Alabama football coach Nick Saban didn’t appear to be in the best mood during his press conference Wednesday, which isn’t exactly shocking news.
Perhaps he was still peeved that his No. 1 team only beat Florida by three points last weekend, or maybe something wasn’t working at practice, or he didn’t like the questions he was being asked, or maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Because, although Saban is prone to press conference rants or brusque answers, he seemed a little extra perturbed when asked a seemingly innocuous question about tight end Jahleel Billingsley.
Through Alabama’s first three games this season against Miami, Mercer and Florida, Billingsley hasn’t seen a ton of action, but the 6-foot-4, 230-pound junior caught his first pass of the season against the Gators – a 26-yard touchdown reception.
And when Saban was asked about what Billingsley has done to see his role increased this season, the seven-time champion coach offered a seemingly annoyed answer.
Nick Saban’s latest midweek rant
“Did any of you play sports? I mean, the coach is supposed to play the best players, right?!”
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) September 22, 2021
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Saban said:
“Well, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do. He practices better, he’s more engaged, he’s more focused on what he’s supposed to and he’s having more positive performance on the field, which is what any player is supposed to do. I think that — did any of you play sports? I mean, the coach is supposed to play the best players, right?
“And then it’s up to the players to do what they’re supposed to do so they get to play because they become one of the best players. So that’s what he’s doing now. But I don’t know, maybe if you didn’t play, maybe that’s not something that you quite get. So to answer your question, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do.”
OK, then.
Alabama takes on Southern Miss this weekend before going against two ranked SEC teams in No. 13 Ole Miss and No. 7 Texas A&M.
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