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The Tuscaloosa News
How Kalen DeBoer, Alabama football plan to face off week before SEC opener vs Georgia
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- How Kalen DeBoer, Alabama football plan to face off week before SEC opener vs Georgia
Kalen DeBoer has a plan for Alabama football's off week.
It's the same plan he has for the Crimson Tide during a normal game week: to put his players in the best spot to succeed, to help them gain confidence through preparation and to encourage belief in the process.
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With that plan in place, the first thing DeBoer encouraged his Alabama players to do was to relax, to decompress.
"Seven weeks now these guys have been going," DeBoer said. "I know it's only three games in the season, but they have been going for seven weeks as of tomorrow when it comes to practices. This little time here where they can take care of some school, kind of get caught up or make sure they are on pace and working ahead even in those areas that are away from football, and knock that out so they can do what they love and not have any distractions."
Sep 7, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer walks along the sideline during the first quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William McLelland-Imagn Images
DeBoer said the Crimson Tide will be back on the practice field Thursday and Friday with a return to the normal practice schedule Sunday ahead of the Georgia game Sept. 28. He also said the team will "do some things" Wednesday.
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"These guys need a physical break as well," DeBoer said. "I think we're in an OK spot when it comes to health, but we can always be better and that's what a bye week gives you."
Linebacker Qua Russaw (leg), safety Malachi Moore (head), wide receiver Cole Adams (arm) and running back Richard Young (leg) are all recovering from injuries suffered in the first three games of the 2024 season.
What Kane Wommack wants from Alabama football defense during off week
For Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack , the Crimson Tide's off week is "critical."
"We still have a number of young players," Wommack said. "We're still very early in the season. There's a lot of things fundamentally that we have to get better at. There's things, from a schematic standpoint, that we've got to become more consistent on some of our blitz techniques and blitz patterns."
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For his 19th-ranked total defense, Wommack said he expects the players to "be mindful" of what happened through wins against Western Kentucky , South Florida and Wisconsin through the off week and into preparation for Georgia.
"We've got to do a great job of being mindful of the things that we did not do well enough, as older players, as younger players, and then be very focused throughout this bye week and then each week, make sure we continue to remind our players and show them the things that have hurt us so that they don't hurt us again," Wommack said.
DeBoer said the coaching staff will have different responsibilities through the off week, from planning ahead schematically for future opponents to recruiting.
But for Monday and Tuesday, DeBoer said he wants Alabama football to take a breath before SEC play.
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"Just trying to give them a little bit of a mental break here for a second," DeBoer said. "It's only a couple of days, but let them be students here for a couple of days, as well. Not just the athletic part."
Colin Gay covers Alabama football for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at cgay@gannett.com or follow him @_ColinGay on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kalen DeBoer, Alabama football off week plans before Georgia
