Texas A&M Game Week Practice Report and Media Appearances

Saban: "When Landon Collins intercepted the ball at the end of the game, I hadn’t seen that emotion out of our team in a long time."

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i liked hearing this.

"Saban getting loud now. Said he's frustrated by hearing reaction from folks upset that Alabama only won by a point.
Saban: I was just happy about seeing our players being happy about playing well and winning ..."

TideFans, take notice of this.... He knows your whinings!

I can't wait to watch the video on this press conference. Sometimes a mad Saban is better than a calm one.

To answer the question about practicing bad punts - let Morris punt in practice [emoji6]

RTR91 said:

Saban on problems on the o-line: “It wasn’t that we weren’t blocking the right guys, it was that we weren’t finishing the blocks.”

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That seems to contradict the theory that Kelly's absence hurt the rest of the o-line because proper pickups weren't being called by the center.

I think that, overall, the state of the Alabama football program is about as good as it ever has been. I'm not bothered by a lot of the stuff worrywarts tend to obsess over.

I do worry, however, whether the performance of the offensive line could be a long-term, systemic, multi-year problem. I wonder how the current talent on the o-line would have performed with two more years under Stoutland (or Pendry for that). Long gone seem the days when we could just line up Ingram in the wildcat and drive it all the way down the field.

DC Tide said:

That seems to contradict the theory that Kelly's absence hurt the rest of the o-line because proper pickups weren't being called by the center.

I think that, overall, the state of the Alabama football program is about as good as it ever has been. I'm not bothered by a lot of the stuff worrywarts tend to obsess over.

I do worry, however, whether the performance of the offensive line could be a long-term, systemic, multi-year problem. I wonder how the current talent on the o-line would have performed with two more years under Stoutland (or Pendry for that). Long gone seem the days when we could just line up Ingram in the wildcat and drive it all the way down the field.

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Not to downplay Trent or Eddie - but could you imagine DH behind the 2012 O-line?

RTR91 said:

Saban:Saban: It ...... me off when I talk to people that have an expectation that they're disappointed we only won the game 14-13
Saban getting very vocal and testy about people having high expectations for his team and being disappointed after wins.
Saban getting loud now. Said he's frustrated by hearing reaction from folks upset that Alabama only won by a point.
Saban: I was just happy about seeing our players being happy about playing well and winning ...
Saban went from 0 to hands-in-the-air yelling and back to 0 very quickly there.
Saban gets loud, saying it's frustrating that people expect so much and aren't happy w/ the close win when the players are giving their all.
Basically if you were upset that Alabama only won 14-13 that Saban loud message was directed at you.
That's as legitimately riled up as Saban's been all season. It was pretty spontaneous.

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I heard this part by chance on the radio. He was really wound up for a little while. I think there's a segment of the fan base he's frustrated with.

I was real happy we won. I thought the team didn't look as good as what we've gotten used to seeing under Saban. That will be a topic for discussion whether it sits well with Saban or not. To admit that obvious fact is not meant to be a spoiled fan or unappreciative of the success Saban has brought to Tuscaloosa.

TideMom2Boys said:

I can't wait to watch the video on this press conference. Sometimes a mad Saban is better than a calm one.

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I thought he did a great job of going from "calm" Coach Saban to "highly irritated" Coach Saban back to a "calm" Coach Saban.

I think he did use a word we are not permitted to use on TideFans.

He is a master of Press Conferences. I enjoyed watching the Press Conference.

Listening to Saban get fired up reminds of why I got into teaching; I have a passion for it and I love teaching students my passion.

Saban has a passion for mentoring young men. If you can't see that by now, you're blind. The man does not care about what you or I think about him or his staff. you can say whatever you want. The minute, however, you start to mess with his players and say things negative towards them, he's going to come at you with both guns blazing. It's EXACTLY what I would do. It's like that crazy uncle everybody has. It's ok if my family says something about him, but the minute someone not in the family says something, you better be prepared.

This is what irritates me about a lot of the media when it comes to Saban. They ask questions that attack players sometimes and they expect him to answer it and not get ticked off. When he does go off on a media member, they rake him over the coals the next day or whenever their radio show comes on. I LOVE the fact that he gets upset when a media member "calls out" a player and asks him to explain it. He's going to bat for his kids. Why does he do it and take the heat from the media? Because he can handle it. In his mind, better him than the players

Roll Tide!!
ChattTide

RTR91 said:

