The “New” Alabama Offense Under DeBoer/Grubb

[Bamabuzzard]

If DeBoer can't fix the problem we could be left with a couple of Freshmen. I was hoping for more competition to see if our other QBs are close to running the DeBoer Offense. I'm looking for the Fallback options if Milroe still can't read defenses.

Ty Simpson hasnt transferred and Sayin so far hasn't either. There's your two fallback options and pretty good ones at that.

 

[RollTide_HTTR]

Losing will empty the locker room faster than changing QBs. If he is smart, his focus will be on preparing the team to play winning football, not making any single player happy.

I think he'll do a bit of both.

 

[BamaMoon]

Having just read thru page one....

JM is in trouble!

TS has a great opportunity!

DL has the chance to show if he's really elite beyond last year's spring game.

JS is quietly thinking "CKD and Grubb" evens the playing field for me and their scheme is what I'm already good at (precision passer with quick release).

Smart money may be on TS, but if I'm a gambling man and I want to take a shot at winning big I'm betting on JS for al the reasons that's been mentioned but mainly he's the youngest but probably the most talented of the QBs. It's just a matter of how quickly he adjust to SEC speed of the game.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Having just read thru page one....

JM is in trouble!

TS has a great opportunity!

DL has the chance to show if he's really elite beyond last year's spring game.

JS is quietly thinking "CKD and Grubb" evens the playing field for me and their scheme is what I'm already good at (precision passer with quick release).

Smart money may be on TS, but if I'm a gambling man and I want to take a shot at winning big I'm betting on JS for al the reasons that's been mentioned but mainly he's the youngest but probably the most talented of the QBs. It's just a matter of how quickly he adjust to SEC speed of the game.

I think it depends on how competitive Lonergan wants to be in baseball as to his "chances" of winning the QB battle. Supposedly he is a very good baseball player and wants to play baseball as well. Regardless of the sport, any college level sport takes up a ton of time to be competitive to play. I played college baseball and the amount of work it took to stay competitive and in the lineup compared to HS isn't even comparable. Everybody works and works hard. If Lonergan just wants a jersey and spot on the baseball roster, sure, he may can do enough to get that AND legitimately compete for QB. But if he wants to PLAY both sports, he better not only be the hardest worker on campus but one helluva of a natural athlete because those two sports are HARD to play on the college level. Most have to choose.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Losing will empty the locker room faster than changing QBs. If he is smart, his focus will be on preparing the team to play winning football, not making any single player happy.

A 104-12 record didn't just happen without that winning attitude...

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

Milro is still QB1 until someone beats him out. The primary difference now is that all the QB's are learning this offense from scratch so time in the system doesn't necessarily help you. But there are certain universal qualities a player gets from live action that will translate. Alabama's passing attack was extremely anemic last season. JM was very accurate with the long ball if he's allowed to just sit back there. Something the Barn found out the hard way. You can't run an offense on that however. You win games by getting first downs and with red zone performance. JM will need to up his game to keep his job. It's as simple as that. Can he? Will he? We shall see. There is no reason he can't build on what he learned last year and a different system might help him do that. We will know a little more after spring.

There is NO QB1 at the moment. Everyone is starting with a blank slate.

 

[81usaf92]

Having just read thru page one....

JM is in trouble!

TS has a great opportunity!

DL has the chance to show if he's really elite beyond last year's spring game.

JS is quietly thinking "CKD and Grubb" evens the playing field for me and their scheme is what I'm already good at (precision passer with quick release).

Smart money may be on TS, but if I'm a gambling man and I want to take a shot at winning big I'm betting on JS for al the reasons that's been mentioned but mainly he's the youngest but probably the most talented of the QBs. It's just a matter of how quickly he adjust to SEC speed of the game.

Idk. Right now it’s too hard to tell whether or not Milroe will be QB1 entering spring or a true open competition from the start. We are in a fragile state of affairs with recruits and current players. So maybe there is a chance he sucks it up with Milroe as is or slightly better no matter what or there is a truly wide open competition.

Next year will be more of a proof of concept year for us most likely.

