QB Competition 2018

B1GTide

TideFans Legend
Apr 13, 2012
45,500
46,843
187
Mack looked a step slow against Auburn to me. He looked to be favoring his foot. Hopefully he will be the old Mack by the Clemson game.
Yes, he was slowed by his injury and you could tell that he was frustrated by it in the game.
 

rgw

Suspended
Sep 15, 2003
20,852
1,351
232
Tuscaloosa
Mack looked a step slow against Auburn to me. He looked to be favoring his foot. Hopefully he will be the old Mack by the Clemson game.

Edit: I see that some others commented on this above. I am glad I wasn't the only one who saw this.
I mean, sure, so we were super aggressive with the blitz hoping we could force the pass before the crosser could get going. I think we should've played more coverage on 3rd and passing down but I don't know exactly what Pruitt was working with Moses/Wilson/Evans. I feel like if you know your LB will not be able to cover in open space then you should play zone and rally to the ball. I think we were a bit too afraid of the deep ball. UGA made the same mistake too...made Stidham make throws down field instead of free money passes in the rematch. We'd probably do the same if we had the opportunity.
 
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BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,932
15,935
282
Boone, NC
We veered off to talking about the defense.

We were just "off" as a team in the IB on both offense and defense.

Seems to me with the return of some of the injured guys that's the easier fix.

Offensive struggles are more concerning to me!
 

Intl.Aperture

All-American
Aug 12, 2015
3,681
23
57
Chesapeake, Virginia
We veered off to talking about the defense.

We were just "off" as a team in the IB on both offense and defense.

Seems to me with the return of some of the injured guys that's the easier fix.

Offensive struggles are more concerning to me!

Yah because Jalen didn't play good enough defense in the Iron Bowl for us to win. If Tua had been playing defense then Auburn would never have scored. This is totally relevant to the thread!

I don't know about Yall but if they don't put Tua in for both Hurts AND Mack Wilson then we are going to get run out of the stadium against Clemson.

To bring this back to earth it's somewhat necessary to continue to dissect different variables of the games in order to determine how much blame lay with the QB. The Iron Bowl hurt and Hurts did not play well so it follows that we determine how much blame gets laid at his feet - even if that takes us off trail for a bit.

My official stance as of this moment is that Tua has the higher QB ceiling between the 2 and if given an honest to goodness competition he would come out the victor.

I don't care if I'm wrong as I want the team to win rather than be right about any dumb QB prediction. I'm also allowed to change my stance at a moments notice but that's sort of how I see it right now.
 

Tradition4ever

1st Team
Oct 16, 2004
463
4
42
47
Carlsbad, NM
One thing I keep hearing over and over is that we need to call short, quick passes - slants, hooks, crossing patterns, etc. In two years with two OC’s, JH has not been asked to do this consistently. It seems to the consensus that this is due to the OC philosophy. Has it occurred to us that the reason may be JH does not do this well - and if we make these calls his performance gets worse?

I’ve played QB and coached QB’s on the HS level and essential to making these short, quick passes are two things. First, an ability to get the ball out quickly and decisively into a small window before it closes. Second, an ability to use your eyes to prevent defenders from jumping the routes (most picks end up going for TD’s).

From what we’ve seen of JH, does this sound like his strong suits?
^^THIS!^^ One consistent trait we've witnessed with Hurts is that he tends to be late on throws, even when the receiver is open. Being late on a slant or crossing route can be disastrous. Normally, Hurts seems to struggle with anticipation on throws. He either doesn't trust what he sees, or he has trouble quickly reading the defense pre and post snap.
 

Intl.Aperture

All-American
Aug 12, 2015
3,681
23
57
Chesapeake, Virginia
Also, my wife can't pronounce Tua Tagovailoa so if the game is a blowout she asks me how "Mele Kalikimaka" did.

I tell her that's the only thing to say on a bright Hawaiian Christmas day. She asks on other days despite my protests.
 

drwho

Suspended
Dec 11, 2013
1,685
0
55
Jalen has lost 2 games in 2 yrs, got to Championship last yr, to playoff so far this yr, really? We need to change QB's? Man I know we bama fans want perfection but this is the craziest thing I have ever heard. Say you toss in TUA do you really think he is really ready to play at a higher level than 2 yr starter with only 2 losses against 2 top 5 teams, with 2 playoff appearances? Man I want what you guys are drinking or smoking. It must be grade A prime stuff.

