Rating Jalen Hurts Half Way Thru the Regular Season

UntouchableCrew · Oct 13, 2016

B1GTide said:
Slightly different perspective. Who cares if he is a true freshman or a senior? He is your starting QB right now, so adding comments like "yeah, but he is a true freshman" is pointless. Why? Because he has to play like a senior for you guys to win a championship right now. So, forget that he is a true freshman. What would you think of his play, right now, if he were a one and done player - like Coker last year.

My thoughts, with that in mind - he is further along than Coker was at this time last season. He is just as competitive as Coker was. He is just as calm, and has the team's support. The only thing that Coker did better than Hurts at this point last year was lead receivers on intermediate routes over the middle. Hurts is still a little late on those passes. But Hurts more than makes up for that with his ability to convert 3rd downs. Coker really struggled with long passes at this point last year, but he figured it out. He needed to - without those passes, Clemson wins.

So, Hurts is playing like a veteran QB right now. He is probably good enough to win a championship right now at Alabama. For me, that is all that matters.

That's a ridiculously unfair standard.

He IS a true freshman. The fact that the coaching staff chose to start him on a "win now" team doesn't mean he should be judged the same way a fifth year senior would be. You need to be realistic and have some perspective.

That said he's playing fantastic -- simply put he hasn't looked like a true freshman. He's obviously surrounded by tremendous talent but I think he's been great, absolutely good enough for this team to win another NC.

rgw · Oct 13, 2016

There are two standards for Hurts:

The Standard - At Alabama, every position is held to the standard "are you good enough to help lead Alabama to a conference and/or national title." This standard gets magnified for QBs and being that we've had so many new QBs the last three seasons these questions seem to be pretty common in the the discourse lately.

A Standard - How does Hurts compare to his positional peers across the nation relative to his own experience.

Hurts is a wonderful athlete with natural leadership characteristics. If he stays healthy, he's going to be one of the greatest to ever toss it around here at Alabama by the time he goes pro. Can he lead us to a title? Freshmen QBs are usually good for one 3-5 turnover game in their initial campaign in college. Guys who are top-10 NFL QBs right now have fallen victim to it, so I don't think Hurts is invulnerable to this possibility. The good thing is that most of them get it out of their system and Hurts has already been shown to be a guy who doesn't go into his shell when adversity hits.

This is why I might sound like a tough critic. I am not really tough on what I think of him, I'm just looking at the history of freshmen QBs and thinking about our title hopes.

TIDE-HSV · Oct 13, 2016

CajunCrimson said:
The worry is the mistake that's bound to come....hopefully not at the worst time.

The good news, is that this team, appears to be built to overcome mistakes. 3 TOs last week, several bad calls, injuries to some key people, win by 19 on the road....vs ranked team

But wait! Read the UT boards. We have never seen the like of them and Neyland will blow Hurts' mind. They are the most ridiculously overconfident bunch of two-TD 'dogs I've ever seen...

bamanix · Oct 13, 2016

he has risen above the pack and snatched the qb position away from some good game manager qbs. he is young, and will make some mistakes, but, his grasp of the team, and his control of his play is amazing. the offensive line recently has provided a big boost to the team. to see a running with 3 backs is awesome. we have not taken advantage of our elite receivers. lane still prefers to give our best ridley just like cooper the most play, however, used. I know why howard is not used more, and that we have no backup blocking tight ends. they are really bad at blocking. he has to stay in and protect. with the off line getting better, hopefully, he will get a chance soon. a real wasted talent in my opinion. will be gone next year, and a very weak position. Jalen will continue to progress, the future is bright.

JBama_in_PCOLA · Oct 13, 2016

Really, I don't see Neylsnd stadium being anymore raucous than Vaught-Hemingway at this juncture. Ole Miss was a better team than the one Bama faces this weekend too.

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4Q Basket Case · Oct 13, 2016

Jalen Hurts has done what I didn't think was possible, and stated so on this board repeatedly during the offseason.

As a true freshman, he has done all the intangible things Saban demands of his starting quarterback -- he has been a leader who has earned the respect and followership of the team, including upperclassmen. He has read defenses, gotten the team into the right plays, executed those plays, taken big hits, and popped right back up, and he has done all that every 35 seconds for complete games.

I just didn't think any true freshman could do all that, but no words I've ever eaten have tasted so good.

Yes, he's still learning, but steady week-to-week progress is evident every game.

The talking heads' warnings remind me of how they comment on Alabama as a team. They don't criticize so much as they say, "Yeah, but he hasn't done it when (fill in unfavorable situation).

"Yeah, but he hasn't seen the bright lights against a traditional power with as many 5-stars as Alabama has." Ask USCw how that worked out.

"Yeah, but he hasn't had to respond to adversity in the big stage." Ask USCw or Ole Miss about that one.

"Yeah, but he hasn't had to come back on the road against a good team with a big amped up crowd behind them smelling blood" Ole Miss knows how that story ends, too.

"Yeah, but he hasn't been in Fayetteville at night against a raucous Hog crowd." Who was calmer and did all aspects of his job better -- the 18 year old freshman or an overweight middle-aged millionaire coach?

