As mistake-free as AJ McCarron typically is on the football field, he's not prone to missteps with the media, either.
And given his close relationship with coach Nick Saban, he's about the last person on Earth who would say something that would complicate things for his coach. To whatever extent NFL clubs like quarterbacks that can give the right answer in front of a microphone, McCarron scores high in that category, as well.
The tireless, and at times baseless, speculation that Saban could replace Mack Brown as coach at Texas found its way into a question for McCarron on ESPN Thursday, and the response couldn't have been written better by a PR firm.
"I messed with Coach, (saying) he's getting too old to start up again somewhere else," McCarron said. "He told me he's not leaving. And I know Miss Terry (Saban's wife) well enough; she runs that house. And she's not allowing coach to leave either. I think he'll be at the University of Alabama for a little while."
McCarron, a third-year starter, will play his final career game against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. He has been projected as high as a first-round draft pick by NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks, and is making stops in Orlando and New York this week for the Home Depot College Football Awards show, and the Heisman Trophy ceremony, respectively. His poise on the football field is among the attributes that have appealed to NFL scouts most about McCarron.
But the poise doesn't stop there.
"Coach loves it there. I don't think coach is trying to go to another program and build it all back up. ... I think coach is happy where he's at," McCarron added.
No polish needed.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
