Nick Saban isn't a warm-and-fuzzy guy. He'll yell on the sideline, give an assistant coach the business, bark at a player and put reporters in their place.

He was once called the Nicktator.

But Saban's tough-guy demeanor cracked a bit Monday, when he was asked about the internal chemistry of Alabama's 2017 squad.

"I think we have a lot of players on our team that I truly, truly think have very good attitudes," he said. "They're working hard, trying to get it right, trying to do better. I sort of like this team."

But is that fondness readily apparent to the guys he coaches?

"Oh yeah, sure," cornerback Anthony Averett said. "I always thinks he likes us. I think that's just part of it. Of course. I think he likes us, yes."

Saban, after all, doesn't have much reason to hide his approval. Alabama has already vanquished a top-five opponent and won its first two games by a combined score of 65-17.

"Coach loves us, and we love coach," linebacker Keith Holcombe said with a smile.

And how exactly does Saban show that affinity?

"Well, he likes to talk to us," Holcombe said. "Let's just keep it at that."

Rainer Sabin is an Alabama beat writer for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @RainerSabin