Who are your all-time top five Alabama quarterbacks?

[deliveryman35]

Subject to change obviously but at this moment and not necessarily in this order:

Dixie Howell
Joe Namath
Steve Sloan
AJ McCarron
Jalen Hurts

All five led us to significant victories post regular season that will never be forgotten.

 

[jabcmb]

1. Tua
2. Stabler
3. McCarron
4. Namath
5. Barker

My first thoughts on Stabler and Namath are the plays they made before their knee injuries. By the way, I like everybody’s list on here. I truly wish you all could have seen the older QBs mentioned. Another two time NC QB that hasn’t been mentioned is Steve Sloan.

 

[deliveryman35]

1. Tua
2. Stabler
3. McCarron
4. Namath
5. Barker

My first thoughts on Stabler and Namath are the plays they made before their knee injuries. By the way, I like everybody’s list on here. I truly wish you all could have seen the older QBs mentioned. Another two time NC QB that hasn’t been mentioned is Steve Sloan.

Bryant always said that Sloan was the most accurate passer he ever coached. Easy to see why when you look at his career completion percentage.

 

[deliveryman35]

T

I dare anybody to leave AJ McCarron off this list. IMO, if NCs matter the most, he's the best QB in Bama history.

I double dare. He’s a shoo-in and with just an able place-kicker he captures the Triple Crown.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I dare anybody to leave AJ McCarron off this list. IMO, if NCs matter the most, he's the best QB in Bama history.

National championships are a TEAM accomplishment, not an individual one.

We could have not played a single offensive snap in 2016, and we would still have won seven games.
We could have had me standing behind center on that same team, and we likely would have still won nine.

AJ McCarron DOES belong on the list but "national championships won" is about 20th in evaluation criteria.

Hank Bauer won seven World Series, Barry Bonds zero.

Bauer is not in the same solar system as Bonds as a player.

 

[Tider6972]

WOW!

Steadman Shealy ! ...the forgotten Champion (Winning IS what it's about!)


Richard Todd! Ist rounder! Starter for the Jets for many years.

Joe Willie
The Great and Awesome, real person, Ken Stabler
AJ McCarron

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Bryant said Namath was the best ATHLETE (e.g. can do things besides football) he ever saw.

I'm gonna spitball here I guess......no particular order


Namath
McCarron
Tua
Hollingsworth
Stabler (probably)


Stabler was a bigger problem child than Namath, which undercut his career here.

Jay Barker and Pat Trammell were all heart and got more out of their little talent than a lot of guys get out of their immense talent.

I'd be very interested in seeing what a three-year Blake Sims as QB would look like.

Andrew Zow was alternatively spectacular and mediocre, sometimes on the same play. He seemed to be anxious once he had Tyler Watts challenging him.

My favorite will always be Steadman Shealy.

Jalen Hurts would be on this list - if he could have ever learned when to fire the pistol.

 

[Tider6972]

5 that have brought me the most joy:
Joe Willie
P. Trammell
AJ Mc
Snake
Terry Davis
Will have to find a spot for Tua if he's able to avoid major injury and continue the trajectory he began with.

I think I'll wait to anoint Tua until he actually completes *a season* !

The excess hype for Tua is unfair to him, imo, and mostly because it's based on QB camps and personal evaluations - he has to live up to that hype, actually perform, do it on the field.

No one is doubting is potential - potential and a dollar buys you a cup of coffee - well, in many places it does.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

I think I'll wait to anoint Tua until he actually completes *a season* !

The excess hype for Tua is unfair to him, imo, and mostly because it's based on QB camps and personal evaluations - he has to live up to that hype, actually perform, do it on the field.

No one is doubting is potential - potential and a dollar buys you a cup of coffee - well, in many places it does.

What? Did you miss his breaking of the QB rating record last year?

 

[Tider6972]

What? Did you miss his breaking of the QB rating record last year?

lol. nope.another accolade. Thank God for Jalen Hurts!

II am a fan and believer in Tua, a bigger believer in results : championships!

 

[bamamick]

I am 61 years old and have watch football closely since I was around eight years old. I was one of those weird kids who would cut out the Dennis Smitherman articles from the Mobile paper and put them in scrapbooks. I have NEVER seen an Alabama quarterback lead his receivers as well as Tua and it's never been close if you consider consistency. Tua is easily the best quarterback we have had in my lifetime, and that includes all the popular names.

