2016 Season QB Thread

RTR91

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

Here's the thing with Cooper Bateman, there's no question he has the physical tools required to run Alabama's offense. Alabama doesn't base their offense on cannon arms and Kiffin has shown the ability to adjust to the strengths and weaknesses of the quarterback. So, physically Bateman can run the offense. That's not the issue.

The issue is that he's not the most physically talented quarterback of the bunch.
While he may not be the most "physically talented" player in the group, he was athletic enough to get time at WR last spring.

This week OJ Howard had this to say about Cooper:

“He’s a guy who can scramble; he can run,” he said. “He actually has really, really good speed. He’s faster than me, so he’s fast, athletic.”
Not only that, but he's unique in that he did get a shot (tough circumstance, yes) and that didn't really go so great. The Coker and Sims detractors didn't have that type of an outing to point to, they only had struggles in scrimmages and the like, and yes Coker, Sims, Barnett, Bateman and Cornwell have all really struggled at times under those circumstances. So, people have a little more concrete evidence to doubt Bateman on. Things worked out just fine, but we all know Bateman should have been more aggressive running the ball against Ole Miss and we all question why he didn't.
People had game experience on Coker from 2014. He didn't always impress during that time, either. Remember the final drive before halftime against Florida Atlantic?

Consider this fact, Jacob Coker ran for 58 yards and 1 touchdown against Ole Miss! So you look at Bateman's performance, and his 48.3 QBR and you do have a legitimate reason to question him. Coker out-threw and outran him, that shouldn't have happened. So this is one case in which the doubts are warranted. I think we know Bateman can do it, but we also know something went wrong in that game and some of that has to rest on Bateman's shoulders. There's not a whole lot of times you can blame a loss on an Alabama quarterback but this appears to be one time in which that might be valid.
Come on, Krazy. You can't blame the loss on Bateman when Ole Miss gets 24 points off 5 Bama turnovers. Not to mention 10 of those points came off fumbled kickoffs.

Having said that I will reiterate I think Bateman can do the job if he has to, but there's some valid doubt that creeps in. On the other hand, Cornwell appears to be a completely legitimate option himself. He has the tools, he was highly ranked out of high school, he's a solid option. But, it does go back to Barnett and the intrigue he brings. All these other quarterback battles came down to two guys really once the coaches got serious about picking a starter. Barnett has a legitimate chance of making that a 3 QB race (of Cornwell hasn't messed up last year it might have been a 3 QB race then), and it's not just about Barnett having a shot. One way of putting it is Barnett is a better runner than Cornwell and has a better arm than Bateman. That's one way of putting it, but another way is to say out of the Alabama starters, his arm is second only to Coker and his running ability is second only to Sims. He's a really, really talented guy and kind of like OJ Howard, regardless of what he is or isn't doing you always have to look over there and just imagine what could be.

There's a lot that remains to be seen, I don't think anything will be determined anytime soon, but I do think this is one situation in which a lot of the speculation really is warranted. Arguably, Alabama has the weakest heir to the starting job, but the strongest #3, which really opens things up.
From reading reports from the scrimmage, I gather the options are:

Safe choice: Cooper Bateman
Real potential to do something: David Cornwell
Hope the exciting makes you forget the horrible: Blake Barnett

If BB8 can reduce the horrible plays, wouldn't be shocked to see him take the job because of his athleticism. One of the reports even said he had two of the three best throws on the day while having the three worst throws. We know Saban is unlikely to take that risk.
 

CrimsonForce

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

I just don't see Barnett winning the job this year. It would be unprecedented for CNS to start a RS freshman over two upperclassmen. Bateman's performance against Ole Miss wasn't that bad. I remember when AJ came in during the 2010 Iron Bowl when McElroy got hurt. He did nothing and looked terrible. A lot of people said after that game that if AJ was all Alabama had at QB that the next few years were going to be rough. I think those next few years turned out ok..
 

