re: Official In-Season Practice, Injury Reports and Press Conferences Thread: 12-0

Posted on 9/6/16 at 9:40 am to TideSaint

Posted by TideSaint

Hill Country

Member since Sep 2008

75981 posts

Posted on 9/6/16 at 9:40 am to TideSaint

quote:
Alabama was back out on the practice field Monday afternoon for its first practice of Western Kentucky week, following its 52-6 win over USC. The Crimson Tide players practiced outdoors and in shells on a sunny, 91-degree afternoon.

Here are several tidbits from the media viewing portion of Alabama's Monday practice session in Tuscaloosa:

- The quarterback line finally saw a shakeup. Blake Barnett led the group through drills with Jalen Hurts, Cooper Bateman, David Cornwell and Montana Murphy behind him. When they broke into two groups Barnett headed one line, with Bateman behind him, while Hurts was at the front of the other, with Cornwell behind him. Cornwell appeared to be more mobile Monday.

- The running back line also experienced a shift with Damien Harris leading the position group through footwork drills. Bo Scarbrough, Derrick Gore, Ronnie Clark, B.J. Emmons and Joshua Jacobs filling out the rest of the pecking order.

- Newly-added analyst Steve Sarkisian was spotted on the sideline with fellow analyst Mike Locksley.

- The first-team offensive line remained the same after the first game of the season. Fresh off a suspension, Alphonse Taylor was at right guard with the second team when the O-linemen were working at the blocking sled.

- Dalvin Tomlinson was practicing. Tomlinson left Saturday’s game with an injury but returned to the field.

- Cam Sims (shoulder) was not spotted during the one viewing period. Nick Saban said he is questionable.

- Freshman defensive tackle Raekwon Davis was also at practice. He did not travel with the team to Texas because the team is still waiting on word of his academic eligibility. Saban said there is no update on Davis at this time.

- I noticed a few scout-team jerseys during the viewing period. Linebackers Joshua McMillon and Ben Davis sported Nos. 4 and 6, respectively, representing Western Kentucky 'backers Joel Iyiegbuniwe and T.J. McCollum.

- Outside linebackers Mekhi Brown and Terrell Hall wore Nos. 11 and 42, emulating WKU’s Tanner Reeves and Derik Overstreet, while safeties Keaton Anderson and Shawn Jennings wore Nos. 2 and 31, representing Hilltopper linebacker Keith Brown and defensive back Branden Leston. The Tide and Hilltoppers will square off in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Sept. 10.

- An NFL scout from the Arizona Cardinals watched Monday’s practice from the sideline.

*** What’s next: Alabama will return to the practice field Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. CT.

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This post was edited on 9/6/16 at 9:42 am

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Posted by TideSaint

Hill Country

Member since Sep 2008

75981 posts

Posted on 9/6/16 at 9:41 am to TideSaint

quote:
TUSCALOOSA -- Things escalated quickly on the Alabama sideline.

Safeties Ronnie Harrison and Eddie Jackson were seen arguing, and senior inside linebacker Reuben Foster, and even head coach Nick Saban, got involved to cool the situation down in Arlington, Texas.

Emotions run high during a football game, and Saban was cognizant of that when he was asked what happened to cause the disagreement during the Crimson Tide’s 52-6 win over No. 20 USC on Saturday. Here’s what he said occurred.

“Ronnie let it emotionally get to him that these other guys were talking,” Saban said Monday in a noon news conference. “So he said something, and Eddie said ‘Hey man, this is not what we do, we don’t talk to the other team.’ And Ronnie got all upset, not necessarily at Eddie, he was just emotionally upset about the trash talking and Eddie saying something to him.

“These two guys have a lot of respect for each other. They’re really good friends. The lesson to be learned is that when you have a teammate who is caring about you and trying to help you, the response should be ‘Thank you,’ not ‘Screw you.’ That’s basically the lesson that should be learned from the guys. Sometimes when players get emotional, that’s very difficult to do.”

Trash talking was at the root of the situation, and USC was doing plenty of it in the early goings of Saturday’s game. Linebacker Shaun Hamilton said the Trojans did most of it in the first quarter. “But trash talk is not gonna win you any games,” Hamilton said. That, however, is what led Harrison to act the way he did, allowing it to get under his skin during the game.

Harrison took to Twitter on Saturday night after the game to provide an explanation for his actions on the sideline, as well as apologize to Jackson, his older teammate. Saban said the incident was uncharacteristic of Harrison.

“Ronnie Harrison is a fine young man,” Saban said. “It’s totally out of character for him. He’s apologized for it and is very sorry for it and I don’t think that'll ever be an issue again.”

Trash talk is something that is not tolerated at Alabama, and Saban reiterated that point Monday.

“We have a rule where our players can’t talk to the other players on the field,” Saban said. “There was a lot of trash talking going on on the other side. That’s OK, that’s their choice, they can do whatever they want. I’m not being critical of that.”

All of the Crimson Tide players are well-aware of that rule, too, but they use it as fuel on the field.

“It definitely motivates you,” cornerback Marlon Humphrey said Monday afternoon. “We’re not supposed to talk to the other team. Saban doesn’t like it, so you make a big play. Speaking with your pads always speaks better.”

Looking back at Harrison and Jackson’s altercation on the sideline of the USC game, it hasn’t affected the team in a negative way. Hamilton viewed it as leadership taking center stage, which needed to happen for this year’s Alabama team.

“It’s nothing but coaching, to me,” Hamilton said. “Eddie’s just taking a leadership role, I mean we don’t want to get any dumb penalties or anything like that. … It’s just a leader stepping up and trying to get a young gun right to prevent something from happening.”