Alabama QB competition article

[shaggy]

For whatever reasons Jalen just doesn't see the field well. Trouble finding open receivers, reading progressions, accuracy, timing. He hasn't shown us that in two years. He's accomplished a lot and is a good leader, good student-athlete, and just an overall good person but we've all seen the struggle to throw the ball over the last two years. The blueprint to beat us is simple, take away the run and force Jalen to throw the ball. Elite defenses can do that.

Tua not only opens up the run game and forces teams to defend the whole field but he is an elite passer and it looks like he will be able to pick apart good pass defenses as well. He isn't that far behind Jalen as a scrambler. Our running backs should love Tua, they will feast and put up much bigger numbers since the box won't be loaded up against the run.

Our offense will be truly balanced and we'll be an extremely dangerous team. Looks like our D-line will be killer this year if we can stay healthy. Beat AU and the Dawgs again and we'll be in the CFP.

The future's looking good. Go back and listen Trent Dilfer's comments again. https://youtu.be/gMMnkLfEUHw

 

[davefrat]

I love Jalen...great kid, great teammate... but the competition is over.

If he and Jones were the only two in the mix he may be behind Jones at this point.

Tua as the starter is a complete no brainer.


I agree with those who say that Jalen looks like he knows it’s over too.

 

[UAH]

I love Jalen...great kid, great teammate... but the competition is over.

If he and Jones were the only two in the mix he may be behind Jones at this point.

Tua as the starter is a complete no brainer.


I agree with those who say that Jalen looks like he knows it’s over too.

My observations from yesterday were:

Jalen's demeanor did not look good from the start. We may be over reading this but he just did not look confident.

The defense was way ahead of the offensive line and he never had much of a chance to throw the ball without someone in his grill.

Some of the runs he made were exceptional. Under different circumstances we would be describing it as Deshaun Watson like.

He came out much more determined in the second half but still never could be described as crisp throwing the ball.

My gut feeling is that the final chapters of the Jalen-Tua saga aren't written yet and won't be until the SEC portion of the 2018 season is underway.

Obviously all bets are off if a decision on a transfer comes before then.

 

[Mystical]

He's had TWENTY-NINE games to figure it out.....that's Coker's entire career's worth of appearances at two schools

That's one more game than Archie Manning's ENTIRE career at Ole Miss (freshman didn't play).

He's Craig Morton on the Cowboys after Super Bowl V; Tua is Roger Staubach.

Coker had a redshirt year at FSU and even a year at Alabama to sit and learn. He came from a pro style offense to a pro style offense to a pro style offense. When Coker arrived we all thought we were getting a finished product coached up by Jimbo Fisher. I know you remember this but the expectation of our fanbase was for him to come here and start year one. I also know you remember how Blake Simms looked his first 3 years so much so we moved him to running back. I am sure you remember how Aaron Rodgers improved after his first year in the NFL. They hired Mike McCarthy and he put Rodgers in his QB school for 6 hours a day to work on his mechanics and pocket awareness. That redshirt year and intensive training lead to Rodgers being the best QB in the NFL. What does Alabama have now? A QB guru like McCarthy a great QB in Tua to learn behind and a year to sit. Tua will be gone after his Junior year. Jalen redshirt next year learn backup Tua their junior year. Take over the reigns his senior year and show off having been coached up. He has all the physical tools he just needs to develop the pocket awareness and anticipation. Those are skills learned at practice where you can make mistakes not in a game where ball security is a must.

 

[81usaf92]

Coker had a redshirt year at FSU and even a year at Alabama to sit and learn. He came from a pro style offense to a pro style offense to a pro style offense. When Coker arrived we all thought we were getting a finished product coached up by Jimbo Fisher. I know you remember this but the expectation of our fanbase was for him to come here and start year one. I also know you remember how Blake Simms looked his first 3 years so much so we moved him to running back. I am sure you remember how Aaron Rodgers improved after his first year in the NFL. They hired Mike McCarthy and he put Rodgers in his QB school for 6 hours a day to work on his mechanics and pocket awareness. That redshirt year and intensive training lead to Rodgers being the best QB in the NFL. What does Alabama have now? A QB guru like McCarthy a great QB in Tua to learn behind and a year to sit. Tua will be gone after his Junior year. Jalen redshirt next year learn backup Tua their junior year. Take over the reigns his senior year and show off having been coached up. He has all the physical tools he just needs to develop the pocket awareness and anticipation. Those are skills learned at practice where you can make mistakes not in a game where ball security is a must.

