Alabama QB competition article

I've got a bad feeling that Saban is gonna Saban and start Hurts against UL.

Hope like crazy that this doesn't 'age well'...
That would be a huge mistake. I don't think our defense will be able to give the offense as much leeway as they have the past 2 years. The 3 and outs on offense will be painful for the defense.

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It would be crazy if it wasn't Ohio State, Clemson, UGA, Auburn, or another team that ended our dynasty, but one of our own players. Hurts just can't get it done vs good defenses. I know some of you say the Auburn game alone is no big deal anymore. It is to them. It is to their coaching staff. If we'd won last year it would have swung the series to Alabama post Bryant. It didn't happen that way, so we still get to hear about it. I don't like hearing about it. Without a for real quarterback, like Tua, I'm not sure we can beat them this year either if Stidham is healthy, and if Tua isn't the starter by at least the 4th game, he gone.

For the record, I don't think it'll happen like that. I think they'll share series the first game, and maybe even the 2nd, but by the time we go to Ole Miss in the 3rd game, I think Tagovailoa will be the firm starting qb.
 
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We've got 10 straight days of forecasted highs of over 100 in DFW so I decided to distract myself by going back to watch some of last year's game.

Watched the TAMU game. We had this game won handily with not much of a challenge from the Aggies until our inefficient offense bogged down even worse in the second half. The final score was probably closer than the game really was with us winning 27-19, but we were outscored 16-10 in the last half when A&M punched in a TD with 17 seconds in the game.

Paid close attention to Jalen. This is about the time several started noticing his lack of improvement/growth as a Soph. I must admit he looked a little better than I remember at times. This isn't saying he looked good, but he did have a few nice throws and one time he stepped up in the pocket and completed a 3rd down pass to Ridley. Had another nice pass dropped by Foster.

Except for a couple of big runs by Harris, we didn't run the ball very effectively in this game, which probably didn't help. Jalen was given lots of throwing opportunities, but, except for a few decent balls as noted above he struggled. He missed #1 on a fly route that was one of epic fail. There wasn't a defensive player within 20 yards of Foster. Overall, it was pretty much what we would expect from him in the last 2 years. He mainly targeted Riddley with first reads and he was a weak 13-22 for 123 yards and 1 TD.

One thing I noticed more than ever about Jalen though is he struggled to get the right reads even on the RPO. On several occasions he kept the ball when the RB could have made a huge gain and Jalen was tackled almost immediately. On one fourth down conversion, he tried to pull the ball back from Bo and almost caused a fumble, but Bo held on and converted easily. If Jalen would've pulled the ball back he would have been tackled for loss.

Just on observation, but I think Jalen's field vision limitations weren't just limited to passing, but even the RPO and seeing the right read.

It may be because of field vision or other reasons, but there is no doubt that he often does not make the right decision.
 
If Tua outperforms Jalen in fall camp how does he not start? My stomach aches to think that wouldn’t be enough.
 
Never underestimate Saban's affinity for loyal veterans. We shall see.

But he also had loyal veterans last year that were totally frustrated with a lack of a proficient offense and played much better when #13 came into the game, so that's obviously important too, not to mention how recruiting skill position players was starting to be affected. The top wide receiver in the state last year wanted no part of it. Saban hasn't suddenly lost his mind. Team chemistry and recruiting are 2 things he thrives on.

Yeah. We're repeating the same things over and over, but folks are just kind of disconcerted about Saban's comments of a competition and the season is drawing nigh. I think it's gonna work out just fine.
 
But he also had loyal veterans last year that were totally frustrated with a lack of a proficient offense and played much better when #13 came into the game, so that's obviously important too, not to mention how recruiting skill position players was starting to be affected. The top wide receiver in the state last year wanted no part of it. Saban hasn't suddenly lost his mind. Team chemistry and recruiting are 2 things he thrives on.

Yeah. We're repeating the same things over and over, but folks are just kind of disconcerted about Saban's comments of a competition and the season is drawing nigh. I think it's gonna work out just fine.

When I was re-watching the TAMU game, I couldn't help but think about how Calvin Ridley must have been so frustrated last year. He got hurt in this game and missed some of the game with an injured knee cap, but he was frustrated for so many other reasons. Hardly anyone could cover him and he could have been an even bigger weapon.
 
When I was re-watching the TAMU game, I couldn't help but think about how Calvin Ridley must have been so frustrated last year. He got hurt in this game and missed some of the game with an injured knee cap, but he was frustrated for so many other reasons. Hardly anyone could cover him and he could have been an even bigger weapon.

Yes, Bama's offense (I don't blame Jalen. Really, I don't even blame the coaches - IMO, circumstances made it understandable.) cost Calvin Ridley many initial millions. Though it may turn out for the best since he is going to a team with a good O and QB. He could have been stuck in many worse places. Hopefully, he makes a killing on his 2nd and 3rd contracts.
 
Yes, Bama's offense (I don't blame Jalen. Really, I don't even blame the coaches - IMO, circumstances made it understandable.) cost Calvin Ridley many initial millions. Though it may turn out for the best since he is going to a team with a good O and QB. He could have been stuck in many worse places. Hopefully, he makes a killing on his 2nd and 3rd contracts.
If he performs well he could be looking at WR #1 type contract in 4-5 years depending on what happens with Julio.
 
