Saban on no-huddle offense: ‘Is this what we want football to be?’

By Ben KerchevalOct 3, 2012, 4:14 PM EDT

Missouri defensive end Sheldon Richardson pointed out the wrong team when he said Georgia played “old man football.”

Or, maybe just the wrong head coach.

Alabama coach Nick Saban said on his Wednesday teleconference that he isn’t a fan of speed — as in up-tempo offenses — because of the risk it puts on player safety. Here’s a portion of what Saban had to say:

“I think that the way people are going no-huddle right now, that at some point in time, we should look at how fast we allow the game to go in terms of player safety. The team gets in the same formation group, you can’t substitute defensive players, you go on a 14-, 16-, 18-play drive and they’re snapping the ball as fast as you can go and you look out there and all your players are walking around and can’t even get lined up. That’s when guys have a much greater chance of getting hurt when they’re not ready to play.

“I think that’s something that can be looked at. It’s obviously created a tremendous advantage for the offense when teams are scoring 70 points and we’re averaging 49.5 points a game. With people that do those kinds of things. More and more people are going to do it.

“I just think there’s got to be some sense of fairness in terms of asking is this what we want football to be?”

In other words, get off Saban’s lawn, Dana Holgorsen.

As a defensive-minded coach, Saban understandably takes issue with something that favors the offensive side of the ball; much of what is and isn’t allowed in football does. In this situation, it’s the defense that has to adapt personnel-wise to the style of offense the opponent is running.

But you can also say that it doesn’t matter what tempo the offense uses in getting to the line of scrimmage if someone gets their clocked cleaned or tears an ACL. The game itself is faster. Players are bigger, faster and hit harder. Secondly, trends ebb and flow, but winning football games can always come down to a pair of basic principles: having the right personnel and execution. A no-huddle offense is just like any other offense in that it isn’t effective if it goes three-and-out more often than not.

And it’s not like Saban’s struggling for talent, either.

That’s just one hack’s opinion, though. Thoughts on Saban’s remarks?

(Quotes courtesy of al.com)

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

Stephen Lew/Getty Images

Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

Getty Images

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.