Nick Saban at SEC Media Days in Birmingham, Alabama

BY: Larry Burton (Panama City Beach, Fla.)

Yes, Nick Saban is the SEC rock star right now. He is the headline maker, the face everybody wants to see, and the biggest voice that will be in the room in Birmingham for the SEC media days.

However, he'd much rather be evaluating scouting reports, sweating on a practice field, or anything else than this dog and pony show (as he might put it).  It is a necessary evil, though, and he does like staying in touch with the fans.  Also, he knows that sooner or later he's going to have to answer questions about Crimson Tide junior defensive lineman Marcell Dareus.

He started by thanking the press for the good coverage given to his team and school.  He then reminded the press that this is 2010, not 2009, and that this season is a whole new one with a whole new team.

He commended the old team, and reminded the press that this was not the same one; those days are over and that team is gone.

Certainly this is not new ground for Saban; it is a theme that he talks about all the time.

"Looking in the rear view mirror won't get this team where it wants to go," Saban said. He said it would be up to this team to live up to the same ideals and work ethic the other team had.

He talked about all the guys who had left, and in a "poor mouthing" session that would have made Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant proud, and stated that it would not be an easy task to do as well.

He explained it was obvious to him that the two teams that had lost the most talent were Alabama and Florida, and that he expected more parity than ever.

Saban said this could be the most important fall camp ever with all the questions that had to be answered, but that there would be lots of opportunities for people to step up.

Next was Dareus.  He couldn't say much now because he doesn't know yet what was or wasn't done.  However, he, Alabama, and the NCAA would certainly find out.

He reiterated the fact that it's all about making the right decisions by the players and that they're ultimately responsible.  However, the NCAA and other coaches should start finding ways to make the agents more responsible.

He said agents would never do the right thing as long as there are no consequences. He said that agents are entrapping these young men and should be accountable.

Basically, there was nothing new, funny, or unusual with his talk. It was short and simple with the same message he usually has. You could tell he was upset about the whole Dareus thing, yet he was poised and professional.