Of course, if we had had a healthy Brodie for four years things may be different because he was that much of a difference maker, but alas, he stayed hurt an awful lot.

Terry Davis is actually my all-time favorite qb because I just loved the wishbone and what he could do with it.

The one guy I wish we had had for four years was Jake Coker. I think Jake would have been the equal of AJ at the very least (two St. Paul's guys).

Good topic.

rtr

 

[Tider6972]

Bamamick (just Have to capitalize Bama!) I don't disagree about what Tua can do with the football, passing especially. He's in the league with, and hass potential to be better, than Joe Namath, iimo.
But quarterbacking is more than passing, it's my opinion, about winning, leading aa team to wins and championships!

That's where Tua has to prove himself in order to be considered a Great. He can; has to Do it.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I think I'll wait to anoint Tua until he actually completes *a season* !

The excess hype for Tua is unfair to him, imo, and mostly because it's based on QB camps and personal evaluations - he has to live up to that hype, actually perform, do it on the field.

Dear Rip Van Winkle,


Here's some news for you:

 

[81usaf92]

II am a fan and believer in Tua, a bigger believer in results : championships!

So in your opinion Joe Flacco is a better qb than Dan Marino

The problem with the championship argument is that you can have a qb like gmac who just hands it off and wins a championship behind a great defense, a heisman trophy running back, and with the greatest coach of all time; then you have a qb like Brodie who has to win with a probation ridden team and a donkey as a coach. I doubt anyone can make the argument that Gmac was a better qb than Brodie.

 

[BamaMoon]

National championships are a TEAM accomplishment, not an individual one.

We could have not played a single offensive snap in 2016, and we would still have won seven games.
We could have had me standing behind center on that same team, and we likely would have still won nine.

AJ McCarron DOES belong on the list but "national championships won" is about 20th in evaluation criteria.

Hank Bauer won seven World Series, Barry Bonds zero.

Bauer is not in the same solar system as Bonds as a player.

NC teams usually need/have great QB play. Might could argue 09 was one without it.
I know it takes a team, but there's a reason we associate great teams with great QBs.

But what I loved about AJ was his heart. He wasn't the most talented, which is evident by his NFL career as a backup, but he also is what I consider one of the greatest college QBs one could find.

And two of his most memorable games came under the greatest spotlight. His game against LSU in for the 2011 BCS was an incredible performance of leadership, skill and accuracy. And then his game against ND the next year, while seeming like a walk in the park, was a thing of beauty too.

And of course, while his game in 2012 against LSU in the regular season wasn't pretty, I'd put his game winning drive that culminated in "AJ to TJ" as one of the greatest drives in Bama history (right up there with Shula's drive and Tiffin's FG - "the kick"). Remember, before that drive we couldn't hardly make a first down or complete a pass against that LSU defense and then that drive happened. In context, it was almost unbelievable!!!

And remember AJ got his first ring as McElroy's backup. 3 NC rings.

He was a stud way before Brent Musburger realized it!

 

[81usaf92]

NC teams usually need/have great QB play. Might could argue 09 was one without it.
I know it takes a team, but there's a reason we associate great teams with great QBs.

But what I loved about AJ was his heart. He wasn't the most talented, which is evident by his NFL career as a backup, but he also is what I consider one of the greatest college QBs one could find.

And two of his most memorable games came under the greatest spotlight. His game against LSU in for the 2011 BCS was an incredible performance of leadership, skill and accuracy. And then his game against ND the next year, while seeming like a walk in the park, was a thing of beauty too.

And of course, while his game in 2012 against LSU in the regular season wasn't pretty, I'd put his game winning drive that culminated in "AJ to TJ" as one of the greatest drives in Bama history (right up there with Shula's drive and Tiffin's FG - "the kick"). Remember, before that drive we couldn't hardly make a first down or complete a pass against that LSU defense and then that drive happened. In context, it was almost unbelievable!!!

And remember AJ got his first ring as McElroy's backup. 3 NC rings.

He was a stud way before Brent Musburger realized it!

