A-Day Postgame Quotes
4/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 16, 2011
Head Coach Nick Saban
Opening statement:
"We are really pleased with the overall progress we were able to make this spring. This team has a little more maturity, maybe not the star players of some teams in the past, but a lot of guys who have played a lot of winning football around here.
"Defensively, I think that we have made a lot of progress and a lot less mental errors. We probably play together more as unit than we did last season. Dont'a (Hightower) has assumed a leadership role on this team. I think offensively, even though we moved the ball today, we turned the ball over six times and most of them were fundamental mistakes. One of the things I told you when we started the spring is that, fundamentally, we wanted to become a sound team. We've still got guys carrying the ball away from their body and swinging the ball around. There were several other opportunities for us to fumble the ball again and some of them weren't even forced fumbles.
"We had a great drive with the first offense against the first defense to start the game, and then we fumbled the ball at the one with a bad snap - that was one that wasn't even a forced fumble. Things like that we need to clean up, but there were a lot of good things out there this afternoon.
"I thought both of the quarterbacks showed some promise in terms of making good decisions. Both of them threw a pick that probably wasn't a good decision, but I thought they did a really good job of managing the game. We didn't have a lot of issues, and both showed that they have some ability to play the position and to play winning football at the position. We were pleased with that. Trent Richardson obviously had a really big day running the football and catching the football and was our leading receiver.
"We need to develop some more explosive players on offense, guys that can play skill positions and be consistent, guys like Trent. (Darius) Hanks had a really good spring and so did (Marquis) Maze, but we need other guys to show some maturity and some promise. We have some talent there and some ability, but we have to turn that into winning performance.
"All in all, I thought that we had a really good spring but the key to this team is: what's the commitment to the standard of excellence that they need to work toward, to commit to, to play to, to believe in, to have faith, trust and confidence in, so that we can be the best team that we can be? I think if we can be the best team we can be, we can have a really good football team.
"Those are all questions that you have to prepare yourself to answer every day. You can't do it the Saturday of the first game; you have to do it every day between now and then. I've been pleased with the way this team has worked this offseason and this spring. We're pleased with the progress, but we obviously have a ways to go in some areas, and a lot of things to work on, and we are looking forward to doing that over the course of the summer and into fall camp."
On questions before and after spring practice:
"I think the two areas of the team that personnel-wise we have the most questions about is receiver and defensive line. I think we made progress at wideout, but I still think there's room for improvement and consistency in what we are doing. I think we also made a tremendous amount of progress with the defensive line. Damion Square had a good spring. Ed Stinson has gotten better. The junior college guys have made a significant amount of improvement, learning the system and getting more comfortable trying to play things the way we want to play them here. I think the continued development of both those positions is critical. Obviously at quarterback, we feel like we have two talented guys, but they don't have the experience at the position. How they manage that and how they grow at the position, especially early on, will be key. There are some things they have to learn that they are only going to be able to learn playing in a game. We are pleased with the progress they've made. We understand the issues we have moving forward, but I would rather have two talented guys that really are committed to being good players, wanting to be good. Both of them are gym-rat-type guys when it comes to trying to learn the offense and getting better and studying things. We feel fortunate to have two talented guys to work with."
On his statue:
"That statue represents a lot of people. It represents all the people on the team. I definitely wanted everyone's name that was on the team and contributed to that - whether it's players, coaches or administration, our fans and everyone who contributed to that - to be a part of it. It's an honor, but it's also something that is just representative of a lot of people in terms of what they've done. I think all those other statues out there set the standard for what we want to try to accomplish here. It feels good to have accomplished that, but certainly it's something we want to work towards individually in the future, that everybody works to be the best they can be and play to a high standard, team wise, and also how we rank nationally with everybody else and in terms of how we compete together as a team. I am proud of what the 2009 team accomplished. It was good to see all those guys come back and be a part of that and also the families of all the other coaches who had good fortune here to win a national championship and contribute to the tradition we have at The University of Alabama."