When I was re-watching the TAMU game, I couldn't help but think about how Calvin Ridley must have been so frustrated last year. He got hurt in this game and missed some of the game with an injured knee cap, but he was frustrated for so many other reasons. Hardly anyone could cover him and he could have been an even bigger weapon.

Maybe that was part of the reason he advised his brother to sign with UGA.
 
I thought he advised his brother to go with his heart and do what he's thought was best for himself, not for his family.

Ridley was visibly frustrated the last 2 years, even to a casual fan watching on tv, so it would be unreasonable to assume he didn't vent to his own family even. His brother is a pretty good receiver himself. Like the best wide receiver in the state of Alabama last year, he probably decided he wanted no part of the (lack of) offense we've had the last 2 years. That high school offense has even impacted recruiting. It's that bad.

edit to say that yes, year before last we recruited well, even the skill position players, but those guys had been recruited for years, spanning back to when we did have a proficient passing game. Those guys also didn't have a wide receiver brother on the team advising them.

And now some NFL guys think that the lack of a proficient downfield passing game cost Ridley $$$. I have said for over a year that it would probably cost Ridley, and some posters (on other boards) said that was ridiculous and would not happen. If Hurts is the starter and Tua transfers it will again impact recruiting. I am not sure what Saban is thinking, perpetuating this supposed "competition" but I don't think he'll allow it to happen for long.
 
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I totally agree with comments highlighting CNS' loyalty for veterans - I think that had a role when Blake Sims won the job as well. Not to say Sims didn't deserve it, as he led the team magnificently given the limitations he had, but I think a part of it was rewarding Sims for staying with the team through all of the positional changes he went through. CNS has always said that his QB is the one that takes the team with him, and I can't help but feel that'll happen with Tua should he perform better than Jalen.

Whether we're reading too much into it or not, I don't think CNS would've made all of the coaching changes that he's made (b/c recruiting was starting to falter) if he didn't sense a need to make the changes, and thus, I do see Tua winning out the job fair/square and CNS going with him for the start and duration of the season. CNS has shown to adapt (even when it goes against his basic instincts and preferences), and so I trust that he'll do the same in deciding between Tua and Jalen. I think Jalen has done a fine job given the circumstances and his limitations as a QB, and yes, like CNS said, Jalen helped bring the team to the national championship game against UGA. But, Jalen wasn't going to run that comeback against UGA in the second half; that was all Tua. That's enough reason why a change should occur for me.
 
Ridley was visibly frustrated the last 2 years, even to a casual fan watching on tv, so it would be unreasonable to assume he didn't vent to his own family even. His brother is a pretty good receiver himself. Like the best wide receiver in the state of Alabama last year, he probably decided he wanted no part of the (lack of) offense we've had the last 2 years. That high school offense has even impacted recruiting. It's that bad.

edit to say that yes, year before last we recruited well, even the skill position players, but those guys had been recruited for years, spanning back to when we did have a proficient passing game. Those guys also didn't have a wide receiver brother on the team advising them.

And now some NFL guys think that the lack of a proficient downfield passing game cost Ridley $$$. I have said for over a year that it would probably cost Ridley, and some posters (on other boards) said that was ridiculous and would not happen. If Hurts is the starter and Tua transfers it will again impact recruiting. I am not sure what Saban is thinking, perpetuating this supposed "competition" but I don't think he'll allow it to happen for long.

I don't know why people keep saying Tua would transfer if Hurts will start. This goes back to his family. They didn't move to Alabama just to have Tua transfer again. Both will get opportunity to play this season and Saban will figure out a way to use both of them on the field. IF Hurts starts, it's not end of the world. If Tua starts, it's still not end of the world. Some of you just need to let it play out and see what happens.

As far as Ridley, I can understand his frustration on the field and I get it. I really do, but his attitude on the field and how he handled this all year round, and the mishap at the halftime during Auburn game ( if the rumors are true and I suspect it is) then that is on him. He could've handled it better and taught younger receivers to be patient and etc. Maybe the season cost him $$$ due to lack of catches... or maybe his attitude cost him $$$. There's no way of knowing what went down behind the scene.
 
All I want to do is see if Hurts has improved since Spring camp, I want to see if he is reading defense better. Has he fixed most of issues, and found a balance between throwing and running game? I'm interested in Tua as well and wanted to see if he has improved as well. I don't like to name the starter, because I'm not the coach. I want to see two of them battle it out in fall camp, and I will be fine with whatever the decision is because I believe in my team. I'm not going to be upset.
 
I don't know why people keep saying Tua would transfer if Hurts will start.
While I agree that we need to let this play out, and I am not even a little bit concerned, I sincerely believe that Tua is gone if he is not your starter by the time you play aTm - maybe sooner. He is not going to lose another season of eligibility hoping to become the starter someday after what happened last year.
 
I don't know why people keep saying Tua would transfer if Hurts will start.

He said already he would have transferred if he didn't get a chance at the end last year. He got his chance. As we know, he brought us back from near certain defeat after basically zero offense in the first half, combined with his play during the season, what more does he have to prove. So if he's planned to transfer, got his chance and proved himself, then that doesn't even make a difference, of course he'll transfer. It's a pie in the sky attitude to think he wouldn't. Why in the world would he sit on the bench, behind a far inferior player, when he could be playing somewhere, proving himself for an eventual NFL contract? Things have changed. Elite quarterbacks don't sit on the bench anymore waiting for a single season to show their ware.
 

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