Alabama Football: A no-drama day in T-Town

As was expected Monday’s Alabama Football media session review did not include a depth chart. Last year, Nick Saban gave a warning to expect the change.

Saban explained a depth chart never signifies the end of competition at any position. He also stated some player responses to an early season depth chart can be disruptive. Saban was clear that at this point he does not want any player to think of himself as a backup.

The primary reason Alabama football fans hoped for a depth chart was clarity on the quarterback situation. Saban gave almost no clue about what to expect, though in response to a question he praised the progress Jalen Milroe has made.

Asked about possibly playing multiple quarterbacks against Middle Tennessee State, Saban’s response was,

"I don’t have any expectations for that right now … Regardless of what happens in this game, it’s the same thing that I told you guys before just because who starts in the first game doesn’t mean you don’t have to continue to compete."

Alabama football fans are left wanting to better understand how much, or how little confidence to place in the Tide’s quarterback play. Parsing words can be tricky, but one simple statement by Nick Saban might provide a valid clue.

"I think Jalen has made a significant amount of improvement."

Nick Saban is a wordsmith. He also does not bestow unwarranted praise. He could have said Jalen Milroe ‘has improved’ or ‘shown a lot of improvement’. Using ‘significant’ when describing Milroe’s improvement could be – significant.

Alabama Football Suppositions

There are two more suppositions to consider. If Nick Saban had admitted Jalen Milroe would start against MTSU, questions would have immediately followed about which guy is QB2. It could be as simple as there is such little separation among the Tide’s ‘expected’ backups, that Saban and Tommy Rees need another week of practices to determine the second quarterback to see action against MTSU.

A broader supposition is if a Monday depth chart would not have resolved the QB pecking order, maybe the same is true at other positions, such as left tackle and in the defensive backfield. A depth chart with many ‘ors’ is not much of a depth chart anyway, so why rush decisions before Friday or Saturday?

Check out the full video below.

RIP Alabama Football depth charts. Maybe that is not such a bad thing.