Step back and really look at what you are saying. Jalen is not perfect, hey guess what news flash NO ONE IS. Tua looks great, he has done well in clean up of beaten down defenses. That is far cry from playing well in a play off game, with top flight healthy rested defenses. Tua has not one time been put in a spot to put the smallest amount of pressure on him. There is no way to know how he will react, he may do well but that is a BIG gamble when the starter has done nothing but win all but 2 games in 2 yrs. WOW JUST WOW. I guess it is true the best QB is the unseen BACKUP arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
There is no way to know how Tua will react, but we're already seeing how Jalen reacts against a formidable front 7 (Auburn), that is not on the level with Clemson. It's Tua's style of play that would work better IMO against Clemson, than Jalen.

And, Jalen is 0-1 against Clemson and Venables.

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CrimsonForce

Hall of Fame
Dec 20, 2012
12,757
94
67
We veered off to talking about the defense.

We were just "off" as a team in the IB on both offense and defense.

Seems to me with the return of some of the injured guys that's the easier fix.

Offensive struggles are more concerning to me!
100% agree and it isn't because our defense isn't capable. It's just the way the game is played now a good offense will score at least 21 but probably closer to 30 points on even the best defense. We've seen that the past few years. This game, just like the iron bowl, will be all about the our offense's ability to control the game and score points. I said before the iron bowl we needed to score 31 points to have a chance to win. We'll probably need about the same in this game. Again, that's not because our defense is bad but just the style of modern day football.

I've posted this before but I'd feel good about our chances if we'd just commit to running the ball. Damien 25 carries, Jacobs 15 carries about 15-20 pass attempts for Jalen. I'd take my chances with that any day rather than Damien 5 carries, Jacobs 3 carries, 30 pass attempts and 12 designed QB runs..
 

drwho

Suspended
Dec 11, 2013
1,685
0
55
No one is asking for Tua to start. As Tusk said, though, if we stall out, it would be very disappointing if we don't take the chance. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose.


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I am.

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BamaMoon

Hall of Fame
Apr 1, 2004
20,932
15,935
282
Boone, NC
To bring this back to earth it's somewhat necessary to continue to dissect different variables of the games in order to determine how much blame lay with the QB. The Iron Bowl hurt and Hurts did not play well so it follows that we determine how much blame gets laid at his feet - even if that takes us off trail for a bit.
This reminds me of the post Clemson discussions.

Our defense, although it struggled against Auburn, was not the problem, just like the defense was not the problem against Clemson.

In the IB we converted 3 of 13 third down attempts.

The TOP was 23:58 (Bama) to 36:02 (Barn). I don't know what the total amount of plays were, but we held them to 26 points despite them having the ball for almost an entire quarter (12 minutes) more than us.

That's on the offense! Scoring only 12 points would have cost us 3 more games this year.
 

Bamabuzzard

FB Moderator
Staff member
Aug 15, 2004
30,570
18,341
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48
Where ever there's BBQ, Bourbon & Football
I will be paying VERY close attention to the amount of plays run against our defense in the first half. I'm not sure if anyone remembers, but in last year's championship game when Dabo was interviewed. He knew EXACTLY how many offensive plays they had run against our defense. I remember the interview sounded like "Everything is going as planned. We have them right where we want them." Granted, I know "the plan" wasn't to have to win the game on the last play. But there was no doubt his plan was to run as many plays as possible in the first half and if they could get to a minimum amount of total plays for the game they would be in a great position to win. Ultimately he was right.
 

drwho

Suspended
Dec 11, 2013
1,685
0
55

Yah because Jalen didn't play good enough defense in the Iron Bowl for us to win. If Tua had been playing defense then Auburn would never have scored. This is totally relevant to the thread!

I don't know about Yall but if they don't put Tua in for both Hurts AND Mack Wilson then we are going to get run out of the stadium against Clemson.

To bring this back to earth it's somewhat necessary to continue to dissect different variables of the games in order to determine how much blame lay with the QB. The Iron Bowl hurt and Hurts did not play well so it follows that we determine how much blame gets laid at his feet - even if that takes us off trail for a bit.

