Link: Kiffin and Coker: A great match?

From what little I've seen of Coker and with limited knowledge of QB mechanics, it does seem like Coker's biggest hurdle is going to be refining his mechanics. I just hope that Kiffen has the time to get him up to speed during the summer. What I've heard though is that mechanics problems can be fixed in practice but can often fall apart again when playing live.

I'm guessing Kiffen has stayed in touch and has kept an eye on his unofficial practice time before arriving later this month.

It will be a while before we see this all pan out, but I really enjoyed the article! I think it was a great breakdown of the mechanics of throwing the ball.

Uber-talented? Wasn't he a 3 star recruit out of HS?

I hope he does well but I'm afraid a lot of people will be greatly disappointed. I also think it's a shame that the media has hyped this so much. The pressure on Coker is going to be huge. It's also a slap in the face for Sims.

I'd much prefer to hear about how Kiffin is designing an offense around Sims and figuring out ways for him to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers.

mlh said:

Uber-talented? Wasn't he a 3 star recruit out of HS?

I hope he does well but I'm afraid a lot of people will be greatly disappointed. I also think it's a shame that the media has hyped this so much. The pressure on Coker is going to be huge. It's also a slap in the face for Sims.

I'd much prefer to hear about how Kiffin is designing an offense around Sims and figuring out ways for him to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers.

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There are plenty of 3 star athletes in the NFL. If Sims is the answer then we have the wrong OC anyway.

Good article. IMO whether it is Sims and Kiffin or Coker and Kiffin, if our OL doesn't get a whole lot better then it really won't make much difference who is quarterbacking.

So, if Coker doesn't pan out or if he gets hurt, then what? Bateman? Do we have the right OC in that scenario?

Bottom line, here's my take on the QB situation. There is no excuse for having only one QB who has any game experience, especially when he can't run our offense. It's not like we struggled to win games last year and we had to play McCarron until the very end to secure the win. But that's a problem I have with CNS. I think he's a great coach, perhaps the best in college football right now. But he has an NFL mentality regarding playing time for his backups. It may very well cost us some games this year.

mlh said:

...There is no excuse for having only one QB who has any game experience, especially when he can't run our offense. It's not like we struggled to win games last year and we had to play McCarron until the very end to secure the win. But that's a problem I have with CNS. I think he's a great coach, perhaps the best in college football right now. But he has an NFL mentality regarding playing time for his backups. It may very well cost us some games this year.

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Mack Brown approves of this post...

mlh said:

Uber-talented? Wasn't he a 3 star recruit out of HS?

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Yes, he was. Reason for his 3* ranking was because St. Paul's ran the wing-t offense and he didn't go to many camps.

I hope he does well but I'm afraid a lot of people will be greatly disappointed. I also think it's a shame that the media has hyped this so much. The pressure on Coker is going to be huge. It's also a slap in the face for Sims.

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The media has continued to talk about Coker as the starter and dismissing Blake. This particular piece was on an Alabama blog, though.

I'd much prefer to hear about how Kiffin is designing an offense around Sims and figuring out ways for him to get the ball into the hands of our playmakers.

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I believe he already has done this. Practice spectators said the offense ran the diamond formation and plays suited for Blake during practice and the first two scrimmages.

GrayTide said:

Good article. IMO whether it is Sims and Kiffin or Coker and Kiffin, if our OL doesn't get a whole lot better then it really won't make much difference who is quarterbacking.

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This.

mlh said:

Uber-talented? Wasn't he a 3 star recruit out of HS?

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At this point the star rating means practically nothing. I believe he's rated as the #5 QB in his class by nfldraftscouts.com. Rivals had him something like 18th when he came out, so he's climbed up quite a bit.

He was someone that had a growth spurt late, and for a few reasons flew under the radar. FSU caught on earlier, and Alabama offered later. The thing is he's really done nothing but impress since he's been at FSU. You can argue that his role as a backup has only increased his popularity, but there's no denying the talent he's played behind. He went from being behind EJ Manuel, a first round draft pick, to Winston, a likely first round pick. He passes the eye test though, there's room for improvement but he's the type of guy NFL scouts look for.

Sims is a whole other issue. While Coker fits the prototype for the NFL quarterback, Sims fits the prototype for the run first quarterback. He could still work out, but for what Alabama wants to do on offense, Sims is not an ideal fit. Furthermore, he's demonstrated what I think are some psychological issues which lead to particularly poor showings at A-Day (his previous stats in scrimmage were much better). The thing is, no matter what the issues are, he can't go out and play like that when the game is on the line.

Does that mean Sims can't have a good season at Alabama? No, it doesn't and I've stuck up for him a lot because I think he's capable of more than a lot of people give him credit for. Charlie Ward and Pat White are a couple of quarterbacks that come to mind in terms of small, athletic quarterbacks that had fantastic college careers even though they didn't really have NFL ready quarterback talent. But, at this point I think and have thought all along that Coker has the edge, primarily because has has the tools to do pretty much everything that the Alabama offense would ask him to do.

I'm sure this will all play out and the best guy will start whomever it may be. However, I am a Blake Sims fan because he has been loyal and kept a good attitude the entire time he has been on campus. He is what everyone on the team should aspire to be. An Alabama Man.

crimsonaudio said:

Continue to refuse to even discuss a player that's not on campus. Hopeful, but in wait-and-see mode.

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You can talk about him now, Brad. Link

I believe the recent changes to NCAA rules will help the situation. Previously Kiffin and Coker could barely be in the same room until fall without it being a violation. While Kiffin will have plenty of recruiting and summer camp work to do I believe it will help that he can actually go out and watch him work.

I'm hoping when summer 7 on 7 sessions begin we will start hearing some word on how he's doing with our receivers. I think he's got a much stronger arm than any of the others at this point.

bamamc1 said:

I'm sure this will all play out and the best guy will start whomever it may be. However, I am a Blake Sims fan because he has been loyal and kept a good attitude the entire time he has been on campus. He is what everyone on the team should aspire to be. An Alabama Man.

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Since when does being loyal get you the #1 starting position ?
You can be 0-11 this year and be loyal.

bamaslammer said:

I believe the recent changes to NCAA rules will help the situation. Previously Kiffin and Coker could barely be in the same room until fall without it being a violation. While Kiffin will have plenty of recruiting and summer camp work to do I believe it will help that he can actually go out and watch him work.

I'm hoping when summer 7 on 7 sessions begin we will start hearing some word on how he's doing with our receivers. I think he's got a much stronger arm than any of the others at this point.

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Very good point. This will definitely help Jacob's progression.

I can't wait to see what Kiffin can do with the quarterbacks...I'm betting he will try to keep the top two both involved in the game some way or another. It's hard to not get excited about it.

I love the thread title: Kiffin and Coker: a great match... sounds like something you would ask a bartender for. "I'll have a Kiffin and Coker over ice with a beer chaser."