BOL: Former Clemson QB Chad Kelly Visits Alabama on Sunday

KrAzY3 said:

That is not accurate based on what I recall. As a true freshman, Blake Sims played quarterback at A-Day. I'm not really sure what you're basing what you said on, but from what I know Blake Sims got his first look at QB and was moved elsewhere due to depth at the position (namely AJ entrenched as starter and Phillip Sims entrenched as the backup).

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that's how I remember it too

IIRC Blake was told he would be allowed to compete for QB when recruiting him.

As for Kelly I'm not sure we have depth problems to worry about at this point.

mittman said:

IIRC Blake was told he would be allowed to compete for QB when recruiting him.

As for Kelly I'm not sure we have depth problems to worry about at this point.

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We could always use another linebacker...

crimsonaudio said:

I'm guessing you haven't been keeping up with the team in the off season. We've lost quite a few QBs in the last few years to transfers.

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i fully aware of that, which is why i asked the question in the first place.

Chukker Veteran said:

I didn't take his remark as a shot at our top two quarterbacks, they wouldn't be in contention if they weren't quality players. I would be happy to see one or the other emerge, with the fans' general consensus that he's the best available. As we've been discussing, each of our top two guys have assets and also a downside. I'm hoping the best one will pull away from the other, and light it up.

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i said blake played well in his first game.

but the ongoing discussion of what he was recruited for actually bolsters my argument...we have a guy who was apparently recruited to play every position on the team at some point or another and only because we lost a bunch of other guys ahead of him he was converted from a backup running back to backup qb.

everyone's entitled to their opinion, and if people think that this is the normal way to develop qb talent that's fine...it just seems as though something is missing the process.

on the "football life" about tom brady on NFL network, they ask belichick "how did so many other teams misjudge brady so badly?" to which he replied "well, we obviously misjudged him too because we didn't draft him until the 6th round."

does the fact that brady turned out to be HOF player mean the evaluation process that led to his coming into the league was on target? by the coach's own admission it was not.

i submit that although we have two viable starters on the roster, it is not the way one would think a school like alabama would establish a qb roster.

that's all i'm saying.

fire away!

davefrat said:

we have a guy who was apparently recruited to play every position on the team at some point or another and only because we lost a bunch of other guys ahead of him he was converted from a backup running back to backup qb. !

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THIS...IS...NOT...TRUE!

I am not sure how many times this has to be said. One player, only one player ahead of Sims was "lost". That's Phillip Sims, (unless you count AJ who Sims backed up). One, the rest, that whole list, including Del Rio, was a bunch of guys that were behind Sims for a reason. They were not all busts, they were not all talentless, but they were behind him. It's not opinion, it's the depth chart...

You seem to be caught up on the idea that Blake at QB wasn't necessarily the first choice, and that's true, the first choice was Phillip Sims at QB. But, he transferred, and Blake impressed, and kept impressing. That doesn't mean anything bad happened, that doesn't mean anything else went wrong. Ely transferred, Del Rio transferred, McLeod transferred... not because they weren't good enough, because Sims apparently was better.

crimsonaudio said:

I guess I'm having trouble rectifying your question with the data that's been presented. Since CNS has been here we've had a good, developed QB ready to play every year except for this season, as we've lost several QBs over the last two years to transfers because they didn't want to wait for their shot.

I've assumed you're not being purposefully obtuse but it's starting to look an awful lot like that.

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i'm not trying to be obtuse.

saying that all these people left doesn't answer the question of why they left. they all left because they didn't get playing time even though they knew there were established players ahead of them and supposedly a lot of depth? did they not know the kind of talent they were up against when they signed?

do we have the same attrition problem at other positions?

is it a matter of simply signing too many 4 and 5 star recruits who face a logjam of competition?

i honestly don't know.

KrAzY3 said:

THIS...IS...NOT...TRUE!

I am not sure how many times this has to be said. One player, only one player ahead of Sims was "lost". That's Phillip Sims, (unless you count AJ who Sims backed up). One, the rest, that whole list, including Del Rio, was a bunch of guys that were behind Sims for a reason. They were not all busts, they were not all talentless, but they were behind him. It's not opinion, it's the depth chart...

You seem to be caught up on the idea that Blake at QB wasn't necessarily the first choice, and that's true, the first choice was Phillip Sims at QB. But, he transferred, and Blake impressed, and kept impressing. That doesn't mean anything bad happened, that doesn't mean anything else went wrong. Ely transferred, Del Rio transferred, McLeod transferred... not because they weren't good enough, because Sims apparently was better.

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excuse me for being confused by the 1000 different versions of blake smith's recruitment that have been posted in this thread.

davefrat said:

excuse me for being confused by the 1000 different versions of blake smith's recruitment that have been posted in this thread.

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Uh Dave, it's Blair Sims.:biggrin2:

davefrat said:

i'm not trying to be obtuse.

saying that all these people left doesn't answer the question of why they left. they all left because they didn't get playing time even though they knew there were established players ahead of them and supposedly a lot of depth? did they not know the kind of talent they were up against when they signed?

do we have the same attrition problem at other positions?

is it a matter of simply signing too many 4 and 5 star recruits who face a logjam of competition?

i honestly don't know.

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I think one reason backup QBs transfer from Bama a lot if CNS doesn't let them throw it much the few times they do get in the game. A game like tomorrow the backup should play at least the entire second half. That hasn't really happened before. Maybe some of the eagerness to play would be tempered by some PT and letting them throw some..

TIDE-HSV said:

We've actually recruited some who were supposed to be. P. Sims was either the #1 or#2 QB in the nation. That proves that it's easy for a lot of people to be wrong in projecting development...

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He's in his third QB battle in four years....

Now at Winston-Salem State, Sims is still battling it out entering Saturday's opener with UNC Pembroke. Coach Kienus Boulware said it could come down to a coin flip between Sims and Rudy Johnson, the News Argus reported.

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http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/09/alabama_qb_phillip_sims.html

formersoldier71 said:

He's in his third QB battle in four years....

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2014/09/alabama_qb_phillip_sims.html

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Wow that's pretty sad lol. Bet he wish he would have stayed..

TIDE-HSV said:

I think it's largely the ebullience of youth. They come in thinking they can beat the world and out-compete anyone. Then, they come in and watch Croyle, Wilson, McElroy or McCarron, and they realize that somebody's going to have to get hurt for them to see the field. Then they realize how few years they have to make an impression on the NFL, do the math, and leave for a better showcase. I think that accounts for the vast majority of the QB transfers...

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Absolutely. This why highly rated HS QBs should understand this before committing. Luke Del Rio had offers from Oregon State and Okie State and chose to walk on at Alabama? Somebody needs to advise these young men before they make a huge mistake.

Others have asked about it too, but it seems to some degree that Blake Sims athletic talent may have been wasted at Bama up until now by waiting in line to play qb.

Now, if he goes on to be the permanent starter this year it might not matter, at least to him, but he seems to have the althletic ability to have played some other positions before now.

I just hope courting a guy with two years of eligibility like Kelly doesn't discourage Blake Barnett from staying true to his commitment.

I really believe the next, great qb battle will be between Cornwell and Barnett.