You know Jalen's never got to sit back and actually watch the game. Most players watch for a season or two before they play and they learn quite a bit. Many people remember the Watts/Zow QB battle and there are a bunch of opinions about it but one thing was very clear, Zow was throwing too many picks. In the fall camp of 2001 (I think) Watts was declared the starter and Zow spent most of the season watching from the sideline. Then before the Irong Bowl Watts gets hurt and Zow comes on and leads them to a 31-7 upset of Auburn. He finished the year 3-0 as a starter and played better than he had at any point in his career in my opinion. I'm sure he hated sitting, but I believe it helped him become a better quarterback.
Bama Coordinator Search Thread
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As has been said by many, Jalen has been the very epitome of class, leadership, and team-player. You have to love the young man.
I can't imagine what it's like to go from SEC Offensive Player of the Year 2016 to a very uncertain future just that quickly.
Just a few responses about a number of things from recent posts:
1. We'll never know the true story about why Daboll used Jalen the way he did, but remember Jalen came to Bama saying he came to learn how to be a better passer. Maybe Jalen, Daboll and CNS were more on the same page than we thought about the way he was being used. And I'll say again I don't think Daboll would have intentionally refused to do what he thought was best for Jalen, the team and ultimately, his job.
2. If Daboll wanted Tua to play, I'm very sympathetic to his logic. I don't care if his NFL background affected his judgment but why wouldn't you want to play the guy that's not a work in process and ended doing what Tua demonstrated could be done under the most intense pressure imaginable? If I had been Daboll I might have got fired for being so emphatic that Tua needed to be played earlier.
3. I don't think Daboll's wife is the reason he's not at Bama anymore. Do we really believe coaching at the pro level offers that much more free time to spend with family? I think this was more about Daboll realizing he likes the NFL better and he cashed in the NC OC performance to land an OC job back in the NFL in his hometown. Hard to pass up! It worked well for everyone when all was said and done. We got another NC and he got another chance at being OC in the NFL.
4. I agree that if Locksley was holding the disgruntled receiving core together during this year there's probably very little chance he'd revert back to Jalen having now seen what everybody else has seen Tua can do under pressure. Tua would have to regress in epic proportions and, conversely, Jalen would have to improve dramatically IMO, but we'll see.
5. Concerning the frustration that we heard was in the locker room over Jalen's inability to distribute the ball, again we won't know the whole story probably, but Jalen didn't do himself any favors with his "hero talk" about "getting on the bus, cause I'm driving it" (or something like that) at the end of the MSU game. To his credit, somebody talked to him about that and/or maybe the Auburn game humbled him but during the post season he started talking less about "me" and more about "team."
6. I do think the best thing for Hurt's development as a QB would be to accept a backup role to Tua (if that's the way it turns out) and for him to try to learn how to be a drop-back, pocket passer. This is his only chance to maybe make an NFL roster as a QB. He'll always have the wheels to run if needed, but he's got to learn how to sit in the pocket and do what good qbs do. He proved last year that he struggled to learn to do this as a starter with the pressure of not turning the ball over and having to win every game. I think he may have the opportunity to learn behind a QB who may go down as one of the best to every play the position at Alabama.
7. Will Jalen stay if Tua wins the job in the spring? I doubt that decisions has been made. I think his smartest path forward would be to back up Tua and see what next year holds. Tua could get injured and Hurts could end up playing. If Tua takes over the position next year, Jalen could probably graduate the next spring and then use the graduation transfer rule to go somewhere else to play his senior year without having to sit out a year.
1. We'll never know the true story about why Daboll used Jalen the way he did, but remember Jalen came to Bama saying he came to learn how to be a better passer. Maybe Jalen, Daboll and CNS were more on the same page than we thought about the way he was being used. And I'll say again I don't think Daboll would have intentionally refused to do what he thought was best for Jalen, the team and ultimately, his job.
2. If Daboll wanted Tua to play, I'm very sympathetic to his logic. I don't care if his NFL background affected his judgment but why wouldn't you want to play the guy that's not a work in process and ended doing what Tua demonstrated could be done under the most intense pressure imaginable? If I had been Daboll I might have got fired for being so emphatic that Tua needed to be played earlier.
3. I don't think Daboll's wife is the reason he's not at Bama anymore. Do we really believe coaching at the pro level offers that much more free time to spend with family? I think this was more about Daboll realizing he likes the NFL better and he cashed in the NC OC performance to land an OC job back in the NFL in his hometown. Hard to pass up! It worked well for everyone when all was said and done. We got another NC and he got another chance at being OC in the NFL.
4. I agree that if Locksley was holding the disgruntled receiving core together during this year there's probably very little chance he'd revert back to Jalen having now seen what everybody else has seen Tua can do under pressure. Tua would have to regress in epic proportions and, conversely, Jalen would have to improve dramatically IMO, but we'll see.
5. Concerning the frustration that we heard was in the locker room over Jalen's inability to distribute the ball, again we won't know the whole story probably, but Jalen didn't do himself any favors with his "hero talk" about "getting on the bus, cause I'm driving it" (or something like that) at the end of the MSU game. To his credit, somebody talked to him about that and/or maybe the Auburn game humbled him but during the post season he started talking less about "me" and more about "team."
6. I do think the best thing for Hurt's development as a QB would be to accept a backup role to Tua (if that's the way it turns out) and for him to try to learn how to be a drop-back, pocket passer. This is his only chance to maybe make an NFL roster as a QB. He'll always have the wheels to run if needed, but he's got to learn how to sit in the pocket and do what good qbs do. He proved last year that he struggled to learn to do this as a starter with the pressure of not turning the ball over and having to win every game. I think he may have the opportunity to learn behind a QB who may go down as one of the best to every play the position at Alabama.