"Yeah, but he hasn't seen 100,000 orange in the Third Saturday in October, in the road in Knoxville." I have no reason to believe Jalen Hurts will do anything different on Saturday from what he's done in his first six games -- calmly handle whatever comes his way, and continue to get better and better.

He's the real deal. While he has room to improve, he is in fact doing just that -- improving every week. And his legs and power give us a dimension we've never had at that position. He may be with us for only three years, but they're going to be fun to watch.

TAKEPRIDE22 · Oct 13, 2016

This guy is cool under pressure and doesn't seem to be fazed...the main thing I think he needs improvement on is the deep ball. There have been times he has simply under thrown the WR's, who seemed to have the DB beat. It may just be him still getting use to the timing of the game and the difference in the speed of the WR's in college.

JustinT256 · Oct 13, 2016

TIDE-HSV said:
But wait! Read the UT boards. We have never seen the like of them and Neyland will blow Hurts' mind. They are the most ridiculously overconfident bunch of two-TD 'dogs I've ever seen...

I have honestly never seen anything like it. Most of them (no, not some, MOST) are expecting to "run us off the field".. Even with their injury filled roster. It's insane.

B1GTide · Oct 13, 2016

UntouchableCrew said:
That's a ridiculously unfair standard.

Not when you have a single goal. He is either good enough to get you there, or he is not.

This isn't some team trying to build around a QB. This is a team trying to win right now with a QB.

TIDE-HSV · Oct 13, 2016

JustinT256 said:
I have honestly never seen anything like it. Most of them (no, not some, MOST) are expecting to "run us off the field".. Even with their injury filled roster. It's insane.

I would say "most" = 80%...

crimsonaudio · Oct 13, 2016

B1GTide said:
Not when you have a single goal. He is either good enough to get you there, or he is not.

This isn't some team trying to build around a QB. This is a team trying to win right now with a QB.

But i makes no difference regarding that goal - being amazed at his ability, poise, etc, base don his age doesn't detract from his ability to lead the team to a NC. He has all the tools and has displayed them for all of us already. We can admire than and still marvel over his maturity.

B1GTide · Oct 13, 2016

crimsonaudio said:
But i makes no difference regarding that goal - being amazed at his ability, poise, etc, base don his age doesn't detract from his ability to lead the team to a NC. He has all the tools and has displayed them for all of us already. We can admire than and still marvel over his maturity.

Fair enough - my point was that his relative maturity for his age isn't going to put more points on the board. His maturity will, but he doesn't get extra credit on their field for being more mature for his age/experience. And I agree that it is remarkable that he is able to do what he is doing as a true freshman - I just think that the relative factor doesn't help you win games. If he wasn't good enough, he wouldn't be on the field - at any age.

dvldog · Oct 13, 2016

He's our QB. Let's go win a championship. RTR.

Saban4Ever · Oct 13, 2016

I love Jalen and sure hope he can stay calm during the TN game, especially with their pass rusher that is so good, and the crowd that will be larger and louder than Ole Miss and Arky was. As long as he doesn't turn the ball over I think we will be fine. Let't hope for no injuries!

JBama_in_PCOLA · Oct 13, 2016

That's all that matters!

dvldog said:
He's our QB. Let's go win a championship. RTR.

12Namath12 · Oct 13, 2016

Alasippi said:
Exactly, he's a freshman. We'll see. I've been his biggest supporter since he arrived. But people posting pics of Namath are dreaming.

For the record, I posted a pic of Namath STATING that Namath would disagree about NOT being the coolest customer at QB. Try reading ALL posts in total.

Highway59 · Oct 13, 2016

So far, I'd say a Natural.....

IMALOYAL1 · Oct 13, 2016

After the hit and fumble return for a touchdown against Ole Miss, many QB's would be rattled. Jalen seemed to play his best. If that is his temperament, we will be in every game we play. Some people get better when placed under immense pressure, some crumble. It looks like Hurts is the type that thrives under pressure, and that's one thing that's very uncommon for a freshman. I think it's obvious he was born with it. It's what the coaches saw early on that just needed to be proven when the lights came on and the game started.
When he gets his passing down pat we may be unstoppable. He's already a capable passer, but will get better as he grows with the team.

I may be wrong but Namath and Stabler couldn't play as freshmen back in those days? I'm in no way trying to compare Jalen Hurts to anyone. I could not be more pleased with what he has done so far, and look forward to his improvement just as all our other great players have improved as they gained experience.

Sabanizer · Oct 13, 2016

BamaInBham said:
"C". Amazing

For which will make the grading of a B and an A in the future all the more honest. I sincerely hope that you read my full post that this grade had no reflection on his age or year. I try to be thorough in my response, which gives liberty to more easily criticize my opinion, over many other shorter, quip ridden posts that say nothing obviously good or bad.

IMALOYAL1 · Oct 13, 2016

Sabanizer said:
I try to be thorough in my response, which gives liberty to more easily criticize my opinion, over many other shorter, quip ridden posts that say nothing obviously good or bad.

I may be wrong but you seemed to be strongly on the side of the QB who quit the team when he felt the job should be his because he was a highly ranked 5 star with a good arm. That might cause some to give more scrutiny of your QB evaluations over their own and the coaches. I may be wrong. JMHO.

Rating Jalen Hurts Half Way Thru the Regular Season

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