🏈 Hurts, Bateman, Barnett and the QB competition

[jdpas29]

I find it amusing that so many negatives about Bateman magically appear after watching how many minutes of actual playing time? On a huge stage? For the first time in college?

He may have thrown a pick or two and certainly got his clock cleaned and was pulled from the game, but he was 8 of 9 I believe prior to the first pick. It wasn't like he was out there scratching his butt.
And for the record, ole miss fronted the best defense and best line of any team we played all year, IMO. Not bad for a noobie QB.

Where everyone gets the idea he can't throw the long ball I'm not sure either. I think his throwing mechanics are good, his long throws are ok and he is going to be fine at QB for Bama.

Roll tide

 

[rolltide66]

I find it amusing that so many negatives about Bateman magically appear after watching how many minutes of actual playing time? On a huge stage? For the first time in college?
... Where everyone gets the idea he can't throw the long ball I'm not sure either. I think his throwing mechanics are good, his long throws are ok and he is going to be fine at QB for Bama.

Roll tide

Camp performance showed one of Alabama QB Cooper Bateman's deficiencies

There was a competition that took place on the last night of the Manning Passing Academy in late June. ...Alabama's Cooper Bateman, the current favorite to win the Tide's starting quarterback job, was one of the quarterbacks in attendance.

The redshirt junior struggled some with throws beyond 20-25 yards down the field, according to former NFL executive and current Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage.

"With Cooper, you see his athleticism," Savage said. "All the short- and intermediate-type things, certainly looks confident. I think the biggest question on him is going to be the balls down the field, those 25-yard and beyond type of throws. I thought he showed some signs of improvement with that in the spring from what I saw in Tuscaloosa. At the Manning Academy, I saw the ball come apart on him some after a certain distance. We'll see if he can get that cleaned up before the season starts."

Look at some of the 2015 highlights and see how often Jake tossed 30 - 40 - 50 + yards to streaking receivers... not sure that will happen with Coop!!!

 

[rolltide66]

So cramps are an "injury" now huh?

Brother you must not be married... I would never tell my wife she is not subject to timeout because it's just the Cramps!!!

 

[UAgrad93]

I see this thread and argument headed the same direction it did last year. It is in fact splitting the board here. Last year, we had those on Barnett's bandwagon and those saying don't count out Coker because Saban trusts the older guys. This year, we have the Barnett camp now as Hurts supporters and those from the Coker camp have moved to the Bateman camp.
I believe that Bateman will start the season opener with some combination of Barnett, Cornwell, Hurts duo as a backup. I think one slip up though, not necessarily a loss, maybe a few bad series, and one of the 3 remaining will take over.
As far as the RB situation goes, I trust Coach Burns and his abilities. While we lack live action reps and carries, Bo, Damien, BJ and Josh were recruited and signed for a reason.

 

[EasyTider]

IDK, Team Hurts sounds pretty cool.

 

[JoshB]

Brother you must not be married... I would never tell my wife she is not subject to timeout because it's just the Cramps!!!

I am and I wouldnt tell her that unless I felt having a phone thrown at my head...

Camp performance showed one of Alabama QB Cooper Bateman's deficiencies


Look at some of the 2015 highlights and see how often Jake tossed 30 - 40 - 50 + yards to streaking receivers... not sure that will happen with Coop!!!

Are you forgetting how horrific Coker's deep ball were at the beginning of last year? He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn on deep balls when the season first started. Go back even further, everyone on here said Sims couldnt hit the long ball... then he dropped a tear drop from the sky of an 80-yard bomb to Kenyan Drake against Florida and everyone suddenly shutup...

