BREAKING Milroe declares for draft

[gtgilbert]

That's just it. It was not up to Milroe. It was up to Coach DeBoer.
In fact, I would suggest that had Alabama announced he was hurt and that Simpson would be starting until Milroe got back to 100%, he would have saved a lot of face.
Think how his play in games since USCe have effected his draft status. Think his draft stock improved by playing the Michigan game? The Oklahoma game? The Tennessee game? I'd argue those games harmed Milroe's draft stock.
If he had never played again for Alabama after the USCe game, the lasting memory would have been the UGA game. Not a bad memory on which to wrap up one's career.

All that is 100% logical, but has anything else around this situation in the last 2 years had any degree of logic? Why start now?

CKD didn't really get to choose JM as a starter. Why then would he be able to choose to sit him for an injury if JM wants to play?

I agree everything from the UGA game forward 100% hurt JMs stock. Think about JMs mindset though. Several with team insight have said that he's a "me" guy and very petty to the point he that some of the missed WRs were because he just wasn't going to throw to them since they were 'team Ty'. He's also been on a mission to prove 'naysayers' wrong.

So what happens if all of a sudden Ty (or Mack for that matter), comes in and BAM, our passing game is WIDE OPEN. We go from middle of the pack passing yards in the SEC to being a leader. WRs who are open EVERYWHERE are getting the ball - literally everyone is catching passes all over the place. Especially those WRs who had gone to CKD because Ty, to them, was better. We start running plays from the actual CKD playbook, because we can, and when reporters ask, CKD has to dance around and make up some answer that now we actually can run most of the offense' because of the players we have'.

If that happens, all the world will be asking why in the world was JM starting in the first place. Everyone will say, well, BOB was right. All the Naysayers will certainly know, but they'll know the exact opposite of what you hoped for. It just destroys his narrative which is his brand and, honestly, that's all I think JM focuses on.

 

[colbysullivan]

All that is 100% logical, but has anything else around this situation in the last 2 years had any degree of logic? Why start now?

CKD didn't really get to choose JM as a starter. Why then would he be able to choose to sit him for an injury if JM wants to play?

I agree everything from the UGA game forward 100% hurt JMs stock. Think about JMs mindset though. Several with team insight have said that he's a "me" guy and very petty to the point he that some of the missed WRs were because he just wasn't going to throw to them since they were 'team Ty'. He's also been on a mission to prove 'naysayers' wrong.

So what happens if all of a sudden Ty (or Mack for that matter), comes in and BAM, our passing game is WIDE OPEN. We go from middle of the pack passing yards in the SEC to being a leader. WRs who are open EVERYWHERE are getting the ball - literally everyone is catching passes all over the place. Especially those WRs who had gone to CKD because Ty, to them, was better. We start running plays from the actual CKD playbook, because we can, and when reporters ask, CKD has to dance around and make up some answer that now we actually can run most of the offense' because of the players we have'.

If that happens, all the world will be asking why in the world was JM starting in the first place. Everyone will say, well, BOB was right. All the Naysayers will certainly know, but they'll know the exact opposite of what you hoped for. It just destroys his narrative which is his brand and, honestly, that's all I think JM focuses on.

Exactly. It drives me crazy when people say “The coach decides who plays!”, when it is clearly not the case anymore.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

It could happen, but if it does, it should only be based on which QB the person believes is the best one to lead the team BASED ON RESULTS.

I never understood the pro-JM crowd who crowed over JM when the RESULTS were always lacking. And to be clear, I'm not referring to his highs (the good JM, so to speak) but the overall results, which I think means winning the biggest of games. And to be clear, many of the games we won during his starting career were NOT because of him. We won despite him.

The "gravedigger" will be a part of IB history, but he played awful in the game. And the SECCG against Georgia was not a great game by JM either. Gotta give the OL the credit for waking up and having one great game compared to the rest of the year. And when you start throwing in awful performances like UT and UM last year and Vandy and OU this year, the RESULTS didn't back up the vocal proponents of JM.

One other thing: I now someone will say, "Well, now do we know TS would have been better?" That's a fair question, but I think the answer is there were times when JM was so bad many of us thought, "It couldn't be any worse to play the backup, who might spark the team when we were struggling so much."

My only problem with the ride or die crowd with Milroe is that when it appears like they were right the ‘I told you so’ threads are instantly created.

But when time after time it’s proven that they were not right it’s crickets.

Don’t gloat if you aren’t equally willing to eat crow.

It’s bad form.

 

[Tidewater]

So what happens if all of a sudden Ty (or Mack for that matter), comes in and BAM, our passing game is WIDE OPEN. We go from middle of the pack passing yards in the SEC to being a leader. WRs who are open EVERYWHERE are getting the ball - literally everyone is catching passes all over the place.

I don't know, Bama starts winning football games handily?

