Alabama Coach Nick Saban On the Record: Why We're Better Than 2008's Team

No one knows a team like the coaches and players know themselves and this week I was able to ask them what they felt about the comparisons to this year’s team and last years.

Starting with Nick Saban he feels this is a quicker, deeper and more athletic team with much more big play potential than last year’s version and that yes it is a better team overall.

 “We are much more explosive than we were last year.” Saban told me. “We have the ability to strike quickly and we really haven’t done that as much as maybe we need to, or we can control the game with sustained drives. It’s not about balance between running and passing as in the numbers of each we do, but the balance of keeping the defense on their heels.”

That is a theme that’s echoed by the other coaches as well. Kirby smart says this year’s defense could be the best he’s ever been associated with; they’re faster, deeper and better trained than ever. He also says they’re much more comfortable in their roles than in the past.

“A lot of defenses have to react by what’s done to them by the opposing offense.” Smart said. “But we want to impose our will as a defense and force them into the kind of game we want, and this team is capable of doing that.”

On Offense, Jim McElwain feels like this is a much better offense that is much more capable of a wider range of plays than last years team.

 “We are a true balanced offense this year.” Said McElwain. “If you sell out to stop the run, we can kill you with the pass. If you drop defenders to cover the pass, we’ll run it down your throat. This is an offense that can score with either attack and feels just as comfortable with one as the other and we have just as much confidence in one as the other.”

Julio Jones has only played for two Alabama teams and he has no trouble saying that this year’s team is better.

 “On offense Greg is a strong leader like John Parker was, but I feel like he (McElroy) has better vision of everything going on and he always makes the right reads.” Julio said. “As receivers, we know if we run our routes Greg will get the ball to the open man whether that’s his first read or his last.”

 “This is a much better team on both sides of the ball.” Continued Julio, “We are a lot more interchangeable at every position than we were last year and there’s no drop off when we do substitute.”

Such was the case this week when Dont’a Hightower left this week with a knee injury, but the Defense never missed a beat.

I talked to Cory Reamer after the game who told me, “No question this year’s team is better. Last year we had a bunch of guys who didn’t know what to do and it hurt us when we put them in. This year everybody knows their job.”

Even losing Glenn Coffee didn’t hurt the running game according to Mark Ingram who said,

“People who thought this years running attack would suffer with Glenn leaving for the NFL had no way of knowing that Trent would contribute like he has, or that Roy (Upchurch) would return from his injury 100% and that we have so many others who take carries and get their yards. We feel like are much deeper and better than last year.”

Even the offensive line that people thought might kill this team this season has turned out to be better.

 “This is a line that can dominate a defensive line just like last year’s, and yet add some things that really make this line better.” Saban said of his offensive line.

 “We give up about 20 pounds a man on the offensive line, but this line is quicker which allows us to do some things better than we did last year. We have more pulling plays than we did last year because of the mobility of this line.” Said Saban. “We have had problems protecting the QB like last year and we have great backup that can step in without having to re-shuffle the whole line like we had to do last year.”

“Last year, we had a great team that accomplished a lot of good things, and it’s kind of hard to start of better than 12-0, but this is a team that I believe can finish the season like they started it.” He said summing up his thoughts on the subject.

Whether they do it or not remains to be seen, but what is clear is that from players to coaches all feel this is a team that is capable of much more than the team of just last year, and that puts them in some pretty lofty heights.