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Alabama Football: Nick Saban speaks on media policies, player injuries and Alabama’s poise

Alabama Crimson Tide Coach Nick Saban promised he would not go Steve Spurrier on the press, but the Alabama football coach delivered a strong statement for anyone questioning his media policies.

This warning stemmed from a query about press availability of Alabama’s quarterback.

Specifically, Saban was asked why quarterback A.J. McCarron was not made available on a regular basis to speak with the press. Saban said he wants what is best for the team and the development of McCarron as a football player. One element of this is to “minimize what he has to worry about. …This is an area we will consider on a week-by-week basis.”

Saban said he was not “trying to penalize” the press.

However, Saban threatened the media that if they asked more questions on McCarron’s media availability, it would likely result in less of a chance of getting to interview the quarterback. However, Saban promised he would not go Steve Spurrier on the assembled press, but added it would be best to “let sleeping dogs lie.”

Getting ready for Ole Miss
“It is going to take one of our best efforts,” Saban said of Alabama’s game against Ole Miss.

Fortunately, Alabama has performed well in road games with wins at Penn State and Florida. Saban said the Alabama team had shown poise on the road.

“From a poise standpoint really did a good job. We had to overcome adversity in the first game in terms of the atmosphere and environment, and we had to do the same thing in the Florida game, didn’t get off to a good start, and overcame it. (Alabama) took a couple of punches and just kept on fighting.”

Saban praised Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt. Saban said he “has the utmost respect for Houston Nutt as a coach.”

“I feel like (Houston Nutt) is one of the best coaches in the league in terms of how his team’s play,” Saban said. Also, Saban said it is difficult to prepare for Nutt’s teams, and Nutt consistently gets the most out of his players. Saban said this was something he has observed over many years of coaching in the SEC West.

Alabama Injury Update
Injured Alabama football player C.J. Mosley practiced along with Chris Jordan and injured running back Eddie Lacy practiced “some,” according to Alabama football coach Nick Saban.

Another bit of injury news involved Dee Hart. Saban said Hart “was at the point in his rehab that he can do some football related stuff.” However, Saban said Hart was not ready for contact.

45 thoughts on “Alabama Football: Nick Saban speaks on media policies, player injuries and Alabama’s poise”

  1. What I take from that is McCarron is not mature enough to handle talking to the media, and being the control freak he his, Saban will not let him talk to the media. And don’t ask him about it again or he will punish you and and extend his gag order.

    What did McCarron say of do that caused Saban to take this action now?

    What say you Alabama fans? Is it maturity on McCarron’s part or is it something else? Is the Alabama media scared and does it bows down to Saban or will they ask again?
    Does Saban intimidate the Alabama press the way Chavez does the Venezuelan press?

    Just curious what Alabama fans think of this? Is it ok as long as he is winning? Would you feel the same if he wasn’t winning as much?

    1. This has been Saban’s policy the whole time. He doesn’t let the assistant coaches interview much, either. I think he does this with every first year starter to help them stay focused, and it seems to work. But it has always been his policy to control media access. And with the way the media can be at times, it is hard to find fault with it. It definitely keeps the bulletin board material down, but for me, as a fan? It doesn’t bother me as much as it does people who already don’t like Saban, and are looking for something to gripe about with his ways.

      1. Brando I’m not griping I was just asking questions. Its the Alabama fans that miss out the most if they can’t hear from and thereby get to know their players on a little bit more of a personable level.

        But he was letting McCarron talk to the press and now has all of a sudden stopped it? I was just curious if something happened to all of a sudden make Saban do this. Did McCarron say something he shouldn’t have that I am not aware of? Did he give somebody bulletin board material?

        1. Nope, none of what you said. McCarron is a first year starter, and Saban has done this all along. I don’t know why it is such a big deal with you.

          Oh yeah, you went on in a post about how Miles makes his on luck and such, but the past few years there seems like there is always one game where some weird decisions worked out: Like UT last season. And when time was running out against Auburn a few years back, he run it close with poor time management. And won both of those games in spite of lucky breaks and weird calls. He manufactured that kind of stuff? Please.

    2. Sorry that McCarron doesnot have the ghetto fab ‘I IS A STAR” personna that some Auburn QBS have had.

    3. This is my take on McCarron. Saban doesn’t want McCarron getting cockier than he already is from exposure to the press who will tend to write glowing articles about how wonderful he is.