If that happens, all the world will be asking why in the world was JM starting in the first place. Everyone will say, well, BOB was right. All the Naysayers will certainly know, but they'll know the exact opposite of what you hoped for. It just destroys his narrative which is his brand and, honestly, that's all I think JM focuses on.

I think there is some conflation going on here.
If Jalen Milroe's stock would take a hit, but Coach DeBoer's would increase accordingly, at least with the fans and the college football world in general. Coach DeBoer's stock would probably take a hit with the LANK crowd.
The whole thing is weird to me, since it implied Coach DeBoer knew "anybody but Milroe" would give the team a better chance to win, but Coach DeBoer played Milroe anyway.
You don't think Coach DeBoer will do whatever it takes (legally and ethically) to win?
If someone was paying me $10 million/year, I would want to extend that situation for as long as I could and winning covers a host of ills. If I swapped starting QBs and the team started winning, answering questions about the change would be the least of my worries. "Hey, coach, you benched your starting QB and the offensive production shot through the ceiling. Why did the original starter start in the first place?"
"Well, until X date, I thought Player 1 gave us the best chance to win. After the change it now appears that the new starter gives us a better chance to win. They are both fine young men that we are happy to have on the program, but for now, Player 2 will remain the starter. Right now, I am focused on how we are going to defeat a very good Buckeye team."
Done. Nobody would give any thought as to why Player 1 started in September.

 

[Tidewater]

Exactly. It drives me crazy when people say “The coach decides who plays!”, when it is clearly not the case anymore.

I am honestly curious what mechanism Milroe used to enforce his decision to start.
How exactly did Milroe force Coach DeBoer to play him? If Coach DeBoer had announced that Simpson would start in the Tennessee game (for example), what would Milroe have done to change that decision?

 

[CrimsonBloodn62]

Exactly. It drives me crazy when people say “The coach decides who plays!”, when it is clearly not the case anymore.

Just knowing that Milroe is not going to be there anymore has to be a big morale booster. Especially the ones that worked just as hard during the offseason and in season knowing you were not going to get any playing time at certain positions because of Milroe and LANK dictating who plays. Record wise, next year might not be much different, but it won't be because we ran the same 3 plays all year.

 

[B1GTide]

Exactly. It drives me crazy when people say “The coach decides who plays!”, when it is clearly not the case anymore.

It is in some places.

 

[colbysullivan]

It is in some places.

I just meant it’s no longer that simple.

 

[colbysullivan]

I am honestly curious what mechanism Milroe used to enforce his decision to start.
How exactly did Milroe force Coach DeBoer to play him? If Coach DeBoer had announced that Simpson would start in the Tennessee game (for example), what would Milroe have done to change that decision?

I can only speculate that there are deeper things at work here. There has to be some kind of NIL stipulation or something that said “Milroe must play”. There’s simply no explanation for him to stay in the game against several teams this year.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

Personally, I'm just ready to move on from all of this. I wish Milroe the best

 

[Tidewater]

I can only speculate that there are deeper things at work here. There has to be some kind of NIL stipulation or something that said “Milroe must play”. There’s simply no explanation for him to stay in the game against several teams this year.

Okay, thanks. I was just wondering what Milroe might have threatened.
"If you don't start me, I'm going to ..."
All I could could come up with was "not play."

 

[Tidewater]

Personally, I'm just ready to move on from all of this. I wish Milroe the best

The only interest I have is understanding how systems brought about this situation.
If Milroe's continued playing after several bad showings is due to a promise that Coach DeBoer made immediately after his arrival in Tuscaloosa, that is one thing. Coach DeBoer will arrive in Tuscaloosa only once.
If there is some contractual obligation due to the vagaries of NIL, then the the problem could recur with other players.

 

[gtgilbert]

Okay, thanks. I was just wondering what Milroe might have threatened.
"If you don't start me, I'm going to ..."
All I could could come up with was "not play."

It was pretty clear last year at USF. "If you don't start me":

• my buddy will have back spasms and not play
• several other of the OL will go on 'soft strike' and basically kinda block but not really block, and also won't even help up the other QB when he gets his clock cleaned scrambling for a score to save a W
• an RB will also not play all that hard.
• Oh, a couple of D guys might also not give 100% effort.
• We are all LANKing this together and we're going to have a player only meeting as soon as we get back to tuscaloosa, then Saban can announce that NILroe will the starter for the rest of the year.

Remember, NILroe, through LANK, was indirectly paying all these guys. He doesn't play, LANK and their $$, could dry up.

Then this year, NILroe tells CKD, I can keep all these guys here, but I have to start and some of the guys also back NILroe up. Ride or die style. CKD knows he's getting a transition year this year, and makes a deal with the devil to keep folks on the roster, and prays he's able to help NILroe be more than he's been so far. That's why CKD said, refering to NILroe, "It's his team".

