ATLANTA - It briefly seemed like old times to Florida football coach Jim McElwain on Friday afternoon. He and Alabama coach Nick Saban were seated next to each other, not terribly unlike the four years McElwain served as Saban's offensive coordinator from 2008 to 2011.
Only this time they were sharing a stage at the Hyatt Regency for the SEC championship game coaches luncheon, with more than 1,000 folks hanging on their every word.
"Seeing (Saban) here," McElwain said, "I expect him to go over the practice plan."
That wasn't all the first-year Gators coach said before the afternoon ended. During a later news conference at the Georgia Dome, he brushed aside the notion that knowing each other as well as they do was a possible advantage: "No. (Saban) knows how screwed up I am, anyway."
When another writer later brought up what it was like attempting to stop Alabama's Heisman Trophy candidate running back Derrick Henry, he said, "You're asking me about Derrick Henry? You're making me miserable right now."
When a third writer asked whether McElwain might have Florida quarterback Treon Harris run more than normal as a way to loosen up the Crimson Tide's formidable defense, McElwain deadpanned: "Yeah, he may be running anyway, just naturally, for his life."
And we thought levity and laughter had left the Southeastern Conference with South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier's October retirement. Given that Spurrier's previous SEC stop was his alma mater, Florida, maybe there's just something in the water in Gainesville.
Even Saban, not always the most light-hearted of coaches, said of McElwain's days at Bama, which helped produce national titles in 2009 and 2011 before he left to run Colorado State's program for two years: "Jim was always a guy that had a great sense of humor and made other people feel really comfortable on our staff."
Alabama is a comfortable favorite in this game, predicted by some to win by 17 points or more. Should the Crimson Tide prevail, it would be Saban's second straight SEC title and fourth in seven years. No SEC East team has won the title game since Florida in 2008, though that Gators team spoiled an undefeated Alabama season during McElwain's first year running the Tide offense.
As if to validate Bama's role as heavy favorite, McElwain briefly returned to his time on Saban's staff and what he recalled concerning his head coach's defensive mind.
"I never really knew what he was doing (on that side of the ball) when I worked for him," the Florida coach said. "I just knew nobody got many yards against him."
Countered Saban: "We both know what we know, and we've shared those experiences. But a lot of times it just comes down to how you block, how you tackle, how you execute, how you overcome adversity. That's what wins games."
You can't argue about how well Saban wins games - he's 95-12 since 2008 - or national championships (four and counting, including three with the Tide), but how refreshing it would be if McElwain becomes Spurrier Lite, capable of lightening the mood in a conference that so often takes itself so seriously.
Even SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said Friday afternoon of the league without the Ol' Ball Coach, "Obviously, Steve could fill a reporter's notebook depending on his mood. We probably lost a few quips in there."
We've lost more than quips the past couple of weeks when it comes to quality coaches and people in the SEC. We've lost Spurrier and Mizzou's Gary Pinkel to retirement and Georgia's Mark Richt to a controversial termination after 15 years between the hedges and an average of more than nine wins a year.
But Sankey also made a valid point regarding Richt's dismissal when he said, "Mark is someone I respect as a person, his values, how he approaches his work. He had a wonderful run of 15 years at the University of Georgia (But) in the SEC, there are not a lot of people who are head coaches for 15 years."
Saban now has coached nine years with the Tide. Les Miles' stay of execution at LSU will have him entering his 12th season with the Tigers late next summer. Everyone else trails those two. Maybe McElwain will mirror them both in longevity. Maybe not. But his relaxed ways - he even went sockless to the luncheon despite wearing a coat and tie - seemed already to be having an impact on his former boss.
Said Saban when asked if he expected any surprises from McElwain's Gators offense: "When Jim was with me he'd always say of his plan for the start of the game, 'We're going to make them burn a little chalk on the first 15 plays.' Well, we've brought a little extra chalk for this one.'"
The possibilities for future notebook filling and coaches' quips within the SEC already are looking up.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.