🏈 AJ McCarron's problem: overconfidence

I was involved with baseball for many years. Every pitcher I've ever known that was any good was ultra cocky, most to the point of arrogance, almost narcissistic. The good quarterbacks I've known and played with, many fewer, were the same way. It seems like it's almost a job requirement. Good runners are the same way. The rest of us are usually jealous of these guys.

Is AJ the best Bama qb in my lifetime? I don't know. I'm pretty old. Is he my favorite? Probably behind Jay Barker, Jeff Rutledge, Richard Todd, Joe Namath, and Steadman Shealy. I really loved watching Shula. To be honest though, he was probably better than a few of those I liked.
 
I agree with @TheChief. The baseball coach I played for back in HS always said, "there is a fine line between confidence and cocky. You have to straddle that bitch!" The QB has to have that "air" about him just like a pitcher. He can't be too high or too low. He has to be even keel.
 
Aj is the kid you'd want your daughters to marry. That doesn't mean he's not an arrogant ass in the locker room, but most winners are filled with a sense of self worth and confidence that drives them. It's a personality trait that takes charge and demands others to follow them.

There are lots of ways to lead, inspire, and motivate... from what I envision of AJs style it will live and die with his performance, as his ability to inspire has been predicated from a position of performance vs. Humility and shared hardship. Not knocking him, as the proof is in the pudding and history interprets if the means justify the ends.

He was a good qb in a great situation at Bama. I am thankful for all he did and wish him the best in the NFL, as a father, and more.

Nothing wrong with being confident in yourself... humility follows when struggles emerge. Aj for his talent and good fortunes hasn't yet been subjected to the latter
 
Last edited:
I take it no one read the comments of that article. Folks that didn't even follow Bama know about his bad attitude.

I did when you posted the link and glanced over them again just now. There's entertainment value to be found there but (not comfortable with this word, but it's all that comes to mind) questionable intrinsic value. Seriously, one comment lecturing about "too much value being placed on the QB position in the league?" I see comments about KW, comments about his tattoo and have to wonder if these comments carry any more weight that reviews found on an e-commerce site.

And him shoving his own center in the BCSNCG on TV for all the world to see is him being a fierce competitor? Please. That was a b!tch move. Plain and simple. It was downplayed as "fiery competitiveness" and even joked about by Barrett himself. He stated it was a disagreement about the snap count, and "of course, I was right". You don't pull that kind of sh!t over a snap count. Total diva move.
Problem here: Barrett shoved AJ. It wasn't the other way around. The characterization of it being a "diva move," or a "bitch move" isn't accurate. The confusion on the line ended up being a penalty for delay of game. McCarron was pissed, I'm sure Saban was pissed, and I'm positive both had reason to be pissed.

The argument/spat was about the snap count. But, you have to ask yourself, whose responsibility is it to change a snap count, or a called play, at the line of scrimmage? Errr, not Barrett's. Hell, Jones was know for talking a bit too much in the huddle. No big deal in my opinion ... both players wanting, and I quote, "perfection." (Mirrors someone that gets paid a lot of money.)
_______

BTW, I believe that a lot of this national perception of AJ comes from things he's said that were accurate, but weren't received well. As example, with the number of Notre Dame fans found around the nation, how do you think those Domers felt hearing "we imposed out will?" Those fans heard what many Bama fans said, "they made that Notre Dame team quit." Any fan of a team that just had their asses handed to them in the national title game would be upset.

On a side note: As I recall, the attitude towards AJ began to change when he wished the Auburn running back good luck in their game. Then, with a comment here, and a comment there, his rep continually slid downhill.

Like many, I too wished he'd have kept some of the things he said "in the locker room."
 
Problem here: Barrett shoved AJ. It wasn't the other way around. The characterization of it being a "diva move," or a "bitch move" isn't accurate. The confusion on the line ended up being a penalty for delay of game. McCarron was pissed, I'm sure Saban was pissed, and I'm positive both had reason to be pissed.


This.....I was about the post this. Went back and pulled the youtube video for verification.
 
