Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Good morning everybody, happy new year.
00:03 Excited to be here, just excited to attack this day.
00:07 One day left with our preparations.
00:11 We got a big day in front of us.
00:14 And get ready for the test at hand.
00:17 Looking forward to an incredible football game.
00:22 Thank you.
00:23 Thank you, Coach.
00:24 Coach Saban?
00:26 Certainly, we appreciate the opportunity
00:27 to be playing in a college football playoff.
00:30 We appreciate the opportunity to be in the Rose Bowl.
00:32 And we certainly appreciate everybody's effort
00:35 for the hospitality they've provided us.
00:38 And it's been a good experience for our players.
00:41 And I want to congratulate Coach Harbaugh and his team
00:45 for an unbeated season and winning the Big Ten
00:47 Championship.
00:49 They've done a great job in terms
00:51 of what they've been able to do with their players.
00:53 They're a very well coached team and very challenging for us.
00:57 And we'll use the day to day to try to clean up
00:59 what we need to do to hopefully play a really good game.
01:03 Thank you, Coach.
01:04 At this time, we'll start with questions.
01:07 We'll start in the middle here, about four rows back.
01:11 For Coach Harbaugh, right, Hennessy WBTM 13 in Birmingham,
01:14 how do you--
01:15 I don't know if the word stop is right,
01:17 but how do you limit Jalen Milrow, who clearly has gotten
01:20 better every game this season?
01:24 Yeah, that's a great question.
01:27 I mean, really all 11 on our defense.
01:29 I mean, he's a great player.
01:32 Great runner, 500 some yards of scramble yards,
01:39 another 250 or so in quarterback driven runs.
01:45 Outstanding thrower.
01:46 Big offense a lot.
01:51 It's outstanding running backs, tight end receivers.
01:57 Yeah, all 11 really for us on defense.
02:02 We've got a game plan and getting things cleaned up.
02:08 But on our toes at all times.
02:11 I mean, we're going to--
02:13 it's a big challenge.
02:16 All right, we're going to go to the middle,
02:18 stay in the middle here, four rows back.
02:21 This is for Coach Saban.
02:22 Johnny Collin, ABC 3340 Sports in Birmingham.
02:25 You've played in a lot of big bowl games
02:27 throughout your career at Alabama,
02:28 but it's been almost 15 years since you
02:30 played in this Rose Bowl.
02:32 What are some of your fondest memories
02:33 from playing that national championship
02:35 game against Texas?
02:36 Rather it be the lead up to the game, the game itself,
02:38 or just anything you remember.
02:41 Well, the Rose Bowl has always been a first class granddaddy
02:45 of them all.
02:47 Growing up in the Big 10 for 12 years,
02:49 it was always the goal to be able to win the Big 10
02:52 and get to the Rose Bowl.
02:53 So that's sort of special, and it was
02:55 special to play in that game.
02:57 But really haven't thought a whole lot about it.
03:01 There's a lot of challenges that go with this game.
03:03 So we've been trying to focus on what
03:04 we need to do to be able to go out and execute and play well
03:08 in this game against a really, really good team.
03:11 So I don't reminisce much about what's happened in the past.
03:16 I'm kind of looking forward to today and the next day.
03:19 So we just got to take it one day at a time.
03:22 Our next question is going to come from all the way
03:25 in the back on the right.
03:26 For Coach Saban, Noelle Blumel, WTL 11 in Toledo, Ohio.
03:29 Coach Saban, you found immediate success
03:32 in your first head coaching job with the University of Toledo.
03:34 Reflecting on that inaugural head coaching season,
03:37 what is a coaching philosophy or lesson
03:39 you acquired in that Toledo job that
03:41 helped set the tone for the rest of your coaching career
03:43 until now?
03:44 Could you repeat that?
03:47 Can you repeat the question, please?
03:49 So you found immediate success in your first head coaching job
03:52 at the University of Toledo.
03:54 And so reflecting on that inaugural head coaching season,
03:57 what is a philosophy or coaching lesson
03:59 you learned in that inaugural season
04:01 that helped set the tone for the rest of your coaching career
04:04 until now?
04:06 Well, I think that initially, I was probably
04:11 counting on some of the things that I learned
04:13 from former mentors, whether it was George Perlis, Bill
04:18 Belichick, or whatever, in terms of how they built success
04:21 in their programs and tried to emulate that as much as we
04:24 could.