On the defensive backs' progress:
"We were really limited with what we did defensively and offensively today. I think one of the strengths of our defensive team is the multiples of things we can do: the way we pressure, the way we create negative plays, all of that. That's been something that's been really good for us this spring that we made a lot of mental errors on last year as we tried to learn and grow. I felt like the coverage was pretty decent for the most part. I didn't see a lot of mental errors out there, just a few. The real test comes when we do more things because we will end up playing more middle-of-the-field coverage to get pressure and it will put more pressure on the coverage people. We were pretty conservative with the things we did on both sides of the ball today. I was pleased because DeQuan Menzie had a good spring. Dre Kirkpatrick has made a lot of improvement. DeMarcus Milliner has made a lot of improvement. John Fulton has made a lot of improvement. We like the way Jarrick Williams has progressed as a safety. He will probably be a guy that will make a significant contribution. He didn't play on the first dime today because we wanted him to play more plays, but he probably would be on the first dime if we had a game tomorrow. Mark Barron was limited but his mobility was not limited, so he got all the reps and mental practice. Nick Perry has made some progress. It's a relatively young group. We replaced nine guys a year ago, and I think all those guys have improved to where it should affect their performance in a positive way. I think it's going to be important because we are going to have a different type of defense next year. Linebackers are going to have to be playmakers for us and people in the secondary will have to do the same. That's where we are going to have the experience with those types of players. We've had some pretty dominant front guys around here the past few years. Even though we will have some good players, we may not have those kinds of players up front."
#30 Dont'a Hightower, Linebacker
On the defense:
"Some guys weren't breaking to the ball as hard as they should, but I think we went out there and we played pretty good."
On where he is now compared to a year ago:
"I feel a lot better. I just feel like my old self. I'm back in shape and my weight is down, and I'm playing a lot faster. It feels great after all the hard work I put in."
#24 DeQuan Menzie, Defensive Back
On how the team played:
"We got the new guys in early so we can have better chemistry."
On the quarterbacks' performances:
"Both of them did well. They both showed a lot of maturity."
On Defensive Backs Coach Jeremy Pruitt:
"He's a real good coach. I appreciate him a lot, as well as Coach Saban and the other coaches."
On his extra year of experience:
"I believe it will help me. I have a year under my belt and played with a lot of injuries, but I put everything behind me and am moving forward."
#3 Trent Richardson, Running Back
On some of the younger running backs' performances:
"I've seen a lot of improvement, especially from Eddie Lacy. He's holding the ball a lot better and Dee Hart is improving as well. I think they're making a lot of progress on their blocking, but they still have a long way to go."
On his expectations for next season:
"I'm feeling pretty good and I'm just ready to go. I can't wait to play that first game in September. It's all about staying focused now during the offseason - going to class, spending time with my family as much as possible and watching film as much as I can. I'm just trying to take it one day at a time so I can stay on top of my game and be a good example for the rest of the team."
#41 Courtney Upshaw, Linebacker
On the quarterbacks:
"They looked good. I'm really focused on my job on the defense, so I'm not trying to key in on what they do. They're both new guys. They both went out and worked. They moved the ball well."
On the development of the defensive line:
"We go out and work each day. Our ultimate goal is to get to the quarterback. Even the two defense did a good job in the second half getting three or four sacks. All we talk about is getting to the quarterback, so that is what we try to do."
#11 Brandon Gibson, Wide Receiver
On his performance today at what it means going forward:
"It was a great day to play. It was a beautiful day. We wanted to come out and do everything right. We wanted to try to compete well and get better every play. We came out at full speed. I know that when I give it 100 percent every play, everything else will fall into place."
On the quarterbacks:
"There was nothing I didn't like. Phil (Sims) and AJ (McCarron) are both great competitors. They come out. They do a great job of leading the offense."
#75 Barrett Jones, Offensive Lineman
On the quarterbacks:
"They both did a great job today. Both made some big plays in the passing game. That's how it's been all spring. They've been neck and neck. Both did a great job of leading the huddle out there and being assertive. I saw a lot of positives out of both of them."
On the running backs:
"We have a great group of running backs again this year. Of course, everyone knows about Trent (Richardson). I think Eddie (Lacy) is really going to have a great season this year. I think Dee Hart is going to step up this year and make some plays for us. I'm really excited about the guys we have in the backfield. We have always had a great backfield since I've been here, so I'm looking forward to another year of that."
On Trent Richardson's new role as a leader:
"The thing about Trent is that he's a great teammate. He's been waiting around for a couple of years. Let's face it - he would've started anywhere else in the nation, but he's been such a great teammate and waited his turn. I think he's going to be rewarded for that patience. He's going to step up and have a great season. We're looking forward to doing our part and helping out with that."