TiderJack

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

I just don't see Barnett winning the job this year. It would be unprecedented for CNS to start a RS freshman over two upperclassmen. Bateman's performance against Ole Miss wasn't that bad. I remember when AJ came in during the 2010 Iron Bowl when McElroy got hurt. He did nothing and looked terrible. A lot of people said after that game that if AJ was all Alabama had at QB that the next few years were going to be rough. I think those next few years turned out ok..
I'm with you on Barnett. I believe he still needs to develop another year.

We need to remember Bateman was making the first start of his career in a huge game on national TV. I'm sure he was nervous and obviously did not make the right decisions on every play. Sounds like he did a good job in the 1st scrimmage. It will be interesting if he continues to make strides in the 2nd scrimmage and in the A-Day game.
 

81usaf92

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

People had game experience on Coker from 2014. He didn't always impress during that time, either. Remember the final drive before halftime against Florida Atlantic?



Come on, Krazy. You can't blame the loss on Bateman when Ole Miss gets 24 points off 5 Bama turnovers. Not to mention 10 of those points came off fumbled kickoffs.



From reading reports from the scrimmage, I gather the options are:

Safe choice: Cooper Bateman
Real potential to do something: David Cornwell
Hope the exciting makes you forget the horrible: Blake Barnett

If BB8 can reduce the horrible plays, wouldn't be shocked to see him take the job because of his athleticism. One of the reports even said he had two of the three best throws on the day while having the three worst throws. We know Saban is unlikely to take that risk.
Coker also had a key drive against Florida in 2014 when Blake went out. Coker's problem(s) were mostly his decision making and release.

I think Krazy actually has a point in that Bateman has had a legit start. I don't think the loss is on him, but you have to admit Coker outrunning him when the read option was put in the playbook just for him kinda makes you wonder if he is just a great practice quarterback.

On the otherhand, it is way too early to even guess who will take the reigns at this point, and reading into anything this point... Because I remember some people writing articles about David Cornwell, and saying what they have heard from reporters, insiders, and trainers of what they thought.
 

RTR91

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

Coker also had a key drive against Florida in 2014 when Blake went out. Coker's problem(s) were mostly his decision making and release.
Was simply trying to point out Coker's detractors could have done the same thing that people will do with Bateman.

I think Krazy actually has a point in that Bateman has had a legit start. I don't think the loss is on him, but you have to admit Coker outrunning him when the read option was put in the playbook just for him kinda makes you wonder if he is just a great practice quarterback.
I look at it a little different:

Coker's runs weren't designed. He scrambled and made the plays (ala him winning over the team).

Bateman didn't pull the ball in his first start. Would not be surprised to learn he was trying to adjust to game speed. Remember, he had no pass attempts in 2014. It was his first legitimate game experience and game against a very stout defense.

On the otherhand, it is way too early to even guess who will take the reigns at this point, and reading into anything this point... Because I remember some people writing articles about David Cornwell, and saying what they have heard from reporters, insiders, and trainers of what they thought.
This is what we all need to remember. It's still too early. We could learn tomorrow Hurts threw 4 TDs while going 13-18 and 230 yards with no INTs.
 

81usaf92

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

Was simply trying to point out Coker's detractors could have done the same thing that people will do with Bateman.



I look at it a little different:

Coker's runs weren't designed. He scrambled and made the plays (ala him winning over the team).

Bateman didn't pull the ball in his first start. Would not be surprised to learn he was trying to adjust to game speed. Remember, he had no pass attempts in 2014. It was his first legitimate game experience and game against a very stout defense.



This is what we all need to remember. It's still too early. We could learn tomorrow Hurts threw 4 TDs while going 13-18 and 230 yards with no INTs.
Whoever wins, wins it and I'm still cheering for them. I just think Krazy has a good point in that there is more to potentially go off of with Bateman than there was with Coker and Sims. But while you could say first game jitters for Bateman, the same could be said for Coker vs Wisconsin and MTSU. Looking over your back constantly is a hard thing to do.

