ESPN: The rise of Tua: From practice phenom to Heisman hopeful

JBama_in_PCOLA said:

Everybody on here knew what Tua was all about.

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That's NOT the way I remember it. It turned ugly at times with those of us who saw Jalen's weakness and Tua's strengths having to defend ourselves for being "Jalen haters." I just smile when I think about those who said he'd be INT prone.

BamaMoon said:

That's NOT the way I remember it. It turned ugly at times with those of us who saw Jalen's weakness and Tua's strengths having to defend ourselves for being "Jalen haters." I just smile when I think about those who said he'd be INT prone.

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Some had blind faith that Tua would be fine in spite of the fact that he had never taken a meaningful snap at Alabama. Others had faith in Jalen because of his tremendous W/L record at Alabama against some very difficult competition over two years. But most were solidly in the middle, supportive of Jalen but recognizing his limitations, excited at Tua's potential but concerned that he was untested.

Very good article. And, as mentioned, great timing as far as the Heisman voting is concerned.

I thought after the UT game that Tua should be the starter. But I'm not working with the players every day, or sitting in the meetings and film study, or any of that. So I trusted CNS to make the right call.

B1GTide said:

Some had blind faith that Tua would be fine in spite of the fact that he had never taken a meaningful snap at Alabama. Others had faith in Jalen because of his tremendous W/L record at Alabama against some very difficult competition over two years. But most were solidly in the middle, supportive of Jalen but recognizing his limitations, excited at Tua's potential but concerned that he was untested.

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Right on the nose, thanks for saying what a bunch of us were thinking last year.

Chukker Veteran said:

What a great read.

I saw a few things I wondered about.

I've never seen a suggestion about Jalen having better arm strength, but then there's a lot I miss, so who knows?

I do think the writer got his qbs mixed up at the end.

I would really enjoy watching a reporter ask Saban how it was possible he was rumored to be the last person in Tuscaloosa to finally realize Tua should start. :smile:

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Actually, Jalen is stronger than Tua... Folks were saying that for a while...

B1GTide said:

Some had blind faith that Tua would be fine in spite of the fact that he had never taken a meaningful snap at Alabama. Others had faith in Jalen because of his tremendous W/L record at Alabama against some very difficult competition over two years. But most were solidly in the middle, supportive of Jalen but recognizing his limitations, excited at Tua's potential but concerned that he was untested.

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Not a bad recap, but I don't think it's fair to say it was "blind faith." There were plenty of appearances and lots to prove Tua was special, even in just his mop up appearences.

And considering the whispers that were trickling out from him going against our 1's in practice and lighting them up, that was additional "proof" he was not a flash in the pan.

It is fair to say there was uncertainty about his play under pressure, but that was quickly answered in the most difficult of situations when the switch was finally made.

BamaMoon said:

Not a bad recap, but I don't think it's fair to say it was "blind faith."

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I did not mean that in a pejorative way. Many were calling for Tua, but in a way that cautioned against what we could not know at the time. A few assumed that what they did know translated into knowing more than they knew. That is what i mean by "blind faith". Maybe enthusiastically optimistic would be a better choice?

Great article! After the Vandy game last season, the Auburn fans in my family were saying that Tua was the best QB on Bama's team.

B1GTide said:

I did not mean that in a pejorative way. Many were calling for Tua, but in a way that cautioned against what we could not know at the time. A few assumed that what they did know translated into knowing more than they knew. That is what i mean by "blind faith". Maybe enthusiastically optimistic would be a better choice?

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I think enthusiastically optimistic sounds pretty good. I think it's hard to remember what we were thinking about last season since everything Tua has done this season colors our memories of last season. I just kept thinking that Coach Saban must know best, and if he thinks Jalen should be the starter, then who am I to argue. Before the NC game, we really had very little to go off. Even at halftime of the NC game, I was happy to see Tua just because I figured the team was desperate and something had to change. I think most fans came around slowly, but the human memory is not very reliable. There are times when I catch myself thinking that last season I knew Tua should be the starter all along, but then I have to remind myself that this isn't true. The realization took time and that TD UGA scored just before the half was probably what finally caused Coach Saban to pull the trigger and make the change.

Probius said:

Great article! After the Vandy game last season, the Auburn fans in my family were saying that Tua was the best QB on Bama's team.

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That's when I became a staunch believer. I became an advocate for change a little later, but much sooner than many!