My official stance as of this moment is that Tua has the higher QB ceiling between the 2 and if given an honest to goodness competition he would come out the victor.


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TiderJack

Hall of Fame
Jul 9, 2010
12,232
6,263
187
Inverness, AL
I am.

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So you are wanting a true freshman who has taken meaningless snaps for the most part this year to lead our team into the play-offs and play against a defense like we are going to see against Clemson? That is not the way to win a championship and this team as is can win a championship. I am all for an open competition in the spring/fall but you are really out there if you want Tua to start against Clemson.
 

ProudTider

BamaNation Citizen
Dec 2, 2015
43
0
0
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Come on man, Jalen is Tom Brady without an OL, regardless that 3 of the 5 linemen made 1st Team All SEC. Seriously, I want Jalen to start and lead us to a win. Everyone on the offense has to improve, though. WR's have to get open, RB's have to avoid one on one ankle tackles in open space, the line has to keep their focus, the coaches have to call better plays and, yes, Jalen, aka Tom Brady, must perform as someone with 27 games of experience should.
 

BamaInBham

All-American
Feb 14, 2007
4,465
2,110
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100% agree and it isn't because our defense isn't capable. It's just the way the game is played now a good offense will score at least 21 but probably closer to 30 points on even the best defense. We've seen that the past few years. This game, just like the iron bowl, will be all about the our offense's ability to control the game and score points. I said before the iron bowl we needed to score 31 points to have a chance to win. We'll probably need about the same in this game. Again, that's not because our defense is bad but just the style of modern day football.

I've posted this before but I'd feel good about our chances if we'd just commit to running the ball. Damien 25 carries, Jacobs 15 carries about 15-20 pass attempts for Jalen. I'd take my chances with that any day rather than Damien 5 carries, Jacobs 3 carries, 30 pass attempts and 12 designed QB runs..
IMO, Bama is not going to be able to say here we come and line up and run the the ball on Clemson. Their DL is much better than AU's which was good. Though AU and Stidham have improved, they had 400+ total yards against Bama and 116 against Clemson, 62 after the first drive - that's right 62 total yards. There is no chance Bama's OL dominates Clemson's DL. They will have to scheme around that DL. Bama to be successful in the passing game in a way it hasn't been in the last 8 games against teams with a defensive pulse. The type of offense it seems that Bama needs to run does not favor the Jalen we currently know. Hopefully, he can surprise us, because we know Tua won't start, even though the type of skills needed seems to favor him. But we don't even know that his passing gifts will hold up in "real time". We do know Coach Saban, though human, has the intelligence and time to come to the proper conclusions. It will be fascinating.
 
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CrimsonForce

Hall of Fame
Dec 20, 2012
12,757
94
67
IMO, Bama is not going to be able to say here we come and line up and run the the ball on Clemson. Their DL is much better than AU's which was good. Though AU and Stidham have improved, they had 400+ total yards against Bama and 116 against Clemson, 62 after the first drive - that's right 62 total yards. There is no chance Bama's OL dominates Clemson's DL. They will have to scheme around that DL. Bama to be successful in the passing game in a way it hasn't been in the last 8 games against teams with a defensive pulse. The type of offense it seems that Bama needs to run does not favor the Jalen we currently know. Hopefully, he can surprise us, because we know Tua won't start, even though the type of skills needed seems to favor him. But we don't even know that his passing gifts will hold up in "real time". We do know Coach Saban, though human, has the intelligence and time to come to the proper conclusions. It will be fascinating.
When did Alabama become scared or not man enough to push other teams around? This is supposed to be our calling card - MTAQ. Did you watch the AU game? Harris had 6 carries for 51 yard 8.5 YPC, Bo had 6 for 46 yards for 7.7 YPC and Jacobs had 6 carries for 25 yards 4.2 YPC. That's a total of 18 carries for 122 yards 6.7 YPC. We can run the ball on anyone if we commit to it. We were running the ball on Clemson just fine last year until Bo got hurt and the staff, for whatever reason, didn't have confidence in Harris and the other RBs. Clemson has a very good front 7 and it won't be easy but I like our chances if our RBs have more carries than we have pass attempts. We will have to complete some passes, no doubt about that, but the focus on this game should be getting the ball to the best position group on the team which is the RBs..
 

tusks_n_raider

Hall of Fame
May 13, 2009
12,130
12,213
187
Mobile, AL
It's taken me a LONG time to 'see the light' with regards to last year's Clemson game. I wrongly put most of the blame on the defense.

