Saban’s job is to keep everyone focused, everyone calm, everyone ready and to put a great spin on things.

Putting a Good Spin on a Bad Spring for Alabama Football

By: Larry Burton

First of all there were the arrests and dismissals from the team followed by a press conference that Nick Saban would like to re-do. Then came the injuries to players the Tide were counting on in key positions. Then this weekend Nick Saban told his team and the press that Alabama no longer scared any team it faced, they had lost that “air of invincibility“.

Overall, it hasn’t been the best spring in Crimson Tide history.

But there is a chance that this could be just what the team need. Many players on the team have made comments to the extent of, “Next man up” and “We all need to come together”.

The dismissals and arrests have certainly gone a long way to refocusing the players on working the “Process”, at least that’s what the staff and fans are hoping. So that could have a good benefit.

Putting a good spin on injuries isn’t pleasant or something that anyone wants to do, but Bo Scarbrough’s injury will mean that we’ll see even more of Kenyan Drake and that certainly is something that many of us have been wanting to do for a long time. It will also mean that we may see a little more of the Tide’s number one running back recruit, Damien Harris, a little sooner and a little more than we might have otherwise.

It will also mean that Scarbrough will be redshirted this year and that Alabama fans will have back for the time when Drake and Derrick Henry are gone and that he and Damien Harris could be the one – two punch of the future together and give Alabama some quality years together.

Cameron Sims, a young receiver who was set to see playing time and sustained an injury that could sideline him all season, may mean that a redshirt year is in store for him just as it was for Chris Black, who looks to finally have his breakout year at receiver. Black also had a season ending injury a couple of years ago and now he’s ready with playing time left at a time when Alabama needs him the most. The same could be true for Sims down the road. Like Black, he’ll have more maturity, experience and eagerness to prove himself once his opportunities come and other young receivers will get a chance they might not have gotten.

Plus these injuries remind the players currently second string and beyond that “Next man up” is not just a saying, but a reality that happens more often than they’d think.

A good coach and no one can deny that Nick Saban is a good coach, can take lemons and make lemonade and I would be shocked if Saban isn’t brewing up a great batch for this season.

Larry has been published in almost every media outlet for college sports and now primarily writes here for Touchdown Alabama. Follow Larry on Twitter for inside thoughts and game time comments at https://twitter.com/LBSportswriter

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