CNS Drills for the Unexpected (2024)

Cool read.

There will always be situations for which a coach cannot prepare.

In a sport that consistently delivers the unpredictable, this is life.

University of Alabama coach Nick Saban isn't thrilled with that reality. He does everything he can to eliminate it.

So at the end of every Friday practice, he breaks out a massive list and puts his team in highly specific, ferociously detailed situations that will never, ever happen. Until they do.

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There were some interesting comments from the players about some of the off the wall practices they have and then they have happened, but I think maybe this one disturbed me most, that for one it would even go through his head at all.

Trailing by four with 4:20 left, the defense needed to make a stop and get the offense the ball back. In practice, that scenario is called, "Get the ball back."

"He always puts us in situations in practice," safety Rashad Johnson said. "We had nine people in the box, playing the corners man to man on the outside, trying to get the ball back and it worked out for us.

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cool article thanks.

At LSU, Nick did the same thing. Every Friday they ran a play called "Dash 93 Right Berlin", basically a desperation Hail Mary pass.

They never called it in a game until 2002 on the last play, down by 3 at Kentucky, with 2 seconds on the clock and Marcus Randall heaved a 76-yard pass that found its way to Devery Henderson for a touchdown completion that became known as the "Bluegrass Miracle."

It won an ESPY award for best play of the year.

red55 said:

At LSU, Nick did the same thing. Every Friday they ran a play called "Dash 93 Right Berlin", basically a desperation Hail Mary pass.

They never called it in a game until 2002 on the last play, down by 3 at Kentucky, with 2 seconds on the clock and Marcus Randall heaved a 76-yard pass that found its way to Devery Henderson for a touchdown completion that became known as the "Bluegrass Miracle."

It won an ESPY award for best play of the year.

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My old roommate had that Advocate Print hanging on our wall.

Sickening.

It was pretty cool all of the quotes on how they had practiced it...including the tip.

Outstanding! Way to go coach.

What I don't get is why the players, and writer, think the scenarios:

"4 minutes left and the Defense needs to get the ball back"

or

"2 minutes left, no time outs, and you need to move the ball 70 yards for a score"

are so far out there. Come on, these things happen all the time!

red55 said:

At LSU, Nick did the same thing. Every Friday they ran a play called "Dash 93 Right Berlin", basically a desperation Hail Mary pass.

They never called it in a game until 2002 on the last play, down by 3 at Kentucky, with 2 seconds on the clock and Marcus Randall heaved a 76-yard pass that found its way to Devery Henderson for a touchdown completion that became known as the "Bluegrass Miracle."

It won an ESPY award for best play of the year.

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I'll never forget that play and the look on the KY fan's faces as they rushed on the field to celebrate only to realize they had lost the game. That was one for the ages!

TiderinMiss said:

I'll tell you this: Last Saturday's winning TD drive was about the best two-minute drill that I've seen at Alabama in some time.

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Since Shula to Bell!:BigA:

Two interesting quotes......(lots of undertone regarding previous staff??):

article said:

"(Saban) is the most detailed person I've ever been around," said backup kicker Andrew Friedman, who participates in several special teams-specific scenarios. "I'd say, definitely, it was more (preparation) this year than last year."

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article said:

"We never question what he does, because he's an experienced coach and he's been through it all," running back Terry Grant said.

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red55 said:

At LSU, Nick did the same thing. Every Friday they ran a play called "Dash 93 Right Berlin", basically a desperation Hail Mary pass.

They never called it in a game until 2002 on the last play, down by 3 at Kentucky, with 2 seconds on the clock and Marcus Randall heaved a 76-yard pass that found its way to Devery Henderson for a touchdown completion that became known as the "Bluegrass Miracle."

Click to expand...

Ironically, Coach Saban got burned in a similar way a few years later vs. Iowa in the Capital One Bowl.

Video Link

Hopefully the football fates only permit that to happen to a coach once in his career.

BamaMoon said:

Since Shula to Bell!:BigA:

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Was gonna say the same thing!

P. C. Pachyderm said:

Ironically, Coach Saban got burned in a similar way a few years later vs. Iowa in the Capital One Bowl.

Video Link

Hopefully the football fates only permit that to happen to a coach once in his career.

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Can't blame Nick for that one. The LSU safety got himself out of position by biting on a fake short route by a running back, but there were also two uncalled penalties on that play--holding and blocking in the back . . . and the ref was right there.