Madsnooker
Senior Member
Thought this was interesting dialogue
"One might think Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer were best friends listening to the Sugar Bowl teleconference on Sunday.
The No. 1 Crimson Tide (12-1) and the No. 4 Buckeyes (12-1) will face off in the semifinals of the inaugural College Football Playoff in New Orleans on Jan. 1, and of course the coaching matchup will be a hot topic of discussion leading up to the game.
Saban and Meyer met three times when the latter coached at Florida, with Saban owning a 2-1 record. (Below we have video of Meyer's comments at his OSU press conference this afternoon.)
Saban – who has led Alabama to three national championships (2009, 2011, ’12) during his tenure – began the teleconference by making an opening statement.
“Well, this is obviously a great opportunity and a real honor for our team to be able to come back to the Sugar Bowl and be part of the first-ever playoff system, playing against an outstanding, very traditional, great tradition program like Ohio State with a great coach like Urban Meyer,” Saban said. “So, this is a great opportunity for us. There’s a great history of Alabama and Sugar Bowls through the years – going all the way back to Coach (Bear) Bryant. We’ve been there several times and we’ve always enjoyed New Orleans and we certainly enjoy the hospitality that the people at the Sugar Bowl offer us.”
It didn’t take long for a reporter to ask Saban about his relationship with Meyer.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Urban,” Saban said. “We’ve done some things … some ESPN games and stuff together. I consider him a good friend. I certainly have a tremendous amount of personal respect for the kind of professional that he is and the kind of coach that he is and the kind of programs that he’s had and the great teams that he had at Florida.
“I know we haven’t had much of an opportunity to look at Ohio State yet, but we certainly have a tremendous amount of respect for what their team has accomplished this year and know that they’ll be a very, very well-coached team.”
Saban then talked about Ohio State third-year sophomore Cardale Jones and whether it’s difficult to prepare for a quarterback when there is limited film available for Alabama’s coaches to study.
“Well, obviously he played very, very well when he played,” Saban said. “I think that’s the key thing: that a guy has the capabilities to play well. (Alabama senior quarterback) Blake (Sims) started out the season when he hadn’t (started) any games and he certainly did a good job of playing and improving and becoming a great leader for his team, and making a lot of plays that got his team where they are.
“So, I’m not sure that we’re going to see (on film) everything that (Jones) is capable of doing, but we certainly have a lot of respect for the way he’s played when he has played.”
A reporter from the Chattanooga area – where Ohio State sophomore Vonn Bell is originally from – then asked about the recruiting battle the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide engaged in for Bell’s services. Bell, a safety, is tied for OSU’s team lead in interceptions with five.
“Well, we thought Vonn Bell was an outstanding player and certainly wanted him in our program and I think if he were in our program right now he’d be a very productive player for us,” Saban said.
The Alabama boss then talked about how often the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes compete with each other on the recruiting trail.
“We see Urban a lot in recruiting,” Saban said. “I know last year there were two or three players that we wanted that they got, and there was couple that they wanted that we got. I think if you have one of the top programs – and I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for the energy in recruiting that Urban and his staff and their organization has in trying to go after the best players. Identifying them and going after them.
“Obviously, they’ve done a great job of recruiting there and that’s why they have a very good team and that’s why they’re in this playoff. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the way they recruit.”
"One might think Alabama head coach Nick Saban and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer were best friends listening to the Sugar Bowl teleconference on Sunday.
The No. 1 Crimson Tide (12-1) and the No. 4 Buckeyes (12-1) will face off in the semifinals of the inaugural College Football Playoff in New Orleans on Jan. 1, and of course the coaching matchup will be a hot topic of discussion leading up to the game.
Saban and Meyer met three times when the latter coached at Florida, with Saban owning a 2-1 record. (Below we have video of Meyer's comments at his OSU press conference this afternoon.)
Saban – who has led Alabama to three national championships (2009, 2011, ’12) during his tenure – began the teleconference by making an opening statement.
“Well, this is obviously a great opportunity and a real honor for our team to be able to come back to the Sugar Bowl and be part of the first-ever playoff system, playing against an outstanding, very traditional, great tradition program like Ohio State with a great coach like Urban Meyer,” Saban said. “So, this is a great opportunity for us. There’s a great history of Alabama and Sugar Bowls through the years – going all the way back to Coach (Bear) Bryant. We’ve been there several times and we’ve always enjoyed New Orleans and we certainly enjoy the hospitality that the people at the Sugar Bowl offer us.”
It didn’t take long for a reporter to ask Saban about his relationship with Meyer.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Urban,” Saban said. “We’ve done some things … some ESPN games and stuff together. I consider him a good friend. I certainly have a tremendous amount of personal respect for the kind of professional that he is and the kind of coach that he is and the kind of programs that he’s had and the great teams that he had at Florida.
“I know we haven’t had much of an opportunity to look at Ohio State yet, but we certainly have a tremendous amount of respect for what their team has accomplished this year and know that they’ll be a very, very well-coached team.”
Saban then talked about Ohio State third-year sophomore Cardale Jones and whether it’s difficult to prepare for a quarterback when there is limited film available for Alabama’s coaches to study.
“Well, obviously he played very, very well when he played,” Saban said. “I think that’s the key thing: that a guy has the capabilities to play well. (Alabama senior quarterback) Blake (Sims) started out the season when he hadn’t (started) any games and he certainly did a good job of playing and improving and becoming a great leader for his team, and making a lot of plays that got his team where they are.
“So, I’m not sure that we’re going to see (on film) everything that (Jones) is capable of doing, but we certainly have a lot of respect for the way he’s played when he has played.”
A reporter from the Chattanooga area – where Ohio State sophomore Vonn Bell is originally from – then asked about the recruiting battle the Buckeyes and Crimson Tide engaged in for Bell’s services. Bell, a safety, is tied for OSU’s team lead in interceptions with five.
“Well, we thought Vonn Bell was an outstanding player and certainly wanted him in our program and I think if he were in our program right now he’d be a very productive player for us,” Saban said.
The Alabama boss then talked about how often the Crimson Tide and Buckeyes compete with each other on the recruiting trail.
“We see Urban a lot in recruiting,” Saban said. “I know last year there were two or three players that we wanted that they got, and there was couple that they wanted that we got. I think if you have one of the top programs – and I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for the energy in recruiting that Urban and his staff and their organization has in trying to go after the best players. Identifying them and going after them.
“Obviously, they’ve done a great job of recruiting there and that’s why they have a very good team and that’s why they’re in this playoff. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the way they recruit.”