There!is!no!shortage!of!chatter!in!advance!of!the!2016!College!Football!Playoff!National!Championship,!a!hotly!anticipated!contest!between!the!No.!1!Clemson!Tigers,!looking!to!complete!an!undefeated!season,!and!the!No.!2!Alabama!Crimson!Tide,!a!perennial!football!powerhouse!under!head!coach!Nick!Saban.
Take!lemson!cornerback!Mackensie!Alexander.!Never!one!to!mince!words,!Alexander!has!talked!up!a!big!game!in!advance!of!Monday's!championship!tilt.!For!starters,!he's!hardly!convinced!Alabama!should!be!favored!over!his!undefeated!squad.
We!are!14-0,!and!we!were!underdogs!last!week,!it's!all!a!brand!thing,"!Alexander!said,!per!AL.com's!John!Talty.!Everyone!cares!about!the!brand,!the!Alabama!brand.!I!understand!it's!a!lot!of!fans,!and!they've!done!it!for!a!long!time,!but!this!is!a!new!year,!and!it's!our!time."
Alexander's!also!more!than!ready!to!take!on!Alabama's!top!wide!receiver,!Calvin!Ridley,!per!ESPN.com's!Sam!Khan!Jr.:!"Listen,!I!don't!stroke!nobody's!ego.!I!go!out!there!and!handle!my!business.!I!feel!like!I'm!the!best!and!biggest!man!in!the!country,!and!I!go!out!there!and!do!it.!I'm!done!talking!about!this.!We!do!what!we!do.!We!face!great!players.!They!have!great!players.!We!faced!great!players!all!year."
Ridley,!a!freshman,!is!far!and!away!the!Crimson!Tide's!biggest!receiving!threat,!with!1,031!yards!and!seven!touchdowns!on!the!season.!Alabama!is!a!power-running!team!predicated!on!Derrick!Henry!slowly!eroding!a!defense!while!quarterback!Jake!Coker!takes!advantage!of!an!over-committed!and!tired!opposition.!This!is!why!neutralizing!Ridley!is!one!of!the!keys!to!the!game!for!Clemson,!per!Newsday's!Greg!Logan:!
Ridley!has!drawn!comparisons!to!former!Alabama!star!Amari!Cooper,!who!was!a!first-round!pick!by!Oakland!in!last!spring’s!NFL!Draft.!But!Alexander,!a!redshirt!sophomore!with!first-round!talent!who!is!eligible!for!this!year’s!draft,!didn’t!hesitate!to!compare!himself!to!Jets!cornerback!Darrelle!Revis!when!it!comes!to!shutdown!ability.!And!he!meant!Revis!in!his!prime!when!the!top!wide!receivers!in!the!game!disappeared!on!“Revis!Island.”
Although!Clemson!defensive!coordinator!Brent!Venables!said!Alexander!won’t!necessarily!“shadow”!Ridley!the!whole!game,!the!Tigers’!defense!is!predicated!on!being!able!to!leave!their!corners!in!single!coverage!so!they!can!commit!more!numbers!to!the!line!of!scrimmage.
Ensuring!Alabama!has!the!right!blend!of!pass!and!run!against!Clemson's!stellar!defense!falls!upon!offensive!coordinator!Lane!Kiffin,!who!has!worked!wonders!under!Saban!the!past!couple!of!years.!Arizona!Cardinals!quarterback!Matt!Barkley,!who!played!at!USC!during!Kiffin's!tenure!as!head!coach,!says!his!former!coach!has!given!Alabama!an!added!dimension!with!his!play-calling!acumen.
I!think!he’s!really!given!them!a!spark!on!offense!with!all!the!play!action!and!the!schemes!that!he’s!brought,”!Barkley!said,!per!Duane!Rankin!of!the!Montgomery!Advertiser.!“I!think!he’s!done!a!good!job!utilizing!the!athletes!that!Alabama!has!and!made!the!most!of!it.”
A!big!part!of!the!Tigers!thwarting!a!Kiffin-devised!offense!depends!on!the!health!of!defensive!end!Shaq!Lawson,!one!of!the!best!players!in!college!football.!Lawson!suffered!a!knee!injury!in!Clemson's!national!semifinal!win!over!Oklahoma,!but!he's!optimistic!he!will!suit!up!on!Monday.!
I!have!been!doing!pretty!much!everything!I!can!to!get!strength!back!in!my!knee,"!Lawson!said!at!the!team!media!day,!per!Gary!Klein!of!the!Los!Angeles!Times.!I!have!been!having!a!busy!week!with!treatment.!I!am!in!the!training!room!probably!about!two!hours!a!day!and!getting!two!treatments!per!day."