My wife asked me at halftime of the championship game if I was going to keep watching. If things start to go bad in a game I will often take a break, and just check my phone every once in a while. Helps me stay calm. I don't want to get mad a football game so I do it to try and not go nuts, LOL. I told her I was going to keep watching for a little while, and if Tua played I would watch until the end since I wanted him to play in the Iron Bowl last year so bad. When he came out bouncing around and wiping his hands on his towel I told my wife he's going to play. It was a long time coming, but I'm really happy how things worked out with Jalen. CNS has treated him really well, and has made sure he has gotten focused coaching this year. I do think he has improved and I wish him the best as long as Bama isn't playing against him. Tua should have been the starter sooner, but I understand it's hard to pull the trigger on a QB change when you haven't lost.

B1GTide said:

Some had blind faith that Tua would be fine in spite of the fact that he had never taken a meaningful snap at Alabama. Others had faith in Jalen because of his tremendous W/L record at Alabama against some very difficult competition over two years. But most were solidly in the middle, supportive of Jalen but recognizing his limitations, excited at Tua's potential but concerned that he was untested.

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Well said with an additional category similar to your last: Some were solidly in the middle, supportive of Jalen but recognizing his limitations, excited at Tua's potential but realizing that Saban had a reasonable argument to stay with Jalen until a loss. IMO, there was almost no way CNS could start Tua over Jalen til after the AU game. There are multiple reasons, one non-football reason that would have outraged a segment of the Bama fan base that Coach "John Doe" addressed.

BamaInBham said:

Well said with an additional category similar to your last: Some were solidly in the middle, supportive of Jalen but recognizing his limitations, excited at Tua's potential but realizing that Saban had a reasonable argument to stay with Jalen until a loss. IMO, there was almost no way CNS could start Tua over Jalen til after the AU game. There are multiple reasons, one non-football reason that would have outraged a segment of the Bama fan base that Coach "John Doe" addressed.

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I disagree that Saban could not have made the move until the Auburn game. Clemson made the move this year from Bryant, who had very similar success at Clemson. His only losses were in a game in which he was injured and the CFP game. When Dabo saw how much better Lawrence was, he made the switch, even though it upset some fans and cost him Bryant.

B1GTide said:

I disagree that Saban could not have made the move until the Auburn game. Clemson made the move this year from Bryant, who had very similar success at Clemson. His only losses were in a game in which he was injured and the CFP game. When Dabo saw how much better Lawrence was, he made the switch, even though it upset some fans and cost him Bryant.

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A coach can't choose who to play or start based on how fans might get upset about this or that. He can't. He has to make a choice based on who gives the team the best chance of success. I will just go along with Saban's line that, up until halftime of the NCG, Jalen was the one he believed gave his team the best chance of winning. My non-trained football brain thought Tua looked better, but I am not a coach, just a fan. I am one of the people John Doe is addressing when he says "y'all don't really even know what you are looking at." I am trying to learn, and between him and Matt Wyatt, I am getting a little better. But I will never be in a position to make the kind of calls Coach Saban has to make. If he says Jalen was our best chance of success, then I will just go with that.

RedWave said:

A coach can't choose who to play or start based on how fans might get upset about this or that. He can't. He has to make a choice based on who gives the team the best chance of success. I will just go along with Saban's line that, up until halftime of the NCG, Jalen was the one he believed gave his team the best chance of winning. My non-trained football brain thought Tua looked better, but I am not a coach, just a fan. I am one of the people John Doe is addressing when he says "y'all don't really even know what you are looking at." I am trying to learn, and between him and Matt Wyatt, I am getting a little better. But I will never be in a position to make the kind of calls Coach Saban has to make. If he says Jalen was our best chance of success, then I will just go with that.

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Hard to argue with his success, but even the best have blind spots. I think that loyalty creates blind spots for Saban.

B1GTide said:

Hard to argue with his success, but even the best have blind spots. I think that loyalty creates blind spots for Saban.

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CNS had a blind spot but not to a fault. He made the adjustment in time to win another NC. Making the necessary adjustments is a big part of his continued success.

Just noticed that there are so many stories about Tua the last few days, and not enough about Kyler.... Interesting.

One more winning performance by Tua and he's working on his acceptance speech.

Elefantman said:

One more winning performance by Tua and he's working on his acceptance speech.

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Honestly, I think he got it locked up. He just need to play solid and it's good.

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