He is better known for his gruff demeanor, but that doesn't mean former Alabama football head coach Nick Saban doesn't have a lighter side, as evidenced by his new VRBO commercial. The 72-year-old flexes as an overbearing property host who's swapped his playbook for a rulebook.

“I have some rules. First, no showers longer than five minutes, this isn't a spa. There's no streaming, only cable television … No games, no fun, kids aren't even allowed in the house.”

Later, the couple renting the home is seen looking uncomfortable, tucked away in one corner of the hot tub. The camera pulls back to show Saban stretched out and relaxed.

“You guys got about 10 minutes cause this is daddy's time in the tub.”

Nick Saban's fun offseason, including a VRBO commercial, Hard Knocks

New homeowner Jinaka Chambers smiles as Nick and Terry Saban speak in front of her new home, the LANK House, a tribute to the 2023 Crimson Tide football team, funded by the Nick’s Kids Foundation for Habitat for Humanity.
© Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK

Saban has been active this offseason. Earlier in August, he visited one of his proteges, Matt Eberflus, in an episode of HBO's Hard Knocks. Eberflus didn't play with Alabama football but he was with Saban at Toledo in the late 1980s. The all-time great head coach spoke to the Chicago Bears players and had a sit-down with Eberflus, who is entering Year 3 as the team's head coach. Saban gave Eberflus words of wisdom about the No. 1 overall pick, QB Caleb Williams.

“Here's my theory on why NFL quarterbacks fail at such a dramatic rate,” Saban began. “To me, expectations are a killer. This kid you got [Williams] has so much media, so much hype, so much expectation on doing well. And he has to develop so quickly to meet the expectations that everybody has for him; it's almost impossible.”

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It's not the spiciest of takes, but it's all true.

“You know, like Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions when he was a rookie. It's the most in history. But it didn't affect him, just like the scoreboard. Scoreboard don't mean anything until the game's over.”

The inclusion of Manning provides a good analogy to put a bow on Saban's thoughts. He's been advocating for more than rookie quarterbacks after coming to the defense of Ohio State football's Ryan Day. Day is under pressure every year to deliver wins, just like Saban was with Alabama football.

“Look I’ve lived this life for 17 years, for 15 years we were expected to win every game,” Saban said. “So it’s hard for me to take the position to put that kind of pressure and that kind of expectation on any coach, Ryan Day included. Because you never know what’s going to happen, you never know if the quarterback is going to get hurt.”

It's good to see coaches sticking up for each other, especially ones like Saban, whose words carry weight.