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Things are different this fall, but the familiar clack and thud of shoulder pads hitting each other had to be a welcomed sound for Alabama. After taking the day off Sunday, Crimson Tide players were back in action Monday as the team participated in its first fall practice in full pads.
Following the workout, Nick Saban addressed the media through a Zoom call, touching on an array of topics from how the team is going about practicing in a pandemic to why playing this fall is so important. Here’s a breakdown of what was said.
"We want to play for the players”
Often one for nostalgia, Saban went back to his roots when asked about the importance of the coming football season.
“I know that sports tied our town together when I was growing up in Monongah, West Virginia,” Saban said. “The last guy turned the lights out because everybody went to the game. Everybody went to the football game on Friday night. Everybody went to the basketball games. They closed the pool room. They closed where we used to play pinball and they played cards all night. So they closed all those places because everybody went to the game.
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“So why is that so important to people? They love sports. People identify with competition. A lot of the principles and values that make you a good player in sports, whether it’s pride in performance, personal discipline, your ability to sustain effort and toughness and persevere and overcome adversity. It’s been a part of our society since back in the Greek days. That’s why it’s important.”
Asking Saban why football is important is a little bit like asking him why it is necessary to eat. The game fuels him. Although while Saban can look back to simpler times, he isn’t blind to today’s realities.
Monday evening, Alabama reported a combined 531 confirmed cases of COVID-19 between students, faculty and staff since classes began on Aug. 19. Earlier in the day, Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox announced the closing of bars and bar service in restaurants until Sept. 8.
Saban has been a spokesperson for following public safety protocols throughout the pandemic. During his Monday press conference, he once again urged the public to “make the right choices” and “respect the virus.” Last week, he had United States Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams speak to his players about safety precautions they can take while going through camp.
During his Zoom call with players, Adams said that he’s looked at the plans and resources the Alabama athletics department has intact, stating “based on everything I’ve seen are (the risk is) likely to be very low — and lower than what your risk would be if you were back home in your community or even if you were just out on campus.”
As long as that’s the case, Saban intends to keep pushing for a season. In his opinion, it’s too important not to.
“This is about the players,” Saban said. “Everybody acts like we want to play for the money. We want to play for the players. I want to play for the players. We have a lot of guys on our team that can create a lot of value for themselves by playing this season. And we can create a lot of value and these guys have worked really hard to try to create and accomplish something as a team. All those things, to me, are important to the players.”
“Bank-robber mode” and the differences of pandemic practices
Jesse James was one of the most-feared bank robbers in the Wild West. Although, when it comes to a blown assignment Tide players might prefer dealing with the late outlaw instead of their head coach. These days, Saban looks a bit like a bandit himself during practice as his neck gaiter resembles the type of bandana you might see in an old western.
That is until the head coach needs to be heard.
“There’s no difference for me except this thing around my neck that I wear that, when I put up here, I can’t seem to get the same emphasis that I’d like sometimes,” Saban explained. “I mean, I look like Jesse James robbing a bank. And I can’t get on people like I like to. It muffles the sound a little bit.
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