The Nick Saban news conference after a Wednesday practice is famously a barometer for the fan base’s confidence entering a given weekend.

If he’s loose, bad news for the other guys. Wound up and maybe there’s an issue for concern.

As Alabama readies for the 6 p.m. CT trip to LSU this Saturday, Saban stepped to the podium with a message and it’s about maintaining intensity. An important tea leaf for the public is practice performance and Saban reassured they’ve looked good all three days since returning from the open weekend.

“But everybody is going to lose their intensity every now and then,” Saban said. “So really, when you get into situations, you’ve got to pound your chest or do whatever you’ve got to do to regain momentum and regain the mental focus you need to sustain and maintain intensity because that’s the only way you can sustain performance.”

The weather for Wednesday’s practice was warmer than usual for early November.

“And it’s a challenge for guys to maintain their intensity,” Saban said, “And it’s a choice everybody has to make. Nobody chooses to win and nobody chooses to lose but you do have the freedom to do what you want to do and how you want to do it.”

Saban said he didn’t see a group who was overly intense in a way that would create the anxiety that was a problem at Tennessee. It’s the age-old results versus process battle that Saban mentioned again Wednesday.

“Attaching yourself to doing the things you need to do to be a productive player is much more effective and even much more fun when you’re a competitor and you go out and play that way. When you say dominate your box, you do it one play at a time. That’s why it’s important to maintain the focus and intensity.”

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.