Who is peaking when......

WalkaboutSean said:

Cutting Kiffin loose is either a massive blunder or a genius move.

Given Saban's track record, I'm betting on genius.

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BumpndNite said:

I heard Bill Oliver say that it is extremely rare for a team to bring their "A" game more than once, or twice a season. The thing about this Bama squad (on offense) is, I don't think they've played their "A" game yet. The Mississippi State game was as close they've come, and the MSU "D", or lack thereof, probably had a lot to do with that.

I happen to believe that this Bama offense is overrated. The reasons are: (a) The Bama defense takes other teams out of their game plan, on both sides of the ball, (b) like it, or not, the SEC is not a premier league this season, and (c) the offensive line has really struggled against the two best DLs they've played (LSU and Washington). I thought the coaching staff took a big gamble by naming Hurts as the starting QB. Blake Barnett had a bigger upside (IMO), and is a much more polished passer. Although Jalen Hurts has had a fantastic season, he is still only seeing half the field on passing plays. The better defenses have been able to exploit that weakness, and Bama has struggled to move the chains. Also if he is injured, there really is no Plan "B".

For those reasons, I'm pretty pessimistic about Monday. To beat this Clemson team, the defense will have to play lights-out (again), and the offense will have to surprise everyone, and bring their "A" game.

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grlindsey08 said:

I have a major problem with people saying this because Blake Barnett's first two series were better than Jalen's. The difference is Blake only had 2 to settle down while Jalen had as many as he needed. First of all, the play calling did nothing to show what a qb could do for either of the two's first 2 drives. But here's the stats compared to each other. Blake's first drive- one dropped pass behind the LOS that was catchable. 1 slow-developing running play up the middle for 1 yard. 1 sack in which two USC defenders got into the back field untouched. Punt. Jalen's first drive- First play:Jalen runs for a loss of two yards and fumbles. Blake's second drive- one complete pass for no gain, one running play for 2 yards, 1 short completion, Punt. Jalen's second drive- complete pass for loss of 1 yard, running play for 2 yards, Jalen runs for no gain, Punt. Jalen's 3rd drive- Jalen moves ball a little, almost throws interception. Has 2nd and 3rd down incompletions to end drive. Punt. Jalen's 4th drive- Jalen scores on a 39-yard TD pass. Finally.

Compare just the first 2 drives and I don't see how anyone can say Jalen looked better. From what I saw, Blake didn't have a single passing play past the line of scrimmage that could show off his arm. He also had 0 blocking on some plays. 0. And as for Blake looking like it was his first time ever on a football field, how do you explain Jalen fumbling his first-ever snap as a QB at Alabama?

I understand it takes time to settle into the game, especially when it's the first game of the year and against a historical powerhouse like USC. And Jalen DID eventually settle down. But he had 4 drives to do it where Blake got 2 and then never saw the field in the first half again. I feel we didn't see enough of Blake to make any judgements on his abilities. But we did see enough to see that he could at least protect the ball when he got hit, and Jalen couldn't.

I like Jalen. I think he's a lot like Tebow. He has leadership abilities and knows how to make something happen at the right time. Kiffin did nothing to develop him as a passer, so I'm hoping Sark will. I do believe he is the kind of guy who is smart enough and determined enough to improve over the years. But he also, like Tebow, is currently a TERRIBLE passer. Blake never got a chance to show off his arm.

While Jalen is good, he wasn't really any better than Blake and people are making him out to be one of the best. He's fumbled the ball SEVERAL times in games where thankfully an offensive player fell on it. He has under thrown receiver after receiver and no one seems to care. I don't understand why so many of his weaknesses are being overlooked in such an obvious way while people are acting like it was Blake who fumbled his first snap. He looked nervous. But he made accurate passes that were droppedand held on to the ball when sacked. Jalen made half-decent throws and fumbled his first snap. It wasn't ok for Blake to look nervous. It was ok for Jalen. Can someone explain to me why?

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rgw said:

People are results oriented. No matter what happens in the game, I don't think Sark is gonna flat out "cost us" nor "straight up save us." The last few ball games from Kiffin were increasingly erratic, disjointed, and not mindful of what is going on in the plan or on the field in-game. He got himself fired, he deserved it, this team is too close and bought in for Saban to tolerate a coach near the top undermining the team's confidence. Of course, this move was facilitated by already having Sark on campus 75% of the season...maybe Saban would've just had a Come to Jesus if Kiffin wasn't already halfway out the door.


Kiffin got fired due to ineffectiveness. If we lose it will be because Kiffin didn't progress Hurts enough in the off-period not because we canned him to prevent another SECCG/Peach Bowl playcalling fiasco.

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WalkaboutSean said:

Cutting Kiffin loose is either a massive blunder or a genius move.

Given Saban's track record, I'm betting on genius.

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92tide said:

5 letters

moooo

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