Fake news: Who hates Jalen?

It is complicated.

I'd use a specific example of some neighbors I have, but I really don't want to say their attitude or beliefs to be honest. Suffice it to say in some ways they would approach the worst of Hurts detractors. On the other hand, the last conversation I had with my brother before he passed away was about Tua. My brother was a good guy, didn't bash players, but he was just legitimately enthused about Tua's abilities, he wasn't saying a lot of negative stuff about Hurts. The knowledge that people like my neighbors exist can poison reasonable conversations about Tua and Hurts, though.

I got overly defensive of Hurts, and sometimes I still have that instinctual reaction. I think he can do more than be a running back, I don't think he was a good fit with Daboll's offense or what Alabama was trying to do, but I've seen him better utilized and I've seen him be effective. So, when people talk about a guy who is actually younger than Tua, younger than even AJ when he first started, who actually has 3 years of eligibility left and seem to think he should just switch positions and be done with it, that's not hate but it does seem to be writing him off. On the other hand, if Drew Bledsoe is your quarterback, and Drew was a solid QB, but if you have Tom Brady on your bench, how do you not call for Tom Brady to play?

The problem I had is I fixated on the negative (sometimes completely accurate) things being said about Hurts. If you have a 100 page topic about Hurts, there's going to be negative things said, and I did feel a cumulative effect. It did start to blend together to me, I see it said that Hurts isn't a good quarterback, he's really a running back, he should be benched, he needs to change positions, etc... and those messages get repeated, at a point it felt like it was too much, like it had gone too far. The thing I lost perspective on was that for the most part, individual posters were being perfect reasonable and rational. The psychological effect of hearing what are negative things about Hurts over and over are probably more powerful than intended. I can't blame Jay Barker or Tua for their reactions, because I felt that myself and to be honest overreacted. I think it's a reminder both from my actions, but from the actions of others that our words can mean more than we intend them to mean, and on the internet we have no way of truly conveying how we feel, some things said can be taken more harshly than intended.

Yeah, I also admit that I got a little defensive about the JH/TT situation for a while, too. It did seem at times that some were saying that Hurts simply wasn't any good, which just is not true. That dude can play ball. He was the SEC POY as a freshman, hello! The biggest issue I had, though, was that people seemed to indicate that our coaches must be idiots, which is just laughable. My only contention there was that I trust our coaches to play the guys who give us the best chance to win, and that isn't always about pure talent. I finally just quit going to that thread because several times it seemed more about personal feelings than just debate about the situation. Anyway, I still hope both guys stay with our program and continue to develop and that the coaches play the guys who give us the best chance to win and who deserve to play by working hard and representing our university well.

I think the "Jalen Haters" are actually barner fans wanting to stir up trouble on twitter.

Here is the deal, this is not little league, this is high level division I football, Every QB that shows up at every program ever year expects to compete for and WIN the job. Tua wouldn't have signed if he felt he was not going to be given a shot. It would not be the first time a younger QB came in and beat the incumbent.

As for Jalen personally he has choices to make. The guy is a fine college quarterback if a bit old school. As yet he has not shown the sort of Ability required to play at the next level. This is not new news, analysts have already been over that repeatedly. If he wanted to have a shot at the next level a position change would be needed. This is not a knock on Jalen, Guys, the NFL is a whole different ball game when it comes to passing. The last season starting QB from Alabama is STILL Richard Todd from the 1975 team. So we've had 42 opening day starters and yet to produce an opening day starter in the NFL. It's Jalen's choice how to proceed. I will him the best no matter what as long as he doesn't go to Auburn or Tennessee. If he stays I know they can use him to win football games. HE's too dangerous with the ball in his hands.

Okay some REAL News!

Jalen is AWESOME and Tua is tooooooo! Well, Coach Saban is toooooo! Well, come to think of it, I think ALL players who are at ALABAMA are AWESOME!!!!!!! Oh, I can't leave out our coaches, our administrators, our professors, our fans and anyone else associated with the Alabama Crimson Tide!

My good friend and I were talking during the Tennessee game this season when we went back for our class reunion. Of course we weren’t going to lose to Tennessee but he pointed out some things about Jalen that I tried my best to ignore but really couldn’t. Basically, if boiled down to Jalen not being the answer at QB. I really couldn’t argue with what he said because they were all fair points. He looked like an idiot when Jalen almost singlehandedly brought Bama back in Starkville but still in the back of my head I knew he was right. It’s fair to criticize Jalen, but then I see some out there that were just being jerks about it. Tua will be the QB going forward because he is the better of the two, but I still love Jalen and hope he put in some packages for him. I don’t want him going anywhere.


