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Alabama head coach Nick Saban talked about his team and took questions from callers during The Nick Saban Show on Thursday night.
Last week, the eighth-ranked Crimson Tide defeated then-No. 9 Texas A&M 41-23. Saban said Texas A&M was the only place Alabama has played where they weren’t booed (outside of Tuscaloosa, of course). He was very impressed with the atmosphere at 105,000-seat Kyle Field.
Saban praises Texas A&M fans: This is the first place we’ve played in a long, long time that didn’t boo us when we ran out.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
Speaking of fans, he wants Alabama fans to get loud in support of their team this week.
Saban’s final word: We’re going to need our fans to have a high energy level to help our team vs Tennessee on Saturday.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
The coach said Alabama practiced with extra noise for the defense, so they would be familar with it on Saturday.
Saban said the team pumped in crowd noise for the defense during practice to get them ready for a raucous atmosphere at Bryant-Denny.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
Alabama hosts Tennessee this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Eastern time. The game will be shown on CBS. Saban said people should respect the Volunteers, because their offense is very good. He complimented Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs and his two running backs (Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara). He feels the Volunteers could easily be undefeated right now.
Saban said things really clicked with middle linebacker Reggie Ragland about one-third of the way through last season. Ragland was an outside linebacker, but moved inside when they needed him there.
Tide quarterback Jake Coker doesn’t like to slide when he runs the ball. When that was brought up, Saban said he doesn’t want to change Coker’s competitive spirit, but added that the quarterback has to be smart about it. He wants Coker to run the ball in an “intelligent way.”
When it comes to Jake Coker running/trucking DBs, Saban doesn’t want to change his personality, but he does want him to be smart about it.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
Saban said safety Eddie Jackson has always been an instinctive player. According to Saban, Jackson didn’t have the same burst after tearing his ACL last spring, so they moved him from cornerback to safety. He was apprehensive at first, but things have worked out well for both Jackson and the team. Jackson leads the SEC with five interceptions this season, including two last week against Texas A&M.
Saban said the Tide coaches planned to develop Calvin Ridley slowly, but the freshman receiver got fast-tracked when Robert Foster got hurt. But Saban added that Ridley is a mature player, and like fellow freshman Minkah Fitzpatrick, he doesn’t act like a freshman.
Last offseason, Saban reached out to Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett (who was an assistant with the Miami Dolphins under Saban from 2005-06) and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick to learn some new practice drills he felt could help the Crimson Tide.
Nick Saban said he reached out to the Cowboys and Patriots to pick up about 10 turnover drills that Alabama now uses to begin each practice.
— Charlie Potter (@Charlie_Potter) October 23, 2015
Greg McElroy, the quarterback of Alabama’s 2009 national championship team, was a special guest on the show. McElroy told Saban he looks younger and younger each year. Saban said that McElroy always did everything right, and was a good example to teammates, saying, “This is the kind of guy you win championships with.”
Lot of bro love between Saban and McElroy right now. Saban said guys like McElroy are the kind you win championships with.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
Greg McElroy returning bro love to Nick. Said he’s grateful to have played for Saban at Alabama. Said the fans & traditions are special here
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
The crowd sang happy birthday to Saban. The coach’s birthday is on Oct. 31, and there won’t be another radio show until after that day, so they sung to him on Thursday. They also gave him a birthday cake.
Fans now singing “Happy Birthday” to Nick Saban. He turns 64 on Halloween.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
Saban says he never asks for anything on his birthday.
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
Former Alabama running back Altee Tenpenny died in a car accident earlier this week. Tenpenny, who transferred after last season, still had a lot of friends on the team. Although he was no longer on the team when he died, Saban said Tenpenny was still “one of us.”
Even though Altee Tenpenny didn’t finish his career at Alabama, Saban said he’s still “one of us.” Said he was a really popular player here
— Marq Burnett (@Marq_Burnett) October 23, 2015
The Nick Saban Show is held every Thursday during football season from 7-8 p.m. Eastern time. The show is hosted by Saban and Alabama play-by-play man Eli Gold. The show can be heard online at this link.
