, the message didn’t need to be translated for newcomers to the program, such as transfer safety. Keon Sabb.

He first noticed rat traps in the locker rooms and quickly learned the gist.

“It came to me right away,” Sabb said. “Once you see it, you know, ‘OK, it’s not an infestation here.’ It’s something else. I got it very quickly.

And Sabb shared that for him, at least, the rat traps are having the desired effect.

“Once you see it, it’s like ‘OK,’ something in your brain that every time you see one, you know it’s not one of those games,” Sabb said.