What Nick Sheridan Said About Georgia's Defense, Alabama's Bye Week

Full transcript from Alabama offense coordinator Nick Sheridan ahead of the Crimson Tide's big matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs.

Nick Sheridan / Joe Gaither Screenshot

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Alabama's coaches met with the media Monday morning to discuss the Crimson Tide's bye week and looked ahead to the big matchup with No. 2 Georgia this weekend.

Here's everything Alabama offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan had to say:

Full Transcript

On Ryan Williams' bye week...

"Well I think for all the players, it's just focusing on improvement. Ryan was no different. I think each player, each position group had things that their coaches and our staff identified to improve and work on. So that was really a key emphasis for not just Ryan, but everybody on offense."

Has Milroe had a weight to his approach to Georgia?

"I haven't felt that. I think there's an importance on every game we play. The focus is on us and our preparation, and our week of prep leading into the game. Focusing on that, and being where your feet are, and staying present. Certainly, I think for every player, when you have experience of competition at this level, I think that helps you. You lean back on those experiences and things you learned about yourself, and learned about your week of preparation. I think what's really important is no matter who you're playing, that you focus each week on just being your best. You don't want one game -- for your week of preparation and your process to be different because of who your opponent is, or what game of the year it is. That's really what the message to the players is, is focus on being your very best each day of preparation, so that when you get to Saturday you feel prepared, so you can put your best foot forward and do it at a high level."

On Georgia's defense...

"I think they're excellent. When you look at them, there's lots of things that stand out, but first and foremost they have quality players, I think at all three levels. Long, fast, explosive players. And then on top of that, I think the coaching staff up there does an excellent job. They're excellent coaches. They have a great system in place, they have years together running that system. So it's a great challenge, they're excellent."

On Georgia's pass defense...

"Anytime you talk about pass defense its a combination of the rush and the coverage matching together and complimenting one another. Certainly they do a nice job in that area. They play tight coverage, they mix up their defenses, and then they can rush and create pressure on the quarterback. I think both ends of the defense, the back and and the front end, do a nice job of complimenting one another, and making that a challenge."

On sustaining long drives...

"I think it's just about execution. It's about us executing simple things well and being able to respond to whatever happens in the game. I don't think that's different this week than it is in the past. Obviously the opponent is excellent, so the attention to detail and the focus gets heightened. But it's still about executing and doing simple things really well. That's what will show up on Saturday for both sides, is the team that executes the best will win the game. That's what will ultimately decide who wins and loses."

On Kobe Prentice’s progression…

“I think Kobe has had great focus, and he’s been very intentional about taking advantage of the reps in practice and continuing to improve. I think Kobe’s somebody’s who’s explosive with the ball. And he’s had those moments throughout his career. His attitude’s been great. He’s been practicing really hard.”

On Georgia safety Malaki Starks and game planning for safeties…

“I think the that stands out is his versatility as a player. He can play close to the line of scrimmage, and he can play in the deep middle part of the field. He can cover man to man. I think he’s an excellent football player but obviously has experience in their system. They can put him in different spots and different personnel groupings, and he’s excellent in all areas.

As far as accounting for those players, I think that’s always your challenge each and every week as you game plan is how to put your players in the best position and create the best advantage you possibly can based on who you’re going against. And certainly he’s an excellent player that has had great production, you know, very versatile. Can play lots of different spots, lots of different techniques. He’s a great player.”

Impressions of early-down offense, and what’s contributed to success on third downs…

“I think there’s some inconsistencies on first and second down from an efficiency standpoint that we’d like to be better. We’d like to be cleaner. I think that goes back to some of the other questions that have been asked as far as just the execution— the down-in and down-out execution. And so that’s something that will be important for us moving forward, and certainly in this game.

“I think the third down, the key there has been trying to stay away from some longer yardage situations. I think we’ve been in some manageable third downs, which the advantage starts to tilt towards the offense in those situations where you’re not so predictable. I think the guys have done a nice job, and obviously that challenge will be heightened on Saturday.”

On game-planning against Georgia’s defense, which has only allowed one explosive play…

“Well the explosive play cutup is not long, so that didn’t take a very long time to watch. I think what you’re looking at is structure. You’re looking at personnel, and you’re trying to match things that you do to the challenges that they present. I think that’s what you’re doing each and every week. Certainly they’ve done a great job of that to this point, and it’ll be important for us to execute at a high point on Saturday.”

On the improvement/continuity of the offensive line… 

“I think they’ve made strides, for sure, in the first three weeks. You mentioned the continuity, you know, we have not played consecutive games with the same starting five. There’s been rotation there. We’ll continue to play the players that deserve the opportunity to do that. But I certainly saw progress. I certainly think that this past game there was progress made, but we need that to continue. Not just for the offensive line, but for the other positions as well. Each person, each position group to just continue to improve and hone in on your fundamentals, your technique, your communication— all the different things that make units and position groups successful. 

"And when you’re an offensive lineman, you have five guys that need to play as one. I’ve seen improvement there. There’s great urgency, there’s great focus. Coach Kap’s done a real nice job of developing that group, and they’re gelling and getting better and better each day. We expect that to continue, and we’re pleased with the group’s effort and work ethic in practice.”