      All media these days here in Alabama and in other states are fearful of a coach or university restricting access. You NEED access to get readers/subscribers and if you don’t play the game the way the coach wants then you will find yourself cut out of the loop.

      There are a few schools where this is much, much worse.

  2. saban probably just dont want the media to let AJ McCarron lose focus…cause the questions the media ask’s sometimes are unbelievable….dont worry you can talk to our QB when our season is over……

  3. Saban is doing exactly what he says he is…protecting the team. The media sensationalizes everything so much and if the team buys into it, they lose focus….example being the first half against Vandy this past weekend. You can’t overlook anyone in the SEC or out of conference! I agree with the coaches decision!

  4. Who knows for sure. But McCarron is extremely fiesty as witnessed by him getting in the face of a 300lb lineman in the Florida game. Knowing the dumbazz press, he probably doesn’t want them to goad McCarron into saying something for bulletin boards. And considering that McCarron is a spread QB with only six interceptions in 3 years of high school and could no doubt be the best QB in the nation in an offense like Auburn’s, Oregon’s, Oklahoma’s, or Clemson’s, he probably doesn’t want them asking him about being relegated to game manager in Bama’s Pro Style power running offense. He is young but playing with surprising maturity and those kind of dumbazz questions could get in his head. The press did a nice job of pissing off both JPW and McElroy when he was struggling mid season ’09. He could have just as easily said – “Leave well enough alone”, which is the same as “Let sleeping dogs lie” but the nuance is a little more relevant. I have no problem with how Saban handles his players. He is in a position to know more about their athletic personalities than even their parents. At 42-6 the past 4 years and presently ranked #1 in 1/3 of the BCS formula – who the hell has the right to question him. AJ has 2.5 more years to talk to the press unless he leads us to two championships and then he would have only 1.5 years and be the #1 draft choice in 2013. RTR!

    1. Well Crimsonite we do live in America, so your comment as to “who the hell has the right to question him”? The answer to that is everybody’s got the right to question him! And he has the right to not answer them and then to follow through with his threat to extend his gag order. Nobody, at least I’m not, questioning his right to do what he did, I was just curious if any alabama fans more knowledable about the situation might know what caused this sudden change, since McCarron was accessable to the press previously. And you mad some decent points as to why that might be most of which would point to McCarrons maturity to handle certain potential media questions. I don’t have a problem with that. Thanks for responding.

    1. Crimsonite,
      That last comment is a perfect example of why everyone thinks bammer fans or the most arrogant and cocky of all fan bases.

      You know if Alabama does in fact go undefeated the rest of the year, and ends up 50-5 then by all means brag and boast about it then, when it is a fact. Just like you have every right to be proud and boastful about 42-5.

      But bragging about something before you’ve actually done it as if you, your team or your coach is perfect and could never loose just makes you an arrogant cocky SOB!

      And before you respond back to me, I know you don’t give a shit what I say or what anybody thinks about you or the Alabama fan base, that you help give a bad reputation to. So if that’s all you’ve got to say don’t waste your time.

  5. Well you know I could be wrong. If I am I’ll live with it. But this is a college football blog and most of the regulars here are FANATICS. We believe it will happen and don’t mind saying so. We have reason to believe it. The last 4 years are enough reason. But the past 50 years are more reason even with 15 years of sanctions thrown in. Or we can go all the way back to the 20’s and the Rose Bowls if you’d like. You can quote records against Bama all you want and ask what’s happened lately. Well what’s happened lately is 42-5 during a rebuilding period. What’s more what does it say about the historical dominance of a team when 15 years of sanction induced mediocrity and most of 24 years with questionable coaches who couldn’t live up the Bear Legend that still leaves us with an overwhelming edge in won-lost records against EVERY team in the SEC and the same against every team who has ever been a member of the SEC or the old Southern Conference? We do have reason. And it is only a few nasty rivals in the SEC who speak the way you do of Bama fans. The majority of the Nation feels much differently. If you frequent other teams blogs as I do, you will find that outside of the SEC rivals, most of the nation thinks that Auburn, LSU and Florida fans are the SEC’s worst with Tennessee and Georgia right up there – in football. And the whole world hates Kentucky fans in basketball. RTR

      1. And yet AU has the same number of National Championships as UA during that same period of time!!

        Maybe UA should quit waisting all those wins only to go lose to Utah or beat a weak Mich. St. program that even your coach didn’t think was good enough to stay at.

