Nick Saban wasn’t trying to pander to the crowd inside Baumhower’s Victory Grille last week. Although during his weekly radio show, the Alabama head coach delivered the response of a polished politician.
"To be honest, I'm not saying this to be a homer, but I like playing in Bryant-Denny Stadium," Saban said, eliciting a sizable applause from the Alabama fans inside Baumhower’s Victory Grille in Tuscaloosa. “We have a beautiful stadium that’s over 100,000 people. On most occasions, we have tremendous enthusiasm and excitement. It’s a great atmosphere to play in.”
I’m not calling Saban a liar, but I wonder what his answer would be following Saturday night’s game inside the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Don’t get me wrong, Bryant-Denny is definitely one of the best stadiums in the country. It’s steeped in tradition and the echoes of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s gravelly voice, but what it doesn’t have is a 58-foot by 1,100-foot state-of-the-art halo board.
It doesn’t have 83,000 square feet of LED screens or an eight-panel retractable roof that opens and closes like a camera lens either. However, Saban and Alabama will have to wait until the SEC Championship Game to see the latter feature.
Read: INSTANT ANALYSIS: Alabama's defense steps up in 24-7 win over FSU | The Recap: Alabama 24, Florida State 7
Of course, Saban’s 63-7 record inside Bryant-Denny while with Alabama has a lot to do with his fondness for the venue. As he did Thursday night, the head coach admits a lot of that home-field advantage is generated by the rowdiness of the 101,821 fans in attendance. Even with a domed roof to echo trap the sound, Mercedes-Benz is nowhere near as loud as Bryant-Denny when it’s fully rocking.
But what about the fans?
The majority of the Alabama faithful agree with Saban’s assessment when asked of their favorite stadium. But could Bryant-Denny be even better? Shouldn’t it? After all, this is Alabama, where Saban’s mantra of being a champion rings daily.
Maybe Alabama can take a few ideas from Atlanta back home with them to Tuscaloosa.
Let's start with the most obvious. The new Mercedes-Benz Stadium comes equipped with 1,264 beer taps. If you are counting, that’s 1,264 more than inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Look, I’ve made this argument before. To save us all a bit of time, I won’t go into how much sense it makes for Alabama and other college football programs to allow alcohol sales inside their stadiums. But after taking a walk through of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it’s hard not to get excited by its flashy, “neighborhood bars” sponsored by Budweiser, Heineken, Dos Equis and others. I’m not saying Bryant-Denny should be turned into a beer hall, but a designated area with a couple of local brews on tap would go a long way.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne has stated alcohol sales are “probably a long ways away of that happening at Alabama.” But maybe there are a few first steps that can be taken. Beer even found its way into the food at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Budweiser Pulled Pork Sandwich, Shocktop Brats, Goose Island Pastrami Sandwich are just a few of the many food options available at the new sporting cathedral.
Dropping alcohol altogether, can we at least get some better dining amenities? While Dreamland Nachos offer a nice taste of Tuscaloosa, the choices drop off a bit after that. I get it, there’s only a handful of foods that lend themselves to a stadium setting. No matter how well AJ McCarron’s new fast-food sushi restaurant does, it’s safe to say the former Alabama quarterback’s days inside of Bryant-Denny have come to a close.
Two obvious southern classics stand out in Chick-fil-A and Zaxby’s. Who doesn’t like fried chicken, and given that Alabama won’t be in action on Sundays, the former would still be in play.
While we are at it, can we do something about those prices as well? Due to the perks of this job, I haven’t bought a meal at a college football stadium for some years. Although, for those not fortunate enough to cop a free meal inside the press box, the bill climbs north of $20 per person faster than you’d think. The next time you pull out your wallet at Bryant-Denny, try not to think about the fact that Mercedes-Benz offers $2 refillable sodas, $3 peanuts, pizza, nachos and waffle fries and of course $5 domestic beers.
Alabama will open its season inside Bryant-Denny Stadium this Saturday at 2 p.m. against Fresno State. For Saban and the majority of Alabama fans, the game will be a much-awaited return to their favorite college football setting. There’s nothing wrong with that, but after seeing what could be a week ago, it will be hard for some of those fans not dream for a little more.
Fortunately for them, Alabama is planning a couple more trips east down I-20 later this season.
