🏈 The Tide's secondary may face the deepest and most talented group of quarterbacks in the Saban era.

[TerryP]

Last week Athlon released its list of the ALL-SEC football team for the '17 - '18 season and the Tide had three that made their first team; Averett at corner with Fitzpatrick and Harrison as the two safeties. They need to live up to their pre-season billing if the quarterbacks in the conference live up to their own hype.

The SEC leads all Power Five conferences with eight returning quarterbacks who threw for at least 2,000 yards last season. It also has four returning quarterbacks who threw at least 20 TD passes, tied for the most with the Big Ten. More than stats, though – much more, really – is the idea that 11 of the league’s 14 teams should be comfortable about their quarterback situations heading into the season.

The three that likely have some trepidation are Florida, Tennessee and Texas A&M. But even at those schools, there is talent at the position; it’s just untested. The other 11 schools? Forgive those coaches if they smirk a bit when coaches outside the SEC bemoan the state of quarterback play in their league.

The eight schools whose returning starting quarterback threw for at least 2,000 yards last season are Alabama with Jalen Hurts, Arkansas with Austin Allen, Georgia with Jacob Eason, Kentucky with Stephen Johnson, LSU with Danny Etling, Mississippi State with Nick Fitzgerald, Missouri with Drew Lock and Vanderbilt with Kyle Shurmur. Allen, Fitzgerald, Hurts and Lock also threw at least 20 TD passes. Six of those eight — all but Lock and Shurmur — were starting for the first time for their teams last season, and Eason and Hurts were true freshmen. - from Mike Huguenin
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LSU's Etling certainly doesn't make a case for worry and neither should a 2000 yard passing season. After all a 2000 yard season is certainly not spectacular when you consider it means the quarterback has averaged a little over 150 yards a game to reach that mark (in a 13 game season.)

Tide opponents this fall who have reached that mark in '16 - '17's season.

Arkansas- Austin Allen
LSU - Danny Etling
Mississippi State - Nick Fitzgerald.
Vanderbilt - Kyle Shurmur.

It would be foolish to think Auburn's Stidham won't surpass the 2000 yard mark this fall--he's likely going to throw for 3000 plus on the season barring some monumental meltdown on the Plains. Ole Miss, with Patterson, should do the same as well.

If we assume Bama is back in ATL for the SECCG it means we're looking at the Tide facing at least seven quarterbacks worth keeping an eye on this fall.

 

[TerryP]

A little entertainment for your holiday weekend:

Click on this tweet and read some of the replies--love the Domer's thoughts on the subject.

 

[TUSKtimes]

We get Stidham and Patterson but are they better than Kelly, Knight, and Dobbs who graduated? I doubt that seriously. So how did we suddenly become a conference with all these "talented" signal callers? Same faces, same places, everyone is just a year older. One can only conclude that the "talent" must have been here all the time.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

We get Stidham and Patterson but are they better than Kelly, Knight, and Dobbs who graduated? I doubt that seriously

I doubt also....Dobbs was the most over hyped...as is Stidham at present...
.......so the many days til autumn......

 

[alagator]

We get Stidham and Patterson but are they better than Kelly, Knight, and Dobbs who graduated? I doubt that seriously. So how did we suddenly become a conference with all these "talented" signal callers? Same faces, same places, everyone is just a year older. One can only conclude that the "talent" must have been here all the time.

The depth of quarterbacks, along with the experience they have, is what the point is I believe.

 

[TUSKtimes]

The depth of quarterbacks, along with the experience they have, is what the point is I believe.

Which is why I said we get Stidham and Patterson but lose Kelly, Knight, and Dobbs. How does that create more depth? 3 known quantities leave well decorated and a few unknown quantities took their place.

I also mentioned they were a year older. This conference gets pulverized in the media for the lack of "talent" at QB. No one has played a game or taken a snap since January and now we are more "talented." Another example of perception being a reality until further notice.