Problem here: Barrett shoved AJ. It wasn't the other way around. The characterization of it being a "diva move," or a "bitch move" isn't accurate. The confusion on the line ended up being a penalty for delay of game. McCarron was pissed, I'm sure Saban was pissed, and I'm positive both had reason to be pissed.


This.....I was about the post this. Went back and pulled the youtube video for verification.
Okay, so after splitting that hair, what caused Barrett to push AJ?

Now that it's been mentioned and I recall correctly, AJ was aggressively up in his face, flailing his arms and pointing at Barrett like a psychotic mother screaming and cussing at her child.

Thanks for clearing that up. That's not humiliating at all, compared to the shove I misremembered in my OP. :eyeroll:

Sent from my ASUS ZenFone 2E using Tapatalk
 
Okay, so after splitting that hair, what caused Barrett to push AJ?

Now that it's been mentioned and I recall correctly, AJ was aggressively up in his face, flailing his arms and pointing at Barrett like a psychotic mother screaming and cussing at her child.

Thanks for clearing that up. That's not humiliating at all, compared to the shove I misremembered in my OP. :eyeroll:

Sent from my ASUS ZenFone 2E using Tapatalk

Sgt....it's all good bro. You have a right to your opinion. I agree there have been a couple of occasions I have been a little "less than satisfied" by what has come out of AJ's mouth, namely after the Ole Miss loss this year. It felt like we were being gang-tackled in the media and it wasn't stopping there.

OTOH, I agree with some of the previous posters and have been around long enough to understand that QB's are largely prima donnas. I wouldn't trade AJ in those two years we won NC's back to back though.

While on the subject of former QB's, apparently, some on here don't listen to McElroy as much as I do. He absolutely compensates with his opinions when it comes to Alabama to the point, sometimes, it seems he has a problem with us. He has a Heisman vote and voted Henry 2nd behind MAYFIELD. (he also has a preponderance to say "honestly" and "to be honest" way to friggin much). I have never seen it pointed out as much as AJ but Mac crawls all over my ass sometimes.
 
Okay, so after splitting that hair, what caused Barrett to push AJ?

Now that it's been mentioned and I recall correctly, AJ was aggressively up in his face, flailing his arms and pointing at Barrett like a psychotic mother screaming and cussing at her child.

Thanks for clearing that up. That's not humiliating at all, compared to the shove I misremembered in my OP. :eyeroll:

Sent from my ASUS ZenFone 2E using Tapatalk
You're wrong. Stop digging

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
Aj is the kid you'd want your daughters to marry. That doesn't mean he's not an arrogant ass in the locker room, but most winners are filled with a sense of self worth and confidence that drives them. It's a personality trait that takes charge and demands others to follow them.

There are lots of ways to lead, inspire, and motivate... from what I envision of AJs style it will live and die with his performance, as his ability to inspire has been predicated from a position of performance vs. Humility and shared hardship. Not knocking him, as the proof is in the pudding and history interprets if the means justify the ends.

He was a good qb in a great situation at Bama. I am thankful for all he did and wish him the best in the NFL, as a father, and more.

Nothing wrong with being confident in yourself... humility follows when struggles emerge. Aj for his talent and good fortunes hasn't yet been subjected to the latter
I forbid my daughters to marry somebody with horrible tattoos.
 
Now that it's been mentioned and I recall correctly, AJ was aggressively up in his face, flailing his arms and pointing at Barrett like a psychotic mother screaming and cussing at her child.
I'm guessing you're adding a little hyperbole about that play for shock, or entertainment, value?

My view, play clock is running down and AJ is trying to change the snap count to avoid a penalty. AJ has a view of the play clock, Barrett doesn't, right? So, when he's under center trying to get the play off his center is changing the calls at the same time.

That ends up with a penalty, a wasted time-out (while inconsequential in this game, any other time it may not have been,) and an embarrassing moment (my opinion.)

Take a look at the play again. You may not have reacted the same as AJ. I can't say what I would have done but I suspect it would have been similar.

 
Back
Top Bottom