2016 Season QB Thread

Tideflyer said:

Well, that may be alright as long as we don`t have to stretch the field. If I`m USC and Cooper starts, I would be cheating up my safeties, loading the box, and seeing if he can get the ball to all that WR talent over the top.

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If I'm USC I would do the exact opposite. If the safeties cheat up then arm strength becomes irrelevant. In that situation it's more about ball placement because the ball is just being thrown into an open space instead of a tight window. If there's not a safety deep and the WR beats the CB off the line the QB only has to throw the ball 15 or 20 yards down the field into open space. Again more about placement than velocity in that scenario. I would play a zone defense to take advantage of a QB who lacked elite velocity. Force the QB to fit the ball into tight windows..

Saban went to the "bull's horns" right off the top in his last press conference. Well there goes a theory

rolltideallday said:

This is basically how the past 2 qb battles went. The more experienced player gets the meaningful snaps in our first big game where we control the game on the ground and defense. They split snaps in the 2 games against weaker opponents until there is a clear starter.

If Bateman gets all the meaningful snaps it wouldn't surprise me because they don't want to lose game 1 due to switching qb back and forth. But if the race really is this close and we're in a close game where the offense is struggling, it wouldn't surprise me to see Hurts come in to try and spark the team.

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If Hurts is the one to spark the team... Gonna be a short tryout. I'm not sold on Bateman. Bateman is a pretty good practice QB, but looks a little ragged in game situations. I don't know if it's a pressure issue or not. I could have been misled on that... I just know that Bateman has under performed the times I have watched him. Was it because of the plays that were called? Don't know. TIME IN THE SYSTEM MEANS NOTHING IF YOU UNDER PERFORM. I'd say the pressure is on Bateman... Look bad, and it's pretty much over. If Bateman is to do well he will have to make smart decisions, know when to get rid of the ball, and most importantly he's got to move the team down the field. If he can do those things he can fight off the two freshmen.
Now for Barnett... He will have to show he can avoid turnovers...
Hurts... As the new kid on the block, Hurts has performed above expectations. He can run, he can throw too. I would guess the coaches need to see what happens when he has to check off a couple receivers, does he get caught holding the ball, or does he tuck it and run, or throw it away? Smart decision time for him.

As for game plan... I hope we don't see a lot of those one yard passes to the sideline. Bateman threw a number of those for little gain in the Ole Miss Game last year. Then when we were nearly out of it Jake was brought in and nearly won, because he moved the team down the field. That's when the coaches knew we had a leader...
IMO: Our QB play is more important this year because we have different running backs.
I think our QB and RB will face a lot of 8 man fronts. Got to get rid of the ball pretty quick.

CrimsonForce said:

If I'm USC I would do the exact opposite. If the safeties cheat up then arm strength becomes irrelevant. In that situation it's more about ball placement because the ball is just being thrown into an open space instead of a tight window. If there's not a safety deep and the WR beats the CB off the line the QB only has to throw the ball 15 or 20 yards down the field into open space. Again more about placement than velocity in that scenario. I would play a zone defense to take advantage of a QB who lacked elite velocity. Force the QB to fit the ball into tight windows..

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Interesting CF. Guess that`s why I don`t make my living coaching football !

Tideflyer said:

Interesting CF. Guess that`s why I don`t make my living coaching football !

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Ha! Neither do I lol. I didn't mean to sound like your assessment was wrong. I just think that the lack of elite arm strength by Bateman is being misconstrued by the thought that if Bateman is the starter we'll just have to dink and dunk. Most people equate arm strength with stretching the field vertically and that's not necessarily the case. If you think about the deep passes that were thrown last year to Ridley and Howard most of those were not bullet type passes that require elite arm strength. When Ridley is 1 on 1 with a safety like in the Michigan State and Arkansas game those throws are more about timing and placement than raw arm strength. I don't think Bateman would struggle with those throws. I think Bateman would struggle with making throws in tight windows or trying to throw from one hash of the field to the other. An example from last year would be the TD pass Coker threw to Mulaney in the 4th quarter against UF. It was a very tight window throw between 2 defenders. Those are the type of throws, IMO, that Bateman would struggle with..

