10 things Nick Saban said that got our attention this week

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Even though we’re four games into the 2019 schedule, it’s been a pretty quiet month around the University of Alabama football program.

Granted, the offense looks terrific and the defense is dealing with a ton of injuries, but the schedule of Duke, New Mexico State, South Carolina and Southern Miss — well let’s say that none of the opponents were able to provide much of a scare.

Alabama has outscored its competition 200-43, and outgained them 2,200-1,175.

Yet that doesn’t mean there haven’t been things to talk about. Nick Saban himself said 10 things that week that should get your attention:

1] After gaining weight while being sidelined by an injury, Deonte Brown will “probably” play some at both guard positions against Ole Miss. With his NCAA suspension over, he could challenge to return to the starting lineup after the bye week:

“Very talented guy because he’s a very good athlete, he’s got great balance and body control and he’s probably the most powerful, explosive guy that we have on the whole offensive line. But he’s a guard body type, and when he played for us last year, he played very well at times. There’s some inconsistency because he was sort of an inexperienced player, and I think he’s a lot more mature right now.

2] Meanwhile, he was asked what makes a good pulling lineman. It’s something to keep in mind for when Alabama does finally set its offensive line for the rest of the season.

“I think first of all if you have good initial quickness and you have explosive power, and you’ve got good balance and body control, those things are what’s going to help you pull, move, be under control. I think one of the biggest things you see with players now who struggle in these areas, they don’t bend their lower body so they get sort of top heavy, bend at the waist, don’t have very good balance and body control so if the target moves at all, especially when they’re on the move, they have a hard time adjusting. Guys that can bend and strike are usually the best guys that can bull and block in space.”

3] As BamaCentral reported last week, Kendall Randolph may still be going through individual drills as an offensive lineman, but is getting playing time as a tight end. Look for the new No. 85 to contribute in that role more moving forward.

“Well, when we want to run the ball, he’s a big, physical guy and he gets movement in the C area. He gives us something we don’t have, I think, with some of our other guys. I mean, we did this with Brandon Greene when he was here a few years back. So, sometimes you just want to be able to have a guy that can put his hand in the dirt in the C area and be able to get some movement and block big people, and he gives us that. He’s done a really good job, and he did a very good job in the last game when we needed him to.”

4] On Alabama’s developing freshmen interior linebackers, Shane Lee and Christian Harris:

“I think the guys are getting better every day. They’ve got a better understanding. They’re very conscientious guys that try to prepare well. You can’t coach experience, and now they’re gaining more experience, so they’re gaining more knowledge. I think they’re gaining more confidence. But we look at them day-to-day, so I think both guys are improving and I think both guys are being more confident in what they’re doing. We’re not satisfied with where they are, but we’re very pleased with their progress.”

5] On how Alabama recruits the quarterback position:

“I think the importance is to sign a good quarterback. But that’s probably the most important — not just a quarterback — because I think those guys and I think it’s more apparent in college football than it’s ever been, the teams that have a legitimate chance to have a really good season, most of them have really pretty good quarterbacks. It doesn’t mean just because you have a good quarterback you’re going to have a good season. You have to have good players to play around them. But it certainly helps because that guy distributes the ball to every guy on the team. So his ability to be efficient and effective enhanced everybody’s chances of being successful. But it’s also the most difficult to position to play if you don’t have good players around you. So it’s important to surround a quarterback with other good players and then everybody has a chance to be successful.”

Nick Saban was asked which recruit he immediately knew would be a star: “Dont’a Hightower.”
— BamaCentral (@BamaCentral) September 27, 2019

6] On the SEC shedding its imagine of being a grinding, physical league and becoming more pass-oriented:

“I don’t think it’s just this conference. I think it’s football in general. It used to be a lot more closed formations, now everything is spread and open. I think space play is much more important than it used to be years ago. People throw a 2-yard pass on an RPO and it turns into a 70-yard play. The game has just opened up to where horizontally and vertically you’ve got to cover the entire field. In the old days, I don’t think it was really that way. And I think that’s created a lot more explosive plays on offense, and people who have good skill players and a good quarterback have a chance to really take advantage of some of those things, and it makes it much more difficult on defense. I think the combination of those things probably has changed our league just like it’s changed football in general.

7] On LSU’s new high-flying offense:

“I think everybody notices the numbers. Anybody that’s played as well as they have. In all honesty, I have not watched them play. We play Ole Miss this week so we’re really concerned about that game, and that’s how we kind of go through the season. Later in the season, when we have to play them, we’ll certainly focus on the things that they do and we have a lot of respect for their players. We always have. They’re playing extremely well on offense, I can tell that, without even watching them, based on the numbers they’re putting up and the players that we know they have.”

8] On Jalen Hurts frequently using his “rat poison” line at Oklahoma:

“I just think Jalen’s a really bright guy. I think he has come from a very, very successful program that we had to deal with a lot of positive accolades and be able to stay motivated and not lose our humility or get complacent about how we were doing things. We’ve learned some lessons together about when that happened and how we played. I just think he is a really bright guy and really a great competitor so he really kind of understands some of the issues if you don’t have the right mind-set.”

9] On Alabama sending the care packages to former players now in the NFL:

“We’re just really proud of the guys who did a fabulous job of representing this program when they’ve been here and we seem to have quite a few guys this year who had very impactful seasons early on in terms of helping the teams they’re on now. So they’re just sort of a token of our appreciation for what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, how they’re representing the University of Alabama even after they’re gone and how it makes us all proud that they do that. I think our fans, our program, our administration and everybody here. So just a little gesture of appreciation.”

10] Finally, just for fun, a young fan asked the coach what his favorite car used to be and he responded the 1966 Mercedes 230 SL. Of course, Saban now owns some Mercedes dealerships.

“There was one of those two-seat Mercedes that came in one day. And I said, man, this beats them all. That’s always been kind of my favorite, and after all these years we own one but don’t ever drive it. So it’s not really what I thought it would be.”

Bonus: You probably read this one already, but Saban commented yet again about the heat, and the fans dealing with 100-degree temperature.

"Well, my hat’s off to them. We really appreciate what they do. I don’t think really realizes how difficult it is for fans, how many issues that we really have. I wish that some of the TV people and people from our conference would come, at any stadium, in these kinds of conditions and know that it’s really difficult for the fans. This is an entertainment business that we’re in. I mean, people come to see the games because they enjoy Alabama football and they enjoy the tradition, but they also want to be entertained and see good football. And I think when the circumstances and conditions of the game are very difficult for them, I think you negate some of those positives. But we really do appreciate what they do, we always have. Just this year, it’s been a little hotter than normal and stayed hotter for longer, and we’ve had -- fortunately or unfortunately -- all afternoon games so far, so it’s kind of unfortunate for the fans.”