Bama Game Thread: A-Day Game Thread ( ESPN @ 3PM CT)

[TideEngineer08]

I thought Flutie had a nice second career with the Bills. Not All-Pro, but certainly NFL-starter worthy. IOW, obviously worthy of the elite status that is NFL starting QB.

 

[B1GTide]

Doug Flutie got a lot of mileage and money off of that one Hail Mary pass against the Hurricanes when he was in college.

You really know nothing about him, apparently.

 

[davefrat]

I have no idea. I figure a lot of the local Bama media stuff is all about getting the "hits" sense it's almost entirely web-based now. I figure JM media-related stuff is "hit" worthy so they do it. As I said, it could backfire on JM though.

On the national level, what Greg McElroy said on the A-Day broadcast is just comical (and I'm a big fan of GMac as a former player and play-by-play guy). But has he actually watched JM play very much? Considering his job, I can guarantee you we've watched JM play more than GMac because he's working other games on most Saturdays. Comparing him to Lamar Jackson is just silly. It must be a ESPN talking point he got fed. Just like the narrative that JM improved significantly after struggling against UT in game two and sitting in game 3! No he didn't! The part about the whole offense getting overhauled to hide his weaknesses of reading the RPO and going thru passing progressions? Did ESPN/GMac mention that? NOT A PEEP.

McElroy holds a special place because of his history with the program, but as an analyst and commentator he's a doofus.

 

[TiderJack]

I thought Flutie had a nice second career with the Bills. Not All-Pro, but certainly NFL-starter worthy. IOW, obviously worthy of the elite status that is NFL starting QB.

He was good at times with Buffalo and will give you elite status that is a NFL starting QB.


Passing

SEASON	TEAM
1986	CHI
1987	NE
1988	NE
1989	NE
1998	BUF
1999	BUF
2000	BUF
2001	SD
2002	SD
2003	SD
2004	SD
2005	NE
Career

GP	CMP	ATT	CMP%	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	LNG	SACK	RTG
4	23	46	50.0	361	7.8	3	2	58	6	80.1
1	15	25	60.0	199	8.0	1	0	30	1	98.6
11	92	179	51.4	1,150	6.4	8	10	80	11	63.3
5	36	91	39.6	493	5.4	2	4	36	6	46.6
13	202	354	57.1	2,711	7.7	20	11	84	12	87.4
15	264	478	55.2	3,171	6.6	19	16	54	26	75.1
11	132	231	57.1	1,700	7.4	8	3	52	10	86.5
16	294	521	56.4	3,464	6.6	15	18	78	25	72.0
1	3	11	27.3	64	5.8	0	0	47	0	51.3
7	91	167	54.5	1,097	6.6	9	4	73	8	82.8
2	20	38	52.6	276	7.3	1	0	29	1	85.0
5	5	10	50.0	29	2.9	0	0	13	1	56.3
91	1177	2151	54.7	14,715	6.8	86	68	84	107	76.3

 

[davefrat]

He was good at times with Buffalo and will give you elite status that is a NFL starting QB.


Passing

SEASON	TEAM
1986	CHI
1987	NE
1988	NE
1989	NE
1998	BUF
1999	BUF
2000	BUF
2001	SD
2002	SD
2003	SD
2004	SD
2005	NE
Career

GP	CMP	ATT	CMP%	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	LNG	SACK	RTG
4	23	46	50.0	361	7.8	3	2	58	6	80.1
1	15	25	60.0	199	8.0	1	0	30	1	98.6
11	92	179	51.4	1,150	6.4	8	10	80	11	63.3
5	36	91	39.6	493	5.4	2	4	36	6	46.6
13	202	354	57.1	2,711	7.7	20	11	84	12	87.4
15	264	478	55.2	3,171	6.6	19	16	54	26	75.1
11	132	231	57.1	1,700	7.4	8	3	52	10	86.5
16	294	521	56.4	3,464	6.6	15	18	78	25	72.0
1	3	11	27.3	64	5.8	0	0	47	0	51.3
7	91	167	54.5	1,097	6.6	9	4	73	8	82.8
2	20	38	52.6	276	7.3	1	0	29	1	85.0
5	5	10	50.0	29	2.9	0	0	13	1	56.3
91	1177	2151	54.7	14,715	6.8	86	68	84	107	76.3

I thought his NFL numbers would have been better.