Fwiw. I'm thinking Bateman will be no lower than 2nd because of his experience. I just keep getting the feeling that Kiffin wants to run more of the offense like we did in 2014 over 2015. So I think the release and accuracy is going to be some of the biggest qualities of who eventually wins the job. IDK who ultimately wins it, and don't pretend to know.

*** blue font** so I defer to sip's pick in matters relating to who wins qb battles
 

KrAzY3

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

I have to make this clear, I'm not trying to disparage Bateman. If you recall I was one of the biggest supporters of the veteran guys, I was saying Blake Sims could throw when people were swearing up and down he was incapable of throwing the deep pass (even though I'd seen him do it, and everyone at A-Day saw him do it). I was one of the guys trying not to write Coker off after fall last year, so I totally get standing up for the veterans and believing in the guy the coaches chose as the #2 the previous season. I am just saying I see this as a very tight race and people always seem to want to pick a guy and swear up and down it will be him well before that's decided. In this case, even if they are picking the most experienced I think it's just too early.

While he may not be the most "physically talented" player in the group, he was athletic enough to get time at WR last spring.

This week OJ Howard had this to say about Cooper:
I saw what Howard had to say, and I know he's a good if not great athlete. But what I meant by saying physically talented and not athletically gifted, is Bateman is the shortest of the three and has the weakest arm. We're talking about three guys that are 4+ stars, so I'm not trying to discredit any of them, but for instance Barnett is taller, has a better arm, and good enough legs I think it's hard to say he's not the most physically talented, at least if you are talking about the quarterback position. We've also seen glowing reviews from players of his running ability though it seems clear Bateman is faster.

People had game experience on Coker from 2014. He didn't always impress during that time, either. Remember the final drive before halftime against Florida Atlantic?
No one saw him as a starter, but yes I watched him play for FSU. I was both one of the guys claiming Sims could do the job and Coker was being a bit overrated and then in turn one of the guys saying Coker was a legitimate candidate last season and saying I thought Cornwell and Barnett were not very realistic candidates. I don't just make stuff up here, I do watch the guys play and form an opinion on what they do. I watched Bateman (live) against Middle Tennessee as well and I left the game worried about him. His QBR was terrible and the int really was a dangerous pass to me. When you compare him to Jacob Coker's first year at Alabama, we're talking about 4 TDs vs 0 INTs compared to 1 TD and 2 INTs. I think Bateman is capable, but yes he worries me and not for imagined reasons but for how he's played in actual football games. Blake Sims and Coker both performed better prior to their becoming starting QBs (Bateman has the worst QBR, most interceptions, least touchdowns and least rushing yards). I am sure Bateman can and will develop if he's the guy, but I'm not going to pretend he's excelled when he hasn't. He's only run for 8 yards in his Alabama career. Blake ran for 167 yards the year before he became a starter.

Come on, Krazy. You can't blame the loss on Bateman when Ole Miss gets 24 points off 5 Bama turnovers. Not to mention 10 of those points came off fumbled kickoffs.
I tried to choose my wording carefully, but I think most of us know Alabama has a better chance of winning that game if Coker starts. Did he just up and blow the game? It depends on who you ask, but all appearances are he was supposed to run and for some reason, even when it was available he didn't. It was a bad performance when Alabama needed a good one and I put much, much more weight on that than I do on a single scrimmage.

From reading reports from the scrimmage, I gather the options are:

Safe choice: Cooper Bateman
Real potential to do something: David Cornwell
Hope the exciting makes you forget the horrible: Blake Barnett
That's one single scrimmage. If you really put that much weight in any single scrimmage in the past couple years, Cornwell, Morris, Bateman, Coker, Sims and Barnett would all be starters! Every single one, because every single one of those guys has had bad scrimmages and every single one of those guys had scrimmages in which at least some people said they looked the best. That's my other main point, if we see the same trend through 2 or 3 in a row then we have something, but there's a lot of people that wanted to write Blake Sims off due to a bad A-Day performance and it just doesn't work like that. As far as I can recall every single candidate and starter has pretty much had a bad scrimmage, multiple INTs, that sort of thing (yes even AJ) and that I am much more forgiving of because there's a lot less on the line and a lot more variables.

