Football 🏈 Tony's takes: What Nick Saban said as Alabama reaches midway point of camp

[Tony_Tsoukalas]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama held its 11th practice of preseason camp Tuesday as the team continued preparations for its second scrimmage this weekend. Following the workout, Nick Saban met with reporters. Here’s a transcript of what he had to say as well as my takes on what it means.

Opening Statement

“So doing an assessment after first scrimmage, even though that was just our third practice in pads. I think the question you ask is what percentage of the guys are playing winning football? And are you willing to do the things you need to do to invest in yourself so that you are doing the things you need to do so that you can improve.

“Because the tendency is, especially with the conditions that we're in, is it's very easy to endure practice. You know, do what you have to do to get by. Don't really focus. Don't really play fast. And if you asked everybody in the room, do you want to win, they'd all say, Yeah, we want to win. But are you willing to do the things you need to do to win?

“And you've got to get out of your comfort zone. Some people would say you've got to make sacrifices and do things so that you can improve. But the way I'd rather say it is you've got to invest in yourself in terms of doing the things that are going to help you on and off the field be the best player you can be. And the bottom line is just to ask yourself can your teammates trust you to do your job?

“And that should be everybody's goal in terms of what they strive to do and what they're trying to do. That's how you compete to play, that's how you compete for playing time.

“I like the attitude of the team so far. We've got a lot of guys trying to do that. I think we probably need a critical mass of people to continue to improve so that we can have enough guys that can play winning football. So that's our challenge as coaches, and that's each and every individual's challenge, to be able to invest in themself so that he can do that.”

Tony’s take: Saban referenced a line from former NBA head coach Doc Rivers, who asked Alabama players if they wanted to win as well as what they are willing to do to win. Rivers was one of several guest speakers Alabama has brought in to speak to its players this month. His message is timely as Alabama has had to brave through extremely hot conditions so far during camp. Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, Tuesday’s high only reached 85 degrees.

On Terrion Arnold’s development

“I think anybody that gets experience playing, which he got some experience last year, I think he's much more confident. I think he has a better understanding and probably a little more maturity about what he needs to do to go out there and perform well. And there's competition at the position. He, Kool-Aid, Tre??? are all doing a pretty good job out there so I think that's good for everybody in terms of their improvement as well.

Tony’s take: Arnold was one of the bright spots from Alabama’s scrimmage and looks to have locked down the other starting role at cornerback across from Kool-Aid McKinstry. Saban is still keeping the competition open by mentioning Louisiana-Lafayette transfer Trey Amos. However, our sources believe Arnold and McKinstry will be Alabama’s starters at the cornerback positions.

On if coaches provide off-field evaluation, leadership habits and communication on QBs

“You know, what I tell the quarterbacks, it's not up to the coaches. You're looking over your shoulder to see if the coach is going to do this or that. How about you forcing me to play you, force us to play you. When you get your reps and you get a chance to play, you play so good we don't have any choice but to play you, rather than worrying about all this other stuff. That's the only way I can answer your question.”

Tony’s take: Saban is challenging his quarterbacks to come out and claim the starting role. Whoever wins the starting job will need the confidence to know their best is good enough to get the job done. Instead of worrying about evaluations, Saban is looking for his passers to focus on performing at their top level and taking the decision into their own hands.

On Amari Niblack

He's doing great. He's gotten bigger, he's gotten stronger, he understands the offense a lot better. He is a mismatch player to some degree in the passing game. And he's done a really good job, and he was very productive in the first scrimmage. And he is blocking better. And I think that he can be an impact player for us if he continues to grow and progress. We're excited about his future.

Tony’s take: Niblack is another one of the standout performers from last weekend’s scrimmage. According to sources, the sophomore tight end hauled in a couple of touchdown grabs and appears to be a viable weapon for this season’s offense. While Niblack is best known for his receiving ability, it’s encouraging that Saban mentioned his improvement as a blocker. That will likely have the most say when it comes to his role on the offense this fall.