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Jalen Hurts is awesome and provided a much needed spark to our offense when we really needed it last year. Looking forward to many more great plays from Jalen.

A "team" is a unique group. I have managed many teams in a manufacturing environment, sometimes the "stars" lead the way and save the day, and sometimes it's a previously unknown talent that charges to the front and makes huge contributions. Point being that "teamwork" revolves around being able to depend on others when needed, if one person is struggling then another takes over. Jalen has saved us on many occasions, Tua came in and did what he was asked to do Monday night, hopefully both will be major contributors in the future.

In my mind the competition will make the team better. RTR!!!

KrAzY3 said:

It is complicated.

I'd use a specific example of some neighbors I have, but I really don't want to say their attitude or beliefs to be honest. Suffice it to say in some ways they would approach the worst of Hurts detractors. On the other hand, the last conversation I had with my brother before he passed away was about Tua. My brother was a good guy, didn't bash players, but he was just legitimately enthused about Tua's abilities, he wasn't saying a lot of negative stuff about Hurts. The knowledge that people like my neighbors exist can poison reasonable conversations about Tua and Hurts, though.

I got overly defensive of Hurts, and sometimes I still have that instinctual reaction. I think he can do more than be a running back, I don't think he was a good fit with Daboll's offense or what Alabama was trying to do, but I've seen him better utilized and I've seen him be effective. So, when people talk about a guy who is actually younger than Tua, younger than even AJ when he first started, who actually has 3 years of eligibility left and seem to think he should just switch positions and be done with it, that's not hate but it does seem to be writing him off. On the other hand, if Drew Bledsoe is your quarterback, and Drew was a solid QB, but if you have Tom Brady on your bench, how do you not call for Tom Brady to play?

The problem I had is I fixated on the negative (sometimes completely accurate) things being said about Hurts. If you have a 100 page topic about Hurts, there's going to be negative things said, and I did feel a cumulative effect. It did start to blend together to me, I see it said that Hurts isn't a good quarterback, he's really a running back, he should be benched, he needs to change positions, etc... and those messages get repeated, at a point it felt like it was too much, like it had gone too far. The thing I lost perspective on was that for the most part, individual posters were being perfect reasonable and rational. The psychological effect of hearing what are negative things about Hurts over and over are probably more powerful than intended. I can't blame Jay Barker or Tua for their reactions, because I felt that myself and to be honest overreacted. I think it's a reminder both from my actions, but from the actions of others that our words can mean more than we intend them to mean, and on the internet we have no way of truly conveying how we feel, some things said can be taken more harshly than intended.

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This is probably the most intellectually honest answer of this question that I have seen.

Very few people hat eJalen. Most are critical - and the consistency of the criticism makes it feel underwhelming when it reality most people are being decent and civil in their criticisms, yet it is a persistent and nagging flow of critique and complaint and comparison that it feels hateful.

Bamabuzzard said:

We live in a society that equates disagreeing and hate.

Example:

"I think Tua is the better quarterback and would be the best fit for the offense."

What society hears:

"You hate Jalen and hope he fails in life."



You see how that works? It is why I said in the "Thank you Jalen" thread that I hoped Tua didn't spend the entire offseason running across the entire interwebs fighting this issue that doesn't exist.

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I love Jalen. Great Running QB.
I love Tua. Great Passing QB, and pretty good running QB.

BamaMoon said:

I think you vastly overstate how people felt about this (if you are referring to how people felt about Tua before the NC game).

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Better in ability to pass the ball and move the offensive up and down the feild. If that is interpreted as anything else, then my apologies

Part of the problem is "hater" is now equated with any criticism at all, which means to critique is to hate.


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Creating shock and disbelief and adding or inserting information based on self perception is a common gimmick in today's media. It drives clicks, website traffic and ratings. If we had a dollar for every false or exaggerated statement driven by the media , none of us here would ever have to work again.RTR

I guess I hang around in better places. I haven't heard anyone here (or any place else) say they hate or even dislike Hurts and I certainly dont.
Tua had a great 30 minutes. Hurts has had his times too. 9 months from now we will see who CNS believes will be the best.