It's pretty much a crappy article that concludes with the idea that the conference is still void of a superstar QB like Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold, or Baker Mayfield. Lamar stunk it up as a freshman and looked incredibly pedestrian in their losses to Houston, Kentucky, and LSU. Darnold started at USC for half a season and who made him a superstar? Mayfield will run around the field and chunk it against sub-par defensive talent all year in the big 12. Wake me after they beat Ohio State in Columbus.

 

[TerryP]

Which is why I said we get Stidham and Patterson but lose Kelly, Knight, and Dobbs. How does that create more depth? 3 known quantities leave well decorated and a few unknown quantities took their place.

Look at what the Tide faced in 2013 and then compare it to what they are facing this fall. 2013 was a season filled with the most competitive/talented quarterbacks Bama has faced. This season will eclipse '13.

This conference gets pulverized in the media for the lack of "talent" at QB.

The conference gets pulverized each season for some thing or another. It's easy, or lazy if you prefer, to say it's weaker for quarterback play when so many of the media love the "high scoring, high flying" offenses of the Almost 12 and the PAC. Their perceptions are seldom reality. That's pretty well backed up by your last paragraph, Tusk.

 

[TUSKtimes]

Look at what the Tide faced in 2013 and then compare it to what they are facing this fall. 2013 was a season filled with the most competitive/talented quarterbacks Bama has faced. This season will eclipse '13.

I would say that last season eclipsed 2013. In 2013, I would say we had one hell of a shootout with Johnny Football in a close win in College Station. We kicked everyone to the curb otherwise up to LSU. We got Mett in Tuscaloosa and won 38-17. We know what happened with Nick Marshall and barners. Knight had an out of body experience against a not too motivated sugar bowl Bama.

Just last season we had 3 QBs that passed for at least 400 yards against the number one defense in the nation. That didn't take into consideration of the rematch with Knight and the aggies. We played against 2 of those so-called "superstars" in Sam Darnold and Jake Browning mentioned in the article plus one for real in Deshaun Watson.

 

[bradenob]

Which is why I said we get Stidham and Patterson but lose Kelly, Knight, and Dobbs. How does that create more depth? 3 known quantities leave well decorated and a few unknown quantities took their place.

I also mentioned they were a year older. This conference gets pulverized in the media for the lack of "talent" at QB. No one has played a game or taken a snap since January and now we are more "talented." Another example of perception being a reality until further notice.

It's pretty much a crappy article that concludes with the idea that the conference is still void of a superstar QB like Lamar Jackson or Sam Darnold, or Baker Mayfield. Lamar stunk it up as a freshman and looked incredibly pedestrian in their losses to Houston, Kentucky, and LSU. Darnold started at USC for half a season and who made him a superstar? Mayfield will run around the field and chunk it against sub-par defensive talent all year in the big 12. Wake me after they beat Ohio State in Columbus.

I know everyone is surprised, but I agree completely with TUSK (see my post - FOOTBALL - So who's going to challenge us?).

One of the numbers the writer focuses on is throwing for over 2000 yards. That's 166 YPG - as Terry P said, not an impressive number. Only Allen and Lock went over 3000 yards. So Fitzgerald, Eason and Shurmur only averaged 200 YPG. Do some of these guys have upside? Sure. But if Fitzgerald and Patterson can't throw for over 300 YPG against LSU, Alabama, and Auburn (decent west division defenses) they don't have a prayer, because they don't have a running game. Does Eitling have much of an upside? I don't think so. Stidham has a lot of potential, so we'll just have to see.

Playing Francois is going to be interesting - strong arm, mobile - with an offensive line that is still suspect.

Stidham is talented, and Gus can do a lot with that - we will see.

I would think we will face Eason if we get to the SECCG - he's talented, but must improve a lot, and AGAIN, so must his offensive line.

In any case, as I said before, this is a seasoned, talented secondary within a good defense that should have a good pass rush. Can't wait for fall!

Roll Tide!!!!