Tide’s focus tested by distractions

September 03, 2009

By Ken Rogers

My first reaction to the NCAA clearning Julio Jones and Mark Ingram to play Saturday night was one of relief.

But the more I’m thinking about it, the more perplexed I get that it took so long for common sense to prevail.

Now, I don’t believe the gentleman in question didn’t realize Jones and Ingram weren’t football players. Of course he did. He knew Julio in high school and any friend of Julio (in this case, Ingram), is welcome to come along, too.

But this wasn’t an improper recruiting contact. This wasn’t a payoff for a great catch or fabulous run. This wasn’t a booster. This was a guy, in poor health, who wanted to do something nice for two guys who work pretty hard all year long and were due some fun on spring break. And it was two college students smart enough not to turn down his offer. When I was a college student, I gladly accepted a couple weekends away thanks to my roommate’s family.

This was a no-brainer. And it would have been pitiful had the players been ruled ineligible for the opener.

That was one of several distractions that will test the Tide’s focus this week. A crime against a teammate and the flu contine to make preparations anything but normal.

Brandon Deaderick practiced Wednesday, less than 48 hours after he was shot, the victim of a failed robbery attempt.

“It’s amazing to me that, from a medical standpoint, the extent of his injury is not that significant and that he has a great attitude about trying to come out and do stuff and be with the team,“ Nick Saban said after Wednesday night’s practice. “We’re going to take his situation day to day, and each day he’ll probably do a little bit more.“

Saban said Deaderick wants to play against Virginia Tech. “But we’re not going to put any player at risk relative to their future or the situation that they’re in,“ the coach said. “He will have to definitely improve on a daily basis. When we feel like he is ready to play, we’ll probably allow him to play. I don’t know when that is right now, because we’re sort of going day to day.”

Linebacker Cory Reamer returned after missing several days with the flu.

“A lot of people have been getting real sick around the complex and it’s been not actually flu. A lot of people haven’t been testing positive for that. They actually said I did (test positive),” Reamer said. “It ain’t been fun. ... I got to sleep all day and rest. That really helped speed up the recovery. ... I should be fine. I should be good to go on Saturday.”

In the face of all the turmoil, Saban praised Alabama’s mental preparation this week.

“I really think the focus has been good,“ he said. “If there’s anything I’m worried about, it’s first-game jitters. You have two types of players: You have an experienced player who’s really anxious to play, and sometimes their anxiety affects their focus, ability, mental errors. Then we have some younger guys who have an opportunity to play that don’t have that much experience and really probably don’t even know they don’t know what they’re getting into. You’ve got all kinds.

“But I’m not concerned about anything else in terms of how our players have focused and what they’ve done. I don’t hear them talking about it. I think they’re thinking about the right things. One of the most difficult things is: good is a great enemy of being great. When you get good, you get complacent and you get comfortable. In competitive sports, that’s not a good place to be. I don’t see that in our guys, and I hope I don’t see it. Their intensity has been a lot better this week, and we’ve been pleased with it.”