Scrimmages take the Xs and Os from the meeting rooms and chalk talks and put them on the field, in three dimensions, and let them sort through the chaos. Scrimmages give Saban and his coaching staff much-needed videotape of how his players react in game situations without coaches on the field. The staff will use that video later as a teaching tool. But during the scrimmage, experience becomes the best teacher. He's got to make the decisions, the judgments and the reactions on his own.
Some guys can do that.
The more experienced players probably play a lot better, and some of the less experienced players probably go out there and make more mistakes than they usually do. That's because, as Saban said, in regular practices, coaches are constantly working with the less experienced players, teaching them, correcting them, moving them around the field like so many pawns in a chess tutorial. Let the players play. Let's see who's got the responsibility and the maturity to go out there and be a good player on their own. Most of the veterans handled their roles fine Saturday.