Tide Tidbits – April 1, 2010

Saban Will Watch For Progress
So far, so good. But so far hasn’t included a scrimmage yet. That will change Friday, and Alabama Coach Nick Saban thinks it will be interesting to see what happens when the Crimson Tide football team has its first scrimmage. Following Alabama’s work in shorts and helmets Wednesday, Coach Nick Saban said, “It will be interesting to see who will reverts back to their old habits, and who continues to make progress,” when Bama goes to Bryant-Denny Stadium Friday for the first scrimmage of the spring. Alabama has completed seven of 15 practices. The Tide had four consecutive practices in full gear before Wednesday’s two hour practice in near-80 degree temperatures. Saban said in Friday’s scrimmage he will be looking for players who can “play disciplined football–whether it is eye control, looking at the right things, carrying out their assignments and doing it the right way. I think if we can get 11 guys doing that on both sides of the ball, then we can have a good football team. [More]

After a redshirt year, B.J. Scott prepares to step in for Alabama’s rebuilt secondar
For Alabama sophomore cornerback B.J. Scott, the process starts with a large three-ringed binder tucked under his arm. This is Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban’s defensive playbook — the current edition. There are hundreds of pages beneath a designed cover with a large “10,” signifying it as the playbook for this spring. And ultimately, those pages hold the key to the talented former five-star prospect from Vigor making an impact on the field for Alabama. “It’s like you really can’t make a mistake,” Scott said. “One mistake is crucial. Everybody has to know what they’re doing. We have a reputation of playing sound defense, hard-nosed defense here at Alabama. With Coach Saban, he’s real critical on everything. You have to put everything in it. You can’t have one leg in and one leg out.” [More]

Tide’s Saban encourages competition
It’s no secret that there are defensive starting positions to be had on the Alabama football team this spring. Losing 10 starters will create a few openings. The surprising news: There are just as many open spots on the other side of the ball. Head coach Nick Saban on Wednesday reiterated his long held belief that seniority means less than productivity. “I don’t really care who plays,” Saban said. “It’s our responsibility as coaches to play the best players. I think it’s only fair that we give them the opportunities.” Throughout the spring, the UA coaching staff not only shuffles the older and younger players, they also try players at a variety of positions — thus, the Julio Jones-at-safety story. It’s not necessarily a tactic used to find viable starters at different positions, but the coaches can get an idea of who might be able to play at other spots should injuries or suspensions rapidly pile up at a certain position. [More]

Players continue developing, looking to Friday’s scrimmage
As the Alabama Crimson Tide gets closer to its first spring scrimmage on Friday, the coaches continue to develop each player individually to create an overall better picture for the team as a whole. Head coach Nick Saban expects the scrimmage to help the staff judge which players have developed more throughout the spring practices. As for who might be in the scrimmage, Saban said no one has been ruled out to play, though there are a few players who are still fighting injury. “I don’t think that there’s anybody battered other than Vlachos,” he said. “I don’t know what we’ll do with Dont’a. He’s been doing a little bit better, but we’ll make the decisions tomorrow, maybe watch today’s film and make the decision.” There were a few players who returned to practice Wednesday. Star Jackson had not practiced due to academic reasons, while Trent Richardson had been out with a hamstring injury, but they were both in their shoulder pads with the rest of the team. [More]

Tide’s Jerrell Harris is eager to succeed
Football fans have been talking about Alabama linebacker Jerrell Harris for two years now. The rising junior sounds determined to give them something to cheer about this fall. “Man, I’m very hungry,” Harris said after the Crimson Tide’s two-hour workout in shells on Wednesday. “I just realized I haven’t played a full season since I’ve been here. So I’m just looking to get a fresh start and just go full speed ahead and compete.” Harris, from Gadsden, was suspended for the first six games of the 2009 season because he allegedly accepted a laptop computer from Athens businessman Curtis Anderson — a violation of the NCAA extra benefit rule — and was not forthcoming about it when first questioned by Alabama officials. “You have to be more aware of what you’re doing,” Harris said. “I was young when I made that mistake. Coach talked to me. ‘Keep moving forward. You can’t go back.’” But as he prepares for this season, Harris feels an urgency to make up for lost time. “He’s done well in the offseason program as well as spring practice,” Saban said. “The last two practices he’s actually played at inside ’backer and done a good job with that. [More]

Roll Tide!

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