Even on slow news day, Nick Saban manages to get his message across
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It was a hot one in Tuscaloosa on Thursday. Coming out of Alabama’s two-hour practice under the sweltering mid-August heat, Nick Saban likely welcomed the chilly air conditioning settings accustomed with Naylor Stone Media Suite. Some of the questions he endured were less refreshing.
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Finishing up the Crimson Tide’s 13th practice of fall camp, the head coach talked about preparing his team for its second scrimmage while putting an emphasis on pushing players to their maximum potential. Less than three weeks away from his team’s season-opener against Duke on Aug. 31, moments have become more precious and patience runs a bit thin.
So when Saban was asked back-to-back questions about the best college quarterback he’s ever seen and his favorite moment in college football, the last bit of exasperated breath exited his mouth like a deflated balloon. Still, as tedious as they sometimes seem, Saban knows news conferences are part of the job.
Thursday, the head coach wasn’t going to let them alter his pace. Even if a slow news day seemed to drag on longer than an Alabama summer.
In the midst of answering the two aforementioned questions as well as a handful of inquiries ranging from the offensive line to walk-on tight end Gile Amos, Saban kept himself busy, peppering in subliminal recruiting pitches whenever possible.
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The tactic began early on in his news conference as the head coach first recognized the rigors of practicing under temperatures in the high 90s.
“It’s tough conditions,” Saban said. “We’ve tried to balance the conditions that we practice with our players. We have a lot of systems and protocols in place, whether it’s taking breaks in practice when the players go in the ice machine or ice tent over there so they can get their body temperature down.”
“Wait, what ice tent?” you might ask? None other than the newly-installed on-field cryo chambers which can reach temperatures of -25 degrees — a tempting proposition for any recruit wary of training under punishing conditions.
If Saban’s subtle pitch about Alabama’s state-of-the-art facilities isn’t enough for you, take it from one of is players. When asked about Florida State graduate transfer Landon Dickerson, the head coach didn’t waste the opportunity to point out the offensive lineman is joining greener pastures in Tuscaloosa.
“I think he has a unique perspective coming from someplace that maybe the players didn’t have it quite as good as they have it around here,” Saban said of Dickerson. “And I hope our players really understand what they have, the opportunities that they have and that their focus is really in the right place, which is on our team being good.
“I think sometimes players don’t realize — they get a little self-absorbed and they think about how things affect them, but really playing good and winning help players more than anything else. And the reason our players get all the accolades that they get and all the notice and attention that they get, is because they’re good players. But it’s also because we win. And I think players need to keep that in perspective because that’s a very important part of why we have so many players that get opportunities at the next level and get recognized for what they do here as a football player while they’re at the University of Alabama.”
Even while discussing his favorite college football moment, Saban spent a good portion of his response going over the opportunities the sport provides to young people.
Of course, none of this comes as a jab at the clever head coach. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Just as Saban stressed to his players earlier in the day, this is the time to make constant improvement any way you can. That’s what the dog days of camp are all about.
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Andrew Bone, of BamaInsider.com, is a real estate broker in the state of Alabama.
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