04:24 But it's always been our philosophy
04:26 to try to create value for players
04:29 in terms of their personal development,
04:31 developing careers off the field,
04:33 developing a career on the field,
04:34 being the best that they could be at whatever
04:36 they choose to do.
04:37 So that's always been the philosophy.
04:39 It's always been what we tried to build on.
04:41 And it's worked fairly well for us through the years.
04:45 And we're going to continue to have that philosophy so
04:49 that players can be more successful in life
04:51 because they were involved in the program.
04:53 Our next question is going to come
04:56 from the left side of the room, about 3/4 of the way back.
04:59 Hey, question for Coach Harbaugh.
05:03 Jamal Kennedy, Derby Spay 12 News in Montgomery.
05:06 For a lot of the year, your team has been one of the best two
05:09 teams in the country.
05:10 But now, no pun intended, Alabama
05:11 comes in rolling with a lot of momentum,
05:15 maybe even overshadowing your team a little bit.
05:18 Are you sort of maybe embracing, I guess,
05:19 maybe an underdog type role?
05:21 Or maybe teams or guys are maybe not
05:23 talking about Michigan as much now
05:25 as you get ready to face Alabama?
05:27 There's a lot to unpack there.
05:31 But just excited for the game.
05:35 Feel the team's in a good place.
05:38 And the things we've learned from being
05:43 in this game for the last couple of years, we're applying those.
05:48 Just really locked in.
05:51 We're ready to go, ready to play.
05:56 It's going to take one more day, though.
05:58 We still need to stay to clean up a few things.
06:00 But I feel like we're in a really good place.
06:05 All right, raise your hand if you have a question for Coach.
06:07 We'll go in the right side middle here, about five rows back.
06:11 Chase Goodrip with the Tuscaloosa News for Coach Saban.
06:15 There's been a lot of trick plays, gadget plays, et cetera,
06:18 in Michigan's offense, at least compared to other teams.
06:21 Can you speak to the preparation for all that stuff?
06:26 Well, I think, first of all, they do a great job offensively
06:29 in being able to create balance in the offense with runs
06:33 and passes and play action passes.
06:35 Really good quarterback, really good runners,
06:37 really good receivers, lots of good tight ends.
06:40 Do a lot of personnel groups.
06:41 And I think it's a part of their offense, part of the misdirection
06:45 that they do, to do some of the things that they do that are
06:49 complementary to the plays that they run.
06:51 And I think discipline, eye control on defense
06:53 is really, really important when you play anyone
06:57 who has that kind of diversification in their offense, which
07:00 I think is really good.
07:02 And it's been very effective for them.
07:04 So we're going to have to do a really good job
07:07 trying to prepare our players for it.
07:08 But you never know what's coming up next,
07:11 so you've got to be focused on every play.
07:12 Raise your hand if you have a question.
07:20 We have one in the back left.
07:22 For Coach Harbaugh, this is Javier Ortiz
07:24 with Local 4 TV in Detroit.
07:26 Since walking on the field at the Fiesta Bowl last year,
07:29 how much have you seen your quarterback, JJ McCarthy,
07:31 change over the last year?
07:35 Change, grow would be the better word.
07:37 I mean, just phenomenal in everything that he does.
07:46 I would call it growth.
07:47 He's just better each day.
07:48 I see a better today than he was yesterday,
07:51 better tomorrow than he was today.
07:54 It's just that's his mindset.
07:56 It's fun to be around.
07:59 It's infectious.
08:00 Rubs off on everybody, including us coaches and me.
08:06 We follow him anywhere.
08:08 He's like the kid in a candy store.
08:15 Whether we're in a meeting, at practice,
08:20 it's just infectious in every way.
08:22 His play has been outstanding.
08:25 And he is really locked in for this game.
08:29 Any questions?
08:38 Raise your hand if you have a question.
08:40 We'll go to the middle here on the left about four rows back.
08:48 For Coach Saban, if you could talk about Jim and Noro
08:52 as well, just the progression you've seen.
08:54 I know we've asked you throughout the year,
08:55 but this is--
08:56 I think someone did a story yesterday
08:58 about the cake being finished.
08:59 Do you feel that way?
09:00 Do you feel like he's at the right spot at the right time?
09:03 I think Jalen has made a tremendous amount of progress
09:07 throughout the course of the year.
09:09 A lot of it has to do with he prepares well for the game.
