Spring break for Alabama football players, like most of daily life, is not quite the same as it is for every other UA student.
The team generally doesn’t find themselves traveling to the beaches of Destin, Fla., or exotic locations like Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Even if they did, they would regret it greatly when they returned to practice, as they did on Monday.
“It’s good to be back. I’m not sure the players would probably agree with that after going through practice today,” head coach Nick Saban said. “It was what you’d expect for a day back after eight or nine days off.”
The leader of the linebacking corps, C.J. Mosley, did not seem surprised either.
“The main thing was some of the guys were probably thinking it was going to be an easy day coming off a week of not practicing,” Mosley said. “Some guys didn’t know how to handle it.
“We’ve been here for a few years. We know what to expect. I knew it was going to be in pads. Those kind of things happen.”
Like they could not control the rigors of the practice the coaches were pushing them through, the players were also hopeless in the grips of the heat, one of the first warm days of Tuscaloosa’s spring.
“I think it was more of we hadn’t really had any kind of hot weather yet,” offensive lineman Anthony Steen said. “When I went home for my spring break, it was cold. The coldest day was 25 degrees. Today, it felt hot and we just weren’t used to it. I definitely feel it right now.
For some reason, the coaches did not seem to mind.
“It was one of the nicer days we’ve had this spring in terms of weather, practicing outside for just the third time this spring,” Saban said.
The team’s difficulty adjusting to the weather forced such a sloppy practice, the coaches had to scratch some plans.
“We ended up having to restart one period just because we weren’t going full speed,” Steen said. “I felt like I was. I know it’s not going to look like it tomorrow on film, but everybody was definitely feeling the heat today.”
Now the most crucial task is putting it behind them as they go for two good practices before the spring’s first scrimmage on Saturday.
“That’s why we have 15 practices,” Mosley said. “It’s bad that we wasted this day. We’ve got to come in tomorrow and get the guys in the right mindset and get ready for Wednesday.”