        1. Oh – you mean like he didn’t think LSWho was good enough to stay at either? Yeah Florida has the same number too, but we nipped that in the bud and in 3 months we’ll have 2. Wasting? What has LSWho got during that time motherphucker? You’re a jealous head case aren’t you? Just come up with anything even though it’s not even relevant. Well we’ll just have to feed that nasty ol’ jealousy bug on Nov 5th, won’t we. Don’t forget to wear your little white boots now. RTR!

          1. Not a jealous head at all. LSU has two Crystal Balls representing Two BCS Championships in the Current ERA of college football and is currently ranked No1 in the nation, why would I be jealous of your ONE National Championship during the Currentr BCS era. Yea you have a great history, just like Great Britain does as a world power in the past. I guess that’s not relevant to you either. I think it you that is jealous Crimsonite.

            You saying “in 3 months we’ll have 2” is about as meaningfull and “Relevant” as me saying and in 3 years LSU will have 5! They both don’t mean shit until it happens. And it won’t be funny if you get you ass kicked while I’m wearing my little white boots! On second thought maybe it will! LOL

    1. Crimsonite you big hypocrit! You make the following comment in your previous post – “If you frequent other teams blogs as I do”, yet you call me a troll for being over here.

    1. Yea keep talking about the 1 point if that makes you feel better RC, to the rest of the country we saw them kick your ass by 25 points in the second half of that game.

  6. And what questions does the media ask? Usually idiot questions like…. Do you think you could have played a better game after your 60-3 beating today? Do you think your second string QB is a better player than you… If you had it all to do again would you take back that horrendous pick 6 you threw?
    In other words…. Stupid inane questions that are not going to help a young man’s focus or confidence (See Steven Garcia).
    This is not the pros. Its a bunch of kids who want to get to the pros and saying stupid things in an interview is a good way to make that NFL franchise look somewhere else. Keeping your players out of the press is the smart move. Protect your players from the media buzzsaw and keep them focussed.

    1. LOL, lets wait and see if Muschamp can win an SEC championship much less a National Championship before you make stupid comments like that.

      That’s sounds as dumb as everybody saying Jimbo Fisher has Florida State back! Back to what?

  7. from forbes magazine:

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/10/10/steve-jobs-was-a-jerk-good-for-him/

    jobs was a control freak.

    jobs badgered people around him to achieve a result.

    jobs didn’t mind looking like an asshole to achieve greatness.

    jobs didn’t care what you (or anyone) thought about it.

    sounds a bit like our coach, doesn’t it?

    and i love that about him.

    coach saban has one singular focus:

    winning games.

    and if he has to be a jerk to do it, he’s not afraid to do so and doesn’t care what you or anyone else thinks about it.

    everybody loves mike shula.

    1. I agree with that. Being an Apple guy for 20+ years, I have often thought the very same thing. Saban and Jobs are very similar in their leadership style. Jobs basically reinvented Apple, when he came back, into what it was traditionally. He added to it, simplified the vision, and made it better than it was. Much like Saban has done at Bama.

  8. Hey what happened to the discussion part of CR that you had to join to post an Avatar with the comments? I have a cute Avatar I was thinking about adding to my posts but now the Avatar symbol isn’t active.

  9. I managed to find the path to General Discussion/Bama Talk, but when you try to register it goes to page not found, error 404. What’s up wid dat CR?

  10. wasn’t about shula – about probation – shula would have won multiple titles if not for probation

  11. Oh – you mean like he didn’t think LSWho was good enough to stay at either? Yeah Florida has the same number too, but we nipped that in the bud and in 3 months we’ll have 2. Wasting? What has LSWho got during that time motherphucker? You’re a jealous head case aren’t you? Just come up with anything even though it’s not even relevant. Well we’ll just have to feed that nasty ol’ jealousy bug on Nov 5th, won’t we. Don’t forget to wear your little white boots now. RTR!

    1. Not a jealous head at all. LSU has two Crystal Balls representing Two BCS Championships in the Current ERA of college football and is currently ranked No1 in the nation, why would I be jealous of your ONE National Championship during the Currentr BCS era. Yea you have a great history, just like Great Britain does as a world power in the past. I guess that’s not relevant to you either. I think it you that is jealous Crimsonite.