The!challenges!for!Clemson!in!this!game!extend!far!beyond!containing!Alabama's!offense.!Heisman!Trophy!finalist!Deshaun!Watson!is!going!to!need!a!big!game!both!on!the!ground!and!through!the!air!if!Clemson!is!to!win!this!game.!Alabama's!defense!is!nasty,!to!put!it!mildly.
They!want!to!go!live,!they!want!to!hit!people.!You!got!to!almost!hold!them!back;!you!don’t!want!them!to!injure!a!scout!team!player!or!injure!themselves.!But!they’re!not!worried!about!that,”!defensive!coordinator!Kirby!Smart!said,!per!Steve!Hummer!of!the!Atlanta!Journal-Constitution.
In!order!to!live!up!to!his!eye-popping!potential,!he'll!need!a!strong!performance!from!his!offensive!line.
Alabama!features!a!menacing!front!seven!replete!with!NFL-caliber!players!like!linebacker!Reggie!Ragland!and!defensive!tackle!A'Shawn!Robinson.!It!makes!sense!that!Clemson!guard!Eric!Mac!Lain!is!using!the!reputation!of!his!opponents!to!fire!up!his!teammates!on!the!offensive!line.
I!try!to!express!that!to!the!offensive!line,"!Mac!Lain!said,!per!AL.com's!Matt!Zenitz.!If!they!have!any!aspirations!of!playing!in!the!NFL,!you!have!to!do!good!against!NFL!prospects.!I!think!we!all!realize!that,!and!excited!for!the!challenge."
Mac!Lain's!strategy!for!pumping!up!his!teammates!puts!things!in!a!long-term!perspective,!a!reminder!of!the!riches!still!unattainable!for!these!talented!athletes.!That!may!sound!overly!serious!and!business-like,!but!it's!nothing!more!than!a!little!perspective.
Clemson!head!coach!Dabo!Swinney!has!no!problems!with!his!team!forsaking!dour!demeanors!and!having!a!little!bit!of!fun.!He!insisted!his!team!show!joy!in!the!buildup!to!the!national!championship,!per!Yahoo!Sports'!Pat!Forde:!
Well,!is!that!against!the!rules?!That!question!right!there!is!what's!wrong!with!society.!I!mean,!it's!like!a!big!deal!if!somebody!enjoys!what!they!do.!Like!we're!supposed!to!be!miserable!going!through!this.!I!don't!understand!that.!I!mean,!there's!no!rule!that!says!you!can't!have!fun.
Saban!isn't!exactly!known!for!sporting!a!fun-loving!demeanor,!but!he!has!his!own!motivational!tactics!that!at!this!point!shouldn't!really!be!disputed.!Per!Chuck!Culpepper!of!the!Washington!Post,!Saban!spoke!of!truly!appreciating!what!his!team!has!accomplished!up!to!this!point:!
Let!me!try!to!put!it!this!way.!You!know,!at!the!banquet!this!year,!I!gave!a!speech!about!"thank!you."!But!there’s!a!second!part!to!"thank!you"!that!no!one!ever!thinks!about,!that!when!I!was!a!kid,!I!was!thanking!my!coach!and!my!teams!for!whatever,!and!my!dad!was!picking!me!up!after!practice,!and!he!said,!"You!thanked!your!coach.!That!was!really!nice.!But!there’s!an!IOU!that!goes!with!every!'thank!you,'!which!is,!you!owe!them!your!best."![With!this!team,]!I!thanked!them!for!all!their!hard!work,!their!togetherness,!their!competitive!spirit,!all!that!they!were!able!to!accomplish!in!winning!the!SEC!championship.
Building!up!a!sense!of!appreciation,!trust!and!togetherness!is!key!when!the!whole!world!is!waiting!for!you!to!perform.!It!can!be!especially!helpful!for!players!in!unfamiliar!environments.!For!at!least!one!Alabama!player,!Arizona!has!proven!to!be!an!alien!backdrop!for!what!is!potentially!the!most!important!game!he'll!ever!participate!in.
It's!a!little!bit!different!from!where!I'm!from,!Alabama!cornerback!Minkah!Fitzpatrick!said,!per!Talty.!"I've!never!seen!a!cactus!on!the!side!of!the!road.!I!had!never!seen!huge!mountains!before,!either.!It's!pretty!cool."
It's!not!just!the!scenery.!Everything!about!the!game!will!be!different!for!the!vast!majority!of!these!players.!It's!a!different!atmosphere,!a!different!level!of!scrutiny.!There!is!one!game,!a!mere!60!minutes,!for!these!players!to!make!their!mark!in!college!football!history.