1997 Frost, Griese
1998 Tee Martin
1999 Weinke
2000 Heuple
2001 Dorsey
2002 Kenzel
2003 Leinhart, Mauk
2004 Leinhart
2005 Young
2006 Leak
2007 Flynn
2008 Tebow
2009 Gmac
2010 Newton
2011 AJ
2012 AJ
2013 Winston
2014 Jones
2015 Coker
2016 Watson

I count a few NFL full time starters, and numerous washouts and career backups winning national championships in the BCS era onward. Pretty much points to an average qb can win a championship behind a great team

 

[BamaMoon]

1997 Frost, Griese
1998 Tee Martin
1999 Weinke
2000 Heuple
2001 Dorsey
2002 Kenzel
2003 Leinhart, Mauk
2004 Leinhart
2005 Young
2006 Leak
2007 Flynn
2008 Tebow
2009 Gmac
2010 Newton
2011 AJ
2012 AJ
2013 Winston
2014 Jones
2015 Coker
2016 Watson

I count a few NFL full time starters, and numerous washouts and career backups winning national championships in the BCS era onward. Pretty much points to an average qb can win a championship behind a great team

I respect that. But serious question, do we win '11 and '12 championships without AJ? I know that's a tough question because another guy (whoever that might be) would have played those two years. But this much I believe, you'd be hard pressed to find a QB that played as well as AJ did in those two years.

BTW, in your list "average QBs" some of those guys were unbelievable QBs on the college level. I'd take Leinhart, Tebow, sCam, Winston and AJ for their college play at any time and over anybody else most years (except maybe the guy behind center we have right now :wink.

 

[81usaf92]

I respect that. But serious question, do we win '11 and '12 championships without AJ? I know that's a tough question because another guy (whoever that might be) would have played those two years. But this much I believe, you'd be hard pressed to find a QB that played as well as AJ did in those two years.

BTW, in your list "average QBs" some of those guys were unbelievable QBs on the college level. I'd take Leinhart, Tebow, sCam, Winston and AJ for their college play at any time and over anybody else most years (except maybe the guy behind center we have right now :wink.

To the 1st paragraph: it’s hard to say. On one hand we had the best offensive line ever assembled in college football with a really great defense in both years, but on the other hand we had an ultra conservative coordinator afraid of putting the game in a qb’s hands in 2011 and we had the worst coordinator of the Saban era in 2012. AJ had it very easy with the team around him on one hand and had to overcome a lot of head scratching offensive play calling on the other. But I will say he made the most of his opportunity and deserves the top 5 distinction. But like Selma said it isn’t because he won 2 ncs as a starter but that does add to his legacy.

As for the 2nd: Tebow was an average fad that was lucky to be in a Dan Mullen system. Once Alabama caught up it was over.

But the point is qbs like Dorsey, Hueple, Jones, Coker, Leak and Kenzel win more national championships than great qbs like Peyton, Brady, and Brees who played in the same era. Brady and Peyton had morons as coaches that lucked into championships without them but had no idea how to use them when they had them. It pretty much points to the overall team ( coach included) instead of one player. Hell the 1999 Orange Bowl ( Bama vs Michigan) had arguably the 2 best teams in the country that year, but moron coaches made that matchup happen in Miami instead of NOLA.

 

[B1GTide]

I respect that. But serious question, do we win '11 and '12 championships without AJ? I know that's a tough question because another guy (whoever that might be) would have played those two years. But this much I believe, you'd be hard pressed to find a QB that played as well as AJ did in those two years.

You still beat ND like a drum with your worst QB of the last 20 years, but you lose to LSU in 2011 without a QB of his ability. Yes, your defense was stifling, but so was theirs. You probably lose a FG war in multiple OTs without AJ in 2011.

 

[BamaMoon]

You still beat ND like a drum with your worst QB of the last 20 years, but you lose to LSU in 2011 without a QB of his ability. Yes, your defense was stifling, but so was theirs. You probably lose a FG war in multiple OTs without AJ in 2011.

I agree on both games, but also assert that without AJ's game against LSU in 2012 and that amazing drive (AJ to TJ) we don't face ND for the easy win. As I mentioned above, that may have been AJ's finest hour that season with his game against Georgia in the SECCG running a close second. He had the better game against Georgia but the better "moment" against LSU.