I think because the mantra was 'It's the GOAT defense....period....no question.' That was a damn bold statement. It was really hard seeing them give up 35 or more points two straight years to the same team after hearing that line over and over.

But I have finally come around to the fact they were put in an impossible situation to suceed by the Offense's lack of efficiency. I was cutting them slack because they did score enough points to win no matter how they scored them. I was also cutting #2 a lot of slack since he made an almost game winning run despite having a pretty bad passing game AND was a TF with a new OC.

I know all of this has been obvious to the majority of you for a while. But it's just really hit me hard the last month of this season. I've defended the starting QB a ton because he HAS made some improvements....but that's been offset by new problems popping up or rather bubbling to the surface.

The overall decision making has been increasingly poor with each team with play with a pulse. The not giving it off the RB, the lack of pocket awareness, not pulling the trigger on passing plays, freelancing plays and taking bad sacks, not throwing the ball away, and the most egregious error being completely unaware of the chains and LOS and stepping OOB and taking a LOSS of yardage. It just been inexplicably bad decisions.

I really got soured from that Miss St game....post game. The whole 'Hero Complex' of a halftime speech and 'driving the bus' and 'you can come or get left behind'. Yeah I'm sure that went over well with the 5 OL blocking, the WR's getting open all game basically just doing cardio, and the RB's getting carries taken away from them.

Then it got worse from there with the whole 'I was born for moments like these' comments......and especially when you see the skill players being visibly frustrated.

This isn't the Jalen Hurts show starring Jalen Hurts, Co-Starring Jalen Hurts, Produced and Directed by Jalen Hurts.

It's a TEAM game and everyone has to pull their weight and everyone has an important role. The QB's job is to DISTRIBUTE the ball to the skill players, be AWARE of the situation, and not put the team in precarious spots.

I still love our current starting QB. I do not think he's a lost cause as a QB. I think he can improve with better coaching. I also think he still has limitations right now that we don't have time to fix. I think he has an attitude issue that needs checking as well.

Sometimes it's not the worst thing to sit a guy on the bench to gain some perspective. I also think the guy who's been patiently waiting on the bench is already more polished and capable of beating a D1 defense like Clemson through the Air. If QB1 keeps playing how he's been playing then QB2 deserves a SHOT....a CHANCE to help the TEAM.

They can battle the whole thing out in the off-season no matter what but the time for winning or losing a NC is RIGHT NOW......not next year....NOW.

It would be a major disservice to the rest of the team to keep struggling doing the same things and lose because we are playing the 'let's not bruise someone's ego' game.
 
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Con

Hall of Fame
Dec 19, 2006
6,398
4,230
187
Northern Hemisphere
It's taken me a LONG time to 'see the light' with regards to last year's Clemson game. I wrongly put most of the blame on the defense.

I think because the mantra was 'It's the GOAT defense....period....no question.' That was a damn bold statement. It was really hard seeing them give up 35 or more points two straight years to the same team after hearing that line over and over.

But I have finally come around to the fact they were put in an impossible situation to suceed by the Offense's lack of efficiency. I was cutting them slack because they did score enough points to win no matter how they scored them. I was also cutting #2 a lot of slack since he made an almost game winning run despite having a pretty bad passing game AND was a TF with a new OC.

I know all of this has been obvious to the majority of you for a while. But it's just really hit me hard the last month of this season. I've defended the starting QB a ton because he HAS made some improvements....but that's been offset by new problems popping up or rather bubbling to the surface.

The overall decision making has been increasingly poor with each team with play with a pulse. The not giving it off the RB, the lack of pocket awareness, not pulling the trigger on passing plays, freelancing plays and taking bad sacks, not throwing the ball away, and the most egregious error being completely unaware of the chains and LOS and stepping OOB and taking a LOSS of yardage. It just been inexplicably bad decisions.

I really got soured from that Miss St game....post game. The whole 'Hero Complex' of a halftime speech and 'driving the bus' and 'you can come or get left behind'. Yeah I'm sure that went over well with the 5 OL blocking, the WR's getting open all game basically just doing cardio, and the RB's getting carries taken away from them.