09:13 I think that the success that he's had
09:17 has gradually increased his confidence
09:20 throughout the course of the year and understanding
09:22 of the offense.
09:24 And the guy has always been a great ad-libber
09:28 as a quarterback in terms of scrambling and making plays
09:32 when the play breaks down.
09:34 But I think he's gotten so much better at executing the play,
09:39 reading the play out, hitting the ball
09:40 with the right guys at the right time,
09:42 distributing the ball more like a point guard,
09:45 and not thinking he has to make every play.
09:47 And I think that's made him a very effective player.
09:51 All right, we're going to stay in the middle here on the left.
09:54 Boro's back.
09:57 Johnny Cotton, ABC 3340 Sports in Birmingham.
09:59 This is for Coach Harbaugh.
10:01 Isaiah Bond has really stepped up his game
10:03 the last few games for Alabama, asserted himself
10:05 as one of the go-to guys.
10:06 In your preparation for him, what
10:08 does he do well as a rough runner, playmaker, receiver
10:11 that could give you guys some difficulties on Monday?
10:14 Yeah, create separation, increase the separation,
10:20 snatch the ball out of the air, good with the ball security.
10:25 It's like Coach said, it's a dangerous offense to defend.
10:33 You have to defend the play, and then you
10:35 have to deploy the next play, which is in the same play,
10:40 because they do such a good job of extending the play.
10:49 We have a question on the left side again, in the back,
10:53 about 3/4 back.
10:54 Coach Saban, Jamal Kennedy in Montgomery.
10:58 What has impressed you the most about Caleb Downs
11:00 in the way that he's played this year as a freshman?
11:04 Well, Caleb's a very special person
11:07 in terms of his maturity, his leadership.
11:11 He's sort of a driven guy to really learn and grow
11:15 and understand.
11:16 I've never seen anybody make a commitment
11:18 to the first day he got there, coming up in the office
11:22 every day trying to learn the defense, learn coverage,
11:24 learn adjustments.
11:27 And he's a very instinctive player.
11:30 He loves playing football.
11:32 He's a great competitor.
11:34 And he's played really, really well for us all season long,
11:37 probably as well as any freshman player we've ever
11:39 had in the secondary.
11:42 All right, we have a question on the left side in the middle.
11:46 This is for Coach Saban.
11:47 Rosie Mangiello with WSFA in Montgomery.
11:49 Asked a lot of the players yesterday
11:51 what their favorite moment was from the season.
11:53 And a lot of them said the 4-31 play in the Iron Bowl.
11:56 It seemed like a very pivotal moment for the team.
11:58 What did you specifically learn about team after that game?
12:03 Team after which game?
12:04 That game was a difficult game for us.
12:14 We'd already kind of clenched the SEC.
12:16 And I think everybody was looking a little bit ahead
12:20 of what might be in store for playing in the SEC championship
12:24 game.
12:24 And I don't think we respected the Auburn team like we should.
12:30 And I don't think we played one of our best games.
12:33 And I think we're very fortunate at the end of the game
12:37 to be able to execute and come out with a win.
12:40 So hopefully the players learn that it
12:44 doesn't matter who you play.
12:46 They're going to give you one of their--
12:48 when they play us, we're going to get their best game.
12:50 And we need to be prepared to play our best game every time
12:53 we go out on the field.
12:54 We have a question in the front on the left.
13:01 Andrew Conn, Ann Arbor News.
13:03 This is for both coaches.
13:04 With so much outside hype with the college football playoff
13:07 games, what have your experiences in this game
13:10 taught you about how to handle the 24 hours leading up
13:14 to kickoff?
13:17 We'll start with Coach Harbaugh.
13:20 Today, we're-- Hayes never in the barn for us.
13:24 We never think of it that way.
13:25 So things to clean up, polishing the diamond,
13:29 as we like to say, make the most of this day.
13:34 Tonight, we'll get together, watch a movie,
13:38 talk to the team, different things like that.
13:41 Kind of get the red blood pumping a little bit
13:44 so you can visualize it.
13:46 And go to sleep and see how good of a night's sleep you can get.
13:51 Sometimes it's kind of--
13:53 sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.
13:55 But I really stressed a good night's sleep last night.
13:59 Kind of feel like that's the sleep to sleep on, or play on.
14:02 So got a darn good one last night.
14:04 So anything tonight will just be a bonus.
