Everything Kane Wommack said after Alabama's 16th preseason practice

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack spoke to reporters on Tuesday morning after the team’s 16th preseason practice. Below is everything he said.

Wommack on Alabama’s second scrimmage…

“I thought it was an incredibly physical scrimmage. Probably the most physical that I can remember being a part of. I thought I saw a gear from our players, another gear, another level of intensity that I had not seen yet, and that was really exciting going into really the last scrimmage. We talk about this all the time – game day is always different. It’s a different mentality. And there’s nothing that we can do to emulate exactly what game day is going to be. But a scrimmage is the closest simulation that we can give you to exactly what game day is going to be like.

“And so jobs are won and lost in those situations. There’s a different level of intensity in that moment. There’s not quite as many reps overall. You’re just getting more game-style reps. And I thought our guys rose to the level from a physicality standpoint. Their execution was really good. Our tackling significantly improved. And there was some really good situational work that we’re doing.

“I think Coach DeBoer does a tremendous job of just getting our guys ready from a situational standpoint, preparing them for all the scenarios that can come up in a game. We may work a situation – we may play 1,300 snaps next year, and we may only run that situation one time. But I think we do a really good job of covering those things.”

Wommack on what he saw from the defensive backs…

“One of the things that I think for us, from a physicality standpoint, we talk about hard-shoulder tackling. So there’s pre-contact emphasis and then there’s the point of contact in emphasis. And the first thing we have to do is you have to close space on the man, on the ball carrier and then hold leverage at the same time as you’re closing space. I thought we did a really good job of that, and it allows them to get in a position where they can work – what we call a – same foot, same shoulder and then a finish on top, which means finishing in a dominant position. So we did a really good job of closing space and holding leverage, and then I thought we finished in a physical, on-top position for most of the scrimmage.

“A lot of missed tackling. I think there’s a misnomer out there. If you play defense where a ball carrier has a ball with space, you’re going to have more missed tackles, right? But if you can close that space and it’s a bang-bang, he catches the ball or he gets all of a sudden to the second level on a run fit but we have somebody immediately there, you’re going to have less missed tackles, simply because you’re closing the space around those ball carriers. I think our players are doing a really good job of that right now.”

Wommack on if he’s gotten to the point of divvying up defensive roles…

“I think we will see those things more like a game-to-game situation. And even within the game, we may say, ‘Hey, we’re going to go field and boundary here.’ We may match as a base call all game long, or we may say situationally on the third down, we’ll go match personnel and try to figure those things out. So we haven’t really gotten into full in-game mode for Western Kentucky. We’ve obviously looked at those things and had some preparation as a coaching staff. But we won’t finalize those things until on the back end of this week.”

Wommack on Alabama’s interior pass rush…

“I think those guys are doing a good job of starting to understand — I think a lot of pass rush on the interior is pre-snap recognition. Is it a run-pass? Is it a run call? Is it a pass call? We may call a run-stopping defense, right, for the defensive line, but also they get a pass recognition and we’re gonna make communications out there where they have the ability, right, to turn that into a pass rush scenario — either themselves, right, or we may work some games inside with the interior D-line. So I think those guys are doing a really good job of holding their roles, but we seem to be able to create some pass rush on the interior, as well. So those guys are really taking to that and I think they’re trying to create ownership.”

Wommack on leadership from players on Alabama’s 2020 team…

“I’ve said this before, but experience is finite, right? There’s only a certain amount of reps, there’s only a certain amount of FBS games that go on and only 11 players can represent your players on the field at any given moment, right? So having that experience, right, on your team pays dividends in the things they’ve seen. I think for us, defensively, and we’ve talked about this before, but we spend so much time in the offseason mastering what we do as a defense and understanding the bigger picture — not just your role as the safety, Malachi, or your role as the linebacker, Deontae.

“But then as you get into the season, right, it’s about offensive recognition. And those guys have seen so many reps over the years and they’ve seen so many different plays and been attacked different ways and now defense that is inherently reactionary, right, turns into making plays with anticipation. I think those older guys that have the experience are able to do that at a higher level than some of the younger players.”

Wommack on if he wore his sweatshirt for the entire practice…

“I did. I did. You didn’t think I got enough of a sweat in? I don’t know if we would consider this North Alabama, but compared to Mobile, I am living in paradise right now in terms of the weather. I love Mobile, I love that town, but it is damn hot this time of year. Pretty much all year round. So to get a little bit of a breeze and all that stuff, I couldn’t get over how good it felt out there.”

Wommack on his confidence in Kalen DeBoer…

“Kalen and I have been in the foxhole together before. When you get to know Kalen DeBoer, you see the confidence that he has. It’s certainly a humble confidence, but for his players, coaches, the way he conducts himself, the way that he game plans, the stress that our offense puts on people — I think was certainly an opportunity to get back with him, work with him again was something I was really looking forward to. And then, you know, we talk about this, right, the greatest players step up in the biggest moments. Well, it’s the same thing for coaches, right?

“Coach Saban has really set the standard of what defensive play is supposed to look like in college football for the last three decades. And to be able to step in place for that and be able to run this defense and make some changes in what we’re doing, and all the things he’s been able to do to help, I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity. I wanted to be able to continue the legacy that he’s created here, and defensive foundation and the way that we do things. I just thought it was a special opportunity and one I wouldn’t pass up.”

Wommack on King Mack…

“King’s athletically, I mean, he’s a very fast individual. Very physical, he’s got some really good instincts. He seems to be really making plays on the ball. I would say when we go scrimmage-like situations he tends to elevate his game. I don’t know if you call the word a ‘gamer’ or whatever it may be, right, but I think he’s a very instinctive football player. I’ve been very pleased with how he’s taken to the defense.

“Young players in the defense, right, you’re going to see some of these guys play, and we’re gonna take some lumps doing that. Young players, again, experience is finite, they have to go through some of those experiences to deal with those things. But we’re going to get those players in, they’re going to play in meaningful snaps in games, and you hope, right, that the same King Mack or Red Morgan or Zabien Brown or whoever it may be, is not the same guy at the end of the season. They continue to elevate their game and grow, and if they do that, we’re going to be in an okay position.”

Wommack on what led to the physical play in Scrimmage 2…

“I don’t think you come to Alabama unless you’re a true competitor. Unless you want to be in one of those big moments, right? We talk about this all the time, I like guys that love to win and hate to lose. Or excuse me, love to work and hate to lose. Guys that love to go about the work, that are focused on doing the next right thing, always striving to be the best versions of themselves and don’t mind putting in the work.

“But guys that hate to lose, as opposed to guys that just enjoy winning, do whatever it takes to get something fixed when adversity hits. Our offense has created tons of challenges for us and what we have to defend, so our guys have responded really well to that adversity. I didn’t think in scrimmages, particularly early on in the springtime or in fall scrimmage 1, and really look at us last year we were the same way, we didn’t start fast enough. I think our guys are really taking that challenge upon themselves.”

Wommack on Alabama’s defensive line…

“I think defensive line, you know, those are big boys in there. So, when you have some of these offenses that can sustain long drives and now they’re going tempo and spreading you out laterally and vertically, and making you run to swarm tackle, right, and get around the ball, naturally you’re going to get tired. Especially early in the season, especially in the South. So early in I think you’re going to see a good rotation of those defensive linemen. I think we have — we went over it as a defensive staff, who was above the line as we enter the first game, and who was maybe on or slightly below the line that we’ve got to continue to work to get them in position, and meaningful snaps they can take in the game. I think from a defensive line standpoint we’ve got a number of guys that can do that and I’m excited to see them earn it.”

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