Alabama: Nick Saban Feels 'Really Good' About QB Tyler Buchner's Development

[CajunCrimson]

I do find it hard to believe that all of a sudden Seth can’t snap a football. There are no alpha dogs on that team. Like last year, your biggest names are soft-spoken, and passive.

What this team needs more than anything right now, is a Tony Brown. Mark Barron. Landon Collins. Jonathan Allen. AJ, McCarron. DJ Fluker. Ryan Anderson.

Some players that play with emotion. Players that play to impose their will.

 

[gtgilbert]

A lot of the breakdowns by the OL started happening before JM got into any pass play. I cannot count the times the DT's for Texas beat our OL AT THE SNAP, like they were already passing by them before JM could get into his second or third step in the drop back. That has nothing to do with the QB. That's just getting yo butt handed to you.

That part just isn't true. Due to the limitations JM has, the DC was able to force pass reads with a stacked box, but then stay deep enough to still feel safe, with no real liability in JM being able to hit short routes. This meant he could tell the DL to rush with absolute abandon and not even worry about playing run. There was also something funky with the snap count all evening. the two early snaps from SM were perplexing, and our OL also never seemed to really get an early start. That wouldn't be so much an issue on 'a' QB, but could certainly be caused by the OL practicing with multiple QBs who all have different cadences and speeds so they don't get used to one guy.

The OL isn't faultless for sure. I've been clear that I am not a fan of our RG for over 2 years now - things just don't go well when he is in the game for some reason and that's also where a lot of the issues continued to happen this weekend. That said SM had his worst game ever also - maybe trying to slide to help and getting ancy caused the bad snaps, but he's gotta get that back in the right state, ASAP. Proctor showed why it's hard for a true freshmen to start at LT. I'd hoped they'd flip him and JC, just so we'd have the more seasoned OT on that side.

 

[davefrat]

I do find it hard to believe that all of a sudden Seth can’t snap a football. There are no alpha dogs on that team. Like last year, your biggest names are soft-spoken, and passive.

What this team needs more than anything right now, is a Tony Brown. Mark Barron. Landon Collins. Jonathan Allen. AJ, McCarron. DJ Fluker. Ryan Anderson.

Some players that play with emotion. Players that play to impose their will.

Yup...like having a center and QB who are so "full of Bama" that they'll fight each other at the end of a blow out national title game win over a simple miscommunication.

 

[editder]

I’m still gobsmacked that there was no QB change in the game. They can’t all have the same skill sets. The horns probably game planned for JM. If nothing else it would have given them something else to look at and might have disrupted their flow — sort of like Tua did to UGA.

 

[BamaMoon]

Did he say anything about Simpson???

 

[CajunCrimson]

That part just isn't true. Due to the limitations JM has, the DC was able to force pass reads with a stacked box, but then stay deep enough to still feel safe, with no real liability in JM being able to hit short routes. This meant he could tell the DL to rush with absolute abandon and not even worry about playing run. There was also something funky with the snap count all evening. the two early snaps from SM were perplexing, and our OL also never seemed to really get an early start. That wouldn't be so much an issue on 'a' QB, but could certainly be caused by the OL practicing with multiple QBs who all have different cadences and speeds so they don't get used to one guy.

The OL isn't faultless for sure. I've been clear that I am not a fan of our RG for over 2 years now - things just don't go well when he is in the game for some reason and that's also where a lot of the issues continued to happen this weekend. That said SM had his worst game ever also - maybe trying to slide to help and getting ancy caused the bad snaps, but he's gotta get that back in the right state, ASAP. Proctor showed why it's hard for a true freshmen to start at LT. I'd hoped they'd flip him and JC, just so we'd have the more seasoned OT on that side.

I wonder if there’s any value in moving Booker to the left tackle position and putting proctor inside?

 

[Bamabuzzard]

That part just isn't true. Due to the limitations JM has, the DC was able to force pass reads with a stacked box, but then stay deep enough to still feel safe, with no real liability in JM being able to hit short routes. This meant he could tell the DL to rush with absolute abandon and not even worry about playing run. There was also something funky with the snap count all evening. the two early snaps from SM were perplexing, and our OL also never seemed to really get an early start. That wouldn't be so much an issue on 'a' QB, but could certainly be caused by the OL practicing with multiple QBs who all have different cadences and speeds so they don't get used to one guy.

The OL isn't faultless for sure. I've been clear that I am not a fan of our RG for over 2 years now - things just don't go well when he is in the game for some reason and that's also where a lot of the issues continued to happen this weekend. That said SM had his worst game ever also - maybe trying to slide to help and getting ancy caused the bad snaps, but he's gotta get that back in the right state, ASAP. Proctor showed why it's hard for a true freshmen to start at LT. I'd hoped they'd flip him and JC, just so we'd have the more seasoned OT on that side.

It was happening with three and four-down linemen, not a "stacked box". It was also happening, the majority of the time with one one-on-one matchups between their DT and our lineman. That has zero to do with a stacked box. They were getting their butts handed to them at the point of the snap. I have no idea what game some of y'all watched...