After rewatching most of the games from last year, I was impressed at how many plays JC made when the play broke down...incredible number. (I still think DH's production won our line that award and not necessarily their consistent play.) The QB who can make something positive out of negative will play...in case CNS needs another opinion.

Padreruf said:

After rewatching most of the games from last year, I was impressed at how many plays JC made when the play broke down...incredible number. (I still think DH's production won our line that award and not necessarily their consistent play.) The QB who can make something positive out of negative will play...in case CNS needs another opinion.

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If a running back wins the Heisman it really narrows down the contenders for best o-line. I wish someone could get an average time that Coker was allowed in the pocket and compare it to the previous 2-3 seasons. Would just be interesting.

And there was much wringing of hands and terrible gnashing of teeth.............I love (and respect) all of the opinions of who should, could, will start at qb this season. I have my own opinion and as I've said before I think Bateman will come out first for his final audition which will go one of two ways (I really don't think there will be an in between) 1: CB will come out guns blazing and prove all naysayers wrong and win this game and win the coaches and team over or 2: CB will come out and fall flat and it will be up to one of the young guns (BB or JH) to get it done. In scenario #2 I would put my hat in with the JH camp but my feelings would not be hurt if BB were to take over.
The reality of things is that I don't have a dang clue who will take the bull by the horns but I'll ride the bull with them all season win or lose.

BamaInMo1 said:

The reality of things is that I don't have a dang clue who will take the bull by the horns but I'll ride the bull with them all season win or lose.

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Anyone that's played(on offense) knows the QB HAS to take command. He needs to be the type personality that will gab a guys face mask and scream at him for continuing to screw up. I'm not just saying he's gotta be just the alpha dog, he also has to know the player assignments and be seasoned enough to do this with any player on the field. Sometimes a freshman just is not comfortable doing this with a 4th year sr. But he needs to. It gives the players confidence in his leadership qualities that are a must at the QB position.
I also think it played a part in why Sims beat out Coker, and then why Coker beat out the other candidates. He knew it was now or never and you could just see his determination as he progressed. Hurts seems all Alpha. Now he needs to take control of the team, if it's to be him. If not then he needs to at the least go down fighting. Sets him up for next year.
I think it may take live game action before we see who is going to be the offensive leader. Cooper Bateman probably has enough physical skills to play the position, he's just got to become that cocky alpha dog, all confidence and no fear.

Plenty on here said we couldn't win with Sims due to arm strength. He had enough. Cooper's weakness may be arm strength, but ever QB has a weakness that he has to overcome. Timing can help greatly if you can't fire a bullet pass. Danny Wuerffel didn't have a NFL arm,(i know he did play nfl) but he had great receivers and perfect timing on most of his passes while at UF, also very accurate. JMHO

:BigA:

rgw said:

Saban went to the "bull's horns" right off the top in his last press conference. Well there goes a theory

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I wish someone would bring a bull to the practice field and see who grabs what so we can settle the QB question.

westide said:

I wish someone would bring a bull to practice field field and see who grabs what so we can settle the QB question.

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Didn't Jackie Sherrill (sp?) try something like that...maybe at MSU?

oldtimetider said:

Didn't Jackie Sherrill (sp?) try something like that...maybe at MSU?

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Yeah but he didn't grab him by the horns. Instead they cut off his, um, man berries right in front of the team to "motivate" them. I guess at MSU you better win or else you get.....:s-chainsaw:

IMALOYAL1 said:

Anyone that's played(on offense) knows the QB HAS to take command. He needs to be the type personality that will gab a guys face mask and scream at him for continuing to screw up. I'm not just saying he's gotta be just the alpha dog, he also has to know the player assignments and be seasoned enough to do this with any player on the field. Sometimes a freshman just is not comfortable doing this with a 4th year sr. But he needs to. It gives the players confidence in his leadership qualities that are a must at the QB position.
I also think it played a part in why Sims beat out Coker, and then why Coker beat out the other candidates. He knew it was now or never and you could just see his determination as he progressed. Hurts seems all Alpha. Now he needs to take control of the team, if it's to be him. If not then he needs to at the least go down fighting. Sets him up for next year.
I think it may take live game action before we see who is going to be the offensive leader. Cooper Bateman probably has enough physical skills to play the position, he's just got to become that cocky alpha dog, all confidence and no fear.