 

[utstnx]

my 2 cents...... It appears so far there is no "Front Runner". It appeared in the A-day game pocket pressure was an issue with all of them. Saban and kiffin I am sure are drilling these guys with the idea that..."if its not there...throw it away or safely scramble. But for Gods sake don't turn the ball over." It appears none of them have "Taken" the job. If all is equal and they all cant throw consistently over 25 yards than Hurts has the most upside and can scramble for the 1st. Coker made a couple big plays when the D had blown coverage like 4-5 tims last year. Otherwise he worked on not turning the ball over and if he could scramble for the first and dive he would. He took a lot of sacks and that was okay. If Hurts can do that he will win the job and be our QB for a while. He has the best ceiling and if he can make good decisions he will be the man. As stated ...we don't need a world beater. A game manager that can make 6-7 big plays a year and scramble for a few key first downs will be enough to go all the way! RTR

 

[uofarolltide]

I see this thread and argument headed the same direction it did last year. It is in fact splitting the board here. Last year, we had those on Barnett's bandwagon and those saying don't count out Coker because Saban trusts the older guys. This year, we have the Barnett camp now as Hurts supporters and those from the Coker camp have moved to the Bateman camp.
I believe that Bateman will start the season opener with some combination of Barnett, Cornwell, Hurts duo as a backup. I think one slip up though, not necessarily a loss, maybe a few bad series, and one of the 3 remaining will take over.
As far as the RB situation goes, I trust Coach Burns and his abilities. While we lack live action reps and carries, Bo, Damien, BJ and Josh were recruited and signed for a reason.

You clearly don't remember what was going on last year in fall camp. We had a bunch of "insiders" telling us how god-awful Coker was, and that he had no chance of starting. The Bateman camp of this year were supporting Alec Morris last season, because he had the experience and supposedly didn't make mistakes. You also had a lot of people championing for Bateman and Barnett. Almost NOBODY wanted Coker.
I was hoping either Coker or Barnett would win the job, and I would often reference Coker's A-Day performance as proof that the guy could definitely throw, and wasn't as bad as he was being made out to be.
In fact, many on the board last year were riding Bateman's jock until he fell apart in the Ole Miss game.

Most people, for whatever reason never liked Coker. I was always team Coker.
This season I'm honestly just hoping that ANY of our QBs beats out Bateman. I'm against Bateman for the same reason I was against Blake Sims - mental fragility.

I'll also add that I think what Jalen Hurts did in the spring game was astounding, considering he was a true freshman and had been on the team for just 3 months. He's a total stud, and would light it up if given the chance.

 

[uofarolltide]

Are you forgetting how horrific Coker's deep ball were at the beginning of last year? He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn on deep balls when the season first started. Go back even further, everyone on here said Sims couldnt hit the long ball... then he dropped a tear drop from the sky of an 80-yard bomb to Kenyan Drake against Florida and everyone suddenly shutup...

While Coker never really excelled at the "bomb" passes, he routinely made long dart throws between 10-40 yards. He was also really really consistent and had great mental toughness. He was solid.
Blake Sims could throw the "bomb" passes pretty well, but he rarely threw darts beyond 10-15 yards, and was so inconsistent. You didn't know if you were getting the Florida Blake Sims or the Arkansas Blake Sims from week to week. He was mentally fragile

Most people seem to forget that with Blake Sims, our offense relied heavily on screen passes, slant passes under 10 yards, the running game, and the option. Blake Sims wasn't a guy who could drop back and throw a strike 17 yards downfield with any consistency or reliability.

 

[Tidestalker]

While Coker never really excelled at the "bomb" passes, he routinely made long dart throws between 10-40 yards. He was also really really consistent and had great mental toughness. He was solid.
Blake Sims could throw the "bomb" passes pretty well, but he rarely threw darts beyond 10-15 yards, and was so inconsistent. You didn't know if you were getting the Florida Blake Sims or the Arkansas Blake Sims from week to week. He was mentally fragile

Yes, Coker was really consistent... About being late and inaccurate with his passes. LOL. Run after catch was way easier for the receivers with Blake than Coker. JC was a tough guy and improved as the season went on, but the mental toughness had a lot to do with having the confidence of the top defense in the country there to bail you out when things don't go well. Or a Heisman level running game to hand the ball off to. Blake didn't either of those luxuries.

