No mention of pimps this time around from Nick Saban.

The Alabama football coach reserved what criticism he had for Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive — and even then, well-cushioned criticism — during his comments Friday in the main press room at the 2011 SEC Media Days, held at the Wynfrey Hotel in the Riverchase Galleria.

Having just run the gauntlet of Tide fans waiting for him in the hotel lobby, Saban was asked about one in particular who sported an “I Hate Auburn” T-shirt, put in the context of the attempt to kill the historic trees at Toomer’s Corner.

“I would tell him it’s not personal,” Saban said. “That is not really the way that we should respect the opponents that we have…. I think we should all have a responsibility and obligation toward that.”

Alabama was picked by the assembled media to win the SEC title this year, and is already ranked first in at least one pre-season poll. Saban wasn’t impressed.

“It means nothing. Again, we have a lot of challenges on our team we have to face,” he said.

Saban’s criticism of Slive was not so much for several changes the commissioner proposed, such as multi-year athletic scholarships, but for Slive not talking to coaches  about his ideas first.

“I would like to sit down and discuss all these issues and have dialogue about how this would impact in a positive was college football,” Saban said. “I don’t fully understand the purpose of some of these things, and some… we’ve never discussed.”

Saban thinks that running back Trent Richardson will well fill the hole left by departed Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

“Mark missed a couple of games early in the season last year, and Trent probably played his best football of the season when he was in that sort of A-back role, being ‘that guy,” Saban said.