Nick Saban talks game plan concerning AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims against Kent State | al.com
Nick Saban said during his weekly radio show Thursday night quarterbacks AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims would each receive equal playing time to start the season. "Basically, we're gonna play a guy for three series and the next guy will play for three series and then we'll do it all over again," Saban said Thursday night. "...I know everyone has the idea you have to play with one quarterback, that's the only way you can play. We had two guys that have both done a really good job. Not one has separated them self from the other. How they play in the game may go a long way to saying which one of these guys is better."
"I've never had a coach who coaches so hard and yells and screams and doesn't use profanity," Bowers said. "He never yells when you're doing good. If you mess up and he knows you know what you're supposed to do, he gets a little intense. He starts to yell out the assignment. 'Read your keys!' 'Keep your eyes open!' 'Pop the pads down!'"
The Nick Saban show returns for 2011 Alabama football season | al.com
Practice vs. a real game. Saban said the high temperatures - he said heat index one day was 116 degrees - isn't conducive to a true game/practice. Saban said the team is ready to play an opponent. "You're supposed to put cows in the barn at 84 (degrees)," Saban said.
"I think that there is a lot of emotion," said head coach Nick Saban. "There is a lot of electricity surrounding this game because it is the first game as well as people responding to what happened here. "I think our football players are really aware of that. But I really do think they need to focus on the things they need to do to get the process right and take care of their business. Execute well and play with effort and toughness. Focus on what they need to do. Be the best football player they can be. That’s the way they’ll be most pleasing to the people that are out there who they’d like to please."
Habitat for Humanity dedicates Holt house built in partnership with Nick's Kids Fund | al.com
Saban, who was presented a $400,000 contribution to Nick's Kids from Drummond Company at the dedication, said the donation would go to the Habitat project, which plans to build 13 homes, one for each of Alabama's football national championships. "That's really one of our short-term goals, but the long-term goal is to help have an impact on this entire community so that we can restore some normal living for some of these people," Saban said.
Tuscaloosa rebuilding: The story and bonus material | The Daily Bama Blog
"There’s not one time I’ve entered our recovery zones and not felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of this disaster, in terms of what it’s done to the landscape of Tuscaloosa," he said. "I hope I never become desensitized to it, because it’s this innate feeling within all of us to try to return normalcy to our city."
Here's what SEC coaches are saying about Alabama ... anonymously | al.com
You have to give (Nick) Saban credit: Other than a stinker at South Carolina, they nearly ran the table again. LSU and Auburn were lucky to beat them, and Alabama finally put it all together in the bowl game, by just annihilating Michigan State.
SEC Coaches' Candid Quotes On Conference Rivals | AthlonSports.com
"Miles has been, let’s just say, very fortunate in the past, such as against Florida with the bounce-pass fake field goal and against Alabama with some late trick plays. Somehow, someway everything always seems to go Miles’ way. If that continues I don’t see many people stopping the Tigers."
Gene Stallings: Big 12 won't survive once larger conferences soon emerge | al.com
"I think a few years from now it's going to be four major conferences, maybe 20 teams in each conference, championship game, and a playoff with those four (conferences)," Stallings said after speaking at a United Way luncheon in Birmingham. "I think that's sort of the direction we're going in. Personal opinion, I don't think the Big 12 is going to be one of those four. I do think the Southeastern Conference will be one. So we may be aligning with somebody now that we may be trying to do something with later on."
Invitation to Dunnavant kickoff event - Roll 'Bama Roll
I wanted to extend a personal invitation to all my friends here to join us for the launch party of my latest book (number five, if you're counting), AMERICA'S QUARTERBACK, the definitive biography of Bart Starr. It will be Sept. 13 at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham. Please join us.
How Much Does SEC Expansion Mess With Tradition? - Team Speed Kills
It's easy to forget after 20 years of divisional play, or not be aware if you're under 30, that the SEC schedule hasn't always been neat and tidy. Certain rivalries do go way back (Alabama-Tennessee, the Egg Bowl, etc.), but some schools almost never played each other. Consider Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. For the most part they have ruled the East since 1992, ensuring that there are heated series between them. The latter two have a genuine rivalry extending back almost 100 years. However, those two played Tennessee a combined 26 times (Florida 16, Georgia 10) between the SEC's first season in 1933 to 1991. It's hard to think about a time when Tennessee didn't have a series with those two, but that was the norm before we had divisions.
Sources: USC coach resigns due to NCAA probe - CBSSports.com
USC defensive backs coach Willie Mack Garza resigned from his position Thursday due to his involvement with a NCAA recruiting probe, two sources told CBSSports.com. Garza cited personal reasons unrelated to the school as the reason for his departure in a statement but sources said his resignation was a direct result of his involvement with former scout Will Lyles and a related NCAA probe into possible recruiting violations.
Feldman, Embattled Writer, Leaves ESPN for CBS - NYTimes.com
Before the flap over "Swing Your Sword" began, Feldman said, he was assured that he would be receiving a new three-year contract with a raise. Afterward, he said he was told by John Skipper, ESPN’s executive vice president for content, that he would be offered a one-year deal without a raise.
and etc.
Video: SEC Digital Network previews the Alabama football season | al.com
Alabama, Auburn among Newsweek's most beautiful colleges - CBS 42 Birmingham, AL
More memories from Alabama coach Nick Saban about his Kent State playing days | al.com