"Sitting in the stands at Ladd Peebles Stadium here Tuesday afternoon, A.J. Smith was turned and had his binoculars trained on the one-on-one drills going on between linemen.

"Oh yeah?" he said when asked later about his clear intentions. "You think I was looking for pass rushers?"

He was laughing.

But that smile paled in comparison with how his face alighted when asked point blank a while later what he thought of Alabama defensive end/outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw.

"He's a good player," Smith said."