Saban: "After viewing the film, I still think it was a great win for our team."
Saban: I know a lot of people will say it was ugly and want to write the team off.
Saban: "After viewing the film, I still think it was a great win for us. I love the way the players competed and didn't quit."
Saban: "We expected the game to be exactly like it was … I know everyone else expects something completely different."
Saban: "We're much better on special teams than what we've been playing."
Saban: I like the attitude of the team. I think it's something we need to build on.
Saban on injuries: We don't have anybody that is a new injury. Pettway and Cooper may be limited a bit today.
Saban calls Texas A&M one of the most prolific offenses in the country.
Saban: Texas A&M is a real challenge. Their passing offense is one of the best in the country.
Saban: "We've had some great games with A&M since they joined the SEC. They are one of the best passing teams in the country."
Saban: Eddie Jackson and Tony Brown will continue to compete at CB.
Saban: "Reggie Ragland did a good job in the game. He's playing with more confidence and instinct now."
Saban just went into a 2-minute discussion on defending back-shoulder throws. That's right in his wheelhouse.
Saban: We practice special teams the same amount of time we always have.
Saban: The problems on special teams are judgment and decision-making.
Saban says Alabama may have to practice bad punts more: "When our punter punts, he doesn't punt it 25 yards." #humblebrag.
Saban uses baseball analogy on Christion Jones fumble: That's like swinging at a pitch that's over your head.
Saban on special teams errors: "I think we have some guys on our team who might play with too much anxiety."
Saban: "A&M has always tried to use the spread to make the defense declare itself. Kevin Sumlin is an outstanding coach."
Saban: Texas A&M has lost two games to really good teams. "I don't look at the rankings but I assume they're in the top five." 1&3 actually
Saban on problems on the o-line: “It wasn’t that we weren’t blocking the right guys, it was that we weren’t finishing the blocks.”
Saban: "Blake Sims did a good job with his feet, but he needs to get the ball out quicker."
Issues on O, Saban: “It’s a team thing.” OL has to finish blocks, WR’s have to run better routes, Sims has to make better/quicker decisions.
Saban: "A&M has about 5 guys who have been productive receivers. You need disciplined eye control against these guys."
Saban said Texas A&M isn't a team that seems to get affected by pressure because they get ball out quick. Said 4-man rush may be best option
Saban on Coop: First 3 games, a lot of quick, easy, fast throws that turned to big plays. “Now they are taking those things away.”
Saban: "Defenses are challenging us to run the ball, which we have to be more effective at."
Saban: Mental errors aren't frustrating if players are playing hard and competing.
Saban: "I think we're pressing to make plays sometimes. We need to play smart first."
Saban says getting frustrated over mistakes isn't the way to go and that frustrated isn't the right word, but it is "frustrating."
Saban on Alabama's surplus of mistakes: "We have to help each other overcome these things."
Saban: "When Landon Collins intercepted the ball at the end of the game, I hadn’t seen that emotion out of our team in a long time."
Saban: It ...... me off when I talk to people that have an expectation that they're disappointed we only won the game 14-13
Saban getting very vocal and testy about people having high expectations for his team and being disappointed after wins.
Saban getting loud now. Said he's frustrated by hearing reaction from folks upset that Alabama only won by a point.
Saban: I was just happy about seeing our players being happy about playing well and winning ...
Saban went from 0 to hands-in-the-air yelling and back to 0 very quickly there.
Saban gets loud, saying it's frustrating that people expect so much and aren't happy w/ the close win when the players are giving their all.
Basically if you were upset that Alabama only won 14-13 that Saban loud message was directed at you.
That's as legitimately riled up as Saban's been all season. It was pretty spontaneous.
Saban: "When Blake messed up the QB sneak, others were there to help him. We need more of that."

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Why does this statement make me nervous? Really? A&M is a better passing version of WVU which I think we tried the basic 4-man rush and we still got torched. If there is no pressure of any kind, Hill will just take the extra time to find a open receiver. The quicker you get the ball out it limits how far you can go downfield with your passing game.

RTR91 said:

TAMU, like WVU, throws quick passes. Therefore, we aren't going to bring heavy pressure. Sometimes that might allow them to go deep, but they tend to throw quick passes.

Our pass rush continues to improve, so we shouldn't have as many problems as we did against WVU. Plus, Eddie and/or Tony will be back there rather than Sylve.

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This exactly. We're doing pretty well with the 4 man rush right now, and we have the guys to rotate through to keep them fresh. 3 guys who are playing really well right now barely saw the field against WVU in WIlliams, Anderson and Evans. Could almost add Reed to the list, as his playing time has also increased a lot. We also improved greatly in pass coverage since the WVU game with both brown and jackson and especially Depriest. now before I get flamed for the depriest thing, i know he's not exactly the best guy in coverage, but he's much better than foster was in the WVU game. Ragland is also playing much better now that he's got more game reps. Net it out and we have an entirely different defense now than we did in game one.