On punt/kick returners

“We got Kool-Aid back, who averaged like 16 yards of punt return last year. And we're trying to develop some other guys at that position. Isaiah bond. Caleb Downs can catch punts. Cole Adams can catch punts. So we're working with more and more guys to be able to do that. Kickoff return, K-Law [Kendrick Law] did it last year some. [Emmanuel Henderson] did it some. We'll just have to see how that part of it develops, but I think we've got enough good skill guys that we should be able to come up with some pretty good return guys.

Tony’s take: That seems to answer the question of whether or not McKinstry will retain his role as Alabama’s punt returner. The starting cornerback ranked second in the nation, averaging 15.86 yards per return last year. Saban has never been shy to give his stars key special teams roles. While Alabama is also working other options at punt returner, it looks like McKinstry will get the first go.

As for the kick returners, sophomore receivers Kendrick Law and Emmanuel Henderson handled the duty during the A-Day scrimmage and appear to be the leading candidates at the moment. It wouldn’t be surprising for Alabama to give one of its running backs a shot given its depth at the position.

On the progression of leadership on the team

“You know, there's a couple of things about leadership. Everybody talks about leadership all the time, but I think it's also important that how many guys on the team need to be led.

“So if you got a bunch of guys that are mature and going about things the right way, they're all setting a good example. They're all buying in. They're all doing the things that they need to do. So they don't really necessarily have to have somebody impact them every day to do the right things. And the more guys that we have that fit in that category, that's more important than the guys that are the leaders on the team. Because I think that's what you're trying to get.

“Now, there are some guys that have an impact on other players, and I think that there's a couple guys on the offensive line that has provided some really good leadership. I think there's some guys on defense that have some maturity that's provided some leadership. We actually need it at every position because if you have guys at every position that are setting a good example every day by what they do, it gives young players somebody to emulate. And I think that's important. But I'll go back to my original point. The fewer guys that we have that need somebody to emulate, the better off we're going to be.”

Tony’s take: Leadership is a popular topic around this time of year, but Saban brings up a solid point. There isn’t as much need for a large amount of “leaders” if everyone on the team does their part and handles their business.

Obviously, Alabama still has a leadership council and will rely on key veterans to head up their respective units. However, Saban is more concerned with the overall mindset of his entire team. That’s a big reason why he has harped on discipline and focus this month.

Developing depth over the next couple of weeks?

“Guys have to focus, they gotta get reps, they gotta learn from their mistakes. You know, it's maturity, and the only way those players are going to get it is, how many times can we do it over and over and over and over and it's not practicing until you get it right. It's practicing it so much you can't get it wrong. And that's how you develop confidence in things in terms of the habits that you develop and the things that you need to do to be able to play to the best of your ability and that's what we have to do.

“I've talked about this before. When you lose guys on your team, then the younger guys get cast into positions maybe they wouldn't have been in if those guys didn't leave your team. And the depth of your squad gets affected to some degree by some of those things. So it's important that we do a great job of developing the young players and getting them in a position where they can be players who can go in and play with confidence and give us a chance to be successful even if they have to play.”

Tony’s take: “Sound familiar? Saban continues to focus on the importance of doing the little things right during practice in order for his players to be able to produce when it matters. This is especially true for younger players who have to acclimate themselves to the college level in the event they are called on to step up early in their careers.

On the inside linebackers

“Well, I think that we need to continue to improve. I think we got a couple of guys that are playing really well. I think we need to get more guys to play well at that position. So it's a work in progress for some of the guys, but I'm also pleased with the way some guys are progressing, and we'll just have to continue to work on that group as a whole to get more and more guys who can contribute in a positive way.”

Tony’s take: At this point, it appears to be a given that Deontae Lawson will take on one of the starting spots at the heart of Alabama’s defense. However, it’s a bit less certain who will be lining up next to him. Sophomore Jihaad Campbell has received plenty of first-team reps during camp, while Georgia transfer Trezmen Marshall had an interception during last weekend’s scrimmage. Junior college transfer Justin Jefferson has the most speed in the unit and could be a difference maker on passing downs.