Paul Finebaum believes this season marks Nick Saban’s worst coaching job since he started stalking the sidelines as the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The SEC Network analyst, who appeared with me on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 on Thursday, knows what you are going to say. As bad as it seemed when Alabama lost 52-49 to Tennessee, the Tide was in position to win the game. Finebaum’s heard it all.

The problem, Finebaum contends, is there a different standard when talking about Saban.

“Let’s quit judging Nick Saban like other coaches,” Finebaum said Thursday. “He’s different. He’s got the best players. Mistakes are being made across the board.”

The mistakes Finebaum is talking about are penalties. They aren’t being fixed. The same problems that persisted early in the season against Texas still plagued the Tide against the Volunteers.

“Let’s not sugar coat this,” he said. “Nick Saban has been outcoached three times this year by (Texas coach) Steve Sarkisian, (Texas A&M) Jimbo Fisher and now (Tennessee coach) Josh Heupel. We’re only at the midpoint of the season. The troubling sign is it is getting worse not better.”

Alabama’s 6-1 record could very easily be 4-3, saying “that’s not a stretch. That’s not an exaggeration. That’s a reality.”

“Do we want to blame (defensive coordinator) Pete Golding? Do we want to blame (offensive coordinator) Bill O’Brien? Callers to radio shows want to, but Nick Saban is the head football coach. If we’re going to lavish praise on Nick Saban and say he is the greatest coach of all time and could do no wrong, let’s quit hiding behind Nick Saban and tell the truth. He’s doing a lousy job this year.”

Lack of discipline and lack of composure are two other issues Finebaum points out as issues that need to be resolved.

Check out the full interview here. He goes on to say this season is “the worst coaching job I’ve seen from Nick Saban since he’s been at Alabama.”

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.