 

[TiderJack]

I thought his NFL numbers would have been better.

He was great in the CFL.

 

[B1GTide]

He was great in the CFL.

Yep - the best player in their history.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

No one would be happier than I would be for Milroe to become the college incarnation of Mahomes. I hope he has developed (and continues to develop) into the greatest college football QB ever.
When roster time comes, I hope Coach DeBoer will start the player who gives the team the best chance to win. Period.

If there are players who say, "I won't try hard unless Player X is starting," then I hope Coach DeBoer responds, "Welcome to the scout team. Every coach or scout who talks to me about you from here on out will hear about how you were not willing to try your best unless you got to control the starting line-up."

BRAVO.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

McElroy holds a special place because of his history with the program, but as an analyst and commentator he's a doofus.

Yeah, I have to separate Gmac the player from Gmac the analyst. The analyst/commentator is very subpar.

 

[HighlandOak]

If there are players who say, "I won't try hard unless Player X is starting," then I hope Coach DeBoer responds, "Welcome to the scout team. Every coach or scout who talks to me about you from here on out will hear about how you were not willing to try your best unless you got to control the starting line-up."

I really hope this is how DeBoer handles it.

 

[BamaMoon]

I was finally able to watch the game with more attention to detail.

I was even more impressed with the running backs. We are four deep all the way down to Hill, who's the next "big" back in a line of others around 230. It's really an embarrassment of riches at RB!

OL, which may improve some in personel by the fall, did a good job. Some of those big runs were sparked by some very good blocking. I think James Brockmeyer sprung one of those with a key block.

I thought the QB play was pretty good overall. Milroe had a couple of very good throws. He was hurt with a couple of drops, but the true weaknesses of his game and the improvements we were hoping to see weren't really showcased. I was shocked with how few throws he actually attempted. TS had the best game. He made some throws JM can't make (think 3rd OR 4th and short down and distance type throws) and that's probably his biggest argument for challenging JM as starter. I think he can also improvise, work the pocket with better footwork (especially climb the pocket) and make quicker decisions on when to run (and do it just as effectively as JM). The other two DL and AM show potential as well. DL had some very good throws. I didn't realize AM was still 17 (which meant he spent most of his first year in college as a 16 year old). After a slow start, he made some good throws. When his mind and body mature, he'll be a like a shooting rocket!

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I was finally able to watch the game with more attention to detail.

I was even more impressed with the running backs. We are four deep all the way down to Hill, who's the next "big" back in a line of others around 230. It's really an embarrassment of riches at RB!

OL, which may improve some in personel by the fall, did a good job. Some of those big runs were sparked by some very good blocking. I think James Brockmeyer sprung one of those with a key block.

I thought the QB play was pretty good overall. Milroe had a couple of very good throws. He was hurt with a couple of drops, but the true weaknesses of his game and the improvements we were hoping to see weren't really showcased. I was shocked with how few throws he actually attempted. TS had the best game. He made some throws JM can't make (think 3rd OR 4th and short down and distance type throws) and that's probably his biggest argument for challenging JM as starter. I think he can also improvise, work the pocket with better footwork (especially climb the pocket) and make quicker decisions on when to run (and do it just as effectively as JM). The other two DL and AM show potential as well. DL had some very good throws. I didn't realize AM was still 17 (which meant he spent most of his first year in college as a 16 year old). After a slow start, he made some good throws. When his mind and body mature, he'll be a like a shooting rocket!

I didn't get to go to the game but several of my buddies did and they basically said the same. From what they saw at A Day, Simpson is the better quarterback...

 

[HighlandOak]

the true weaknesses of his game and the improvements we were hoping to see weren't really showcased. I was shocked with how few throws he actually attempted. TS had the best game. He made some throws JM can't make (think 3rd OR 4th and short down and distance type throws) and that's probably his biggest argument for challenging JM as starter. I think he can also improvise, work the pocket with better footwork (especially climb the pocket) and make quicker decisions on when to run (and do it just as effectively as JM).

Yep.

