— Nick Saban says the No. 1 thing Alabama wants to achieve during the open week is improvement at every position.

— Nick Saban says he doesn't think Justin Eboigbe (neck) will play again this season.

— Saban says he thinks he has three starters at the guard position — Javion Cohen, Emil Ekiyor Jr. and Tyler Booker

— Saban said the decision to play Jermaine Burton did not cause an issue on the team.

I love bama football and Nick saban more than most things but the fact jermaine burton played tonight and wasn’t suspended is a clown look for bama football! He didn’t punch her but did make contact in a way that isn’t acceptable for any man to do to a woman! He should’ve been suspended and not of played tonight! And to make things worse is that he was scared absolutely pathetic excuse!

Everyone knows that at Alabama we smoke Cigars in the locker room after a win over Tennessee.

At Texas A&M after a loss to South Carolina the players relax by lighting joints. I think they have a real problem at Texas A&M and there is a strong chance that JIMBO knows that he has lost the team. Rumor is that in the last two days Jimbo has suspended players from his highly paid Freshman Class. When you buy talent and players are paid more than coaches, at the college level, you are going to have real problems controlling the team. Yes, Texas A&M and Texas, purchase your teams and see what happens. I suspect that you are going to see a lot of players leaving Texas A&M after the season. All of the suspended players are from the group of players purchased by Texas A&M Boosters.

Texas A&M players suspended

Not the first group

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Nick Saban spoke briefly with reporters during an appearance at the Monday Morning Quarterback Club in Birmingham on Monday. Here’s a transcript of what he said as well as my takes on what it means.

On the biggest challenges in dealing with players’ anxiety in today’s age

"Really what we try to do is get guys to focus on what's in front of them. You know, not get affected by external factors, don't worry about what other people say or think or what's on ESPN or what the line of the game is because none of that stuff really matters. It just matters how you play. How you play — playing on a winning team — creates value for you, how you play personally creates value for you.

"So making it simple and just focusing on what's in front of you, which is the next play — no matter how long it lasts. Everybody talks about six seconds. Most of them don't last that long. And then being able to focus on the next play. Then if the last play didn't go very well, it can't affect the next play. And if it went well, that can't affect the next play, either. So that's how you get some kind of consistency in performance and even when you get resistance, you gotta have the poise to overcome it."

"So just focusing on what's in front of you, being where your feet are, trying to be positive. You know, everybody controls their choices, so what you let run through your mind — positive or negative — goes a long way to determine how you respond and how you react to things. And when you're worried about outcomes, sometimes that puts a lot of negative thoughts in your mind rather than focusing on what you have to do on that particular play, which is very positive."

Tony’s take: Last week, Saban said his team was a little tight heading into the game against Tennessee. The Crimson Tide jersey can weigh heavy on players, causing them to struggle to play up to the expectations placed on them when they step into the spotlight.

Part of Alabama’s process is blocking out that noise and focusing exclusively on the job in front of you one step at a time. That’s easier said than done, but once players can master it, results tend to follow.

On how his team handles the bye week

I think you do quality control from offense, defense, special teams as well as individual player evaluations. You know, find out what does this guy need to do? What do we need to do on offense? What do we need to do on defense? What do we need to improve on? And some of it is relative to the game you have coming up, but some of it is just relative to what you need to do better in terms of the fundamental things you need to do to play winning football, whether it’s individually or collectively as a unit.

So that changes from year to year. The players change from year to year. But the way we approach the bye week doesn’t change, administratively at least in terms of how many times we practice, how long we practice, what we do in practice gets determined a little bit by what we need to do.

Tony’s take: The bye week is a time for Alabama to look at itself in the mirror. There’s only so much you can change in a week’s time, but it’s a useful evaluation period and can serve as somewhat of a reset button moving forward in the year.

On what he wants to see from Tyler Harrell

"Well it's unfortunate that guy missed a lot of time because of an injury, but he's making progress. He does offer something with his speed and it's always something that can benefit you on offense. "We want him to continue to improve, and hopefully we create roles that will be effective for both him and for us."

Tony’s take: Tyler Harrell finally made his Alabama debut over the weekend, recording 12-yard reception in the fourth quarter of the Crimson Tide’s 30-6 victory over Mississippi State. The Louisville transfer offers sub-4.3 time but will need to settle into Alabama’s offense after dealing with a foot injury earlier this fall.

On how his team responded to him saying no one’s starting job is safe

“Nobody’s entitled to a position. Nobody’s entitled to going out and not performing well. That’s kind of life. Nobody’s ever going to have a job where somebody doesn’t define a standard and an expectation for how you how you have to do a job, and if you don’t do it they usually try to get somebody else. That’s just life. It’s always that way. It’s not just like that after one game or after a game that you lose or that you don’t play well in. I think we’re always evaluating that.”

Tony’s take: Following Alabama’s 17 penalties against Tennessee, Saban challenged his team, stating that players’ jobs could be in jeopardy if improvements weren’t made. Alabama responded pretty well against Mississippi State as it was flagged just three times for 20 yards. That being said, players can't get too comfortable. There’s still competition for certain spots, and Saban will always look to play the best player.