IMO, this has almost nothing to do with any significant, real hatred directed toward Jalen, it is simply another way to bash the Bama fan base. Even Doug Segrest admitted during the faux uproar over the 1/2011 N.O. incident, that the Bama fan base is the most abused in sports. This helps some others digest Bama's success and deflects attention from another great accomplishment. In this case the irony is that much of the media lead the criticism of Jalen, frequently mentioning his passing shortcomings. But if the fan base agrees, they are "hating". The region and especially the state is despised and the University represents it. That contempt is greatly intensified because Bama has the audacity to be successful on a big stage. Many would shrink from such success to avoid the rotten tomatoes thrown its way. Of course many/most Bama radio callers don't help much .

BamaInBham said:

IMO, this has almost nothing to do with any significant, real hatred directed toward Jalen, it is simply another way to bash the Bama fan base. Even Doug Segrest admitted during the faux uproar over the 1/2011 N.O. incident, that the Bama fan base is the most abused in sports. This helps some others digest Bama's success and deflects attention from another great accomplishment. In this case the irony is that much of the media lead the criticism of Jalen, frequently mentioning his passing shortcomings. But if the fan base agrees, they are "hating". The region and especially the state is despised and the University represents it. That contempt is greatly intensified because Bama has the audacity to be successful on a big stage. Many would shrink from such success to avoid the rotten tomatoes thrown its way. Of course many/most Bama radio callers don't help much .

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You bring up a great point. Prior to Monday nights game, all you heard in the media was guys talking about how the fanbase wanted to pull a 25-2 quarterback and it was unfair. At halftime the very same people were talking about whether it was time to make a qb change and some already knowing through discussions with Saban that the there was a plan in place for that . The media is a master of gazing out of the two way mirror without ever having to see themselves.

Intl.Aperture said:

This is probably the most intellectually honest answer of this question that I have seen.

Very few of the fans hate Jalen. Most are critical - and the consistency of the criticism makes it feel underwhelming when it reality most people are being decent and civil in their criticisms, yet it is a persistent and nagging flow of critique and complaint and comparison that it feels hateful.

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Everything you said was true, but IMO, it has little to do with this situation. All fan bases have criticisms of players, but this has nothing to do with misperception of Bama fans' actions on the critics' part, it has everything to do with taking another opportunity to bash Bama, especially its fan base. That's all it is. I have no doubt that this fan base, as any other would be, has been imperfect in its attitude toward Jalen. Some too hard, some too soft. But that's not the point. The point is that it is Bama's fan base. Just another way to ignore the accomplishment and pour contempt on the despised. It has nothing to do with whether any Bama fans "hate" Jalen.

BamaInBham said:

Everything you said was true, but IMO, it has little to do with this situation. All fan bases have criticisms of players, but this has nothing to do with misperception of Bama fans' actions on the critics' part, it has everything to do with taking another opportunity to bash Bama, especially its fan base. That's all it is. I have no doubt that this fan base, as any other would be, has been imperfect in its attitude toward Jalen. Some too hard, some too soft. But that's not the point. The point is that it is Bama's fan base. Just another way to ignore the accomplishment and pour contempt on the despised.

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Yeah, and that's what I was getting at. They essentially criticize alot of teams just in their pregame analysis or breakdowns of games ....like they were critical of Georgia against Oklahoma and and Bama vs Clemson....however they do not equate their criticism with that of the fanbase of those teams whereas with Bama ....any concern shown by a well knowledgable fanbase is labeled as hate/bashing. In other words, it's a way to address or critique the fanbase of the most dominant program in college football...one which many if them are tired of seeing. And let's not underestimate their ability or intention to prop themselves up as the defender while setting themselves up to be the attacker at the same time.

If we didn’t love Jalen...it wouldn’t have tugged at our hearts to see him benched. We knew it was what was needed....but it was hard to see it happen.

BamaBoySince89 said:

Better in ability to pass the ball and move the offensive up and down the feild. If that is interpreted as anything else, then my apologies

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I thought you were suggested most of us thought he was better before the championship game in which he played. There was a sharp divide among posters here is what I was referring to.

As someone who wanted to see Tua play, I also would not want to have to game plan for Jalen. He is very talented and will only get better.

JTBama said:

Yeah, and that's what I was getting at. They essentially criticize alot of teams just in their pregame analysis or breakdowns of games ....like they were critical of Georgia against Oklahoma and and Bama vs Clemson....however they do not equate their criticism with that of the fanbase of those teams whereas with Bama ....any concern shown by a well knowledgable fanbase is labeled as hate/bashing. In other words, it's a way to address or critique the fanbase of the most dominant program in college football...one which many if them are tired of seeing. And let's not underestimate their ability or intention to prop themselves up as the defender while setting themselves up to be the attacker at the same time.

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All this just makes me what to see us go out and just beat the ever lovin` hell out of everybody we play.