Blake Simms won the job because 1)he had been under CNS longer and 2) he was way less of risk than Coker in 2014. Tua and Mac will throw more Ints than Jalen, but they will also score way more points.

Simms and Jalen's situations are way different in that with Simms: The competitor has never started and is coming to campus in the fall, and Jalen: The competitor just won the national championship and has been here for an entire year. So Jalen's A day performance is a heck of a lot more pressing than Simms's in 2014

 

[NationalTitles18]

Jalen has hit the coffin corner of his ability and, thanks to Daddy Hurts' comments, getting out intact is going to be even more difficult. He has very little room to maneuver now without losing the team and fans or appearing obstinate and aloof. In fact, the team seems to have moved on and more and more fans seem willing to do the same. He has too much athletic talent to waste on being a backup , but he will not play QB in the NFL. Not a single play. Still, he can waste his time being a starter at QB at any number of college teams. That stubborn inability to accurately self evaluate won't get him drafted, assuming that is his goal.

If Jalen wants to stay and if he wants to play in the NFL he needs to tell Daddy to apologize and then close his mouth. He then needs to sit down with Coach Saban to discuss what position gives him the best opportunity at the next level and contribute to the team.

Life isn't fair and all that, but crying over the past or present isn't going to help Jalen's future one iota. I like the young man and wish him the best, beginning with the hope that he makes a sensible decision for himself. That is part of becoming a man, after all.

 

[rgw]

By all accounts he seems to be a good teammate and a hard worker. It is pretty dang unfortunate his dad had to make those comments because it leads to an assumption about the kind of mental state he's in that may not be wholly accurate. He definitely could go to some school like Texas and be a statistical monster playing '17 OU-like defenses in 9 to 10 games during his final year. It will do absolutely nothing for his professional future but he might care more about being a quarterback for as long as he can be. I think it would be in his best interest to seriously consider playing at WR in 2018 and 2019 if he loses the QB battle. But his professional future might not be the only thing he cares about in this process. There are a lot of schools where he could go and be a fantastic college quarterback but never compete for a conference or national title.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

By all accounts he seems to be a good teammate and a hard worker. It is pretty dang unfortunate his dad had to make those comments because it leads to an assumption about the kind of mental state he's in that may not be wholly accurate. He definitely could go to some school like Texas and be a statistical monster playing '17 OU-like defenses in 9 to 10 games during his final year. It will do absolutely nothing for his professional future but he might care more about being a quarterback for as long as he can be. I think it would be in his best interest to seriously consider playing at WR in 2018 and 2019 if he loses the QB battle. But his professional future might not be the only thing he cares about in this process. There are a lot of schools where he could go and be a fantastic college quarterback but never compete for a conference or national title.

I think you have it right. Everything we have seen/heard indicate he is a great teammate(the best thing was a little weird IMO but whatever). It stinks his Dad put that out there because I think it will tarnish his legacy among some fans. Since that story I've seen fans on Twitter and elsewhere attack his character saying he's always been an issue in the locker room when all indications are that he is anything but.

I also agree he could go put up some big numbers somewhere if that's what he wants. I just wish he would try out another position simply because I think he could be very good.

 

[Intl.Aperture]

I still don't understand how what his Dad says is indicative of anything out of the norm for any QB playing at a high level at an sec school.

Jalen feels like he can be competitive at this level and will go elsewhere to prove it.

He may be wrong, but people are making more out of what his dad said than what is actually there. It reflected a mentality that literally every other qb in Jalens situation would have.

If I'd been in 2 championships with my team at QB I'd believe I could make it as well.



Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[Padreruf]

I still don't understand how what his Dad says is indicative of anything out of the norm for any QB playing at a high level at an sec school.

Jalen feels like he can be competitive at this level and will go elsewhere to prove it.

He may be wrong, but people are making more out of what his dad said than what is actually there. It reflected a mentality that literally every other qb in Jalens situation would have.

If I'd been in 2 championships with my team at QB I'd believe I could make it as well.



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It isn't....except that his Dad should not have said it publicly. He's either trying to put pressure on CNS to start his son...or why would he say what is obvious? Just keep it to yourself and let JH show what he can do. Nothing more needs to be said. Period.

 

[NationalTitles18]

I still don't understand how what his Dad says is indicative of anything out of the norm for any QB playing at a high level at an sec school.

Jalen feels like he can be competitive at this level and will go elsewhere to prove it.

He may be wrong, but people are making more out of what his dad said than what is actually there. It reflected a mentality that literally every other qb in Jalens situation would have.

