Specialists honored, team practicing basics

In a season when the Crimson Tide’s strengths greatly outweigh their weaknesses, special teams was one of the few areas that still made some Alabama fans nervous. That is, until Saturday. In a 32-7 win over Mississippi State, the Tide’s special teams contributed a whopping 20 points, and head coach Nick Saban was among their loudest praisers.

“Our special teams were outstanding in the game,” he said. “We downed two balls at the 2-yard line. We had 167 yards in punt returns and a blocked punt and we had a 43-yard net punt [average] for us. The specialists did a good job. Leigh was pretty good all day, in terms of kicking off, as well as being perfect on field goals. A lot of guys did a really good job.”

One of those guys was junior cornerback and go-to return guy Javier Arenas. Arenas was one of the coaching staff’s picks for player of the week as well as SEC special teams player of the week. Saban said they also chose three other special teams contributors for the honor.

“Javy [chosen for player of the week], obviously with the day he had, in terms of setting records for punt returns and yards in a game on special teams, along with Rashad Johnson, P.J. [Fitzgerald] and Leigh [Tiffin] for their job,” he said. Fitzgerald and Tiffin are the team’s kickers, while Johnson lines up when the Tide punts in addition to his work on defense as a safety.

The punt return team also received special honors, Saban said. Arenas returned a punt for a touchdown and racked up 153 yards on six punt returns for the game.

Arenas said he was happy with the way he played throughout the game.

“I’m good, and I know I’m good,” he said. “And I’m not going to do anything, but get better.”
The special teams breakout game couldn’t come at a better time. With the Iron Bowl a couple of weeks away, the team making its way through its second bye week of the season is one with no obvious weaknesses.

Saban said he will use this bye week to improve on the basics before looking at Auburn.

“Our focus for this week is, and you tell the players if you want to be the best of the best, then you have to get the best from yourselves,” he said. “That’s the focus we want to have with our players, in terms of each guy working to improve this week and doing things that we need to do as a team collectively, by getting a little better fundamental execution and discipline in what we do, so that we develop team confidence and what we are trying to do.”

The team practiced Tuesday after a two-day break and will have two more practices this week.

Senior center Antoine Caldwell said the Tide’s practice was productive and helped the team begin to improve further on their fundamentals.

“Today was a real good day and up tempo,” Caldwell said. “This week is going to be about getting us better. Just like the last bye week, working on fundamentals and getting us better out there, and that’s what we did a lot today. We worked on pass protection things, getting the timing down with the receivers and better protection for [John Parker Wilson].”