Plenty on here said we couldn't win with Sims due to arm strength. He had enough. Cooper's weakness may be arm strength, but ever QB has a weakness that he has to overcome. Timing can help greatly if you can't fire a bullet pass. Danny Wuerffel didn't have a NFL arm,(i know he did play nfl) but he had great receivers and perfect timing on most of his passes while at UF, also very accurate. JMHO

:BigA:

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Starting two seasons in one of the biggest divisions in Texas high school football and being the son of a coach has to help with him having the alpha dog personality.


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RTR91 said:

Starting two seasons in one of the biggest divisions in Texas high school football and being the son of a coach has to help with him having the alpha dog personality.


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Yep.

Well based on the most recent practice report it looks as though Barnett did himself in with the 4 or 5 turnovers he was involved in in the last scrimmage. I hate that for him as thought he was the one in the best spot to be the starter if he played to his potential. It just seems it has been a lack of focus in his performance more than anything. Hopefully he will stick it out and try to keep improving. In the back of my mind I wondered if his engagement over the summer might be a distraction for him. While not too young for that kind of commitment a generation ago, I was not mature enough at 19 or 20 to get engaged. I believe his fiancée is even younger than he is.

At any rate, the fact that Cornwell was throwing to tight ends during the media viewing period while Barnett was "present" imply that Cornwell is the emergency 3rd string option now?

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

I haven't read the thread but I'm gonna be the designated TideFans jerk. Two years ago a bunch of you who don't attend practice and know nothing more than what Saban or the media tells us were fixated on Coker starting over Blake Sims. Then last year, folks were fearful over the fact Coker was the designated starter, and most of this is usually based on things like A day or what you heard from a friend who heard from a friend who heard from another.

I don't know, and honestly - at this point - I don't care. I know that the man with a ring on each finger of one hand has certainly earned the right to do whatever he wants, and it will probably be right. Btw - go back and look at our QBs since Wilson in 2008. RARELY do they make utterly STUPID decisions. They sometimes mess up, yes, and one can look at Cooper Bateman's 'where is the receiver' interception against Ole Miss as evidence. But on the whole for the last eight years we have not lost because of stupid QB play or utterly insane decision-making by the QB. (Now - on the other hand - some of the OC calls like the end of the ATM game in 2012 leave me shaking my head).

I never thought Greg McElroy was an overly 'good' QB in the sense of, say, AJ putting the team on his back and carrying them. But he WAS a good QB when it counted who rarely messed up. One could argue Blake Sims made the most egregious errors (particularly Auburn and Ohio State) but he also rose to the occasion, too. So very little of our problems ever have to do with the QB.

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

You're not a jerk to say the CNS has got this. We may have a championship team this year or maybe we'll lose a couple, but I trust CNS and CLK to give us the best chance to win. Whoever wins the starting job will have a tremendous amount of talent around him and will do fine.

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

selmaborntidefan said:

I haven't read the thread but I'm gonna be the designated TideFans jerk. Two years ago a bunch of you who don't attend practice and know nothing more than what Saban or the media tells us were fixated on Coker starting over Blake Sims. Then last year, folks were fearful over the fact Coker was the designated starter, and most of this is usually based on things like A day or what you heard from a friend who heard from a friend who heard from another.

I don't know, and honestly - at this point - I don't care. I know that the man with a ring on each finger of one hand has certainly earned the right to do whatever he wants, and it will probably be right. Btw - go back and look at our QBs since Wilson in 2008. RARELY do they make utterly STUPID decisions. They sometimes mess up, yes, and one can look at Cooper Bateman's 'where is the receiver' interception against Ole Miss as evidence. But on the whole for the last eight years we have not lost because of stupid QB play or utterly insane decision-making by the QB. (Now - on the other hand - some of the OC calls like the end of the ATM game in 2012 leave me shaking my head).

I never thought Greg McElroy was an overly 'good' QB in the sense of, say, AJ putting the team on his back and carrying them. But he WAS a good QB when it counted who rarely messed up. One could argue Blake Sims made the most egregious errors (particularly Auburn and Ohio State) but he also rose to the occasion, too. So very little of our problems ever have to do with the QB.

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Selma, I thought you did a fantastic job of being the designated Tidefans jerk on the QB issue. [emoji846] It is a lot of fun reading all the ideas people have on the subject.


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

Jerk.