      You saying “in 3 months we’ll have 2″ is about as meaningfull and “Relevant” as me saying and in 3 years LSU will have 5! They both don’t mean shit until it happens. And it won’t be funny if you get you ass kicked while I’m wearing my little white boots! On second thought maybe it will! LOL

  12. Another dumbass remark. When we kick your azz in 2 weeks we WILL win our second in 3 years. For LSU to win their 5th in 3 more years is not only only the stupidest thing I’ve heard, but as long as Bama is here it is impossible. What’s more who gives a gaddamn phuck if you have two BCS footballs. The BCS is only the latest installment of a championship system that has changed half a dozen times over the past 50 years. It means no more than any other one did. But azzhole if you want to be a stupid motherphucker and make something out of a crystal football then drag your Corndog azz over to the Paul Bryant Museum and you’ll find that the ’92 National Championship Trophy is a crystal football indistinguishable from the BCS one. And our two crystal footballs represent two undefeated teams numbnuts. RTR! Oh, by the way at the end of the 1st quarter Tennessee is making your team look like shyt.

  13. LSWho played a good game. But did you see what that retarded chickenshyt Miles did again? Ahead 31-7 they still had the first string in and passed for a TD with a minute and a half left. That is pure unadulterated bullshyt. It is padding the score and disrespecting your opponent. If the stupid motherphuckers are trying to run up the score to help their ranking then they really are retards ’cause all those cheap azzed chickenshyt points won’t help a damn bit after Bama stomps their azz. RTR!

    1. Then why are you so worried about it Crinsonite? And don’t say that your not because this is the second week in a row you get all upset about it, and start cursing like the crass, no class inbred thing that you are!

  14. 52-7 playing the 3rd string before the third quarter ended and refusing to score at the end. That’s the way a team and coach with class plays. Bring on the Green Bay Packers. RTR!

  15. Just a quick note. I predict there will be a new #1 team tomorrow night. Their colors will be Red & White. Now that may be a bit confusing since four of the top 5 teams’ colors are Red & White. How about that. But this teams’ shade of red is the prettiest of all because it is Crimson. RTR!

    1. So much for your prediction and knowledge Crimsonite! LOL How about that I think you asked? Well nothing confusing at all about who the colors of the Number One Team in the Nataion is – Purple and Geauxld (did you see what I did there Crimsonite? I miss spelled a Gold! OMG) and LSU!

      What does that say about your other arrogant predictions? Don’t bet the house?!

  16. Worried? If I was worried, retard, I wouldn’t be running my mouth like this ’cause I wouldn’t want to eat crow later. Anybody with half a brain has to be a little cautious when top ranked teams play each other, But I’ll stick by my 31-6 prediction. Your defense is really not much better than Florida’s. It’s not just LSWho, I don’t care what team you are; there is just no excuse for having the starters in the game with 90 seconds left and you’re ahead 31-7, on the opponents 10 yard line and throwing a touchdown pass to run up the score. That’s 2 weeks in a row. It’s classless. It wouldn’t surprise me if you’ve been doing that shyt all season, but I didn’t watch the end of any LSWho games before Florida. If you Yokels score in the final minute against Bama it won’t be running up the score, it will be against our 3rd team ’cause Saban is having mercy on your azzes. RTR!

    1. Maybe Miles is just smarter than Saban and knows he will need his starters all the way until the last second against a team as good as Alabama and he is getting them ready for that game, where as Alabama’s starter’s won’t know what to do in the fourth quarter because they have never played in one according to you! If LSU beats Alabama in the fourth quarter on Nov. 5th, are you then going to give Miles some credit right after you get finished eating your crow?

  17. Now that has to be the most dumbass excuse to coverup a classless coach that I have ever heard. If you’re going to argue moron, say something that at least makes the argument that you know something of what you’re talking about. When the closest game we’ve played was 24 points until the 3rd string let Penn St score with 30 seconds left then what on Gods Green Earth could anybody learn from pushing around a beat up and dispirited team for an extra 10 or 15 minutes, not to mention it’s a damn good way to get an important player injured by being just plain stupid. Like I told you Corndog, the only way LSWho will be scoring with a minute left in this game will be because Saban takes mercy on your azzes and plays the 3rd string. RTR!

    1. So I guess the answere to my question is NO, you still won’t give Miles the credit he is due! Not Suprised.

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