My point remains that Barnett is the strongest 3, Cornwell looks about as good as any 2, and Bateman is the weakest 1 I can recall since Saban has been here. I hope they all improve and I think we all know very little in how this will end up.
 
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CrimsonForce

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

I have to make this clear, I'm not trying to disparage Bateman. If you recall I was one of the biggest supporters of the veteran guys, I was saying Blake Sims could throw when people were swearing up and down he was incapable of throwing the deep pass (even though I'd seen him do it, and everyone at A-Day saw him do it). I was one of the guys trying not to write Coker off after fall last year, so I totally get standing up for the veterans and believing in the guy the coaches chose as the #2 the previous season. I am just saying I see this as a very tight race and people always seem to want to pick a guy and swear up and down it will be him well before that's decided. In this case, even if they are picking the most experienced I think it's just too early.



I saw what Howard had to say, and I know he's a good if not great athlete. But what I meant by saying physically talented and not athletically gifted, is Bateman is the shortest of the three and has the weakest arm. We're talking about three guys that are 4+ stars, so I'm not trying to discredit any of them, but for instance Barnett is taller, has a better arm, and good enough legs I think it's hard to say he's not the most physically talented, at least if you are talking about the quarterback position. We've also seen glowing reviews from players of his running ability though it seems clear Bateman is faster.


No one saw him as a starter, but yes I watched him play for FSU. I was both one of the guys claiming Sims could do the job and Coker was being a bit overrated and then in turn one of the guys saying Coker was a legitimate candidate last season and saying I thought Cornwell and Barnett were not very realistic candidates. I don't just make stuff up here, I do watch the guys play and form an opinion on what they do. I watched Bateman (live) against Middle Tennessee as well and I left the game worried about him. His QBR was terrible and the int really was a dangerous pass to me. When you compare him to Jacob Coker's first year at Alabama, we're talking about 4 TDs vs 0 INTs compared to 1 TD and 2 INTs. I think Bateman is capable, but yes he worries me and not for imagined reasons but for how he's played in actual football games. Blake Sims and Coker both performed looked better prior to their becoming starting QBs (Bateman has the worst QBR, most interceptions, least touchdowns and least rushing yards). I am sure Bateman can and will develop if he's the guy, but I'm not going to pretend he's excelled when he hasn't. He's only run for 8 yards in his Alabama career. Blake ran for 167 yards the year before he became a starter.


I tried to choose my wording carefully, but I think most of us know Alabama has a better chance of winning that game if Coker starts. Did he just up and blow the game? It depends on who you ask, but all appearances are he was supposed to run and for some reason, even when it was available he didn't. It was a bad performance when Alabama needed a good one and I put much, much more weight on that than I do on a single scrimmage.


That's one single scrimmage. If you really put that much weight in any single scrimmage in the past couple years, Cornwell, Morris, Bateman, Coker, Sims and Barnett would all be starters! Every single one, because every single one of those guys has had bad scrimmages and every single one of those guys had scrimmages in which at least some people said they looked the best. That's my other main point, if we see the same trend through 2 or 3 in a row then we have something, but there's a lot of people that wanted to write Blake Sims off due to a bad A-Day performance and it just doesn't work like that. As far as I can recall every single candidate and starter has pretty much had a bad scrimmage, multiple INTs, that sort of thing (yes even AJ) and that I am much more forgiving of because there's a lot less on the line and a lot more variables.

My point remains that Barnett is the strongest 3 and Bateman is the weakest 1 I can recall since Saban has been here. I hope they all improve and I think we all know very little in how this will end up.
I think you're putting to much weight into the Ole Miss game with regards to your analysis of Bateman. AJ came in relief during the 2010 Iron Bowl and didn't play well and he turned out ok. With the caveat that we're sitting here debating QBs in April (because what else is there to do for us football degenerates) I think that the competition will be between Bateman and Cornwell and at this point I'm not sure how Cornwell can win it. Bateman had a better scrimmage and several coaches/players have talked about his improved leadership. It doesn't matter to me who ends up winning the competition because they're all pro style QBs with varying degrees of athleticism. The offense will look very similar whether it's Bateman, Cornwell or Barnett..
 

