As Alabama opened spring practice Thursday, coach Nick Saban resumed the search.

The search?

Remember the scavenger hunt Saturday after Saturday for consistency? Of building on the good instead of finding the bad?

Well, it's still ongoing for Saban and the Crimson Tide.

"The No.1 thing is to try and develop a higher standard of consistency and performance so that our players have a better chance to be successful on a more consistent basis," Saban said.

That inconsistency is what led to a 7-6 record lowlighted by a four-game losing streak after the Tide opened the season 6-2.

That's how Alabama went from the brink of upsetting eventual national champ Louisiana State to losing three weeks later on the same field to Louisiana-Monroe.

"If you just look at the consistency we played with a year ago relative to the number of complete games we felt we played - whether we won or lost them - we want everybody to be able to sustain at a higher level," Saban said.

The search can be done in different ways and viewed through different perspectives.

In winter workouts, new offensive coordinator Jim McElwain is giving his own unique outlook to Saban's search.

"Just got to put it out your mind, no matter who it is," center Antoine Caldwell said of McElwain's approach to living for the next play.

"If you've given up a big sack, if somebody fumbled the ball, whatever that next play is, everybody needs to focus in on doing their job on that specific play."

Freshmen Chris Jackson and Corey Smith - who enrolled in January - went through their first collegiate practice Thursday.

"The first day is always exciting," said junior offensive tackle Andre Smith. "Overall the intensity was really high today."

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