The!CFP!is!still!a!nascent!adventure.!History!is!to!be!made!in!Glendale,!Arizona.!A!win!at!this!early!stage!of!the!CFP—a!system!that!seems!quite!likely!to!stick!and!would!probably!benefit!from!expansion—would!be!the!achievement!of!a!lifetime.!Of!course!it's!going!to!be!different.
Take!lemson!cornerback!Mackensie!Alexander.!Never!one!to!mince!words,!Alexander!has!talked!up!a!big!game!in!advance!of!Monday's!championship!tilt.!For!starters,!he's!hardly!convinced!Alabama!should!be!favored!over!his!undefeated!squad.
We!are!14-0,!and!we!were!underdogs!last!week,!it's!all!a!brand!thing,"!Alexander!said,!per!AL.com's!John!Talty.!Everyone!cares!about!the!brand,!the!Alabama!brand.!I!understand!it's!a!lot!of!fans,!and!they've!done!it!for!a!long!time,!but!this!is!a!new!year,!and!it's!our!time."
Alexander's!also!more!than!ready!to!take!on!Alabama's!top!wide!receiver,!Calvin!Ridley,!per!ESPN.com's!Sam!Khan!Jr.:!"Listen,!I!don't!stroke!nobody's!ego.!I!go!out!there!and!handle!my!business.!I!feel!like!I'm!the!best!and!biggest!man!in!the!country,!and!I!go!out!there!and!do!it.!I'm!done!talking!about!this.!We!do!what!we!do.!We!face!great!players.!They!have!great!players.!We!faced!great!players!all!year."
Ridley,!a!freshman,!is!far!and!away!the!Crimson!Tide's!biggest!receiving!threat,!with!1,031!yards!and!seven!touchdowns!on!the!season.!Alabama!is!a!power-running!team!predicated!on!Derrick!Henry!slowly!eroding!a!defense!while!quarterback!Jake!Coker!takes!advantage!of!an!over-committed!and!tired!opposition.!This!is!why!neutralizing!Ridley!is!one!of!the!keys!to!the!game!for!Clemson,!per!Newsday's!Greg!Logan:!
Ridley!has!drawn!comparisons!to!former!Alabama!star!Amari!Cooper,!who!was!a!first-round!pick!by!Oakland!in!last!spring’s!NFL!Draft.!But!Alexander,!a!redshirt!sophomore!with!first-round!talent!who!is!eligible!for!this!year’s!draft,!didn’t!hesitate!to!compare!himself!to!Jets!cornerback!Darrelle!Revis!when!it!comes!to!shutdown!ability.!And!he!meant!Revis!in!his!prime!when!the!top!wide!receivers!in!the!game!disappeared!on!“Revis!Island.”
Although!Clemson!defensive!coordinator!Brent!Venables!said!Alexander!won’t!necessarily!“shadow”!Ridley!the!whole!game,!the!Tigers’!defense!is!predicated!on!being!able!to!leave!their!corners!in!single!coverage!so!they!can!commit!more!numbers!to!the!line!of!scrimmage.
Ensuring!Alabama!has!the!right!blend!of!pass!and!run!against!Clemson's!stellar!defense!falls!upon!offensive!coordinator!Lane!Kiffin,!who!has!worked!wonders!under!Saban!the!past!couple!of!years.!Arizona!Cardinals!quarterback!Matt!Barkley,!who!played!at!USC!during!Kiffin's!tenure!as!head!coach,!says!his!former!coach!has!given!Alabama!an!added!dimension!with!his!play-calling!acumen.
I!think!he’s!really!given!them!a!spark!on!offense!with!all!the!play!action!and!the!schemes!that!he’s!brought,”!Barkley!said,!per!Duane!Rankin!of!the!Montgomery!Advertiser.!“I!think!he’s!done!a!good!job!utilizing!the!athletes!that!Alabama!has!and!made!the!most!of!it.”
A!big!part!of!the!Tigers!thwarting!a!Kiffin-devised!offense!depends!on!the!health!of!defensive!end!Shaq!Lawson,!one!of!the!best!players!in!college!football.!Lawson!suffered!a!knee!injury!in!Clemson's!national!semifinal!win!over!Oklahoma,!but!he's!optimistic!he!will!suit!up!on!Monday.!
I!have!been!doing!pretty!much!everything!I!can!to!get!strength!back!in!my!knee,"!Lawson!said!at!the!team!media!day,!per!Gary!Klein!of!the!Los!Angeles!Times.!I!have!been!having!a!busy!week!with!treatment.!I!am!in!the!training!room!probably!about!two!hours!a!day!and!getting!two!treatments!per!day."
The!challenges!for!Clemson!in!this!game!extend!far!beyond!containing!Alabama's!offense.!Heisman!Trophy!finalist!Deshaun!Watson!is!going!to!need!a!big!game!both!on!the!ground!and!through!the!air!if!Clemson!is!to!win!this!game.!Alabama's!defense!is!nasty,!to!put!it!mildly.
