Jumbo Package: Nick Saban talks Jayden Daniels, birthday wishes ahead of LSU

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It’s Halloween, which of course means it’s time to wish Happy Birthday to Saint Nick.

Happy Birthday, Coach.

Saban spoke to reporters as usual yesterday, and had plenty to say.

“He killed us last year. He was a really really good player last year, and he’s a really really good player now. I think overall they execute their offense to perfection, and it starts with him because he makes the right reads relative to runs and passes, zone option plays and pass-down plays. He’s very good at reading coverages, makes really quick decisions. All those things were evident last year by the way he played. I think he’s even better now because he has more knowledge and experience in the offense, and they have real good players around him.”

“I think that you know, you want your players, as I alluded to before, to enjoy their time off, but you also want them to be focused and ready to go, when they come back,” Saban delineated. “So there’s a balance in all that. You know, you can’t dissipate, and go and not eat right and not do the right thing while you’re off. You can still enjoy yourself, but you also can stay focused on what you need to do when you come back, and I think (there’s) combination and balance, in all that. Balance in life is important, about everything that you do.

“That kind of balance can create very positive results for you, when you come back and you’re ready to go. If you didn’t think about your job, what your responsibility is one minute for three days, you’re probably not going to benefit very much from the time you had off.”

“K-Law is really a great competitor — really tough, physical guy,” Saban said Monday. “He is a little different than some of our other receivers, so he does have a role to play and does a really good job of that. He’s a great special teams player. Really good team guy, hard worker. So I think we’ll try to always have roles for him to play in the game that benefit his skillset and complement the other guys that we’ve got.”

—When asked about a birthday gift, Saban turns 72 on Tuesday, he said his best gift would be a solid team performance on Saturday. Saban joked that when you get older, birthdays that line up near holidays or during football season don’t get as celebrated.

—Left tackle Kadyn Proctor has worked to be more aggressive and not fearful of mistakes, Saban said. There was a “play or two” against Tennessee he would want back, but the freshman has continually improved.

May Nick get his birthday wish. You may listen to all of his comments below, should you so desire.

Jalen Milroe is focused on being a “point guard.”

But LSU won’t be the only team with a dual-threat quarterback in this top-15 showdown, but Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe doesn’t want to be known exclusively as a running quarterback.

“It’s funny, everyone always mentions my running ability and everything like that, but in the offseason all I do is throw,” Milroe said. “I do zero training when it comes to running. My intent when I’m on the field is to throw the ball because the ball can get there faster than my legs can on any drive. When it comes to running, if it happens, it happens. I try to just be a point guard with the football.”

Just don’t hesitate to use those legs, Jalen. That has been a big part of your LSU counterpart’s success.

College Football Playoff rankings are tonight, and Deontae Lawson isn’t interested.

“I don’t pay attention to it,” Alabama linebacker Deontae Lawson said Monday when asked about the playoff rankings.

During his Thursday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Alabama head coach Nick Saban discussed the rankings, saying they aren’t at the front of his mind.

“They really don’t matter unless you win the next game. They really don’t matter unless you win the next game after that,” he said.

Alabama faces off with LSU this week at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Before the rankings are revealed, here is how several major outlets are projecting the Crimson Tide will fare.

That sounds like the proper mindset.

Jayden Daniels will be looking to land himself a Heisman tonight.

If Daniels dazzles in an upset of Alabama, he’ll almost certainly catapult to the top of the Heisman odds. Stats support his case. He leads the nation in total offense. But, a big performance in a triumph over Alabama would aid Daniels’ Heisman pursuit better than his 389 yards in an early October win over Missouri ever could.

“I don’t know that it’s one game that makes or breaks the Heisman. It’s the body of work,” LSU’s Brian Kelly said.

May his game be more Leonard Fournette and less Joe Burrow.

Last, Lane Kiffin is making a sport out of needling Jimbo.

Hilarious.

That’s about it for now. Have a great day.

Roll Tide.