 

[BamaMoon]

DeBoer doesn't see Milroe like you do. DeBoer sees him as a dangerous weapon, as he has a Midas touch with quarterbacks. I think he helps Milroe correct a lot of those issues. We'll see.

CKD may in fact see JM just like a lot of us do.

When he watches the tape, he'll see a wildly talented athlete who really struggles with a basic passing game.

Now, that doesn't mean he can't help him. But it also means that he may see JM as needing to develop ALOT more than even JS, for instance, in the passing game.

 

[Lifer]

Don’t bet on any players on the current roster or signing class until they’re transfer portal window officially closes.

 

[Ledsteplin]

CKD may in fact see JM just like a lot of us do.

When he watches the tape, he'll see a wildly talented athlete who really struggles with a basic passing game.

Now, that doesn't mean he can't help him. But it also means that he may see JM as needing to develop ALOT more than even JS, for instance, in the passing game.

I don't see Milroe as some here do. Some here have been against him since 2022, and have not let up. He has some issues for sure, but are correctable. BoB did nothing to help, and there was no time during the 2023 season, as game prep took up the time. I think DeBoer sees great potential with Milroe, and he and Grubb work with him. But it hasn't been near as bad as is portrayed here. Milroe has played well, leading the team to defeat Auburn and winning the SEC beating Georgia. Then into the playoff. I honestly don't believe Simpson could have done that. I mean, he did well enough to be in the Heisman talk. Perfect? No, he does have some issues to correct. Like quickly finding his reciever and throwing the ball. Part of the problem was the inability of the OL to protect. I think Huff solves that in DeBoer's offense. I really hope DeBoer and Grubb work their magic with Milroe. He can really be fun to watch.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I don't see Milroe as some here do. Some here have been against him since 2022, and have not let up. He has some issues for sure, but are correctable. BoB did nothing to help, and there was no time during the 2023 season, as game prep took up the time. I think DeBoer sees great potential with Milroe, and he and Grubb work with him. But it hasn't been near as bad as is portrayed here. Milroe has played well, leading the team to defeat Auburn and winning the SEC beating Georgia. Then into the playoff. I honestly don't believe Simpson could have done that. I mean, he did well enough to be in the Heisman talk. Perfect? No, he does have some issues to correct. Like quickly finding his reciever and throwing the ball. Part of the problem was the inability of the OL to protect. I think Huff solves that in DeBoer's offense. I really hope DeBoer and Grubb work their magic with Milroe. He can really be fun to watch.

The type of offense the new staff will run is built on the ability to not only read pre-snap reads but in play reads as well. Unfortunately, that aspect has been the biggest weakness of Milroe that though he improved somewhat on it, nothing to the level it takes to run the incoming staff's offense.

And for the record, I'm rooting for Milroe but ultimately want the best QB on the field.

 

[gtgilbert]

Yep

Our most recent OC's have been playing tiddlywinks

CKD and Grubb play 5D Chess while the board's view is obstructed with smoke and mirrors.

If Ty or Sayin can mentally pick things up then go ahead and pour one out for opposing defenses.

Rees wanted to do a lot more on offense than he did. It takes a QB who can process the field to do all that stuff though.

 

[gtgilbert]

I don't see Milroe as some here do. Some here have been against him since 2022, and have not let up. He has some issues for sure, but are correctable. BoB did nothing to help, and there was no time during the 2023 season, as game prep took up the time. I think DeBoer sees great potential with Milroe, and he and Grubb work with him. But it hasn't been near as bad as is portrayed here. Milroe has played well, leading the team to defeat Auburn and winning the SEC beating Georgia. Then into the playoff. I honestly don't believe Simpson could have done that. I mean, he did well enough to be in the Heisman talk. Perfect? No, he does have some issues to correct. Like quickly finding his reciever and throwing the ball. Part of the problem was the inability of the OL to protect. I think Huff solves that in DeBoer's offense. I really hope DeBoer and Grubb work their magic with Milroe. He can really be fun to watch.

