Bama Hammer
Fansided

SEC MEDIA DAYS: Takeaways From Day Two

By Chris Hale

facebooktwitterreddit

Day two of SEC Media Days wrapped on Tuesday and today is the day that Alabama fans have been waiting for since they get to hear from Coach Saban and the Crimson Tide players in attendance.

There wasn’t too much ground-breaking information that came out of day two. There were, however, a few humorous spots that we will try to touch on as we get ready for Saban and company later this morning.

South Carolina

It wouldn’t be Media Days without Steve Spurrier getting in a jab on a team or two and this year, it was Arkansas and Tennessee’s turn. “We were 7-6, same as Tennessee and the same as Arkansas, and I think they’re sort of celebrating big seasons last year”, Spurrier said. “So we were celebrating also. We were doing some cartwheels and high fiving after that Independence Bowl game because it was a year that could have gone real south, and guys hung in there and somehow or another found a way to win the game.” Spurrier even had some advice for Coach Sumlin.

Spurrier doesn’t really sound like he is contemplating retirement after referencing Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as being the same age as him. You knew he couldn’t leave without making a Saban comment, didn’t you? “We’ve got some coaches in our league may go to the NFL someday. There’s no guarantee they’re going to be at this school the way some of those NFL teams can offer $15 million, $20 million a year to a coach. If one of them offered Coach Saban, it would make that $7.2 million look paltry to him probably, and they easily could.”

Texas A&M

If you thought Aggies’ head coach Kevin Sumlin hired former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis because they could never beat him, you win for today. When asked if he took that mindset, his response was gold. “I didn’t kind of. That’s exactly what I did. There’s really nothing more to the answer than that. That’s true. We’ve studied the defense. We get it. We struggled”, Sumlin said. “It’s a great fit for us and a great fit for him. He was ready for a new challenge. We were in the market, obviously, and here’s a guy who’s got a tremendous track record in the SEC and recently in the SEC West.

I’ve always liked to hear Sumlin speak when he’s not winning a game in Bryant-Denny Stadium. He’s very well-spoken like another college football coach that we all know. I also like when he throws out some shade to the Big 12.“I don’t go with what is said by different sports outlets,” Sumlin said in an interview with Phil Savage and Rachel Baribeau. “I go by the people who employ folks, and that’s the NFL. More guys have been drafted out of the SEC than any other league.” “There’s more guys drafted out of the SEC West than the whole Big 12,” he said. “It’s a tremendously talented football league with great coaches and a bunch of fans who are passionate. There’s not a whole lot of empty seats, a lot of national television, big-time stages, and big-time venues.” Go SEC, Coach Sumlin.

Mississippi State

Coach Dan Mullen had swag on his feet for Media Days. I think that’s what the kids call it. Mullen got the Yeezys.

Mullen did say that this was his seventh time attending Media Days and it seems like the Bulldogs are always picked to finish last. You get the feeling that they feel they are being overlooked this season. Mullen said that the Bulldogs have now been there in the big game, referencing the five-point loss to Alabama. With that experience, Mullen believes that his guys will know what to expect if the find their team in that opportunity again.

Tennessee

With Spurrier making his comments earlier about Arkansas and Tennessee, you knew Butch Jones would be asked about it at some point during the day. He pretty much laughed the comments off, saying that there were no somersaults or cartwheels in Knoxville after the Vols’ finish. Jones did say he believed the Vols overachieved with their 7-6 record since their team was arguably one of the youngest in the country.

The Vols will return 18 starters this season and some are picking the Vols to take the Eastern crown. It does seem like Jones has Tennessee heading in the right direction, but I still think they are a year away. No matter what bloggers and media think, Jones has their fans believing once again and sometimes, that is all that matters to get something going.

More from Bama Hammer

Home/Alabama Football