Alabama QB competition article

I'm pretty sure that Hurts will start the first series vs Louisville if for no other reason than he's been the starter for 2 years, and Saban seems to overlook his faults, though I have no clue why. Otherwise, Saban would not still be maintaining there is anything close to a competition, unless he's just stringing the guy along to keep him from transferring.

I think there will be pre determined series for each going into the first game and perhaps the 2nd game, but there will be a clear #1 by the 3rd game, and I think that will be Tua Tagovailoa. I think he's already proven he's the best and I'd be getting Mac Jones snaps with the 2nd team, but so far Saban hasn't called me for my opinion. Darn it.

I truly hope you are wrong about this. If one or the other is to be the starter, I would prefer them to get as many 1st team reps as possible.
 
I'm pretty sure that Hurts will start the first series vs Louisville if for no other reason than he's been the starter for 2 years, and Saban seems to overlook his faults, though I have no clue why. Otherwise, Saban would not still be maintaining there is anything close to a competition, unless he's just stringing the guy along to keep him from transferring.

I think there will be pre determined series for each going into the first game and perhaps the 2nd game, but there will be a clear #1 by the 3rd game, and I think that will be Tua Tagovailoa. I think he's already proven he's the best and I'd be getting Mac Jones snaps with the 2nd team, but so far Saban hasn't called me for my opinion. Darn it.
I really hope you are wrong, but I could see this happening.

I would hope that Tua starts, and Jalen gets a FEW situational reps as a change of pace QB, not a rotation of any kind.
 
I truly hope you are wrong about this. If one or the other is to be the starter, I would prefer them to get as many 1st team reps as possible.

Oh, I hope I'm wrong too. I just think it may happen that way, but I hope Tua blows this "competition" so far away in fall camp that it never happens.
 
Talk about blowing up - what if Hurts starts against Louisville and throws two bombs for TDs in the first two series, LOL...

Alabama will score 40-50 point in that game if Mac Jones starts. That will be the case all the way up to the aTm game, at least.

No QB on your roster will look less than very good in that game. That is why you really need to start Tua.
 
I'm pretty sure that Hurts will start the first series vs Louisville if for no other reason than he's been the starter for 2 years, and Saban seems to overlook his faults, though I have no clue why. Otherwise, Saban would not still be maintaining there is anything close to a competition, unless he's just stringing the guy along to keep him from transferring.

I think there will be pre determined series for each going into the first game and perhaps the 2nd game, but there will be a clear #1 by the 3rd game, and I think that will be Tua Tagovailoa. I think he's already proven he's the best and I'd be getting Mac Jones snaps with the 2nd team, but so far Saban hasn't called me for my opinion. Darn it.

Comments from several people I have watched and read and with my own eye test Jalen appeared to be a bigger, stronger more mature edition of himself during his second throwing session at the Elite 11 camp. No doubt he would be highly sought after with his strength and athleticism.

It appears to me that Alabama is blessed with two excellent QB's and outstanding young men. Tua may turn out to be a very unique talent if he can stay healthy. We are going to have to wait and see how this turns out and how CNS manages the process.
 
Comments from several people I have watched and read and with my own eye test Jalen appeared to be a bigger, stronger more mature edition of himself during his second throwing session at the Elite 11 camp. No doubt he would be highly sought after with his strength and athleticism.

It appears to me that Alabama is blessed with two excellent QB's and outstanding young men. Tua may turn out to be a very unique talent if he can stay healthy. We are going to have to wait and see how this turns out and how CNS manages the process.

But that's pretty much what we heard at this time last year. A new and improved Jalen Hurts. He did play pretty good against the also rans and Sister Marys of the Poor, but when it came crunch time vs good defenses, he still struggled. Problem this time is that if Saban goes again with Hurts, Tua won't sit on the bench and watch it happen. He'll be gone, and so will his brother.

For the record, I don't think that'll happen. I think that if Tua doesn't blow this "competition" away in the fall camp, he will by the 3rd game, and Jalen will be relegated to backup or he'll transfer. Frankly, I'm not like the Alabama fans that will sweat him going. I think it would be better for the team if he left before fall camp, though I don't expect that to happen.
 