The heisman is a popularity contest though, and Milroe has a great story, and the gravedigger play got him a lot of recognition. Go watch the unofficial assistant coach videos. Milroe, for whatever reason, just could not make the most basic reads - reads you expect an average HS QB to be able to make. Maybe DeBoer can help him, but it's going to take a massive, massive amount of growth to just get to where you'd hope an incoming HS QB would be.

The type of offense the new staff will run is built on the ability to not only read pre-snap reads but in play reads as well. Unfortunately, that aspect has been the biggest weakness of Milroe that though he improved somewhat on it, nothing to the level it takes to run the incoming staff's offense.

And for the record, I'm rooting for Milroe but ultimately want the best QB on the field.

Exactly - watching the videos of Penix; he's making a lot of decisions and reads throughout a play. Pre-snap, at snap and post snap. It's fun to watch. I just don't see DeBoer taking all those plays and options out of the playsheet b/c a QB can't make the reads if there are other options on the team who can.

 

[mlh]

If the QB competition is close and no one really separates himself from the others, then I think JM will be the starter. He has more experience. He's a leader on the team. His teammates really like him. His raw talent is through the roof.

However, if one of the other QBs is noticeably better than the others, he will be the starter. CKD is not here to play favorites. He's going to play the guy he thinks gives the team the best chance to win.

It will be interesting to see how all of our QBs progress with some decent coaching. JM may surprise a lot of people. But so may TS.

 

[gtgilbert]

For Milroe to be considered a “running” QB, he isn’t particularly good with the RPO type plays..

It's the O that milroe hasn't figured out yet. If a QB is really slow on the O, it's very hard for either the R or the P to work as planned...

 

[mlh]

It's the O that milroe hasn't figured out yet. If a QB is really slow on the O, it's very hard for either the R or the P to work as planned...

So you're saying it's all about getting the "O"?

 

[gtgilbert]

If the QB competition is close and no one really separates himself from the others, then I think JM will be the starter. He has more experience. He's a leader on the team. His teammates really like him. His raw talent is through the roof.

However, if one of the other QBs is noticeably better than the others, he will be the starter. CKD is not here to play favorites. He's going to play the guy he thinks gives the team the best chance to win.

It will be interesting to see how all of our QBs progress with some decent coaching. JM may surprise a lot of people. But so may TS.

There are lots of dimensions of 'talent', some of which matter more and some of which matter less to being a successful QB.

JM is FAST, he appears and is said to be super strong, he can throw the ball a long way and/or throw the ball hard. Of those strengths, only 1 really matters for being a good QB.

What JM hasn't yet shown is:
The ability to know plays/D formations and make pre-snap reads
The ability to make reads, even simple reads, during a play
The ability to get the ball out quick (this isn't about the throwing motion, it's about his processing before he even starts to wind up)
Ability to be consistently accurate with any depth/length of passing.

All these are REQUIRED for being an average, much less being a good QB and really, if these things aren't there, it doesn't matter how hard a person can throw a ball.

So you're saying it's all about getting the "O"?

ABSOLUTELY!!!!

 

[TXPachyderm]

 

[BamaBoySince89]

Biggest take away is you need a QB that has a quick release and so JM will have his work cut out for him because most of the problems stemmed from him holding the ball too long/OL unable to block and keep the QB upright

 

[gtgilbert]

Biggest take away is you need a QB that has a quick release and so JM will have his work cut out for him because most of the problems stemmed from him holding the ball too long/OL unable to block and keep the QB upright

I'd make it a little bigger than that - It's really a QB that gets the ball out fast. There are two major components to that: first, as you stated, having a quick throwing motion (i.e. quick release), the second is making the decision on what to do (i.e. where to throw etc).

JM actually has a decently quick release from a pure physical/mechanical standpoint. There's some stuff he could clean up, but it's not bad, and good QB coaching could help him continue to improve.

The knowledge of the game/decision making and processing speed part: That's where JM hasn't shown very much. This is way harder to measure, and also some of it isn't thought to be coachable. Lots of research shows that the knowledge part can be improved for sure, but processing speed appears to be one of those things that isn't that trainable, or if it is trainable, we haven't really figured out exactly how to train it...