Alabama QB competition article

GrayTide · Mar 26, 2018

Intl.Aperture said:
I wouldn't be surprised to see both QBs play against Louisville. Most Saban QB competitions aren't just over and done with by fall camp. He usually runs two QBs out there in the first game. Only notable time he didn't really do that was with Coker and Sims. Wouldn't surprise me to see him give Jalen one more chance in a live fire scenario. My prediction is he will look good and probably improved but just not as good as Tua. I just think that after all Jalen has given to this team that coach will let him fling the ball when it counts one more time. Could be wrong though.

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I hope this happens, but I just can't believe both will be around at fall camp.

RedWave · Mar 26, 2018

GrayTide said:
I hope this happens, but I just can't believe both will be around at fall camp.

If one (likely Hurts) had transferred before now, I would not have been surprised at all. The longer it takes for one to do it, I think the less it is that it'll happen. But then again, Barnett left mid-season. I guess it could be a decision made after A Day if Saban indicates a lean toward one or the other, which he is not known to do.

RollTide_HTTR · Mar 26, 2018

IIRC David Villa is another athlete whose Dad forced him to use both his left foot(his weaker foot) when he was a kid. Obviously, being able to use both feet and soccer is a necessity but Villa was one of the best with either foot.

(For those who don't know who David Villa is he is a Spanish soccer player.)

gtgilbert · Mar 26, 2018

RollTide_HTTR said:
IIRC David Villa is another athlete whose Dad forced him to use both his left foot(his weaker foot) when he was a kid. Obviously, being able to use both feet and soccer is a necessity but Villa was one of the best with either foot.

(For those who don't know who David Villa is he is a Spanish soccer player.)

A lot of sports are that way. My son is playing lacrosse now and is playing on a 'select' summer team and the expectation is that they will all be able to pass, catch and shoot almost equally well both strong and off hand and they're in third grade. It's all in what gets practiced and repeated.

GrayTide · Mar 27, 2018

My father started me switch hitting when I was 8. Being a switch hitter I learned over the years gave you a distinct advantage. I had more power from the right side, but could place the ball more often and more consistently left handed. Started organized basketball in the 6th grade on the junior high team. Our coach was OCD about learning to dribble and shoot lay ups with your off hand as well as your dominant hand. I recall countless hours dribbling in and out of a line of folding chairs the length of the basketball court, reversing it and going back the other way. Then running the length of the court practicing fast breaks with no dribbling just passing, wish I was in that shape now.

BamaMoon · Mar 27, 2018

GrayTide said:
My father started me switch hitting when I was 8. Being a switch hitter I learned over the years gave you a distinct advantage. I had more power from the right side, but could place the ball more often and more consistently left handed. Started organized basketball in the 6th grade on the junior high team. Our coach was OCD about learning to dribble and shoot lay ups with your off hand as well as your dominant hand. I recall countless hours dribbling in and out of a line of folding chairs the length of the basketball court, reversing it and going back the other way. Then running the length of the court practicing fast breaks with no dribbling just passing, wish I was in that shape now.

It's almost impossible to excel in basketball without learning to use both hands to dribble, pass and shoot. Your 6th grade coach did you a favor.

I saw HS players and even college players that really struggled to shoot a left handed layup (if they were a righty). To do it correctly, you have to learn to jump off your right foot to shoot left handed and some of those guys just couldn't do.

Snuffy Smith · Mar 27, 2018

GrayTide said:
My father started me switch hitting when I was 8. Being a switch hitter I learned over the years gave you a distinct advantage. I had more power from the right side, but could place the ball more often and more consistently left handed. Started organized basketball in the 6th grade on the junior high team. Our coach was OCD about learning to dribble and shoot lay ups with your off hand as well as your dominant hand. I recall countless hours dribbling in and out of a line of folding chairs the length of the basketball court, reversing it and going back the other way. Then running the length of the court practicing fast breaks with no dribbling just passing, wish I was in that shape now.

So you are “amphibious” just like the late Charles Shackleford?