They!want!to!go!live,!they!want!to!hit!people.!You!got!to!almost!hold!them!back;!you!don’t!want!them!to!injure!a!scout!team!player!or!injure!themselves.!But!they’re!not!worried!about!that,”!defensive!coordinator!Kirby!Smart!said,!per!Steve!Hummer!of!the!Atlanta!Journal-Constitution.
In!order!to!live!up!to!his!eye-popping!potential,!he'll!need!a!strong!performance!from!his!offensive!line.
Alabama!features!a!menacing!front!seven!replete!with!NFL-caliber!players!like!linebacker!Reggie!Ragland!and!defensive!tackle!A'Shawn!Robinson.!It!makes!sense!that!Clemson!guard!Eric!Mac!Lain!is!using!the!reputation!of!his!opponents!to!fire!up!his!teammates!on!the!offensive!line.
I!try!to!express!that!to!the!offensive!line,"!Mac!Lain!said,!per!AL.com's!Matt!Zenitz.!If!they!have!any!aspirations!of!playing!in!the!NFL,!you!have!to!do!good!against!NFL!prospects.!I!think!we!all!realize!that,!and!excited!for!the!challenge."
Mac!Lain's!strategy!for!pumping!up!his!teammates!puts!things!in!a!long-term!perspective,!a!reminder!of!the!riches!still!unattainable!for!these!talented!athletes.!That!may!sound!overly!serious!and!business-like,!but!it's!nothing!more!than!a!little!perspective.
Clemson!head!coach!Dabo!Swinney!has!no!problems!with!his!team!forsaking!dour!demeanors!and!having!a!little!bit!of!fun.!He!insisted!his!team!show!joy!in!the!buildup!to!the!national!championship,!per!Yahoo!Sports'!Pat!Forde:!
Well,!is!that!against!the!rules?!That!question!right!there!is!what's!wrong!with!society.!I!mean,!it's!like!a!big!deal!if!somebody!enjoys!what!they!do.!Like!we're!supposed!to!be!miserable!going!through!this.!I!don't!understand!that.!I!mean,!there's!no!rule!that!says!you!can't!have!fun.
Saban!isn't!exactly!known!for!sporting!a!fun-loving!demeanor,!but!he!has!his!own!motivational!tactics!that!at!this!point!shouldn't!really!be!disputed.!Per!Chuck!Culpepper!of!the!Washington!Post,!Saban!spoke!of!truly!appreciating!what!his!team!has!accomplished!up!to!this!point:!
Let!me!try!to!put!it!this!way.!You!know,!at!the!banquet!this!year,!I!gave!a!speech!about!"thank!you."!But!there’s!a!second!part!to!"thank!you"!that!no!one!ever!thinks!about,!that!when!I!was!a!kid,!I!was!thanking!my!coach!and!my!teams!for!whatever,!and!my!dad!was!picking!me!up!after!practice,!and!he!said,!"You!thanked!your!coach.!That!was!really!nice.!But!there’s!an!IOU!that!goes!with!every!'thank!you,'!which!is,!you!owe!them!your!best."![With!this!team,]!I!thanked!them!for!all!their!hard!work,!their!togetherness,!their!competitive!spirit,!all!that!they!were!able!to!accomplish!in!winning!the!SEC!championship.
Building!up!a!sense!of!appreciation,!trust!and!togetherness!is!key!when!the!whole!world!is!waiting!for!you!to!perform.!It!can!be!especially!helpful!for!players!in!unfamiliar!environments.!For!at!least!one!Alabama!player,!Arizona!has!proven!to!be!an!alien!backdrop!for!what!is!potentially!the!most!important!game!he'll!ever!participate!in.
It's!a!little!bit!different!from!where!I'm!from,!Alabama!cornerback!Minkah!Fitzpatrick!said,!per!Talty.!"I've!never!seen!a!cactus!on!the!side!of!the!road.!I!had!never!seen!huge!mountains!before,!either.!It's!pretty!cool."
It's!not!just!the!scenery.!Everything!about!the!game!will!be!different!for!the!vast!majority!of!these!players.!It's!a!different!atmosphere,!a!different!level!of!scrutiny.!There!is!one!game,!a!mere!60!minutes,!for!these!players!to!make!their!mark!in!college!football!history.
The!CFP!is!still!a!nascent!adventure.!History!is!to!be!made!in!Glendale,!Arizona.!A!win!at!this!early!stage!of!the!CFP—a!system!that!seems!quite!likely!to!stick!and!would!probably!benefit!from!expansion—would!be!the!achievement!of!a!lifetime.!Of!course!it's!going!to!be!different.
