[Tuck4Bama]

TUSCALOOSA - University of Alabama players are beginning to understand their coach. They are learning what he wants and what he simply will not tolerate.

On a busted coverage or missed assignment in the secondary, for instance, coach Nick Saban will ask - nicely, of course - what happened. If a player responds that he didn't hear the defensive signal, well, yikes.

"That's like, an eruption," Saban said, "Ask (defensive players) what gets Coach Saban mad. The answer is, `Never say you didn't get the call.'"

So they don't. It's an understandable act of self-preservation.

"If a guy doesn't get the call, it might be better if he says, `I messed up' instead," UA safety Rashad Johnson advises.

As the Crimson Tide's starting free safety, it is Johnson's job to make sure there is never a lack of communication, an eruption from Saban or a defensive bust. It is his job to deliver the defensive calls to his teammates in the secondary, an act that was noticeable against Western Carolina.

Tide hoping to eliminate communication breakdowns- al.com

[Stoney]

He is teaching personal accountability in the long run the team benefits.