Jumbo Package: Saban is Trying to Blind His Football Team

Happy Monday, everyone. The big news of the day is the Great American Eclipse, so we will open with Coach Saban’s thoughts on that:

There is so much to unpack here.

• Saban is drinking from a Smoothie King cup, continuing to ignore the Coke bottle. Wonder what the bottle has to say about this, and did Smoothie King pay for the product placement?
• Saban ain’t got time for no eclipse.
• Most importantly, please do not look at the eclipse through sunglasses. Coach also ain’t got time to research proper eyewear.
• In a related note, we are currently trying to verify a rumor that Notre Dame will be passing out these ISO certified glasses to all fans entering home football games this season.

Moving on to the practice recaps, we will start with a highlight reel. The catch at :13 is freshman Henry Ruggs III from Tua Tagovailoa.

Saturday may have been the last scrimmage, but the team still has some camp left before game prep begins:

A year ago, the Crimson Tide shifted its attention to USC when it broke out scout-team jerseys on the Friday before game week began. It practiced that Friday and Saturday before taking Sunday off and getting in the regular routine that Monday.

Saban on Saturday said they would take this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to determine where they stood after the two dress rehearsals.

"We'll sort of make an assessment on where we are," Saban said. "And then decide where we go from there, if we're ready to start preparation for the game and have a couple extra practices for it, or exactly when we'll do that."

Interestingly, Tua Tagovailoa may provide a unique advantage for the defense in prepping for FSU QB Deondre Francois since both are left-handed. Edit: or not, apparently.

Saban and Daboll aren't asking Hurts to become a classic pocket passer, which is a good thing because that's not the best way to maximize his potential. Given his ability to change games with his legs, why would any coaching staff take away that part of his game? What they do want from the sophomore is improved efficiency from the pocket when other aspects of the passing game are executed correctly. That means working through progressions, going to the right place with the ball at the right time and doing so accurately.

This is always the fine line coaches have to walk with athletic QBs. When a guy is capable of getting loose with his legs, he is often prone to doing so too frequently, which can hamstring the offense. Conversely, over-correction leads to holding on to the ball too long.

During Saturday’s scrimmage, true freshman Jedrick Wills played nearly half the snaps with the ones at right tackle, rotating with Womack. Wills has been extremely impressive in fall camp. Remember, the Kentucky native didn’t enroll early and didn’t have the benefit of going through spring practice. If he had, he might even more in the mix for a starting position. During the open practice a couple of weeks ago, Wills caught my early with how violently he used his hands. If he gets his hands on you, he’s moving you. He’s extremely violent at the point of the attack and has pretty good footwork for a young lineman. None of this means that Wills will unseat Womack for the starting job to start the season. It’s just something to place close attention to.

Wills has made a name for himself in short order. Womack still leads, but this competition is far from over. We will have your OL preview later this morning.

On the injury front, Joshua Jacobs has to be the greatest concern since he’s now missed a full week with his hamstring pull. Saban says he is still day-to-day. Scarbrough was sick but Saban doesn’t seem concerned about lingering effects.

Senior walk-on WR Donnie Lee, Jr. has apparently lost his last season to a major ACL injury, proving once again that life isn’t fair.

Fisher was receptive to the idea of a big opening weekend showdown. Keep in mind that back in the BCS era in 2010, not everyone saw the point of challenging a headliner non-conference game.

Fisher essentially gave Stokan a raincheck. The thinking was that once he got his recruiting squared away and he had a few years under his belt, Fisher would have the pieces in place to schedule a big opening weekend matchup.

One of the first things Saban did in Tuscaloosa was schedule an opener against a top ten team, but that’s none of my business.

“The window to the city literally sheds a light on the stadium that you never had in the Georgia Dome,” said Steve Cannon, CEO of AMB Group, which runs the stadium. “The natural light that covers the field and flows into the concourses as well to allow fans and teams to feel like they are connected to the heart of downtown.”

Directly over the center of the field is the 360-degree, 63,000-square foot HD video halo board that will show highlights, replays and live action. Above the halo board is the retractable roof constructed of 27,000 tons of steel and modeled after the Roman Pantheon.

The place may have been unnecessary, but it definitely looks cool.

Last but not least, check out King Henry doing King Henry things:

With 4:40 left in the first half, Henry followed a block by fullback Jalston Fowler, another former Alabama standout, to score on a fourth-down run.

It’s worth checking both videos. Jalston laid waste to that poor safety on the goal line.

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.