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Padreruf · Mar 28, 2018

TIDE-HSV said:
It doesn't work that way. Phil Mickelson can't hit a golf ball right handed. He does everything else right-handed. I'm ambedextrous (ironic word), in that I do some things right handed and some left handed. When I've had to have hand or shoulder surgery, I've found that I'm inept at the tasks which have been assigned to the other side. I bat either way. Yes, I can do a better job than most on my off hand with throwing, etc., but not nearly well enough be really proficient...

Been there with surgeries on both shoulders...had to do a lot with the off hand. BTW, if you want your brain to develop as you age, switch and do some things with your off hand. Like eating, etc. It develops different brain synapses and can delay some of the aging effects on the brain.

GrayTide · Mar 28, 2018

BamaMoon said:
It's almost impossible to excel in basketball without learning to use both hands to dribble, pass and shoot. Your 6th grade coach did you a favor.

I saw HS players and even college players that really struggled to shoot a left handed layup (if they were a righty). To do it correctly, you have to learn to jump off your right foot to shoot left handed and some of those guys just couldn't do.

IMO, coaching at the middle school and high school level has fallen off dramatically over the past 30+ years. You can watch players at the college level in all sports and tell that they lack the training in the fundamentals that were taught in the past. It is a sign of the times.

TIDE-HSV · Mar 29, 2018

GrayTide said:
My father started me switch hitting when I was 8. Being a switch hitter I learned over the years gave you a distinct advantage. I had more power from the right side, but could place the ball more often and more consistently left handed. Started organized basketball in the 6th grade on the junior high team. Our coach was OCD about learning to dribble and shoot lay ups with your off hand as well as your dominant hand. I recall countless hours dribbling in and out of a line of folding chairs the length of the basketball court, reversing it and going back the other way. Then running the length of the court practicing fast breaks with no dribbling just passing, wish I was in that shape now.

What happened with me was the coach caught me batting from the right side cross-handed. He switched me to the left. The result was the same as with you - more power right-handed (not cross-handed), but a better eye left-handed...

TIDE-HSV · Mar 29, 2018

Padreruf said:
Been there with surgeries on both shoulders...had to do a lot with the off hand. BTW, if you want your brain to develop as you age, switch and do some things with your off hand. Like eating, etc. It develops different brain synapses and can delay some of the aging effects on the brain.

I've had both shoulders plus the aforementioned carpal tunnel on my left. I actually will have to have the right hand done also. It was numb last night, for example. The neural tests actually showed my right hand to be worse but the symptoms were 10x worse with my left hand. I've actually started switching more tasks to the left, in addition to the ones I already do with that hand, in preparation for having the right hand surgery...

RTR91 · Apr 4, 2018

Have been thinking for awhile now Dan Enos might be just what the doctor ordered for Jalen. He's a legit QB coach. Neither Lane nor Daboll had experience as a QB coach prior to Alabama. Of his 11 prior paying jobs, Enos has coached QBs for eight of them. Jalen is finally getting the coaching he's needed to improve his game, but much of Jalen's flaws come from the mental side of the game. How much can Enos help there?

That being said, I still feel Tua should be QB1.

Intl.Aperture · Apr 4, 2018

RTR91 said:
Have been thinking for awhile now Dan Enos might be just what the doctor ordered for Jalen. He's a legit QB coach. Neither Lane nor Daboll had experience as a QB coach prior to Alabama. Of his 11 prior paying jobs, Enos has coached QBs for eight of them. Jalen is finally getting the coaching he's needed to improve his game, but much of Jalen's flaws come from the mental side of the game. How much can Enos help there?

That being said, I still feel Tua should be QB1.

Either way we will have a stellar QB next season. If Jalen legitimately outplays Tua then all the better for the Alabama football team next season.

Considering, as well, that Tua is getting the same coaching as Hurts and is already further along. If Tua was staying stagnant or regressing I'd like Jalen's chances with a new coach, but they are both getting customized help and likely progressing. I'm with you, I still think Tua is the undisputed QB1 by the 3rd game.

UAH · Apr 4, 2018

Intl.Aperture said:
Either way we will have a stellar QB next season. If Jalen legitimately outplays Tua then all the better for the Alabama football team next season.

Considering, as well, that Tua is getting the same coaching as Hurts and is already further along. If Tua was staying stagnant or regressing I'd like Jalen's chances with a new coach, but they are both getting customized help and likely progressing. I'm with you, I still think Tua is the undisputed QB1 by the 3rd game.

