It is game day number two for Alabama Football. There is no pressure on Crimson Tide fans who can be secure about another win in Bryant-Denny. The same cannot be said for Nick Saban’s players. The measure for Saban’s teams is always to play up to their considerable potential. There is no perfect to be attained, but close to perfection is nonetheless the constant goal.
On Wednesday, Saban called out some of his players for coming up short in commitment and effort in practices. He was not satisfied with what has followed the Miami game and he also stated team performance in the Miami, second-half was sub-standard.
Many fans and media alike, defined Wednesday as just another of those rat poison days in Tuscaloosa, typical in preparation for playing an FCS team. That assessment is fair but is likely incomplete. On his Thursday night radio show, Saban indirectly revealed what had drawn his ire this week, is less what has or has not happened, but what might not happen in the future.
On Hey Coach he talked about players having the right mindset – a mindset to beat the best teams throughout the season. Several times last season, Saban complimented player leadership and team focus. He knows this team is not yet where it needs to be for championship success. During the radio show, Saban said he told his player leaders,
"When the coach keeps harping on something, the more meaningless it becomes. I’m telling you guys if you don’t start taking the bull by the horns relative to what I’m talking about, we’re gonna have a tough time getting where we want to go."
Getting where a team wants to go always means Alabama Football winning a championship. Saban no doubt knows the ’21 team has, with continued progress, championship talent. What it does not have yet is an across-the-board championship mindset. Nick Saban will make sure it will.
The entire Hey Coach broadcast is available below.
Other Alabama Football News and Rumors
- Running back, Camar Wheaton has not recovered from a practice injury and is not expected to play against Mercer.
- Both Damieon George Jr. and J.C. Latham are expected to see action on the right side of the Crimson Tide offensive line. Latham might get some snaps at guard. Either or both could get snaps with the first unit.
- Nick Saban is so obviously enthusiastic about JoJo Earle, the freshman should get several punt return opportunities against Mercer.
- Multiple members of the Crimson Tide secondary have been banged up this week. DeMarcco Hellams, Malachi Moore, Brian Branch, Jaylin Armour-Davis and Josh Jobe are not 100 percent. Allowing one or more of them more time to recover makes sense. There may be more game-time changes but at the least, Kool-Aid McKinstry will likely start somewhere in the secondary.
Crimson Tide fans can safely mark down a win in advance, and then settle in for a fun afternoon.