The Loop
Alabama defensive tackle almost smack talks Kyler Murray, immediately changes his mind
In many ways, Nick Saban runs Alabama's program a lot like Bill Belichick runs the New England Patriots. One of the biggest similarities is that rarely, if ever, will a member of the Patriots or Crimson Tide smack talk an opponent, thus giving them the cliched "bulletin board material." During the media availability for the College Football Playoff, Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams came oh so close to making this mistake, which would have earned him all of Saban's wrath for the week.
But, as if there was an angel on Williams shoulder begging, pleading with him to not take a shot at Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, Quinnen decided against it in one of the funniest exchanges you'll see between a player and a reporter. Watch as the 6-foot-4 lineman turtles back into his shell before he could say something stupid:
No one has ever changed their mind faster than Quinnen Williams did here. After smartly saying he hadn't ever faced a quarterback like Murray, which, let's be honest, he hasn't, he then began to say something along the lines of Murray not being as great as everyone thinks he is, we assume. It was almost as if Williams locked eyes with Saban from across the room before he could finish his answer:
It's too bad, especially for that poor reporter who nearly generated millions of clicks by producing the headline "ALABAMA DEFENSIVE LINEMAN HATES KYLER MURRAY AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY, ALSO SAYS MURRAY SUCKS AT BEING QUARTERBACK AND SHOULD HAVE THE HEISMAN TROPHY TAKEN AWAY," or something similar to that. This moment also highlights how great it would have been to see Baker Mayfield face the Tide last year, because he definitely would have said something dumb leading up to the game, then possibly backed it up on the field and then taunted an Alabama player. A real shame we never got that matchup, but hopefully Saturday's game lives up to the hype.