Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com Columnist
Even the words commonly used to describe the Universiry of Alabama's quarterback situation after two games suggest something adversarial, some sort of survival of the fittest. It is a "competition." It is a "battle." Competitions and battles can be inconclusive, but in the general run of such things, there is a winner and a loser.
Perhaps it will end up that way between Blake Sims and Jake Coker, with one "winning" and getting all the playing time and the other relegated to a cheerleading role on the sidelines. Those lines that are being drawn, seemingly, among Alabama fans and the national commentary corps that grows bigger every week. There seem to be "camps," in the ominous sense of the word, a Sims camp and a Coker camp. The energy from such camps tends to balance out in a way that isn't always pleasant. It isn't enough to be positive about your own candidate in such contests. There is usually a certain negativity towards the other camp. Sometimes it is good-natured, but more often, it is downright ugly.
After Saturday's win, those fissures seemed to be developing outside the team (there didn't seem to be a hint of that on the inside). Both quarterbacks did some things well. Neither was perfect. Both still have limited experience that can account for mistakes - a missed play call that led to a red-zone fumble by Sims, a mismanaged end-of-the-half situation by Coker in which he let time expire by taking a sack in field goal range.
None of those mistakes mattered against outmatched Florida Atlantic. They certainly would against an LSU or a Florida, but there is no way, yet, to know if either, or both, will learn from their experiences and not be in that situation.
Some people were harsh towards Sims last week. Conversely (and perhaps connected to that), some pounced on Coker when he came in and didn't look NFL-ready. I didn't have the chance to hear Andre Ware's commentary on the SEC Network broadcast but he was reportedly harsh with his Coker criticism.
Since everyone seems forced into having an opinion (and since it's my job), here is mine. Sims looked like a starter. He got the offense into a good rhythm, established a tempo and knocked out Florida Atlantic early on. But I also thought Coker showed some real promise. His passes have zip, to use an archaic description. He looked better as the game went on and he knocked off some rust. But it isn't hard to see why Sims is ahead at this point, and starting.
"Blake played well except for one play," Saban said, referring to the botched call that led to a red-zone fumble. "Jake got some experience and that experience should help his confidence and his ability to play with a little better rhythm when he gets that confidence."
When there are camps, partisans rush to read meaning into every statement and the above will be no exception. But the fact is that Alabama will continue to use both. Fortunately, the head coach is both impervious to social media and impatient with outside opinion - on either side.
"I really don't care what side they take," Saban said when asked about the fan base.
"This isn't one that's going to be a popularity contest."
For one more week, at the very least, you can expect a very similar rotation. After the Southern Mississippi game, that might change -- but it might not, as Saban hinted when he said the team "will need both guys to play for us."
Both have skills, and skills that can be complementary. It may well be this team can survive using both - although I am not sure if some of its fans can.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1678406
TideSports.com Columnist
Even the words commonly used to describe the Universiry of Alabama's quarterback situation after two games suggest something adversarial, some sort of survival of the fittest. It is a "competition." It is a "battle." Competitions and battles can be inconclusive, but in the general run of such things, there is a winner and a loser.
Perhaps it will end up that way between Blake Sims and Jake Coker, with one "winning" and getting all the playing time and the other relegated to a cheerleading role on the sidelines. Those lines that are being drawn, seemingly, among Alabama fans and the national commentary corps that grows bigger every week. There seem to be "camps," in the ominous sense of the word, a Sims camp and a Coker camp. The energy from such camps tends to balance out in a way that isn't always pleasant. It isn't enough to be positive about your own candidate in such contests. There is usually a certain negativity towards the other camp. Sometimes it is good-natured, but more often, it is downright ugly.
After Saturday's win, those fissures seemed to be developing outside the team (there didn't seem to be a hint of that on the inside). Both quarterbacks did some things well. Neither was perfect. Both still have limited experience that can account for mistakes - a missed play call that led to a red-zone fumble by Sims, a mismanaged end-of-the-half situation by Coker in which he let time expire by taking a sack in field goal range.
None of those mistakes mattered against outmatched Florida Atlantic. They certainly would against an LSU or a Florida, but there is no way, yet, to know if either, or both, will learn from their experiences and not be in that situation.
Some people were harsh towards Sims last week. Conversely (and perhaps connected to that), some pounced on Coker when he came in and didn't look NFL-ready. I didn't have the chance to hear Andre Ware's commentary on the SEC Network broadcast but he was reportedly harsh with his Coker criticism.
Since everyone seems forced into having an opinion (and since it's my job), here is mine. Sims looked like a starter. He got the offense into a good rhythm, established a tempo and knocked out Florida Atlantic early on. But I also thought Coker showed some real promise. His passes have zip, to use an archaic description. He looked better as the game went on and he knocked off some rust. But it isn't hard to see why Sims is ahead at this point, and starting.
"Blake played well except for one play," Saban said, referring to the botched call that led to a red-zone fumble. "Jake got some experience and that experience should help his confidence and his ability to play with a little better rhythm when he gets that confidence."
When there are camps, partisans rush to read meaning into every statement and the above will be no exception. But the fact is that Alabama will continue to use both. Fortunately, the head coach is both impervious to social media and impatient with outside opinion - on either side.
"I really don't care what side they take," Saban said when asked about the fan base.
"This isn't one that's going to be a popularity contest."
For one more week, at the very least, you can expect a very similar rotation. After the Southern Mississippi game, that might change -- but it might not, as Saban hinted when he said the team "will need both guys to play for us."
Both have skills, and skills that can be complementary. It may well be this team can survive using both - although I am not sure if some of its fans can.
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1678406
