Regardless of Scrimmage, Alabama Turned an Important Corner Toward 2020 Season

Playing the 2020 season suddenly got a lot more real for Crimson Tide after returning to Bryant-Denny Stadium

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Even without looking at the video, Saturday's scrimmage was considered a success for the University of Alabama football team.

Why? 

Because it's made it this far. 

Hours before the 2020 college football season opened with Austin Peay at Central Arkansas, the Crimson Tide lined up at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the first time since last November. It didn't have everyone, and the scrimmage came a couple of weeks later than originally planned, but it was hitting again.  

That was a win by itself. 

“I was excited for the players," Nick Saban said, "I’ve talked before about playing this season, for me, is all about them having an opportunity — if we can figure out how to do it safely — so that they can create value for themselves, individually and collectively as a team. 

"So, every day that we’re able to go out there with a good number of guys that are healthy and doing well and have positive energy and a positive attitude and are working hard to try to get better, it’s exciting for me. And to go back in the stadium today was exciting because every step you take makes it feel like, yeah, we are going to play a game."

In terms of emotions, Saturday probably was a lot like the stadium itself. The $107 million renovation has yet to be completed, but the players got to see the new tunnel at the end of the Walk of Champions, the exterior of the stadium that's nearing completion, and the updated, larger video screens in each corner.

They weren't on, but neither was the team — at least in comparison to what the end product will be. 

To use one of Saban's favorite sayings, it's a work in progress.

Emotionally, though, things will likely be different moving forward. The revamped 2020 schedule is becoming more than just names and dates, there's a clear expectation growing after months confusion and doubts.

"I think there’s been a bit of a transition psychologically for players, coaches and everyone else because it has been a long time and it’s not been normal and there has been a lot of uncertainty about what’s going to happen next that you kind of get in the mode that we’re practicing to practice, which is a little bit different than practicing to play games and practicing to play against great competition," the coach said. "And I think we’ve been trying to get the players to transition into that. 

"So, you want to have short-term goals, but you want to have long-term goals, too, aight in terms of these games are going to be coming up, let’s make sure we’re ready to play.”

In terms of camp, Alabama will now make the switch from sort of going through the equivalent a minicamp, in part to catch up from the lost practices in the spring, to the meat of its preseason preparation.  

Usually, the Crimson Tide opens the equivalent of fall camp a month before the season begins. For the first couple of weeks all the players are thinking about is football, and every night Saban has a guest speaker address the team. 

This year's speakers included Michael Jordan and Phil Knight. Condoleeza Rice, Tony Dungy, Stephen A. Smith, Joey Galloway and Charles Barkley also all gave advice on the ongoing Black Lives Matter issue, in addition to the other monumental distractions no other Alabama team had to deal with. 

Chief among them, students being back on campus. The first 10 days of classes (give or take) resulted in more than 1,000 confirmed coronavirus tests. No one should have any more doubt about the seriousness of the situation.  

"It’s really just been all about us being disciplined," senior wide receiver Devonta Smith said earlier in camp. 

Playing the scrimmage may have been the closest thing to normal this team has done yet so far. 

"We haven’t practiced every day," Saban said. "We’ve practiced pretty much every other day. I think we’ve had two occasions where we practiced back-to-back: the first two days we started and then [Friday and Saturday]. So it’s a little bit different to try to kind of judge where the team is because what you’re used to is you’re used to seeing sort of a different kind of grind so to speak. And then the last two days we practiced in pads — Wednesday and today — it’s been like a 107-degree heat index or whatever with 90-percent humidity, so that’s difficult. 

"We acknowledge that that’s difficult for players. It’s challenging to 'em mentally but it’s also a good experience for them because it helps them develop perseverance, ability to overcome adversity, ability to focus in adverse circumstances. I’m not disappointed where the players are at all."

Things will subsequently change after Monday's rally against racial injustice.

The schedule picks up. 

The team will get more into a groove.

It'll go through the equivalent of the dog days of camps, although without the same level of heat, and while classes are ongoing. 

It won't be the same, but neither has anything else. 

Those looking at optimistic side can take note that the players who were held out of practice and/or the scrimmage will only help the Crimson Tide get ready for the regular season because at any point anyone could be sidelined due to contact tracing (meaning if an opponent tests positive after a game anyone who touched him could be isolated).

Otherwise, consider this a turning point. 

Alabama's going from figuring out what it has and going through drills, to focusing on the season, and specific opponents.

It all begins at Missouri on Sept. 26. 

"I think these are all opportunities to learn and grow, and how do you sort of set a good example of players, people around you, how do you do things to serve them for their benefit," Saban said. "I think you got to bring people together, which I’ve been pleased with the way our players have handled all these circumstances. They’ve tried to do it together as a team. They’ve been pretty responsive in the way they’ve done it. All these things that come up are new challenges, but new challenges are also new opportunities, whether they’re opportunities to learn, whether they’re opportunities to figure out the best way to keep moving people along in a positive direction, to keep their focus on things that are important, in terms of how they can make change, how they have to deal with the circumstances that they’re in, relative to COVID. 

"There’s a lot of things happening right now, but I think that creates a lot of opportunity for all of us in leadership positions to really send a positive message to how can we make change? We’ve made a lot of change, for a long time. We’re certainly not where we need to be. But we certainly need to continue to try to do things in a positive way so that we can create positive change and opportunities for folks down the road and do it in a safe way."