14:08 Wake up tomorrow, and everybody has their own approach
14:13 to game day.
14:14 As you see, JJ has one.
14:16 Other guys have a different approach.
14:19 But mainly, I'm just going to have to get to the--
14:23 go through our routine, and then get to the stadium.
14:25 And then you got to--
14:26 it's like new.
14:27 You're in a new setting, and it takes five or 10 minutes
14:30 to adjust.
14:30 But at some point, you got to lock in,
14:33 and you got to get the rhythm.
14:35 Get the rhythm.
14:37 Get the frickin' rhythm.
14:39 And then the toe meets leather, and it's on.
14:43 And then you just--
14:46 I never worry about our guys once the game starts,
14:48 because I know that they're going to react and do
14:52 what they do, and do it really well.
14:54 And yeah, I can't wait for that moment.
14:59 Can't wait to watch our guys compete in this game.
15:05 I think that one of the things I try to emphasize with our
15:08 players is not only leading up to the game,
15:11 but the whole bowl experience and the opportunities
15:15 they have to do other things is how important it
15:18 is to stay committed to the task at hand.
15:22 Not that you can't enjoy yourself
15:24 when you do other things, other activities.
15:27 But we really need to stay focused
15:29 on what we came here for, especially each day in meetings,
15:34 each day in practice.
15:37 And then I think trying to create the right mindset
15:42 in the last 48 hours leading up to the game
15:46 to really focus on execution, because we have a plan.
15:52 Everybody's got an accountability
15:54 and a responsibility to do a job.
15:56 So being able to focus on that, whether it's in one reel
16:01 when we watch a film or when we're in a meeting,
16:05 and what they think about when they're
16:08 on their own leading up to the game based on their ability
16:12 to focus on what they need to do to execute and have
16:16 good emotional discipline in how they approach doing their job.
16:20 I think that's one of the most important things.
16:23 We have to motivate guys to play in this game.
16:25 It's probably not a good thing.
16:26 They should be pretty motivated.
16:28 I think channeling the energy in the right direction
16:30 is really, really important in games like this.
16:35 Our next question will come from the far right.
16:37 Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports.
16:38 Nick, yesterday you said the game
16:40 has changed more in the last three to five years
16:42 than in the last 50.
16:44 I just wonder from both you guys where you see
16:46 the game headed in the future.
16:47 Jim, you've talked about sharing revenue with players.
16:50 But big picture, where is this game headed?
16:52 [CLEARS THROAT]
16:55 A big picture, day before the game?
16:57 State of the Union is not--
17:00 we address some of those things after the game?
17:07 Would be my preference.
17:08 I'm just--
17:10 Yeah, I would say it this way in agreement with Jim,
17:15 is the day before the game, I think it's a great question.
17:22 I also think that it would be a really, really good discussion
17:29 to have at some point in time.
17:31 I don't think sitting up here today is the right time
17:33 to do it.
17:36 Well said.
17:38 Our next question is going to come from the middle.
17:42 This is for Coach Saban.
17:43 We spoke with both coordinators earlier in the week,
17:46 and both Kevin and Tommy reared at the fact
17:47 that this team is as coachable as any of the teams
17:50 they've ever worked with.
17:52 Is that from a leadership standpoint,
17:54 or how much more enjoyable is it to work with a team that
17:57 grasps coaching and then takes the information and runs
18:00 with it?
18:00 Yeah, I think it's the way this team sort of transformed
18:03 itself.
18:03 It had a lot to do with that.
18:04 We didn't start out very well early in the season.
18:07 And I think the players got to the point where, hey,
18:12 we want to dedicate ourselves to proving
18:15 that we can be a good team.
18:17 And the leadership on the team was good.
18:19 The chemistry on the team is good.
18:22 Everybody kind of buys into the principles and values
18:24 of what you need to do to be successful.
18:26 And I think that's helped us improve throughout the year.
18:30 And it's something that we need to continue
18:32 to do as a team, because there's still room for growth.
18:38 Our next question is going to come from the middle,
18:41 about six rows back.
18:41 Good morning, Olivia Whitmire with WHNT in Huntsville.
18:47 This question for both coaches.
18:49 Coach Saban, if you might start and then
18:50 have a follow-up after.
18:51 Just talking about your opponent's defense,
18:54 what you've done to prepare to go up
18:55 against such tough defenses, and what just sticks out
18:58 about the defensive units for your opponent
19:00 throughout the season.
