Nick Saban Press Conference 4/1/13

Nick Saban addressed the media Monday afternoon, following the fifth practice of the Spring. Right off the bat, he seemed to express that the quality of the practice had regressed a bit, following the off week for spring break. He called out a general lack of attention to detail and the need for more mental toughness. It also sounds like Saban feels that the leadership on the team needs to be a bit more assertive in trying to accomplish those goals.

• When asked about the competition at left guard, the first name out of Saban's mouth was Arie (Cyrus Kuoandjio's older brother). Kellen Williams was the next name mentioned. It sounds like those two are ahead of the rest of the pack at this point, but Saban was sure to mention that left guard and right tackle are the slots that have the most competition.
• Saban was asked about Bielema' comments about having a better record while coaching in the Big-10 (LINK). Unsurprisingly, Saban doesn't have time for that, saying "I don't have a reaction to that". He did spend a good 30 seconds after making that statement curiously sort of defending himself, so I wonder if it didn't get under his skin a bit more than he would like to let on.
• When asked about Cyrus Jones, Christion Jones, and Dee Hart playing DB, it sounded like both of the Jones could play cornerback now in an emergency situation, while Dee is really only equipped to play the Star position at this point.
• Saban spoke at length about the personal and professional impact that Mal Moore has had on him. He referred to him as a friend on more than one occasion, and it was clear that he will be missed.
• Regarding the first scrimmage coming up this Saturday, the focus will be on consistency and seeing which players are able to regularly perform their jobs and not let previous plays impact them one way or the other.
• Saban relayed an anecdote that I found funny regarding his trip to visit the Yankees over spring break. While there, he was asking Mariano Rivera about how he deals with success. Even while he's vacationing, he's trying to learn how to better motivate and teach this team. /swoon
• Last but not least, there were no new injuries to announce. Let's keep it that way, fellas.

Full video of the press conference is below. Roll Tide.