News Article: The Quarterback Making Alabama Scarier Than Ever-WSJ

I understand the we've had some injuries, and Heaven forbid given up some points. But this is still a top 20 "adjusted"defense. Our D gives up 16 points a game, and a lot of that is in garbage time...30,32,92,14,4,47,15,33,99 all say HELLO!!!
...and that's just getting started, we have at least a dozen other guys that would start almost anywhere else.

Six weeks ago this was being called possibly the best team ever. A couple of injuries and it sounds like we're fielding a Big 12 D...NOPE...

We are still one of the best teams ever!!! They're playing like it, let's cheer for them like it!!! RTR!!!

The Ols said:

I understand the we've had some injuries, and Heaven forbid given up some points. But this is still a top 20 "adjusted"defense. Our D gives up 16 points a game, and a lot of that is in garbage time...30,32,92,14,4,47,15,33,99 all say HELLO!!!
...and that's just getting started, we have at least a dozen other guys that would start almost anywhere else.

Six weeks ago this was being called possibly the best team ever. A couple of injuries and it sounds like we're fielding a Big 12 D...NOPE...

We are still one of the best teams ever!!! They're playing like it, let's cheer for them like it!!! RTR!!!

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Would the reaction be as great if the Arkansas score had been 65-24 instead of 65-31 ? I'm not sure that it would. The loss of Diggs is important but there are guys that will have to step up.

BamaMan09 said:

USC 2005, Nebraska 1995 and Florida 2008 were three of the best that I have seen. Also, as much as it pains me to say, 2010 barn. That team literally just outscored teams with their offense and pedestrian defense. Alabama has that same vibe right now. Hopefully the defense can get better.

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I respect your ability to give AU credit but IMO one of the reasons it "pains you to give the 2010 barn" credit as one of the best teams all time is that they don't begin to deserve it. They won 6 one score games, 4 by a FG and one by 1 point, 3 of those 4 being to unranked teams, 2 of which were MSU and UK. That is hardly the resume of an all time great team.

BamaInBham said:

I respect your ability to give AU credit but IMO one of the reasons it "pains you to give the 2010 barn" credit as one of the best teams all time is that they don't begin to deserve it. They won 6 one score games, 4 by a FG and one by 1 point, 3 of those 4 being to unranked teams, 2 of which were MSU and UK. That is hardly the resume of an all time great team.

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I understand that. Just comparing how they won games by using a tremendous offense and a defense that was only good when it had to be, which is what Alabama has done so far this year. But I do expect the defense to pick it up. Or at least I hope they do.

califbamafan said:

I have been following Bama football for 60 years and Tua is the best I have seen. although Joe Namath was very good. Kenny Stabler was also very good but they didn't have the receivers Tua has.

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Namath and Stabler also didn't get to pass as much. I'm sure Namath watches this team and thinks, "Man, I wish they'd let me run this offense at Bama." He jokingly said once that Coach Bryant told him they were really going to open it up in one game - they might throw as many as 15 passes.

I vaguely remember watching Namath play at Bama. I definitely remember watching him in the NFL and he was amazing, even with banged up knees and hobbling around on the field. But I'm not sure Tua isn't better (than Namath in college). Of course, Tua has an amazing team of talent around him. But he's the key to our offensive success. That's evident when the other QBs enter the game. They play well, but Tua takes this offense to a whole other level.

BamaMan09 said:

I understand that. Just comparing how they won games by using a tremendous offense and a defense that was only good when it had to be, which is what Alabama has done so far this year. But I do expect the defense to pick it up. Or at least I hope they do.

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I will try not to prolong my participation in this debate past this post but Bama's defense has been twice as good as AU's. Bama has not been threatened past the middle of the second quarter. It's closest game has been 22 points vs 4 games by 3 points or less. There is no comparison between the two teams except that in the first half the Bama offense has scored almost as much as the AU offense has in the entire game. There is no comparison between the defenses.