19:03 So you're talking about Michigan's defense?
19:06 I think they're a very talented defensive team.
19:08 They've got really good guys up front.
19:09 Their linebackers are very athletic.
19:13 The secondary is very disciplined
19:15 in terms of how they play and how they execute what they do.
19:20 They've got some pretty interesting ways
19:23 that they pressure the quarterback,
19:24 whether it's single back or plugs,
19:26 or the way they present, trying to pressure
19:31 the quarterback, which I think can be challenging
19:33 to the offensive line.
19:35 I think they play really, really well together
19:37 as a group in terms of how they execute.
19:40 They have lots of experience.
19:41 And they don't make a lot of mental errors,
19:43 and they don't give you a lot.
19:46 You've got to take what they give.
19:48 And I think that's really important in the decision
19:51 making for the guys when you try to attack a defense like this.
19:56 Our next question's going to come from all the way
19:58 in the back on the right here.
20:01 Remember talking about Alabama's defense?
20:05 Really good.
20:07 Defending the run up the middle and on the perimeter,
20:10 the backers can run.
20:11 The edges are outstanding.
20:13 There's always an edge to the defense.
20:17 In the passing game, it's the combination
20:20 of the really good coverage and the pressure
20:23 on the quarterback.
20:24 Out of a-- I asked more of a three down scheme.
20:33 There would be more of a four down scheme right now,
20:35 a 4-2-5, two potential first round picks at corner,
20:40 I would see.
20:41 All-American safety, really good safety play.
20:45 Very, very well coached, very good.
20:49 Not so much of the split safety coverages
20:53 as we look to face them right now.
20:55 But that combination of pressure and really good coverage,
21:01 there's no real weak points to attack in the defense.
21:06 So we're going to have to play really good on offense
21:08 to be able to win the ball.
21:10 Now we're going to go all the way to the back on the left.
21:13 This is for Coach Harbaugh, Joel Sebastianelli
21:15 with BCSN in Toledo.
21:18 You'll be one of only 12 men to play and coach in the Rose Bowl.
21:22 Is being back here something that evokes any memories
21:26 or feelings for you?
21:29 Yeah, so many.
21:30 I mean, it would take a long time to talk about it.
21:32 But like Coach talked about, I grew up in Michigan, Ohio,
21:37 probably Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois.
21:40 Wisconsin, that Midwest area.
21:42 You grow up watching the Rose Bowl New Year's Day.
21:46 I mean, there's a couple feet of snow outside.
21:48 And you're like laying on your stomach in front of the TV,
21:54 hands like that, looking at palm trees and the parade
21:59 and the football game.
22:02 And halftime, you're out trying to--
22:05 we're outside playing football in the snow.
22:08 And then watching those kind of turns from the day to the night
22:12 when you watch the Rose Bowl.
22:14 I know that's why a lot of people in the Midwest
22:16 probably moved to California.
22:20 It was-- you wanted to be there.
22:22 And got to be there as a player.
22:27 And got to actually be there as a kid.
22:30 My dad was coach at Michigan.
22:31 And we went to--
22:32 team went to three straight Rose Bowls.
22:35 And now here as a coach, it's pretty awesome.
22:40 I participate as an 11, 12, and 13-year-old,
22:44 and twice as a player, and now as a coach.
22:50 We'll have our last question here coming from the back row.
22:53 Nick here in the back, Joe Goodman, AL.com.
22:56 Are you concerned with the sign sealing stuff out of Michigan?
22:59 And what has Alabama done to maybe prevent some of that?
23:03 No, we're really not concerned about that.
23:07 Integrity in the game, I think, is really, really important.
23:09 And our team has had every opportunity
23:13 to prepare for this game, just like they have every other game.
23:15 And I think that, especially when you're a no-huddle team,
23:21 you've got to adapt and adjust how you communicate
23:24 with the quarterback.
23:24 And hopefully, one day, we'll get to the NFL system
23:27 where you can just talk to the guy in his helmet.
23:29 And I think that would be a lot better.
23:31 But for now, we just have to adapt
23:33 to how we communicate with the quarterback.
23:36 And we'll change it up and try to not put our players
23:40 at a disadvantage in any way.
23:43 All right, with that, we will go ahead and have the coaches stand up
23:46 and do the photo opportunity with the trophy.