 

[mlh]

I keep thinking TS will eventually move ahead of JM...then I wonder why he hasn't done that already...and I think he may not...

I do think he's the better QB. But he just can't seem to do what it takes to separate himself from the others and secure the QB1 position.

I'm flummoxed.

 

[some_al_fan]

I keep thinking TS will eventually move ahead of JM...then I wonder why he hasn't done that already...and I think he may not...

I do think he's the better QB. But he just can't seem to do what it takes to separate himself from the others and secure the QB1 position.

I'm flummoxed.

Because it is not so simple…
JM is a better leader, better athlete, and a better runner
TS is a better and more precise ball thrower

Hard to speculate about who is better at processing D adjustments, since we have not seen much from TS outside of USF and some garbage time. We do know that JM is not that good at it.

 

[colbysullivan]

I keep thinking TS will eventually move ahead of JM...then I wonder why he hasn't done that already...and I think he may not...

I do think he's the better QB. But he just can't seem to do what it takes to separate himself from the others and secure the QB1 position.

I'm flummoxed.

Milroe is very skilled at self-promotion and the social media game. You hardly ever hear anything from Ty. I think he’s just an old school guy, which is likely why he hasn’t transferred yet.

 

[colbysullivan]

Because it is not so simple…
JM is a better leader, better athlete, and a better runner
TS is a better and more precise ball thrower

Hard to speculate about who is better at processing D adjustments, since we have not seen much from TS outside of USF and some garbage time. We do know that JM is not that good at it.

Milroe is likely a better runner but I feel like Ty is more mobile. Not necessarily the same thing.

 

[gtgilbert]

Milroe is likely a better runner but I feel like Ty is more mobile. Not necessarily the same thing.

Milroe is faster, but like you said, that's not exactly the same thing as being a better runner in a football sense. Ty isn't as fast running in a straight line, but from the limited reps we've seen, he's a bit twitchier/quicker so overall a more effective runner in that he gets to speed quicker and changes direction way better.

 

[JDCrimson]

So what would be the QB stats if we gave each QB credit for the drops that should have been caught?

If JM finished 5/9 against a vanilla defense, are we supposed to feel good about that?

When we get to the CFP, like last year, we will see teams with a good defense that can stop most of what we do offensively. So we need to evaluate our QBs based on what will be required to succeed in the CFP.

 

[gtgilbert]

So what would be the QB stats if we gave each QB credit for the drops that should have been caught?

If JM finished 5/9 against a vanilla defense, are we supposed to feel good about that?

When we get to the CFP, like last year, we will see teams with a good defense that can stop most of what we do offensively. So we need to evaluate our QBs based on what will be required to succeed in the CFP.

I'm still not done with a 'scouting view' of the game, but after the first watch, i'll say that of the 4 drops, at least 3 of them were not good throws. They weren't horrible throws, but they also were not what they should have been.

The pass to the RB in the flat - behind him and a tad late.

The pass out to the sticks to try to convert a first down, was thrown short of the line to gain, where the WR had setup at the sticks to get a conversion. he tried to adjust to the pass being a couple yards short of the line to gain, but in the process didn't complete the catch

The throw to henderson - behind him as he was running full speed.

All three in the area that, in a perfect world, we'd like to see WRs make those catches, but the drops were probably 50% on Milroe and 50% on the WR. Maybe 60% Milroe and 40% RB just b/c most RBs don't have WR hands.

The other was more of a flat out WR issue.

Other notes so far:

his scramble on the first drive was actually a bad play from him. The D blitzed the nickel/safety/star/husky/whateverwecallitnow at the top of the field and left the slot WR uncovered for a LONG TIME before the FS was able to roll over. That should have been an easy completion to the slot guy as soon as the blitz came. The WR was running free for quite some time. the RB did a great job recognizing the blitz coming and picked it up well enough that the ball should have gotten out, but...

he had another big missed read on an RPO he gave to the RB for a 2-3 yard gain. He was reading the ILB who had coverage on the TE (Dipree). The ILB took the fake inside to the RB and so the TE flared into the flat with no one covering him at all, but Milroe handed the ball off anyway. We had 2 WRs out there blocking against 2DBs and if they just get in way a little bit, Dipree likely gets a really big gain.