Nick Saban reveals how Tommy Rees, Alabama have responded to criticism this week

Alabama is facing some adversity for the first time in quite a while in the Nick Saban era. Following a loss to Texas, Saturday’s follow-up performance against USF nearly struck disaster. Questions have been asked about the coaching hires Saban made this offseason, specifically offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

During Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference, Saban was asked how Rees has responded to the issues surrounding the offense. Saban went on to say it’s something the entire staff is working on, no matter what phase they are working on. Most importantly, Alabama is trying to show they trust their plays they can go out there and execute.

“We’re all working hard,” Saban said. “It’s everybody’s responsibility to try to get it right and find a better way. We’re all working together offensively, defensively, and special teams. I think we’re making progress. I think the most important thing is that we trust and believe in our players. We’ve got to be positive in our approach on how we try to help them have more success on the field.”

There have been some heavy criticisms of Rees after the 2-1 start, especially from ESPN’s Paul Finebaum. He called Saban hiring the OC away from Notre Dame a “total failure” and it’s unlike anything he has ever seen.

“I think right now you have to say that the Tommy Rees hire has been a complete and total failure,” Finebaum said. “I mean what Tommy Rees is doing is coaching malpractice, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Nick Saban, Alabama’s entire team overcoming adversity with tough start

Any good coach will tell you a team will be as good as it is when attempting to overcome adversity. Thus far, the results in Saban’s eyes have been fantastic. It would be easy to mope around and understand this team is not as good as Alabama teams of the past.

The opposite is occurring according to Saban, saying practice has been going well for the Crimson Tide.

“The team has been great,” Saban said. “They’ve got good energy, they’ve got good enthusiasm. Practices have gone well. I think everybody has a tremendous amount of respect for the challenge we have coming up. But I think they’ve responded to it extremely well.”

Alabama opens SEC play on Saturday, with Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels coming into Bryant-Denny Stadium. We will find out real quick about the Crimson Tide and how they have handled the past few days following a tough performance against USF.