If I'd been in 2 championships with my team at QB I'd believe I could make it as well.



Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

Not so much out of the norm, but neither is sitting at home on draft day in disbelief that your name wasn’t called.

 

[rgw]

There's a reason why Lamar Jackson is a risk to fall out of the first round and he's a much better passer at the college level than Hurts. Still, Jackson got absolutely shut down in two bowl games against good SEC defenses. He's got limitations and extra time to prep cures a lot of ills he can exploit during the regular season.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

I still don't understand how what his Dad says is indicative of anything out of the norm for any QB playing at a high level at an sec school.

Jalen feels like he can be competitive at this level and will go elsewhere to prove it.

He may be wrong, but people are making more out of what his dad said than what is actually there. It reflected a mentality that literally every other qb in Jalens situation would have.

If I'd been in 2 championships with my team at QB I'd believe I could make it as well.



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It isn't. People just have, IMO, an irrational view on loyalty.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

There's a reason why Lamar Jackson is a risk to fall out of the first round and he's a much better passer at the college level than Hurts. Still, Jackson got absolutely shut down in two bowl games against good SEC defenses. He's got limitations and extra time to prep cures a lot of ills he can exploit during the regular season.

And in NFL the teams are much better at consistently exploiting those flaws. I like Lamar and hope he succeeds. I'm really worried about him holding up in the NFL. Jalen to his credit doesn't have that issue. He's incredibly strong and well built.

 

[GrayTide]

None of what I am going to say is an indictment of Jalen Hurts. We have talked about helicopter parents and how their influence can lead to untenable situations (i.e.: Blake Barnett) whether it is sports or other extra curricular activities. IMO, what makes Hurts's situation more difficult is the fact that his father was his high school coach who I imagine ran an offense that featured his son. I am not saying this was wrong, but it would certainly give the appearance that his father may have pushed his son to be a certain type player that he was not capable of being (a pro style, drop back QB). It has been said that his father wanted him to go to Alabama in order to learn how to be a pro style QB.

For whatever reason, physical or mental, it does not appear that he has what it takes to be the type QB CNS needs or his father wants him to be. I believe that his father's influence will dictate his decision whether to stay or go. I would be totally surprised if he is around for fall camp.

 

[buzzman]

Even the stats from yesterday's game were a bit deceiving as far as completions. Mac was placing his passes where the receiver could catch it in stride while most of Jalen's were behind the receiver causing them to come to a dead stop. The difference in 10+ yards or 3-5 yards or a drop. My guess is that CNS will think he can win with Mac if Tua goes down and let Jalen walk if that is what happens. I agree that Jalen's body language did not look good in the early going.

 

[BamaInCummingGA#1]

I am a JH fan. I think he is a good man and a good team mate. I think his Dad should have worked with him more at the high school level in regards to being a drop back passer (I mean, after all he is a high school football coach) if he had inclinations of his son being a drop back passer at the college/NFL level. When you have been taught to play the position, like it appears he was, in your formative years I would suspect it would be extra hard to all of a sudden change from an RPO style to pro/pocket passer style when you have never had to truly learn to read defenses.
I really believe that JH came in and worked as hard as he could and put in the time and effort to basically re-learn how to play the qb position and generally at this level it's hard to accomplish that.
I wish JH GODspeed and success in all that he does whether he continues to do his thing at Alabama or another school.
His Dad, however, needs to kind of learn to keep his yap shut in public and not put that kind of added pressure on his son imho.

 

[gtowntide]

It doesn't seem to me that Tua's brother would commit to Alabama unless his dad was sure Tua will start this year. If Jalen stays and starts, then Tua is gone. It seems to me that CNS knows this and just doesn't like Jalen's father to create "clutter" by going to the media.

 

[westide]

The QB competition is between Jalen and Mac for backup to Tua and it looks like Mac is leading. If Jalen decides to leave it will be interesting to see if Kiffin has a spot for him.

 

[teamplayer]

It doesn't seem to me that Tua's brother would commit to Alabama unless his dad was sure Tua will start this year. If Jalen stays and starts, then Tua is gone. It seems to me that CNS knows this and just doesn't like Jalen's father to create "clutter" by going to the media.

I'm guessing that Saban doesn't worry one bit about who might transfer. I think he will play whoever he thinks gives his team the best chance to win. If someone doesn't like it, he can transfer or work harder to improve. I think Saban worries about improving to give yourself the best chance to win and doesn't get caught up in worrying about players' feelings or the feelings of the parents. He just doesn't seem like a person who gets distracted or worries about guys who transfer if they can't win a competition.