In Nick Saban’s first game week press conference of the 2018 season, he advised the assembled media to make no assumptions regarding Alabama football and QBs.
Nick Saban was in mid-season form on Monday during the Alabama football presser for Louisville game week. Answering probing questions pertaining to a starting quarterback was not part of Saban’s agenda. When pushed for more information, he quickly slammed the door. He was not surly. He was curt but not near a flash point. He even seemed to enjoy the banter – a little.
Before reviewing exactly what Saban said, consider if we Alabama football fans should heed Nick’s words. We worry justifiably about every little thing regarding our beloved program. That of itself is not unlike Nick Saban, who believes no detail is too small to merit close attention. However, we can get off track as Nick implies, if we make the wrong assumptions.
In Nick Saban’s disdain for hypothetical, is a belief media should not make assumptions. He is not wrong. Too many people in media, undeterred by lack of knowledge, are too quick to form opinions. Legitimate football experts rarely get lengthy access to practice fields and coaching rooms. Because of not being insiders, even knowledgeable experts can be wrong.
Saban on Monday
Asked if the media should assume a starting QB for the Louisville game would be named at game time, Nick interjected,
"Who said anything about that? I don’t think you should assume anything. If I’m ready to tell you, I’ll tell you. If I’m not, I won’t. So you can assume that."
We think Alabama football fans should be content with Nick’s response. We will know more when he decides to tell us and that should be fine with us.
Rest assured, Nick Saban will play the guys who give the team the best chance of winning a game. He will also choose when and how much playing time certain players will get to give Alabama football the best chance to win later in the season. And he will continually evaluate and update his own decisions.
We can turn our minds to other unknowns. For example, what will the new coordinators do and how well will they do it? Or how far into the season will the inexperienced secondary be vulnerable? If we really want to stress ourselves, we can worry about lack of depth at linebacker and the defensive front.
At least for the early games, the above concerns will have more impact on the outcome of games than who starts at QB. Here is a video snippet of Nick and the “assuming” moment.
Check in with us often this week. We will provide information on Louisville and the matchup between the two teams.