Do you think Sims separated himself further today?

The ultimate decisions rests in what type identity Coach wants for his offense. Sims looks good doing what he does well, but that isn't Coach's type of offense. Being at the game today I thought Coker did well for his first foray, but, more importantly, when he was in the game we ran the type of offense we've been running since Coach's arrival. I believe that is what Coach wants his offense to be and, therefore, why he continues to insist that the competition isn't over.

So, if he wants to continue the pro-style scheme we've seen with Wilson, McElroy, and McCarron, Coker will end up being the guy. If he can get comfortable with an up-tempo, quick throw, mostly short route passing attack, then Sims will win the job. Of course Coach doesn't care what I think, I know that cause he told us so today in his post game presser, lol.

Bamabuzzard said:

I also don't want the staff to keep the competition "open" until Coker finally beats out Sims.

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I agree. I think that would be a terrible disservice to Sims. I remember watching both Zow and Watts lose their confidence because the staff didn't have the guts to commit to one of them.

So far Sims has played extremely well for a new starter. I've seen very few mistakes on his part and you can't argue with the productivity of the offense when he's at the helm.

There have been several seasons when I hated to think what would happen if the starting QB got hurt. If Coker can improve through one more game like he did today, I'll feel better about the backup situation for this season.

I love this. I saw Cecil Hurt tweet this earlier, and it is very fitting to what is going on right now. Here is what Coach Saban thinks about our opinions on the QB controversy:

Cecil Hurt ‏@CecilHurt 6h
Saban on fans 'taking sides' in QB battle: "I really don't care what side they take. The only thing that matters is what side we take."

I mega-loathe the idea of #teamblake .v. #teamJacob. Too "Twilight" for my taste. As long as both are Crimson Tide QB's, I will support either player at QB. If Sims is the guy, GREAT, if it's Coker, GREAT, I'm on the #teamCrimsonTide.

We want both guys to play well.

It's Sims job I don't see them jerking them back and forth in a close game, look it was 21 to 0 when Coker went in the game. I think these tune up games are good to get playing time for all.

edwd58 said:

The ultimate decisions rests in what type identity Coach wants for his offense. Sims looks good doing what he does well, but that isn't Coach's type of offense. Being at the game today I thought Coker did well for his first foray, but, more importantly, when he was in the game we ran the type of offense we've been running since Coach's arrival. I believe that is what Coach wants his offense to be and, therefore, why he continues to insist that the competition isn't over.

So, if he wants to continue the pro-style scheme we've seen with Wilson, McElroy, and McCarron, Coker will end up being the guy. If he can get comfortable with an up-tempo, quick throw, mostly short route passing attack, then Sims will win the job. Of course Coach doesn't care what I think, I know that cause he told us so today in his post game presser, lol.

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I believe you strike at the heart of the matter.

It seems the Sims has won over many hearts with his good play so for, but the only person that really has a say in this likes something about Coker and apparently wants to see more from him.

I'm ammused at those who say, unequivicolly, that it is clear that Sims will be the starter when CNS apparently is not ready to make that call.

Yes, it appears Sims is ahead, but CNS will decide.

Sims looked better and more confident in running the offense.

Coker started out poorly but recovered well and made some nice plays.

At this point, I'd still rate Sims as the better of the two. I imagine we'll have our answer by the end of the Southern Miss game.

It is a little troublesome to hear it repeated each week that both struggle to call the correct play in the huddle.

Does anyone think that Sims is already the starter in Saban's mind? This is why he played the whole first game against a quality opponent.


Maybe he just wants to make it harder for Florida to have to prepare for both. I know Saban doesn't usually play games..so who knows.

mlh said:

I kind of felt like the guys played harder for Sims. When he was in there they looked crisper, sharper, more enthusiastic. I think, at this point, Sims is the team's choice. Saban and Kiffin need to take note of that.

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If I were a player I'd tread carefully there and hope CNS and CLK don't take note of that. If CNS feels that they are playing that way, they'll find themselves standing next to him on the sideline. I don't think he'd tolerate that for a second - there are too many other good players just waiting for any chance to get on the field to allow that to take place. Last I heard, players don't get a vote as to who plays, rather they earn their playing time by their on-field actions/executions. Want to stay on the field? Better be busting your chops on every play.

