Written by Ell | 03 December 2008

Coach Nick Saban addressed the media after the Tide's afternoon practice outdoors for the first time this week. They'll return to the Hank Crisp Indoor Practice Facility tomorrow to prepare for the Georgia Dome. Roy Upchurch did not don the black (non-contact) jersey today. He is questionable for Saturday's game. Terrence Cody is better. All better. Shockingly, Barrett Jones and Tyler Love were in black jerseys. There might have been some thought about asking Coach Saban about the Tommy Tuberville situation, just down the road. The coach pre-empted the questions:

There have been several coaches that have been let go in our league that have a pretty good body of work behind them. They've been really good coaches. They've been really good for the game. They've been good for a lot of players and they've had very very good programs. I've talked about Philip. I've never really ever talked about Sly [Slyvester Croom]. And Tommy... I mean... Those guys are really good coaches. They've done a good job for a long time. They've got a tremendous body of work. I really question some of the judgement relative to how it is for our game. That people who have had those kinds of relationships, and have done that kind of job and have affected so many people in a positive way, and have had a reasonable amount of success relative to the circumstances. [That they] would not be given any more respect and consideration than what these guys have been... So, I guess we're 5-7 away from the same thing...

It's fair to say that Coach Saban was incredulous about the firing. Coach Saban gave a shout-out to (our unsung hero) Nikita Stover noting his big play improvement, including the very block Crump called out on Tuesday. Stover is one Saban likes. Saban noted that Tebow is a "very difficult guy to defend". He failed to note that ice is cold and night is dark. Florida does a plethora of stuff on offense. The team used the bye week (week before last) to look at more of those formations. Saban noted we still had a ways to go to get ready for this offense. Terrence Cody was a topic for discussion. Saban noted that despite the strides he's taken in "weight management", Cody wasn't close to his ceiling. With work, Cody could be even more dominant. I shudder to think... The balance of our practices are closed before the trip to Atlanta. There will be more from us before then.

< Prev		Next >