There are four days of waiting.
For the penultimate time before Monday’s national championship game, Alabama coach Nick Saban spoke to the media on Thursday morning. He talked about Ryan Day, Jaylen Waddle and more.
Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding and Crimson Tide players also met with the media this morning, while Day, Ohio state offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, Justin Fields and several other Ohio players are expected to speak in the afternoon. Thursday. Check again with Eleven Warriors for full coverage as the day progresses.
A detailed summary of what Saban said.
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“I think that in a game like this, preparation is very, very important. Training has been good.”
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Saban on Jaylen Waddle: “He has been able to practice a little. His status for the game is still relatively in the air, and it will probably be a game day decision.”
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Given the circumstances of the year … “We are satisfied with the way this season has gone and the number of games we have been able to play.”
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Says linebacker Dylan Moses has shown perseverance and leadership this season coming back from injury. “He certainly made a positive contribution to our team.” He says that Moses “increases the confidence of the rest of the group” when he plays due to his leadership and knowledge of defense.
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On preparing for the state of Ohio: “We do the best job we can prepare internally.” He says they watch all the games in the state of Ohio and talk to coaches who face the Buckeyes annually and who may have some tips about them.
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On Ryan’s day: “He does a great job as a coach. He’s an excellent offensive caller. He has a great attacking scheme.” He says the state of Ohio “plays with big intangibles”, observing discipline, resistance and effort. It also says that Day took advantage of a “great opportunity”.
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On the Buckeyes: “They have one of the best teams in the country. Without a doubt.”
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Saban says he has no crystal ball to see if Waddle will play on Monday. “This is something that we are trying to assess, but it is not something that we are trying to make any predictions at this point.”
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He says the program’s # 1 goal is for players to “create value for themselves”. Saban says the guys who returned to Alabama this season have significantly improved their value as football players before leaving for the NFL. “Money in the draft drops dramatically, so if you are a second or third round choice, you can almost double or triple your value” improving to become a first round player.
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Saban says he never really wanted to be a coach, but he credits the college coach for raising him as a graduate assistant. “When I did that, I just loved it.” He liked the preparation and the competitive character, combined with the relationship he developed with the players.
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“I think Ohio is one of the big states in the country when it comes to football, a football tradition.” … “There are still many places in Ohio where the school is the center of the community.” He notes that Ohio has produced “a tremendous number of very, very good players”.
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Saban’s complete answer when asked about the importance of not delaying the national championship game: “Well, look, I think everyone respects the interruptions we had to endure throughout the season. We have full respect for the safety of the players. and I think there were, some problems with COVID, there were discussions about whether it was fair to continue or rewind the game and all of that. I think there would have been some, probably, you don’t know, difficult management issues if we had changed the game back. school is going to start next week. We would have 35,000 students coming back here. We played 12 games this year, so we have a lot of guys who have land throughout the season, a lot of guys get stuck a little bit. Another week of practice would have been a lot harder guys, probably. January 18th is the date when people are going to decide whether to draft or not. So, all the time in all this ng would have been a difficult management, but I would have placed player safety on either team as the most important factor in this decision. ”
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Saban believes that the current style of play makes college football “exciting for fans”, with the amount of points earned per game.
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He credits his offensive coaches with the development of Alabama’s attack over the years. But … “I still think that our No. 1 goal is to introduce our players to our team and adapt to the style that allows them to be more successful.”
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Why the defense improved over the week. “I think we are very young, especially in high school.” He mentions that three freshmen play significant snaps. At the start of the season, he says, the younger players made mental mistakes. The group managed to develop confidence.