 

[TDBama78]

The only interest I have is understanding how systems brought about this situation.
If Milroe's continued playing after several bad showings is due to a promise that Coach DeBoer made immediately after his arrival in Tuscaloosa, that is one thing. Coach DeBoer will arrive in Tuscaloosa only once.
If there is some contractual obligation due to the vagaries of NIL, then the the problem could recur with other players.

It seems to me that what they tried to save on the front end of this is now leaving on the back end , so what did they really accomplish, id rather take the hit on the front end, we would have had one less year of milroe and his followers.

 

[Tidewater]

It was pretty clear last year at USF. "If you don't start me":

• my buddy will have back spasms and not play
• several other of the OL will go on 'soft strike' and basically kinda block but not really block, and also won't even help up the other QB when he gets his clock cleaned scrambling for a score to save a W
• an RB will also not play all that hard.
• Oh, a couple of D guys might also not give 100% effort.
• We are all LANKing this together and we're going to have a player only meeting as soon as we get back to tuscaloosa, then Saban can announce that NILroe will the starter for the rest of the year.

Remember, NILroe, through LANK, was indirectly paying all these guys. He doesn't play, LANK and their $$, could dry up.

Then this year, NILroe tells CKD, I can keep all these guys here, but I have to start and some of the guys also back NILroe up. Ride or die style. CKD knows he's getting a transition year this year, and makes a deal with the devil to keep folks on the roster, and prays he's able to help NILroe be more than he's been so far. That's why CKD said, refering to NILroe, "It's his team".

I think you are right in this.
Sad, looking back that Coach Saban did not nip this in the bud.
If it was me, I would have started benching players left and right until I found eleven that wanted to play, regardless of who won that game. (One character flaw that well and truly infuriates me is insubordination. Anybody who wants to see my ugly side should try being insubordinate with me.)


Edit: I would add that nobody is offering me a farthing to coach anybody in football, so it is easy for me to say I would bench players.

 

[tusks_n_raider]

I think you are right in this.
Sad, looking back that Coach Saban did not nip this in the bud.
If it was me, I would have started benching players left and right until I found eleven that wanted to play, regardless of who won that game. (One character flaw that well and truly infuriates me is insubordination. Anybody who wants to see my ugly side should try being insubordinate with me.)

2007-2017 CNS would have shut it down for sure I think.

He became a kinder and more gentle CNS around the time he became a Granddad and there is nothing wrong with that because that's a pretty universal transition among everyone.

One of my Grandfathers would discipline my Uncles with a Razor Strap in the 50s-60s when they were kids but he never laid a finger on me in the 80s and carried me around with him everywhere to 'show me off' lol

It's just how it goes.

But also near the end CNS was chasing those final couple of NCs to get to 7-8 Titles to secure his legacy and began taking a few shortcuts with coaching hires and player recruitment and handling.

So anyone saying that LANK is partly his fault is correct but it's understandable to a point.

Hopefully it's over now and we won't have to see that acronym ever again.

 

[RammerJammer14]

Okay, thanks. I was just wondering what Milroe might have threatened.
"If you don't start me, I'm going to ..."
All I could could come up with was "not play."

I tried that once in middle school. Threatened not to play in the pickup football game if they weren’t going to let my friend play. The dude picking teams was like, “ok bye.” I told my friend to have a nice time by himself on the sidelines.

 

[crimsonaudio]

2007-2017 CNS would have shut it down for sure I think.

He became a kinder and more gentle CNS around the time he became a Granddad and there is nothing wrong with that because that's a pretty universal transition among everyone.

Father Time is undefeated.

 

[Crimson Speed]

I won’t tell people how to feel, but I have a hard time wishing someone well when they single-handedly held our program hostage for two years. “Good riddance” doesn’t even begin to cover it. If that’s too harsh for some people, well…too bad.

Well, I agree with what you said about him holding the whole program hostage for two years. That is the reason I am thrilled that he is leaving. With that said, I do wish him the best elsewhere, but I just don't see a good future for him in the NFL.

 

[81usaf92]

My only problem with the ride or die crowd with Milroe is that when it appears like they were right the ‘I told you do’ threads are instantly created.

But when time after time it’s proven that they were not right it’s crickets.

Don’t gloat if you aren’t equally willing to eat crow.

It’s bad form.

Well a good chunk of this board are made up of people who don’t like negative or critical takes on Alabama. Most of them may say a comment here and there and move on but there are a few that want to get even the first chance they can and make it epic. They get over emotional about it when they read all the posts that do but don’t know how to effectively counter it other than saying things like “I’ve never seen a player as hated as”, accusations of player bashing, open whining about the rules being laxed, challenge your fandom.

So when said player has a great game it’s going to be endless amounts of “admit you were wrong threads” and shots, but when that player gets egg on their face it’s crickets. It’s mostly because they have nothing to offer constructively to the conversation or they are drive by trollers.

Anyways, I hope we never have another Milroe situation again, but in this day and age it’s almost inevitable. But for now it’s time to move on and start 2025 with a clean slate.