It's easy to notice in hindsight, but BS surpassed his performance from last week. It wasn't just about competition, it was about decisiveness, crispness, and leadership. IMO, this is going to do nothing but improve because CLK is going to find out more and more what BS is capable of doing in a game situation. As Earle mentions above, when we get to the point BS is starting to run more plays where there's a run/pass option, I think we'll know the coaches have decided to go with BS. At this moment, outside of some MAJOR strides from JC, this QB battle is over.

tidefanbeezer said:

Sims looked better and more confident in running the offense.

Coker started out poorly but recovered well and made some nice plays.

At this point, I'd still rate Sims as the better of the two. I imagine we'll have our answer by the end of the Southern Miss game.

It is a little troublesome to hear it repeated each week that both struggle to call the correct play in the huddle.

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That's possible, but I read last week that someone said it won't necessarily be the person who starts against Florida, but finishes the game (or meaningful snaps when the game is still in contention) against Florida.

Who knows "when" the staff will say "It's ___________."

Everyone is trying to measure this with tangibles. It is not that easy. Nick knows he needs a QB that can take the top off a defense. That is why jake was asked to do things differently than Blake. In a conference game , after a few quick outs the defense will start cheating up, most of those long runs after the catch would of only gone for 5-6 yards and eventually a DB would of jumped a route and take it to the house. . I didn't see the presser, but have been told Nick was a little irate with the assumption Blake won the job..
I didn't like the way Jake was slow running the offense. I have heard the idiot announcers and analyst parrot Andre Ware that Jake made the wrong reads. IMO, This game was over in the first. Nick was trying to evaluate his QB. He wasn't trying to win the game, it was over. He wanted to see his QB throw the ball down the field, that is why they called so many vertical routes. The play calling for jake is more like what we would of seen if AJ were still playing. Why you can't compare stats. They were asked to do different things.
To me, I think Nick wants Jake to start because he Can run more of Nick's style of offense because of his arm strength. But, Jake just isn't doing he things Nick wants to see relative to running the offense and assuming leadership.

I think what we are seeing the potential of a two qb system. one to force the secondary to cover all the short patterns, no huddle offense, and set up the run more. coker can come in when the defenses start placing 8,9 men defense, to stop the run and open up the def backs off the ine of scrimmage. many are forgetting when sims missed the play to yeldon, that was fumbled. coach let sims know about that one. then coker blew the play that cost a field goal end of the half. right now, I see two variations, and it is up to the coaches to work this out. lane kiffin is definity earning his salary.

bamaga said:

Nick knows he needs a QB that can take the top off a defense.

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Really had that in 2009, didn't we?

nickel42 said:

I don't think it's that cut and dry. Sims definitely is looking to be the better of the two at the moment, but I am concerned with the way he stares his receivers down (again, usually Coop). Throwing a lot of short routes and staring down a receiver is begging for jumped routes and picks against decent DB's.

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My main concern as well. On Drake's TD catch, the DBs saw it coming, but slipped as they were closing.

That said, in terms of overall control, Sims played a solid game. Coker was much more erratic, but given that this was the first real game action he has seen in some time, a certain amount of rust is to be expected. We'll see how it goes against SoMiss. At the very least, even if Sims remains the starter, we have to get Coker settled down to the point where we will feel comfortable putting him in--because we're gonna need a deep ball threat at some point.

I think Blake is our QB and I'm super impressed with his progress. He's making fast decisions and threw the ball on a rope on all the crosses, slants, swings, and screens. He's also making it impossible to sack us with his escapability in the pocket.

I also like how he's hanging in the pocket and only running when he has to do it. The team as a whole ran smoother with him running the show. It seemed part team chemistry and part Blake processing the play calls faster.

I'm fine with Coker continuing to get game experience but I kind of want Blake to be officially named starter before the FLA game at this point.

Lastly CLK is MASTERFULLY calling plays and him being on the sideline is working perfect. We don't NEED the deep pass right now because we are throwing it 'where they ain't' and taking full advantage of our WR's lethal YAC ability....esp. Coop and The Drake.

Im very happy with what I'm seeing on offense and from #6.