Coker did a good job I'm not going to take away the fact that he's a National Championship QB... It demands respect... But my memory is too good to forget how our of rhythm and confused that offense looked for much of the year. Came through when it mattered though, which says a lot about JC.

 

[OldPlayer]

It will take a minor miracle for Hurts to supplant the others. What everyone saw in the Spring was a watered down offense. He didn't have a lot of decision options. As for the others, three months of daily work can change how they perform. We've heard that many have been to QB camps and/or worked with QB coaches. Decision making will be the differentiator. I'm not saying Hurts doesn't have the talent. I just don't think the transition from high school to college football is an easy one to compete at the level needed for Alabama and CNS.

 

[footballer]

One cannot come to any conclusion on any Qb's play in the A Day game. It was a glorified scrimmage to humor fans and the media. The games purpose was in no way whatsoever to determine who would be the starter this year. I believe that our coaches already knew which Qb was most game ready at that time before A Day. I have all the confidence in the world that CNS using his own set of criteria will pick and play the best Qb that he believes will give his team the best chance to succeed.

 

[UAgrad93]

You clearly don't remember what was going on last year in fall camp. We had a bunch of "insiders" telling us how god-awful Coker was, and that he had no chance of starting. The Bateman camp of this year were supporting Alec Morris last season, because he had the experience and supposedly didn't make mistakes. You also had a lot of people championing for Bateman and Barnett. Almost NOBODY wanted Coker.
I was hoping either Coker or Barnett would win the job, and I would often reference Coker's A-Day performance as proof that the guy could definitely throw, and wasn't as bad as he was being made out to be.
In fact, many on the board last year were riding Bateman's jock until he fell apart in the Ole Miss game.

Most people, for whatever reason never liked Coker. I was always team Coker.
This season I'm honestly just hoping that ANY of our QBs beats out Bateman. I'm against Bateman for the same reason I was against Blake Sims - mental fragility.

I'll also add that I think what Jalen Hurts did in the spring game was astounding, considering he was a true freshman and had been on the team for just 3 months. He's a total stud, and would light it up if given the chance.

To be honest, I completely forgot about Morris. I was thinking about '14 when Coker came in and everyone was pencilling him in as the starter while others bashed Blake. Morris totally slipped my mind last year!
As far as A Day goes, you really can't read too much in to the QB play. One hand touch sacks, same 5/6 pass plays, not being a live target, etc. I'm good with whomever Kiffin and Saban put out there as long as they perform. I'm pretty sure that a change will be made long before they hear our displeasure!

 

[uofarolltide]

One cannot come to any conclusion on any Qb's play in the A Day game. It was a glorified scrimmage to humor fans and the media. The games purpose was in no way whatsoever to determine who would be the starter this year. I believe that our coaches already knew which Qb was most game ready at that time before A Day. I have all the confidence in the world that CNS using his own set of criteria will pick and play the best Qb that he believes will give his team the best chance to succeed.

I can watch the QBs play, and tell which one of them has an arm, and an ability to make throws down the field. I understand the purpose of the game, but I think you could tell the difference between John Parker Wilson and Tom Brady out there.
What we all witnessed was that Jalen Hurts has some incredible running and throwing skills, and looks to have the most talent and highest ceiling on the roster.

 

[uofarolltide]

It will take a minor miracle for Hurts to supplant the others. What everyone saw in the Spring was a watered down offense. He didn't have a lot of decision options. As for the others, three months of daily work can change how they perform. We've heard that many have been to QB camps and/or worked with QB coaches. Decision making will be the differentiator. I'm not saying Hurts doesn't have the talent. I just don't think the transition from high school to college football is an easy one to compete at the level needed for Alabama and CNS.

He transitioned from high school to delivering the best QB performance at ADay in just a few months, so there's that...

 

[OldPlayer]

He transitioned from high school to delivering the best QB performance at ADay in just a few months, so there's that...