RTR91

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

I have to make this clear, I'm not trying to disparage Bateman. If you recall I was one of the biggest supporters of the veteran guys, I was saying Blake Sims could throw when people were swearing up and down he was incapable of throwing the deep pass (even though I'd seen him do it, and everyone at A-Day saw him do it). I was one of the guys trying not to write Coker off after fall last year, so I totally get standing up for the veterans and believing in the guy the coaches chose as the #2 the previous season. I am just saying I see this as a very tight race and people always seem to want to pick a guy and swear up and down it will be him well before that's decided. In this case, even if they are picking the most experienced I think it's just too early.
Oh, I don't think you're disparaging Bateman at all, and I sure as heck don't intend to come across as the captain of the Cooper Bateman for QB1 team like we had during the 2014 summer.

I saw what Howard had to say, and I know he's a good if not great athlete. But what I meant by saying physically talented and not athletically gifted, is Bateman is the shortest of the three and has the weakest arm. We're talking about three guys that are 4+ stars, so I'm not trying to discredit any of them, but for instance Barnett is taller, has a better arm, and good enough legs I think it's hard to say he's not the most physically talented, at least if you are talking about the quarterback position. We've also seen glowing reviews from players of his running ability though it seems clear Bateman is faster.
Seems strange that Bateman is the faster of the three since BB8 is seen as the running QB to the extent some recruiting services labeled him as a dual-threat QB even though he made it clear he wanted to be a drop back passer.

I tried to choose my wording carefully, but I think most of us know Alabama has a better chance of winning that game if Coker starts. Did he just up and blow the game? It depends on who you ask, but all appearances are he was supposed to run and for some reason, even when it was available he didn't. It was a bad performance when Alabama needed a good one and I put much, much more weight on that than I do on a single scrimmage.
We'll just disagree on this point to keep this thread more about practice and not the Ole Miss game.

That's one single scrimmage. If you really put that much weight in any single scrimmage in the past couple years, Cornwell, Morris, Bateman, Coker, Sims and Barnett would all be starters! Every single one, because every single one of those guys has had bad scrimmages and every single one of those guys had scrimmages in which at least some people said they looked the best. That's my other main point, if we see the same trend through 2 or 3 in a row then we have something, but there's a lot of people that wanted to write Blake Sims off due to a bad A-Day performance and it just doesn't work like that. As far as I can recall every single candidate and starter has pretty much had a bad scrimmage, multiple INTs, that sort of thing (yes even AJ) and that I am much more forgiving of because there's a lot less on the line and a lot more variables.

My point remains that Barnett is the strongest 3 and Bateman is the weakest 1 I can recall since Saban has been here. I hope they all improve and I think we all know very little in how this will end up.
Of course it's only the first scrimmage. I wasn't saying it's the Gospel. Just commenting how things apparently stood after the first scrimmage.
 

KrAzY3

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

Of course it's only the first scrimmage. I wasn't saying it's the Gospel. Just commenting how things apparently stood after the first scrimmage.
I understand, I just at the same time don't feel bad about the situation but also see it as extremely fluid. I felt like in the past people hyped up candidates that were not really valid, and downgraded the most experienced guys. I have to admit I had a similar feeling about the situation when it was a battle between AJ/Phillip sims and we all know how that ended, but then wasn't it more like Cornwell was AJ and Barnett was Sims? So it's kind of hard for me to figure out Bateman's place in all of this as he really doesn't fit the mold, he's a junior. He probably compares most to McElroy but there was no battle, he was the obvious guy from what I recall.

I'll leave this here since I have alluded to it, but of course this doesn't say everything either. The caveat is we saw Coker and Sims develop as quarterbacks but Bateman is in a position where he doesn't get that extra year of experience prior to starting (if he is the starter). These are the stats of the #2 quarterbacks the year before the starters departed. I've cited these when we discussed Sims, when we discussed Coker, so I still take a peak at these when forming an opinion.

