By Ken Rogers
It’s a very small window that Nick Saban can enjoy the Olympics, but he’s all for getting Usain Bolt on the football field.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a human being run as fast—and as easily—as he is,“ Saban noted of the 6-foot-5 100- and 200-meter sprint champion from Jamaica during his press conference after Tuesday’s practice.
“There have been numerous guys who have been really good track guys become some kind of football players, especially at the wide receiver position,“ Saban said. “That’s really got to be something that they want to do and have a passion for and want to try to do, That great speed can be an asset as football players.“
Saban admitted not being able to see as much of the Games as he’d like.
“I don’t see the Olympics until, most of the time, after 10. and I usually can’t stay up in my chair after 11. so there’s a short window,“ he said.
“But, I do like the women’s gymnastics. And I really root for our two fine competitors that we have who’ve done a really good job,“ he noted, referencing Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/20 at 04:58 PM
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By Ken Rogers
Not sure what to make of Alabama’s No. 24 preseason ranking by the Associated Press.
My initial reaction was surprise that the Tide was ranked at all.
Then,
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/16 at 06:28 PM
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By Ken Rogers
TUSCALOOSA—Alabama coach Nick Saban talked about the conditioning drills, the limited contact in practice and his team’s improved strength.
All of those are factors in a comparably injury-free training camp.
But the coach said luck plays a role, too.
“I think sometimes in sports, you just get lucky,“ the coach said Thursday after practice. “We try to practice safe. The fact that our players did a nice job in the offseason program, all the way back to offseason conditioning drills before the spring. We’re a lot stronger, we’re more physical. We had a great summer this summer. All the players were here and worked out every day.
“I think the level of conditioning can help that to some degree. I think strength — one of the the things you try to do in the weight room is put yourself in a position to where you can eliminate some injuries.
“But there’s also a certain amount of luck that goes along with guys not getting injured in practice. We try to practice safe, we try to stay off the ground. We try to play fast, get off blocks, thud people, but we try to stay off the ground. We don’t do some things in practice like cut (block), hopefully to keep guys off the ground. Most of the injuries we’ve had here in practice have come because of things that were done outside of the rules relative to how we want to practice. I think two guys last year were injured in practice and both of them were because a guy got cut and a guy got dragged down from behind, and that’s not how we want to do it. I don’t know if you can attribute it to it, but those are some of the things that we try to do eliminate (injuries).“
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/14 at 07:35 PM
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By Ken Rogers
Alabama athletics director Mal Moore has been around long enough to know how not to answer a question.
I talked to coach Moore Tuesday night before the Dale County Chapter of the university’s alumni association meeting in Ozark.
I noted that the Crimson Tide played La.-Monroe last year and faces Arkansas State this season. Since we were in the Wiregrass, I asked him why not Troy — and if Troy would ever be on Alabama’s schedule.
That’s when the former quarterback showed he can still be elusive.
“Well, our schedules are kind of ... we wait and see how the SEC aligns each game and then decide how we’re going to pick those teams,” he said.
“So we’re ... I think we’re set for 09 and pretty close to set for 10.”
He disclosed the Virginia Tech game, which has looked on and off at different times the past month, is probably on again.
“That’s very close to happening,” he said. “Some things have kind of happened here in the last week that maybe can make that happen.”
I tried to go back for a Troy comment, adding I mentioned them because of the other Sun Belt opponents on the schedule.
“Yeah,” he nodded.
That’s it. No acknowledgement about playing the Trojans.
Nick Saban has a history of playing in-state opponents in the past. When he was at Michigan State, he scheduled Central, Eastern and Western Michigan.
He played Tulane annually at LSU, as well as add one of the other state schools like Lafayette, Monroe and Louisiana Tech.
But Monroe’s victory over Alabama likely made a matchup against Troy more difficult to sell.
A loss to Monroe, while shocking and embarrassing, fades like a badly blackened eye. An in-state loss to Troy, which beat Monroe 24-7 last season, wouldn’t fade. It would leave scars.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/12 at 09:04 PM
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By Ken Rogers
Junior fullback Baron Huber didn’t play at all in Saturday’s first scrimmage of fall camp.
He was held out with a slight concussion after a big practice collision late last week with Eufaula freshman linebacker Courtney Upshaw.
“I don’t know if y’all have seen the size of his head, but you probably understand why I took the bad end of that hit,“ Huber joked on Monday. “He did a really good job. He’s a really physical kid and he hit me right in the right spot.“
Huber, the fullback from Knoxville, Tenn., said the cobwebs have cleared.
“I just got a slight concussion,“ he said. “We were just running a weakside power play. I tried to run up there and seal the end and he kind of hit me in the sweet spot in the side of my head. Sometimes it happens. You play hard enough, you’ll get those.“
After sitting out the weekend, Huber was back on the field for Monday’s practices.
“Felt great, felt like I did before I left. No problems really,“ he said.
Posted by Ken Rogers on 08/11 at 05:43 PM
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