Tide Anxious To Get Back To Work

Leaving for a few precious weeks off from the football fields for summertime distractions is something most players look forward to. But players at Alabama are eager to get things started again.

This story originally appeared at BleacherReport.com



"I've waited long enough and I'm ready to see what we can accomplish." said new starting quarterback Greg McElroy. "A Day got everybody excited and there's a bunch of us that just wanted to keep on going." he recently remarked.

And Alabama players weren't the only ones getting caught up in the excitement. At a recent "Crimson Caravan" stop, Coach Nick Saban echoed the sentiment. "For all the good things we saw during A Day, I saw that many things remaining to be fixed. It's hard to stop and change gears for these next few weeks. I think our staff wanted to keep the good momentum building just like the players."

"Going to Talladega was a lot of fun, playing a little golf is nice and I enjoy getting out and meeting the fans and seeing the excitement they bring to the program is fantastic, but I'd rather be out there on the field coaching." said Saban.

So why such excitement? According to both players and coaches it's the feeling of unfinished business and the need for this team to go the next step.

"I was proud of what we accomplished last year. Being part of a team that took Alabama back to the SEC championship game and in the hunt for a national title was special, but this is a new season and a new team. I think this team knows it can be something special and that is making everything we do so important. I can't wait to see how good we can be." said linebacker Rolando McClain.

Every fan in America knows Alabama will bring back one of the nation's top defenses, but many didn't expect the "new" offense to look as good as they did on A Day. They can quit holding their breath, they looked just fine.

Senior Mike Johnson, an offensive lineman, was pleased with the progress the new line was making and the offense overall when he said," I think we're coming together as a unit. We just need more reps and more time. During A Day we played against one of the best defenses we'll see and we did OK. I hate we have to stop for a while."

And as for how good they can be, he added, "We looked good at times during A day and bad at times, but this fall we'll have all the pieces together, all our running backs in camp and healthy and I think you'll see a far better unit by then."

So while Saban may be dining and hitting golf balls with fans, and players may be chasing girls on sunny days, there's the great feeling that both groups might rather be back on the fields preparing to finish what last year's team started.



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