Two Takes: Alabama Week Press Conference

Jimbo Fisher and select players visited with the media on Monday as the Aggies gear up to host 11th-ranked Alabama at Kyle Field (Saturday, 2:30 p.m., CBS).

We've got “two takes” from each of the media sessions below, along with full press conference video.

Two Takes: Jimbo Fisher

• Fisher was asked if, despite preaching about playing a nameless and faceless opponent, human nature would override that because Alabama is on the other sideline. "No, not if you understand what success is about and understand what winning is and how you had to prepare...What you've got to focus on is learning that you have to control yourself. There's nothing we can do about Alabama. Alabama's Alabama. They're a great team. What we have to do is get prepared to play Alabama or whoever you're playing, because each game is a big game. I know that sounds cliche, and it does, because the public and the media always says these things--and I get it. I get what you're saying. But as a player, as a coach, you can't do that. I mean, it's that simple. And I don't mean any disrespect to them, but you've got to control what you can control, and it's the next game and how you prepare. And you prepare for them like you would anybody else."
• Fisher said the toughest part about game planning for and coaching against a Nick Saban-led team is the sound fundamentals the Tide show each and every play. "(It's) very hard, because they're sound...Listen, you can see things on film, you'll get into game planning and say you know, that formation, we can get this, this, and there's things there you feel very comfortable about. The thing about them, when you look about them--whether it's offense or defense--they give you nothing. They don't give you plays...As you hear me say, you have a good team when both sides do it right and guys beat guys with great technique, great plays, because they're all lined up in the right place. In a lot of games, a lot of plays are made because the other team makes a mistake. There's a hole, a misalignment, a misread, that's where the majority of your big plays in ball come from. With Alabama? You don't see that. Guys are always in the right place, the right time, with the right leverage, in the right situation in what they're doing. And so you have to earn, you've got to do things right yourself. And if you are not lined up in the right things and doing the right things, whether it's the right calls, or protection, or how you're fitting runs on defense, then they're going to exploit you. They make you, because of how well they're coached, be well coached and play well yourself. Don't give things away, because as soon as you do, they capitalize on it."

Two Takes: Dametrious Crownover

• Crownover credits his teammates' work ethic for the improvement the offensive line has seen this fall, even with mixing and matching alignments. "Along those lines, I would say that just a growth in each other, the trust in each other that we've grown since last year, I think we are definitely more of a solid unit. And that was one of the big things that we worked on coming in over the summer, holding each other accountable to our work on the field and outside of the field."
• Crownover was asked to pinpoint what the difference is with the o-line's performance, at least from an outside perspective, following the loss at Miami. "After the Miami game, it was a sickening feeling in your stomach, because we lost one that we shouldn't have. But we knew that we had to come together and be like, hey, guys, we can't afford to have any more games like this. So it was that chip on our shoulder I would say that just helped us improve."

Two Takes: McKinnley Jackson

• Jackson says the recent success in the pass rush is all coming from their preparation. "Everyone's just getting better. We're not being complacent. We're taking taking the drills from individuals to the field. We practice how we play. So, you know, what you see on the field is what you see every day. What we do, it's nothing new, honestly. It's not a surprise to the guys in the room."
• Jackson was asked about success in executing a game plan even if the opposing offense knows what should be coming. "It's just coming down to everyone doing their job. Football is not a one-man sport, so 11 guys doing their 1/11th to disrupt the offense, you know, and create opportunities for our offense. So I just feel like that's all it is, you know. It's nothing special, it's just what we do. Doing our job."

Two Takes: Max Wright

• While a lot of the national pundits are discussing a 'wide open' SEC race, to Wright this game is just as important as any other SEC game, when it comes to the ultimate goal of a league title. "I mean, the SEC is always competitive, and it's always kind of a coin flip in terms of who's going to take...there's always like three or four games that kind of decide which way the SEC is going to go. Obviously every single game is a big game in this conference, and every single game can be a game that decides kind of the future of the year for any team. So this is just another game for us and just a game that we're really going to take importance in preparation and everything that we can."
• As one of the leaders on the team, Wright was asked how he handles prepping young players about big games and seizing the moment in those games. "I personally try and get ahead of that in the middle of the week when talking to younger guys...like, hey, you need to think of every single play that you're taking in practice as that 'big play'. The pressure that you're going to feel in that moment needs to be the pressure that you kind of try to put on yourself during practice. Because truthfully, that's what comes out in those moments, is how you prepare and how you push yourself through practice. Weather it's, 'Oh man, I'm so tired, but we're about to go into a team good on good period right here, and I'm running a post route, I'm worn out, my legs are giving, and I'm going to have to maybe lay out for this ball. It's stuff like that that comes out whenever it's 3rd and 8 and we need a big play on a big drive at the end of the game. That's that's when those plays are made, is in the preparation."

Two Takes: Ainias Smith

• Smith said while he could see how people may look at the SEC race as wide open after early results, he's not taking that approach at all. "I'm just trying to keep my head on to what I need to do, make sure my grades are straight so I can be able to play and make sure that the team is straight so we have the right mindset going into each week. Really just focusing on each week, not really worrying about the end result. Let's win this weekend and continue on."
• Smith was asked about how he and his teammates prepare for the inevitable moments of adversity in a game. "In moments like that, I mean, it's really kind of hard to necessarily prepare, you know what I'm saying? You really don't want to prepare for losing momentum or something like that. You always want to try to keep the momentum. So I guess the best thing to say is really you just try to limit the mistakes. The person with the least amount of mistakes, especially on themselves, is most likely going to win. So we try to limit those mistakes in practice right now, making sure that we keep our eyes on our keys and stay disciplined and make sure that we're doing every little thing right.  Every little thing is going to count, especially this week. And I mean, it's not even so much that we're looking at Bama as, 'Oh, it's Bama'. It's just another week to us. This is the way I like to look at it: since we're getting deeper into the season, a lot of people are starting to get tired, bodies are starting to get worn down and whatnot. So all of that offseason training that you did is low key starting to fade away. Now you've got to go a little bit harder in the weight room, do a little bit extra outside of the weight room, outside of practice. Doing a little extra is really what it's going to take."