Greg McElroy:
PCT YDS AVG TD INT RAT
72.7 123 11.2 1 1 178.5

AJ McCarron
PCT YDS AVG TD INT RAT
62.5 389 8.1 3 0 151.2

Blake Sims
PCT YDS AVG TD INT RAT
62.1 167 5.8 2 0 133.2

Jacob Coker
PCT YDS AVG TD INT RAT
64.4 403 6.8 4 0 144.2

Cooper Bateman
PCT YDS AVG TD INT RAT
71.2 291 5.6 1 2 116.8

I already mentioned Bateman's 8 yards as a rusher, so I didn't bother posting rushing stats (only Blake Sims had a meaningful amount). I think though that this underlines what my feelings about Bateman. He appears to be the least polished of the quarterbacks in this position. He throws a lot of short, high percentage passes but even then he hasn't managed to avoid interceptions. He has yet to use his legs in games though and that might be what is preventing him from developing into a Blake Sims style weapon. His percentage is great but otherwise his on field performance is arguably the worst of the bunch. It reminds me of Sims in 2012 and Coker in 2013, when they put up ratings of 114 and 103 respectively, but I think this just means Bateman has to develop faster. Though having said that, it would be unprecedented for Alabama to choose a starter who hasn't had experience from the previous year, but interestingly enough, the lone exception to that is Cooper Bateman himself! So we're in an interesting position here.

I'll try not to keep going on about the starting QB and what not though, but I alluded to performance without giving the actual statistics. Not trying to get hopelessly off track on the thread.
 
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81usaf92

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

I think you're putting to much weight into the Ole Miss game with regards to your analysis of Bateman. AJ came in relief during the 2010 Iron Bowl and didn't play well and he turned out ok. With the caveat that we're sitting here debating QBs in April (because what else is there to do for us football degenerates) I think that the competition will be between Bateman and Cornwell and at this point I'm not sure how Cornwell can win it. Bateman had a better scrimmage and several coaches/players have talked about his improved leadership. It doesn't matter to me who ends up winning the competition because they're all pro style QBs with varying degrees of athleticism. The offense will look very similar whether it's Bateman, Cornwell or Barnett..
AJ as a relief qb going in for an injury to an already established national champion starting qb is not the same as a backup qb in a tight qb race that went into the season all of the sudden starting over a qb that wasn't exactly setting the woods on fire after a few games. AJ wasn't given warning that he would be playing and wasn't likely given a lot of reps with the first team due to GMac leading us to the title the year before. You can't say the same about Bateman. Bateman was given a ton of reps in an uncertain qb battle that he was still in the thick of things. So there isn't that much similar between the two.
 

CrimsonForce

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Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

AJ as a relief qb going in for an injury to an already established national champion starting qb is not the same as a backup qb in a tight qb race that went into the season all of the sudden starting over a qb that wasn't exactly setting the woods on fire after a few games. AJ wasn't given warning that he would be playing and wasn't likely given a lot of reps with the first team due to GMac leading us to the title the year before. You can't say the same about Bateman. Bateman was given a ton of reps in an uncertain qb battle that he was still in the thick of things. So there isn't that much similar between the two.
IIRC, the reps last fall were split pretty evenly all the way to the opening game. I don't remember Bateman getting more reps than any other QB. Bateman said he wasn't told he was starting the game until pre game warmups. If I had to guess I would say that Coker probably got the majority of the reps. The similarity is that AJ came in and played and didn't do much. Same could be said for Bateman. To me, those two situations are similar..
 

