re: Spring Practice Starts Today

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Alabama Coach Nick Saban called a press conference Monday to announce the winner of what most had expected to be a heated QB battle that lasted into the fall.

"We gave all the guys a chance to compete," said Saban. "I'm really proud of all of our quarterbacks, you know? I think they all put in tremendous effort.

"But at the end of the day, BB-8 was a machine out there. He came in a little smaller than most of our typical quarterbacks and we were worried about him being an SEC quarterback. But once he got on the field, he left no doubt about it: the guy's like a robot."

David Cornwell, one of the quarterbacks that lost out, had high praise. "When BB-8 first came in, you could tell he was a little rusty. But after some work by his mechanics, he looked smoother than anybody on the team.

"His real asset is his maneuverability. He can pivot on a dime, and I'm not sure how you'd even really tackle the dude.

"Overall, he's the most well-rounded player on the team."

Finally, we caught up with the droid himself (and his translator, Poe Dameron).

"I'm really happy to have this opportunity at Alabama," he said. "My real love is soccer, but after being mistaken for the ball several times, I figured football was a safer option.

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