 

[Bama Lee]

A lot of the breakdowns by the OL started happening before JM got into any pass play. I cannot count the times the DT's for Texas beat our OL AT THE SNAP, like they were already passing by them before JM could get into his second or third step in the drop back. That has nothing to do with the QB. That's just getting yo butt handed to you.

The first pick was thrown before any break downs. the first play that Texas got pressure was due to an a gap blitz from MLB and Milroe escaped to side for 13 yard run. The next play Milroe held the ball for 4.5 seconds and then threw out of bounds. The pic was thrown with no pressure

 

[gtgilbert]

The Milroe we saw against the froghorns is the one that coaches have been seeing since the Spring. That is why Buckner was brought in...as a stop gap. But the first game gave the coaches a false sense of reality and drew up a horrible gameplan based on it. JM should have been RPOing from the start of the game along with at least a dozen designed runs. Game planning killed us.

We ran several RPOs in the first half. After they were successful with handoffs to McClellan, UT sold out to keep the ball in JMs hands and then to force the Pass option. Their stated gameplan coming in was to make Milroe pass, so they gave him the reads to make him do that, and it worked for them.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

The first pick was thrown before any break downs. the first play that Texas got pressure was due to an a gap blitz from MLB and Milroe escaped to side for 13 yard run. The next play Milroe held the ball for 4.5 seconds and then threw out of bounds. The pic was thrown with no pressure

And the Int's weren't the only plays in the game either. The offense couldn't get in any form of rhythm because either Milroe was screwing up or the Oline was. In the event they both weren't, we made positive plays. Unfortunately, the majority of the game was taking turns between the QB and Oline whose turn it was to screw up.

 

[DrollTide]

Maybe Saban is telling the team, OK, I tried your guy. Now I'm going to try Rees's guy.

 

[gtgilbert]

It was happening with three and four-down linemen, not a "stacked box". It was also happening, the majority of the time with one one-on-one matchups between their DT and our lineman. That has zero to do with a stacked box. They were getting their butts handed to them at the point of the snap. I have no idea what game some of y'all watched...

Stacked box doesn't have anything to do with the number of dudes on the LOS or who eventually end up in the pass rush. It's the number of guys in the run support formation. So, it could be 3-4 DL, plus the Spy on Milroe, then an LB or two and maybe a Safety/nickel depending on formation. That's the box. The DC could bail all but 2 guys out into coverage post snap and just rush those 2, but at least at the snap the box would have been stacked if they had the numbers advantage.

If a DC puts enough guys in there (usually just 1 more than the number of blockers), he pretty much knows he is getting a passing play. If he knows he can force a passing play, then he can tell his DL to not play the run and just pass rush. That takes away some of the 'on the snap' advantage the OL has in knowing the count and the play since the DL does not have to try to read run v pass. That's a really big advantage for the DL since it's way easier to explode forward from a 3 point stance than it is to drop or kick step back and over. Typically doing this on defense would be be risky as it will expose some areas of the field to the passing game. A DC would have to chose to defend short routes hard and risk the long throws or vise/versa. The UT DC didn't have to take that risk as he was able to play the DBs a bit deeper since he knew JM wasn't likely to hurt us much with the short game.

 

[BamaInCummingGA]

Trying to be optimistic, but unless O line play improves 100%, will it matter who is QB1?

Don't necessarily agree here because depending on the qb you can do things to help the oline by throwing screens and slants and such to slow the rush.

To your point, though, the Oline needs to man up after their talking all summer long.

 

[JustNeedMe81]

I expect changes on OL. I think we'll see TB playing more this weekend. Let's not forget that he has improved so much since he came to Alabama. He went from 4th on depth chart to 2 in short amount of time. I wouldn't be shocked if he was starting against Ole miss. In order for him to start, he has to have good week of practice, make positive plays and make least mistakes and then next week another week of practice.

 

[Bama Lee]

Both interceptions had nothing to do with pressure.mthey were horrible reads by Milroe. The last was an RPO where his eyes were down and then he picked back up. Safety read milroe easily for pic. Both of his pics were killers for momentum and giving Texas ball inside our 30 yard line. The penlties and those two pics are what cost us.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

All I know is that JM's short passes were covered. Even the short ones he completed were covered, and the WR had to make almost acrobatic catches.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

Did he say anything about Simpson???

Nothing in the article.

 

[oldtimetider]

Best case scenario is that, if J.M. is not the man, the next man up is.... whether it's TB or TS or DL . It does seem that JM "won the team" in the spring and in August. Understandable. He's humble, a team guy... a worker. Gifted athlete. Says something positive about the team that they wanted him to have a shot. He may be near his ceiling though.... Chances are, the current back-ups are not at theirs. However it pans out, looking for much growth in that position in the next month....

 

[gtgilbert]

All I know is that JM's short passes were covered. Even the short ones he completed were covered, and the WR had to make almost acrobatic catches.

those acrobatic catches were because the passes were way, way off target.

 

[Slowpoke Catracho]

those acrobatic catches were because the passes were way, way off target.

Point!