Agreed, but the offense and defense was vanilla. Probably 1/10 of what a normal game would have. We will know more after the first scrimmage.

 

[rolltide66]

Are you forgetting how horrific Coker's deep ball were at the beginning of last year? He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn on deep balls when the season first started. Go back even further, everyone on here said Sims couldnt hit the long ball... then he dropped a tear drop from the sky of an 80-yard bomb to Kenyan Drake against Florida and everyone suddenly shutup...

I was one that declared after Sims' 1st game "we will not win an SEC game this year... SEC DB's will eat his weak arse passes for lunch" only to drop that after his vast improvement week to week...(if he had only kept that thru the playoffs)
Jake always had a cannon, and had an issue with over throwing the long ball too often in his early attempts to win the job; But, came to his senses and began to make the throws "to" the WR's
I have confidence in the coaches, and fully expect them to get the best product on the field each Saturday (tho I am still wondering what they were thinking in the ole piss game last year).
But, like everyone else, I have favorites and wish to see them on the field. And like others, I was impressed with the raw talent of Hurts at ADay. Just using a comparison with the others who has at a minimum 1 year of experience in the system, his performance was very promising. Sure he needed to throw it away a few times and made HS decisions, but shows tons of promise.

I hope that he gets an opportunity to show his talent and skills. Hope that the starting QB for USCw game makes us all forget this off season pissing and moaning... and excited about the next game and the next NC. Roll Tide Roll.

 

[JoshB]

He transitioned from high school to delivering the best QB performance at ADay in just a few months, so there's that...

A-Day means jack shit. I dont think I've seen an A-Day in the last ten years where the guy that is the eventual starter actually looked good. Are we forgetting that a lot of people that thought Phillip Sims "outplayed" AJ in 2011?

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

Look at that story for a second. Phil Savage has a report of an afternoon of camp work at Manning's Pass Academy, right? A camp. A passing academy. Since his report now there's an issue with any pass over 20 yards is wobbly. The thing that intrigues me is that wasn't a subject of conversation up until Phil's comments. There were other critiques about Cooper, I don't recall wobbly being one.

Personally, I just don't see one afternoon as something we should be taking to the bank. Maybe he was just having a bad afternoon. I assume there's a possibility they were working with him and changing a few things with his mechanics. I don't know.

I do know guys can separate themselves quickly in fall camp. I know Saban said the three have all improved but there's nothing that's led me to think the rotation has changed. If anything, I could see a 2A and 2B scenario going into the first scrimmage.

IMO, you want a good question to ponder? Where's Barnett's head compared to spring?

I seem to remember in the Ole Piss game, that every ball he threw beyond 10-15 yards didn't have much zip to it. Also in the spring, most of his long balls seemed to float and wobble a bit.

I think that after 3 years, and he's still pushing the ball from his ear, he obviously can't fix his throwing mechanics. He doesn't have the arm talent to make up for bad mechanics.

I really just don't see him as the answer.

 

[Sgt. Lincoln Osiris]

I see this thread and argument headed the same direction it did last year. It is in fact splitting the board here. Last year, we had those on Barnett's bandwagon and those saying don't count out Coker because Saban trusts the older guys. This year, we have the Barnett camp now as Hurts supporters and those from the Coker camp have moved to the Bateman camp.
I believe that Bateman will start the season opener with some combination of Barnett, Cornwell, Hurts duo as a backup. I think one slip up though, not necessarily a loss, maybe a few bad series, and one of the 3 remaining will take over.
As far as the RB situation goes, I trust Coach Burns and his abilities. While we lack live action reps and carries, Bo, Damien, BJ and Josh were recruited and signed for a reason.

Difference is, Bateman doesn't have HALF the arm strength Coker did.

I'd love to see Bateman be able to throw a 40 yd rope, across his body, over 2 DBs for a TD, all while on the run after shaking 2 rushers.

It's just not going to happen....lol.