Photos and Video from Alabama Football's First Practice of Florida Week

The Crimson Tide practiced in shells ahead of its first SEC game of the 2021 season.

Joey Blackwell | Sep 13, 2021

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Temperatures hovered in the high-80s on Monday afternoon as Alabama football hosted its first practice preceding its 2021 SEC opener against Florida this coming Saturday.

The Crimson Tide practiced in shells (helmets, shoulder pads and shorts) on the Thomas-Drew Practice Fields under an overcast-yet-rainless sky.

Ahead of Monday's preparation for Alabama's first SEC matchup of the 2021 season, sophomore quarterback Bryce Young spoke to the media and discussed the importance of maintaining consistency throughout the season.

While the Crimson Tide dominated the Miami Hurricanes in the team's season opener, the program fell short of expectations in last Saturday's game against Mercer. While Alabama walked out of Bryant-Denny Stadium with a 48-14 victory, multiple miscommunications on defense and missed opportunities on offense — along with nine penalties — left the whole performance feeling lackluster.

“[Consistency is] definitely a big thing for us," Young said on Monday. "I felt like we, as a team, obviously we have the potential to do a lot of good things, and I think a big thing for us, like coach [Nick] Saban said, is how we maintain it, how we sustain it, how much we keep pushing, how consistent we can be. I think that’s a big thing for us as a team.”

Throughout last week, Saban noted on multiple occasions that he was disappointed in the effort — or lack thereof — that was on display in last week's practices. After Saturday's performance, a fiery Saban took to the podium and said that "If it stinks, it stinks. It smells bad for everybody."

On Monday, a notably calmer Saban spoke with the media, this time noting that the team needed to work on maintaining both consistency and focus. By accomplishing those along with proper preparation, the team has a much higher likelihood of success.

Young closed out his discussion on the matter by backing up his head coach.

“I think coach Saban really summed it up well," Young said. "I think when he talked about preparation and how we prepared last week, that was something that he talked to us about a lot, just in meetings and throughout the week. And I think it really showed."

Gallery: Alabama Football Hosts First Practice of Florida Week

Images courtesy of Alabama Athletics

Published Sep 13, 2021

JOEY BLACKWELL

Joey Blackwell is an award-winning journalist and assistant editor for BamaCentral and has covered the Crimson Tide since 2018. He primarily covers Alabama football, men's basketball and baseball, but also covers a wide variety of other sports. Joey earned his bachelor's degree in History from Birmingham-Southern College in 2014 before graduating summa cum laude from the University of Alabama in 2020 with a degree in News Media. He has also been featured in a variety of college football magazines, including Lindy's Sports and BamaTime.