TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nick Saban smiled and even attempted a joke while talking to reporters Friday for his first news conference of fall camp. Following a tumultuous offseason full of drama and uncertainties, the head coach seemed pleased with what he saw from his players as they returned for their first step toward defending their national championship. While several players reached their “breaking points” during a warm first practice in Tuscaloosa, Saban was far from reaching his behind the mic.
“I thought today’s practice was really, really good, but every individual out there hit their breaking point at some point in time, probably in the last 30 minutes of practice,” Saban said. “It was a great opportunity for us to demonstrate we weren’t nearly as good when we had individuals that did that. That’s what we have to work so we can sustain.”
Part of what has Saban smiling is the conditioning of his players. According to the head coach, the Crimson Tide is coming off of one of its best summers in recent memory as the majority of players passed the fall-camp testing following the summer conditioning program.
“We only had maybe 12 or 13 guys who didn’t pass the test, which is tied for the lowest,” Saban said. “Out of 110 guys, that’s pretty good. I think the big question we need to ask ourselves is where are we going to be 30 days from now, what are we going to become.”
Saban knows Friday’s breaking point will serve as a building block. Alabama’s strenuous practices are the stuff of legends. Former stars often state the workouts they go through in the NFL pale in comparison to the ones they were subjected to in Tuscaloosa. Days like this one are what Saban lives for as he looks to grow young players and shape his returners into leaders.
"We're trying to prepare our team to have a unique standard of excellence in how they compete and how they go about what they do,” Saban said. “You either endure it or you strive to succeed at it. If you endure it, you're always going to be looking for an easy way. You're always going to be looking for a shortcut. You're not going to get where you need to be. If you try to thrive, then you're always going to be thinking about what's next, how do I improve, what do I need to do better.
“Leadership on the team probably has something to do with that. I think that's something that's a work in progress with this group as well. But I was very pleased with the first day of practice. I thought we had good carryover from the summer. We have a lot of young players that we needed to develop and improve, and today was a good opportunity for them to get started doing that."
Sure, Alabama has plenty of areas it needs to address. It needs to name a starter at quarterback and figure out the right five players to block for him. It needs to replace an entire secondary and develop ample depth for a thinning linebacker unit. Those problems will be addressed as the Crimson Tide moves closer to its season-opener against Louisville on Sept. 1. Friday was all about growth, and so far, Saban likes what he sees.
“I think it’s not what we do, it’s how we do what we do, and we’ve got to do it better,” Saban said. “I think it’s very, very important for us to develop the kind of discipline and toughness. Those two intangibles are going to be very important to how we develop as a team.”