KrAzY3

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

IIRC, the reps last fall were split pretty evenly all the way to the opening game. I don't remember Bateman getting more reps than any other QB. Bateman said he wasn't told he was starting the game until pre game warmups. If I had to guess I would say that Coker probably got the majority of the reps. The similarity is that AJ came in and played and didn't do much. Same could be said for Bateman. To me, those two situations are similar..
They are not at all though, Bateman and Coker were already sharing time at QB prior to the Ole Miss game. Coker was not the official starter at all, so from what I understand the reps were truly split. Bateman attempted 39 passes in the first three games and only 12 after, if that gives you any idea of the situation. Bateman was being prepped as a starter all the way up until that Ole Miss game. There's absolutely no question at all that AJ was the backup and AJ just came into a game due to injury. Truly two completely different situations. AJ came into the game, as a backup, in the middle of a drive and attempted a total of 4 passes (from what I recall he didn't really have much of a choice). Nothing similar there at all... and I already posted AJ's stats from that year so you can feel free to compare them.
 
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81usaf92

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

IIRC, the reps last fall were split pretty evenly all the way to the opening game. I don't remember Bateman getting more reps than any other QB. Bateman said he wasn't told he was starting the game until pre game warmups. If I had to guess I would say that Coker probably got the majority of the reps. The similarity is that AJ came in and played and didn't do much. Same could be said for Bateman. To me, those two situations are similar..
Have to disagree. Coker most likely got the majority of the reps, but his staying power at that point was nowhere near Gmacs. Bateman was in position to take the job, and AJ wasn't. There is a difference in starting a big game and coming in for an injury.
 

CrimsonForce

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Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

They are not at all though, Bateman and Coker were already sharing time at QB prior to the Ole Miss game. Coker was not the official starter at all, so from what I understand the reps were truly split. Bateman attempted 39 passes in the first three games and only 12 after, if that gives you any idea of the situation. Bateman was being prepped as a starter all the way up until that Ole Miss game. There's absolutely no question at all that AJ was the backup and AJ just came into a game due to injury. Truly two completely different situations.
Ok. So Bateman should be completely judged off his short appearance against Ole Miss? What's the point of continually bringing that up but dismissing the fact he had the best performance in the past scrimmage? I'll put it this way, would you agree that at this point in time Bateman is the leader in the QB competition?
 
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CrimsonForce

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

Have to disagree. Coker most likely got the majority of the reps, but his staying power at that point was nowhere near Gmacs. Bateman was in position to take the job, and AJ wasn't. There is a difference in starting a big game and coming in for an injury.
That's fine. I think the situations are similar, not the same. Heck I'm just glad that we have something football related to talk about :)
 

81usaf92

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

Ok. So Bateman should be completely judged off his short appearance against Ole Miss? What's the point of continually bringing that up but dismissing the fact he had the best performance in the past scrimmage? I'll put it this way, would you agree that at this point in time Bateman is the leader in the QB competition?
I'm going to say ultimately no, but it's a lot better comparison than Sims and Coker's time as a backup. I don't personally hold it against him, but I can see where some people aren't head over heels about him despite the Saban praise.

That's fine. I think the situations are similar, not the same. Heck I'm just glad that we have something football related to talk about :)
Yeah. Rtr
 

CrimsonForce

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Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

I'm going to say ultimately no, but it's a lot better comparison than Sims and Coker's time as a backup. I don't personally hold it against him, but I can see where some people aren't head over heels about him despite the Saban praise.


Yeah. Rtr
What has Cornwell or Barnett done to make anyone think they'll win the job? I understand they both have incredible potential but outside of that and the scrimmage performance there isn't much to go on. I'm fine with any of the 3 QBs winning the job. We've proved time and time again that we don't rely on great QB play to win championships. I just think right now the order is Bateman > Cornwell > Barnett. Bateman should be able to hold onto the lead unless he has a terrible performance in one of the scrimmages..
 

KrAzY3

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Re: Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

Ok. So Bateman should be completely judged off his short appearance against Ole Miss? What's the point of continually bringing that up but dismissing the fact he had the best performance in the past scrimmage? I'll put it this way, would you agree that at this point in time Bateman is the leader in the QB competition?
To your first question, of course not. But it's unique in that he got the start and he had a chance to take the starting job. The fact that his start lead to Jacob Coker starting has to say something doesn't it? That aside, I also mentioned the Middle Tennessee game as well (and posted full season stats), I'm by no means making statements about Bateman based on simply one performance.

