Alabama coach Nick Saban addressed the media Wednesday as his team continues preparations for its national championship rematch against Clemson. See the live stream above.

Here is a summary of what he said:

-- Saban says the first two practices this week have been pretty good. Saban added that Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is arguably the best college football player in the country.

-- Asked about Jonathan Allen's "violent hands," Saban says that the defensive end can use leverage and said he uses his hands as well as anybody.

-- Saban says that it's critical to stop Clemson on third downs because that's when the Tigers can run tempo effectively.

-- Saban said that practice has been positive with Steve Sarkisian as offensive coordinator.

-- Saban said Jalen Hurts was pretty frustrated with his performance after the victory over Washington and that the coaching staff is preparing the game plan to give the freshman quarterback a better chance to be in a "comfort zone."

-- Asked about O.J. Howard, Saban said the tight end has done "everything we've asked him to do." Saban explained he doesn't evaluate Howard's performance based on the number of catches he makes.

-- Saban says he doesn't have any fail-safe mechanisms and that Steve Sarkisian knows the offense and the terminology.

-- Saban said new enrollees, including Alex Leatherwood, Kyriq McDonald and linebacker Isaiah Buggs, have practiced.

-- Asked about a survey in which players reportedly said they were "beat up" at the end of the season, Saban said the Tide has tried to make adjustments and scale back the physicality of practices. "We don't want to beat them up," Saban said.

-- Asked to reflect on 10 years at Alabama, Saban said "it's not the time" to think about what he's accomplished. "It's hard to think about that stuff," he said.