Then it got worse from there with the whole 'I was born for moments like these' comments......and especially when you see the skill players being visibly frustrated.

This isn't the Jalen Hurts show starring Jalen Hurts, Co-Starring Jalen Hurts, Produced and Directed by Jalen Hurts.

It's a TEAM game and everyone has the pull their weight and everyone has an important role. The QB's job is to DISTRIBUTE the ball to the skill players, be AWARE of the situation, and not put the team is precarious spots.

I still love our current starting QB. I do not think he's a lost cause as a QB. I think he can improve with better coaching. I also think he still has limitations right now that we don't have time to fix. I think he has an attitude issue that needs checking as well.

Sometimes it's not the worst thing to sit a guy on the bench to gain some perspective. I also think the guy who's been patiently waiting on the bench is already more polished and capable of beating a D1 defense like Clemson through the Air. If QB1 keeps playing how he's been playing then QB2 deserves a SHOT....a CHANCE to help the TEAM.

They can battle the whole thing out in the off-season no matter what but the time for winning or losing a NC is RIGHT NOW......not next year....NOW.

It would be a major disservice to the rest of the team to keep struggling doing the same things and lose because we are playing the 'let's not bruise someone's ego' game.
Very well stated.
 

ProudTider

BamaNation Citizen
Dec 2, 2015
43
0
0
It's taken me a LONG time to 'see the light' with regards to last year's Clemson game. I wrongly put most of the blame on the defense.

I think because the mantra was 'It's the GOAT defense....period....no question.' That was a damn bold statement. It was really hard seeing them give up 35 or more points two straight years to the same team after hearing that line over and over.

But I have finally come around to the fact they were put in an impossible situation to suceed by the Offense's lack of efficiency. I was cutting them slack because they did score enough points to win no matter how they scored them. I was also cutting #2 a lot of slack since he made an almost game winning run despite having a pretty bad passing game AND was a TF with a new OC.

I know all of this has been obvious to the majority of you for a while. But it's just really hit me hard the last month of this season. I've defended the starting QB a ton because he HAS made some improvements....but that's been offset by new problems popping up or rather bubbling to the surface.

The overall decision making has been increasingly poor with each team with play with a pulse. The not giving it off the RB, the lack of pocket awareness, not pulling the trigger on passing plays, freelancing plays and taking bad sacks, not throwing the ball away, and the most egregious error being completely unaware of the chains and LOS and stepping OOB and taking a LOSS of yardage. It just been inexplicably bad decisions.

I really got soured from that Miss St game....post game. The whole 'Hero Complex' of a halftime speech and 'driving the bus' and 'you can come or get left behind'. Yeah I'm sure that went over well with the 5 OL blocking, the WR's getting open all game basically just doing cardio, and the RB's getting carries taken away from them.

Then it got worse from there with the whole 'I was born for moments like these' comments......and especially when you see the skill players being visibly frustrated.

This isn't the Jalen Hurts show starring Jalen Hurts, Co-Starring Jalen Hurts, Produced and Directed by Jalen Hurts.

It's a TEAM game and everyone has to pull their weight and everyone has an important role. The QB's job is to DISTRIBUTE the ball to the skill players, be AWARE of the situation, and not put the team in precarious spots.

I still love our current starting QB. I do not think he's a lost cause as a QB. I think he can improve with better coaching. I also think he still has limitations right now that we don't have time to fix. I think he has an attitude issue that needs checking as well.

Sometimes it's not the worst thing to sit a guy on the bench to gain some perspective. I also think the guy who's been patiently waiting on the bench is already more polished and capable of beating a D1 defense like Clemson through the Air. If QB1 keeps playing how he's been playing then QB2 deserves a SHOT....a CHANCE to help the TEAM.

They can battle the whole thing out in the off-season no matter what but the time for winning or losing a NC is RIGHT NOW......not next year....NOW.

It would be a major disservice to the rest of the team to keep struggling doing the same things and lose because we are playing the 'let's not bruise someone's ego' game.
Help me for my memory is terrible. Did we have the "guns in the holster after a touchdown" gimmick in 2016? If we did, I missed it but I sure don't like it in 2017.
 

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