Seems to me Tua must start against Louisville. He just won us a NC so if that doesn't earn him a start in the very next game then what does? If I'd be Tua and wouldn't start after the contribution to the team I just made I'd be upset. I think CNS must make him the starter until Tua shows a reason why he shouldn't be.
 
Seems to me Tua must start against Louisville. He just won us a NC so if that doesn't earn him a start in the very next game then what does? If I'd be Tua and wouldn't start after the contribution to the team I just made I'd be upset. I think CNS must make him the starter until Tua shows a reason why he shouldn't be.

New year. Tua is going to have to earn it in camp and I think he will.
 
Alabama will score 40-50 point in that game if Mac Jones starts. That will be the case all the way up to the aTm game, at least.

No QB on your roster will look less than very good in that game. That is why you really need to start Tua.

Agreed. I'm not convinced that Hurts isn't the 3rd best QB on the roster right now - I'm simply talking about the server meltdown that would happen...
 
The issue will be decided on how each performs against the 1s, going full speed, with no limitations on blitzes, stunts, or disguised coverages.

Jalen will beat 120 of 135+/- FBS teams easily. He will beat 125 of them, though not necessarily easily. He will probably beat 130 of them. It's the top 5 to 7 he will struggle against. Especially those with elite defenses.


With Jalen starting, and barring a 2017 rash of injuries, we are virtually guaranteed to have an 11-3 / 12-2 record. A lot of those wins will be ones that we'd get with a fellow member of the OFC taking snaps. And one of the losses will be one that really matters.

Jalen's been diagnosed. Every single team we play knows what they need to do. Their problem is that he's so athletic that they can't actually do it, even knowing what's coming. 90-95% of college teams would lose even if we told them the play. We win anyway.

The difference between a ring vs. woulda-coulda-shoulda is as thin as onionskin. And with Jalen taking snaps, we do telegraph heavy tendencies in the coming play. Teams in the SECCG and the playoff take advantage of that, whereas other teams know what they need to do, but just don't have the horses.

Jalen gives us the best chance to be in the conversation in November. Tua gives us the best chance to actually win some hardware that matters.
 
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The best player should start. End of story. It doesn’t matter if you are talking about QB or any other position. From everything that I have read and heard, I tend to believe that CNS would agree. Otherwise, what message does it send to recruits. If you come to Alabama, work hard, do everything the coaches ask, and prove you are the best player you may not start. Why? The reasoning given by some is that CNS will start someone simply because he likes a guy or because Alabama adheres to a seniority system where a person will start simply because he has started previously. I believe Coach will start the 22 players that gives the team the best chance to win.
 
Comments from several people I have watched and read and with my own eye test Jalen appeared to be a bigger, stronger more mature edition of himself during his second throwing session at the Elite 11 camp. No doubt he would be highly sought after with his strength and athleticism.

It appears to me that Alabama is blessed with two excellent QB's and outstanding young men. Tua may turn out to be a very unique talent if he can stay healthy. We are going to have to wait and see how this turns out and how CNS manages the process.

Keep reading. Almost everybody says that Jalen wasn't nearly as sharp and on point in the throwing drills as Tua. Against air. Yes, Jalen looks the part in shorts and a t-shirt at times but we have a 2 year sample size of how he performs on the football field. It's going to take more than some "buzz" at a glorified passing session before I believe he can do it consistently in an actual game..
 
Keep reading. Almost everybody says that Jalen wasn't nearly as sharp and on point in the throwing drills as Tua. Against air. Yes, Jalen looks the part in shorts and a t-shirt at times but we have a 2 year sample size of how he performs on the football field. It's going to take more than some "buzz" at a glorified passing session before I believe he can do it consistently in an actual game..
After the Manning Camp last year, we should all take this approach.
 
Physically, Hurts has the tools. He might not have Tua's release, but he can get the ball where it needs to go. That never really was the issue with him. To me the main obstacle at this point is mental. We saw some development in the offseason last year, some of that carried over into the season (where he did look like a more polished passer early) but he ran into a wall where if anything he had a setback rather than improved. I think there are a few issues that were working against him, I think some things got in his head, but he needs to improve the mental aspects of his game. That isn't to say he becomes a high NFL draft pick or something if he does that, but if he can get over the mental obstacles, then he could focus on fine tuning his game.
 
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