Alabama will hit the midpoint of fall camp on Saturday when the team heads inside Bryant-Denny Stadium for its second scrimmage.

Head coach Nick Saban met with the media after Thursday's practice and spent some time talking about what this week means to the development of his players.

"I think this is a really important week for our team. This week is really, really a grind, but that grind creates a tremendous amount of opportunities for players to sort of push through, improve when they're tired, improve when they don't feel good. Finish plays when they might not feel like it."

The players will have a chance to make an impression this weekend during the second of three scrimmages.

"This scrimmage this week, I think the biggest difference is we'll try to make it a little more game-like for a significant amount of time with substitutions, special teams. Try to get the flow of the game so players get that."

Those game situations will allow the coaching staff to see who reacts well and understands their assignments, which will ultimately determine who sees the field this year.

"We've got a lot of young guys, especially on defense. We've got to see who's got the maturity to go out there and execute when nobody is telling them what to do."

Here are the other things Saban addressed during the press conference:

  • Najee Harris has a minor foot injury and wearing a cast for about a week. It's not a long-term issue.
  • The competition in the kicking game and how the players have performed in camp so far.
  • How much input he had in the new renovation plans for Bryant-Denny Stadium.
  • He spoke highly of the return game and what Jeff Banks has done for special teams.
  • There's still a lot of work to do in the secondary.
  • Creating some diversity along the offensive line by allowing players to learn multiple positions.
  • What he's looking for from the quarterbacks to help make a decision on who should start.

You can watch the full press conference in the video at the top of the page.

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