I believe that JH will be markedly improved and bring much more maturity to his game. I see it as a very difficult process for the coaching staff to migrate through without losing a QB to another team.

B1GTide · Apr 4, 2018

UAH said:
I believe that JH will be markedly improved and bring much more maturity to his game. I see it as a very difficult process for the coaching staff to migrate through without losing a QB to another team.

I think that the Tua injury by itself sells the point to both that the loser of this competition for the role as starter is one play from becoming the starter of a national championship caliber team. You never know what might be in the minds of these kids or their families, but I firmly believe that both will be on your roster for the entire 2018 season.

2019 will take care of itself.

JustNeedMe81 · Apr 4, 2018

B1GTide said:
I think that the Tua injury by itself sells the point to both that the loser of this competition for the role as starter is one play from becoming the starter of a national championship caliber team. You never know what might be in the minds of these kids or their families, but I firmly believe that both will be on your roster for the entire 2018 season.

2019 will take care of itself.

This. I expect MAC to get some playing time this fall to gain some experience, because whatever happens to Tua/Hurt should one of them get hurt, Mac becomes backup and he's 1 play away from starting a game. I expect Hurts to improve drastically and Tua to get even better.

russtang · Apr 4, 2018

I think there is going to be some type of two QB system or rotation where both get plenty of playing time.
It may be week to week depending on what type of defense the opponent plays or an in game system of "packages" where one plays more than the other based on how the other team responds.
Or, we may have a bunch of instances of a QB getting "nicked up" in practice or the last game, so the other has to start.

Nothing crazy like every other play or every other series like CSS used to do, but something other than a traditional one QB offense.

RollTide_HTTR · Apr 4, 2018

B1GTide said:
I think that the Tua injury by itself sells the point to both that the loser of this competition for the role as starter is one play from becoming the starter of a national championship caliber team. You never know what might be in the minds of these kids or their families, but I firmly believe that both will be on your roster for the entire 2018 season.

2019 will take care of itself.

I wonder if you look at the situation differently depending on if you are Tua or Jalen. Tua clearly has pro prospects despite his size and therefore playing time is supremely important for both development and showcasing your ability. Jalen on the other hand has little to no shot at the NFL as a QB. So, for him playing time may or may not be the most important factor. Maybe he is ok being the guy that is one snap away from being the starter. I'd imagine that Tua would transfer or at least seriously consider it if he were to somehow not win the starting job.

BamaMoon · Apr 4, 2018

russtang said:
I think there is going to be some type of two QB system or rotation where both get plenty of playing time.
It may be week to week depending on what type of defense the opponent plays or an in game system of "packages" where one plays more than the other based on how the other team responds.
Or, we may have a bunch of instances of a QB getting "nicked up" in practice or the last game, so the other has to start.

Nothing crazy like every other play or every other series like CSS used to do, but something other than a traditional one QB offense.

Me too, but the way I envision it is probably not what you mean.

Tua will be the #1 (starter) and our offense will be diverse and feature running and passing and by halftime of most games we'll have a sizable lead. For good measure, Tua will probably start the third quarter for 1 or 2 series and then Jalen will enter the game to salt it away with less throwing (but some) and more running as we grind the competition down with repetitive blows to their dying will.

B1GTide · Apr 4, 2018

RollTide_HTTR said:
I wonder if you look at the situation differently depending on if you are Tua or Jalen. Tua clearly has pro prospects despite his size and therefore playing time is supremely important for both development and showcasing your ability. Jalen on the other hand has little to no shot at the NFL as a QB. So, for him playing time may or may not be the most important factor. Maybe he is ok being the guy that is one snap away from being the starter. I'd imagine that Tua would transfer or at least seriously consider it if he were to somehow not win the starting job.

IMO, the only reason that either would transfer this year would be ego. Saban is not going to name a starter until at least the fall - and maybe not until the season begins. That in mind, they are both far better off staying at Alabama in 2018, whether they be named starter or backup. Neither is likely to start at another school in 2018 if they transfer. 2019 is the year in which you lose one or the other, IMO.

Alabama QB competition article

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