7. Will Jalen stay if Tua wins the job in the spring? I doubt that decisions has been made. I think his smartest path forward would be to back up Tua and see what next year holds. Tua could get injured and Hurts could end up playing. If Tua takes over the position next year, Jalen could probably graduate the next spring and then use the graduation transfer rule to go somewhere else to play his senior year without having to sit out a year.
There are so many lessons in that situation that apply to both competitive sports and life.
I agree 100%. He's been the classic example of what it means to be a "teammate." I hope whatever happens in his future it's what best for him!
Yes, he never used his redshirt year.
I think some people might have overlooked this aspect. Even Tua got to watch and learn a lot, while Hurts was never in that position. So, while it might be true that what we've seen so far from Hurts is all he is capable of, it also would be perfectly normal for him to benefit from learning while he holds a clipboard.
I think it is certainly reasonable to argue that Daboll was just doing what Hurts wanted. Prior to the game though I said a couple of times it felt like Daboll had Hurts on a 3 or 4 year plan, like this was something that would work out in the long run but might be failing in the short term. The championship game is win now mode though, and while I saw some people argue it was the definition of insanity to keep Hurts in, one could argue it also was to keep calling the same stuff he clearly wasn't going to suddenly be able to execute.
I'm not trying to assign blame though, I just know the way things went down, based on what I heard, saw, and what I've seen afterwards (consider this Hurts is still here, Daboll is the one who ran off)... I'm just not inclined to lay this all at Hurts feet. I feel correct both in saying that yes I think Tua is the better quarterback, but also that Hurts wasn't put in the best position to succeed. In either case though, no matter where he is, some time on the bench might be the best thing for his development.
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Aj McCarron was not the same QB in year 3 as he was year 4 and he was much better in year 5 than year 4. Jalen still has ALOT of time to improve his game between now and the draft. T he question he should be asking is, does Alabama have the staff to continue my development as a pro QB? I personally think that we do. I think Alabama has the largest football staff in the nation.
I think most people would say he was best in year 4, his redshirt jr. year. That's the year he threw 30 TDs to 3 INTs. Oh, and we beat ND that year for the NC. :wink:
I think he was a better passer and decision maker in year 5 than he was in year 4. I think I remember talk about 2013 being more about leadership and attitude than ability.
AJ was a better QB in 2013 than he was in 2012 - but his experience at UA mirrored his experience in HS. He won a State Championship as a HS Jr., behind a senior laden OL. His Sr. year, he ran for his life on every called pass play because the young OL couldn't pass block to save their lives.
It was much the same case at Alabama in 2013. To have won even 8-9 games with that OL would have been a major achievement - but thanks to AJ's amazing skills, we were a couple bad calls away from a potential SEC Title and possible NC.
I think that is the wrong question for him to ask. He should ask himself what his priorities are and then decide how to proceed. If his priority is to play in the NFL then changing positions make the most sense by far. If he wants to start at QB then a transfer seems like the best solution IMO.
I think CNS and maybe Locksley and the new receivers coach from Penn St might really be of help to Jalen about his future. NFL draft "experts" haven't been very kind to the prospects of him playing Qb in the NFL. Could that possibly change with better development? Possibly, since the point has been made that he's not really been given much developmental coaching from Kiffin or Daboll (at least that we can tell).
The one thing that concerns me more than his current inability to stand in the pocket and go thru progressions is his struggle with accuracy and timing. I'm of the opinion that much of that is innate talent more than something you develop.
Like two 10 year old boys and give them each a rock and tell them to throw it and hit a stop sign. One might be able to do it just because he can...and can't explain it. The other might miss it by five feet and he'll never understand why or how.
David Morris worked the Manning Passing Academy last summer and said that Jalen was the most impressive guy there. It is not that he can't throw, it's just that he can't evaluate his reads and release the ball within three seconds (my comments, not David's). Can that be taught? I don't know, but it hasn't up til now.
rtr
rtr
I've never seen a QB (after 2 years starting) make the kind of jump he would need to make to be an NFL QB. The jump he would need to make at this point would be huge. Just look at how everyone is talking about Lamar Jackson as a NFL QB and he can has progressed a ton more than Hurts.
I'm afraid you are correct, but if he stepped out of the spotlight and learned with the pressure of not failing he might could make some progress.
The problem with changing to another position is which position does he have the natural tools to learn quickly?
If he's going to change positions he better transfer as well. Because if he stays at Bama and changes positions he'll be competing with more four and five star players at that position. He's a four star QB, not TE, LB, HB etc.
And how many true freshman starting quarterbacks have you seen in that scenario?
This situation is unlike any other that I can recall or think of. True freshman/sophomore, 3 different offensive coordinators, leads his team to the championship game both years. I'm pretty sure no one can point us in the direction of anything else that looks like that.
What I can do though, is rattle off a pretty long list of guys that didn't look like NFL talents in their first two years in college, yet developed into NFL talents later in their college career. I think people are putting way too much emphasis on two years starting, and not nearly enough that he so far hasn't had the opportunity to learn on the sidelines like virtually every other future NFL quarterback did. I do think a transfer would work best for him, he could go somewhere that has a senior QB (he's also never had a more experienced QB to learn from), sit for a year, learn and then after that we all can see if he's developed or not. I just don't think it's fair to assume he can't do what tons of other QBs have done, which is learn and develop when they're still a teenager.
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