On watching his players on Sunday and seeing Tua return to the field

“I don’t ever see our players play on Sunday. I was happy to see Tua return to the field. Usually, today at lunch, I go through a — Linda [Leoni] always has a [list of] here’s how everybody did, so she tells me this guy made this many tackles and got two sacks, and this guy caught this many passes, and this guy scored this many touchdowns and Derrick Henry had this many yards.
“Sunday is an all-day work day for us, so I don’t get an opportunity to watch the players.”

Tony’s take: Nick Saban’s longtime assistant Linda Leoni rounds up a list of how Alabama’s players did in the NFL, but other than that the head coach’s focus is on his own team. Nick Saban is a busy man, and there are too many of his former players in the NFL to keep track of them all.

The latest on the No. 35 player in the 2023 class here-

A decision could be coming within weeks:

Has returned to practicing in some capacity and is expected to be back by early December. Big news.

I know that our offensive line production was substandard this last game and has never been our strength this season. But I am just not seeing good running back performances from either Jase McClelland or Roydell Williams this season. Yes, Jase did have an 80+ yard run against Texas, that was well blocked, and he did demonstrate good speed. But Jase has not consistently showed tackle breaking ability, leg drive (minus one 4th down run against Arkansas), and shiftiness in evading defenders. Roydell is not showing the power he had last year and is not showing much ability to evade tacklers. I wonder if these good players are functioning less than 100% only a year after major ACL reconstructions. Frankly, I believe so.

I would love to see more of Jamarion Miller, but I'm wondering if the staff is shelfing him for the rest of this season unless really needed. We will soon see. I was very impressed with Miller's performances earlier in the season. He showed very good speed and power.

I'm just very glad that Jahmyr Gibbs transferred. The guy is a very outstanding, all-around RB and without him, we could have had more losses. He is showing the high degree of value that Jameson Williams did last season.

Please update the Basketball roster, it's last years. Also the schedule is pitiful.

Good job Coach Golding.
Ricks came through in a big way at Cornerback
D. Payne did a darn good job filling in for Oatis. Payne is gone be a good one.

Great job overall by the defense. Made Leach pay for all those 4th down gambles.

so, I'll ask you guys a question. who was bobby knight talking about when he said i just saw the best point guard in america and he is in the 8th grade?

I would go over

I thought he played hard, aggressive, inspired football tonight. Props!

Nick Saban spoke about Tyler Harrell's Alabama debut on Monday. Here's what he had to say about the senior wide receiver.

"He does offer something with his speed and it's always something that can benefit you on offense," Saban said.

The Alabama coaching staff selected eight players of the week following the Crimson Tide’s 30-6 win over Mississippi State last Saturday. Ja’Corey Brooks on offense; Brian Branch, DeMarcco Hellams, Eli Ricks and Henry To’oTo’o on defense; and Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Robbie Ouzts and Will Reichard on special teams were all selected for their efforts on Homecoming.

OFFENSE

Ja’Corey Brooks

• Led all pass-catchers with 74 yards on the evening
• Moved the chains for a Tide first down on all three of his receptions
• Had a long reception of 40 yards
  

DEFENSE

Brian Branch

• Finished with four total tackles, including 1.5 for loss (-6 yards) and one sack (-5 yards)
• Also contributed two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry against the Bulldogs
• Helped the Tide secondary limit State to only 231 passing yards

DeMarcco Hellams

• Matched his career-high total for tackles with 12 on the night, including one sack (-8 yards)
• Added two pass breakups to his stat line
• Played a key role holding Mississippi State to only six points

Eli Ricks

• Made the most of his first start for the Crimson Tide
• Tied for the team-high total for pass breakups with four
• Also posted two tackles on the night

Henry To’oTo’o

• Led Alabama in tackles with a career-high tying 13, including a team-high tying seven solo stops
• Made one tackle for loss (-2 yards) as part of UA’s six in the game
• Directed a Tide defensive unit that limited the high-powered MSU offense to only 293 total yards

SPECIAL TEAMS

Emmanuel Henderson Jr.

• Made his mark on special teams once again

Robbie Ouzts

• Helped on the Tide’s punt and kickoff return units

Will Reichard

• Totaled 12 points on the night, including three field goals and three PATs
• Hit from 33, 38 and a season-high tying 50 yards on his three-point makes
• Also kicked off seven times for 424 yards and two touchbacks

Brandon Miller led all scorers with 33 points. Grab your popcorn this season when you watch him.

Nick Saban addressed the media after Alabama's 30-6 win against Mississippi State. Here are the highlights from his press conference.
— "I was really pleased with the way our guys competed in the game tonight."

— "We've got a lot of guys we need to try and get healthy. I think we'll get some guys back. I think the number one thing we want to build on is the chemistry of how we competed in the game today."

— Saban on Eli Ricks: "I thought he played well. He did a good job. He prepared well all week."

— Saban said he didn't feel like it wasn't necessary to suspend Jermaine Burton. "I don't know how many of y'all have been in that situation. ... He was scared. I was scared." Saban added that Burton is not in an anger management program.

— Saban said Alabama only played with four defensive linemen tonight, playing two consistently, but made the defense "small" which was a reason why they struggled to stop the run. Saban said Dale and Oatis are both "day-to-day."

Who is Joseph Goodman? He seems to be a real negative Nellie and I was wondering whether he's an important figure in the Alabama sports scene.

Here's how Tide Illustrated graded each position group in the Crimson Tide's win against Mississippi State.