Spring football practice started a little later this year at Alabama.
Nick Saban's adverse reactions to questions did not.
Saban seemed in October form Tuesday evening when asked in a news conference about moving recently to more of a ball-controlled offense after losing 35-31 to Clemson in January's national-title game. The Tigers had a 9-minute, 28-second advantage in possession time over the Crimson Tide.
"Where does that assumption come from?" Saban asked the reporter. "Do you do what everybody else in the media does and just throw some (expletive) on the wall and see what sticks? It's what I see happening everywhere, and people who scream the loudest get the attention. We're going to be more conservative now with a ball-controlled offense? Where did that come from?
"I never said that, and nobody in this building ever said that. If we had caught some passes in the national championship game when we had guys open, we wouldn't have had to control the ball, because we would have scored more touchdowns."
The Crimson Tide held their first of 15 spring practices Tuesday afternoon, working out for two hours in helmets and shorts. It was the first practice for the three new assistant coaches - offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, receivers coach Mike Locksley and tight ends coach Joe Pannunzio - and the first for 16 early enrollees.
Saban said the later start to spring practice was the result of the late finish to last season and an abundance of players who needed to heal. He also did not want to sandwich the workouts around spring break.
Alabama players who are limited this spring are running backs Bo Scarbrough (broken leg) and B.J. Emmons (broken foot), linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton (torn ACL) and defensive back Jarred Mayden (hip surgery). Scarbrough, who suffered his break against Clemson, already is participating in individual drills.
The Crimson Tide will practice again Thursday.
"Every team that has had success around here has had a lot of chemistry and a lot of guys who buy into the values and principles of the organization," Saban said. "We've also had really good leadership and didn't tolerate when people wouldn't do things the right way. It's a new team."
Tide tidbits
Sophomore receiver Trevon Diggs worked in the secondary Tuesday, with Saban wanting Diggs to be an "emergency player both ways." ... Saban said Alabama had six players transfer and lost six others to injury last year, which he believes affected special teams because certain players were having to play too many plays. ... Saban when asked about his offensive line: "We don't have a depth chart right now. We have a rep chart." ... Saban when asked about his defensive line: "We've played with worse."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.