We've debated quarterbacks before. And a lot of what I had to say about Blake Sims went all the way back to his first A-Day performance, as a true freshman. I didn't just watch one game or one scrimmage and come to any conclusions. I'd watched him for years, and seen data not just from A-Day, and not just from games, but from scrimmages to. I'd seen him throw live, just like I've seen Bateman throw live. I watched Bateman throw as a true freshman to, and I've followed his scrimmages as well. He's had good outings and bad outings, but his most important one has to be the well... most important.

I would agree that he's the leader, he's the most experienced, he's the leader by default. But I'd also agree that someone needs to step up and show improvement and we need a lot more than one scrimmage to have a real idea of who that would be. Oh and in terms of AJ, I had to correct myself. He didn't come in, in the middle of a drive. GMac was sacked on the previous drive on third down and AJ came, trailing, with 46 seconds left in the game, on the Alabama 19 yard line. Everyone in the stadium knew he had to pass, and I remembered thinking what a horrible position it was to put him into. I'm not saying Bateman had an easy situation, but I'd have been completely forgiving if Bateman had struggled in a similar situation. Also it should be pointed out that in at least one year, AJ threw more interceptions in scrimmages than he threw the entire year. I specifically remember Nick Saban sticking up for Blake Sims after he had a very poor A-Day outing, basically saying this wasn't the normal game situations. I stuck up for him after that as well. So, I don't put as much stock into them, the quarterbacks play different in them, and clearly the coaches don't put quite as much weight on them either. They are looking for and asking for more things they might do in a regular game. I try to take a lot of different factors into account, scrimmages, live games, what coaches say about them what the guy just looks like throwing the ball, what insiders say about them, etc... and even then we're at best making educated guesses.

So yeah it's something to do while we wait for the football season to start.
 
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CrimsonForce

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Spring Practice Thread (Interviews, Press Conferences, Practice Reports)

To your first question, of course not. But it's unique in that he got the start and he had a chance to take the starting job. The fact that his start lead to Jacob Coker starting has to say something doesn't it? That aside, I also mentioned the Middle Tennessee game as well, I'm by no means making statements about Bateman based on simply one performance.

We've debated quarterbacks before, remember? And a lot of what I had to say about Blake Sims went all the way back to his first A-Day performance, as a true freshman. I didn't just watch one game or one scrimmage and come to any conclusions. I'd watched him for years, and seen data not just from A-Day, and not just from games, but from scrimmages to. I'd seen him throw live, just like I've seen Bateman throw live. I watched Bateman throw as a true freshman to, and I've followed his scrimmages as well. He's had good outings and bad outings, but his most important one has to be the well... most important.

I would agree that he's the leader, he's the most experienced, he's the leader by default. But I'd also agree that someone needs to step up and show improvement and we need a lot more than one scrimmage to have a real idea of who that would be. Oh and in terms of AJ, I had to correct myself. He didn't come in, in the middle of a drive. GMac was sacked on the previous drive on third down and AJ came, trailing, with 46 seconds left in the game, on the Alabama 19 yard line. Everyone in the stadium knew he had to pass, and I remembered thinking what a horrible position it was to put him into. I'm not saying Bateman had an easy situation, but I'd have been completely forgiving if Bateman had struggled in a similar situation.
Yea....but what does it say about Cornwell that he couldn't beat out Bateman to give himself that chance last year. Or do you want the guy who threw 3 INTs along with 2 pick 6s in the last scrimmage. I'm not saying Bateman is great but he might be our best choice..

PS: Why do people who were on one side or the other of the Coker/Sims debate always bring up they were on the correct side like it makes someone a QB scouting expert? Someone who knew nothing about football had a 50/50 chance of picking which one would start. There are scouts and GMs who get paid millions of dollars each year and whiff on scouting players and drafting players. It's not an exact science..
 
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