🏈 Why we can't find a new QB...

[BillBrosky]

tl/dr

+1

 

[BillBrosky]

CAD crib note requested.

 

[TerryP]

Which Bama QB would you NOT trade for Mauk for this season ?

Four of the five. And I'm not sure I'd cut Cooper loose if it was my decision to make.

I try to be one that doesn't rush to judgement on anything. I certainly won't write off a guy based on how he looked at A-day or how he looked going against a defense that knew every one of the calls made.

That said, when a QB is going against air in pre-practice warm-ups and drills and missing receivers it is a reason to pause. So far, this is shaking out exactly how I thought it might when we were talking about this here a month and a half, two months ago.

{ By the way, I was one that no objections to a guy like Braxton transferring in simply due to his experience. And, I was also one who had serious doubts about the possibility knowing how those stories started in the first place. }

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Yeahmost people don't remember how bad of a passer Blake Sims was. He was wildly inconsistent, and the main reason we didn't win the championship.

I see your points, but I think Bama fans would at LEAST like to have a QB that is drafted to the NFL, and I think we're long overdue for having a QB good enough to start in the NFL

Having an NFL starting QB doesn't reflect college proficiency, it's a status symbol. Regarding completions, Sims was the fifth best in completion average for a season with more than 100 completions. Now, one reason he may seem to have been a dropoff is because AJ holds positions 2, 3 and 4 - and McElroy holds the record. He (AJ) may end up being the starting NFL QB you crave.

RTR,

Tim

 

[OldPlayer]

IMO, too many fans want the All-American, #1 draft choice QB who wins games on his own. That kind of QB makes the offense too one-dimensional. I like the fact that we have multiple high quality QBs. If whoever our #1 QB is, if he were to go down we shouldn't have a large drop off of production. Does anybody remember when Croyle went down?

A QB will soon rise to the top. There's a lot of pressure for everyone of them to perform in front of Saban and up to Saban's expectations. Be calm. Have faith.

 

[TheChief]

Uh, you might want to rethink "wildly inconsistent".

252-391 64.5 completion % , 3487 yds passing , 28 td , 10 ints and 7 rushing td's (totaling 35 tds on the year).

Oh Lord, here we go again.


Stats are one way to look at things. When you are best at throwing the ball sideways, your completion percentage is higher. If Sims was so good, why is he not in the NFL? I wish him the best, and he seems like a fine man. He's just not a very good qb, regardless of the numbers game.

Last year was last year. I'm ready to move on with whoever is qb this season. If the starting qb plays as many snaps as Blake, that qb will break every single record. I don't care who starts.

 

[T&B]

Post is too long. i have ADD. Summary the post by 150 character so I know what you're saying

He said the Bama QB's were not that bad. He said who in the SEC has a better QB ? Then he listed Dak Prescott (better), Maty Mauk (better), Jeremy Johnson (probably better), Kyle Allen (likely better), Brandon Allen (better), and Patrick Towles (I did not see enough of this kid to really know, but I heard good things about him toward the end of last year so... probably better) haha

Now I'm 50/50 being funny/serious here, but in all honesty I really do think that everyone of the QB's he listed would probably be an upgrade to what Bama has this year.

I think the better question here is which QB's in the country would you not trade Coker for ?

 

[OldPlayer]

What is the definition of a good QB? It seems that many here define good by playing in/making it to the NFL. Others seem to think that putting up highly ranked stats (TDs, completion %, yards, QBR) defines a good QB. IMO a good QB is one that keeps you out of trouble, makes good, quick decisions on the field, and gets the ball to where it needs to be. There are multiple positions on the field that contribute to scoring. How many yards after the catch did Sims have last year? What percentage of total yards did Alabama have from the running game? McCarron and McElroy were considered game managers and Alabama did pretty good with them. I like the big arm when it makes a big play, but I also like banging for yards and wearing down an opponent. TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma and even UTX QBs have put up a lot of stats in college but haven't produced much in the NFL.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Oh Lord, here we go again.


Stats are one way to look at things. When you are best at throwing the ball sideways, your completion percentage is higher. If Sims was so good, why is he not in the NFL? I wish him the best, and he seems like a fine man. He's just not a very good qb, regardless of the numbers game.

Last year was last year. I'm ready to move on with whoever is qb this season. If the starting qb plays as many snaps as Blake, that qb will break every single record. I don't care who starts.

How does a "numbers game" not show performance? Why could Danny Wuerffel throw for almost 11,000 yards in college, but was never a good NFL QB? Heath Schuler, on and on. An exceptional college QB barely gets to hold a clipboard in the NFL. I'm not a shill for Sims, he wasn't exceptional, but he had a vertical game as well. In all of Bama history, there were 23 passing plays of 75 yards or more. 23, and 5 of those are from the Saban era, and just one of the top seven (Amari's 99-yarder against aubrun). Last season we had four.

 

[Snout Spout]

Yeahmost people don't remember how bad of a passer Blake Sims was. He was wildly inconsistent, and the main reason we didn't win the championship.

I see your points, but I think Bama fans would at LEAST like to have a QB that is drafted to the NFL, and I think we're long overdue for having a QB good enough to start in the NFL

RTBers, just for your reference, uofarolltide was a notorious Blakehater at Woollyal.

 

[Snout Spout]

I saw a reference to this in another thread as well, saying that under Saban we've lagged developing our QB's. I disagree, and here's why.

First, let's look at passing numbers. Of Coach Saban's eight years at Bama, SEVEN of his seasons rank in the top 8 Bama QB season passing performances in Alabama history: 1. Sims '14, 2. McCarron '13, 3. McElroy '10, 4. McCarron '12, 5. John Parker Wilson '07, 7. McCarron '11, and 8. McElroy '09. The only Saban year that didn't produce a top 10 performance is JPW '08, and he's number 12 on the all-time season list 30 yards behind Croyle '03 (his best year) and a little over a 100 yards shy of Hollingsworth '89 to be in the top 10.

Second, let's look at interceptions. Seven of the ten longest streaks of pass attempts without an interception have been accomplished by Saban era QB's.

Third, let's look at completion percentages. The top five seasons in Alabama football for highest completion percentages (minimum 200 completions) belong to Saban era QB's.

It's been discussed that it's very difficult to assess QBs in recruiting. There are far more variables than for any other position. I'd like to know what statistics or intangibles support that we haven't developed QB's effectively under Saban.

RTR,

Tim

You have the link on those? I'd love to see the non-interception streak, etc. I saw a link to the record book a year or two ago, but it was also a couple years out of date even then.

 

[JoshB]

I see a certain person is still shitting on Blake. Yet still will say "move on"... Yeah right..

 

[planomateo]

You have the link on those? I'd love to see the non-interception streak, etc. I saw a link to the record book a year or two ago, but it was also a couple years out of date even then.

Top 5 is in the media guide

CONSECUTIVE PASSES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION
291 AJ McCarron ......................................................................... 2011-12
190 Brodie Croyle ........................................................................ 2002-05
156 Blake Sims ............................................................................... 2014
155 Jay Barker ............................................................................ 1993-94
152 AJ McCarron ............................................................................. 2011

Season
(Minimum 200 completions)
70.9% Greg McElroy (222 of 313) ............................................................. 2010
67.3% AJ McCarron (226 of 336).............................................................. 2013
67.2% AJ McCarron (211 of 314).............................................................. 2012
66.8% AJ McCarron (219 of 328).............................................................. 2011
64.5% Blake Sims (252 of 391) ................................................................ 2014

Another link http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...5/misc_non_event/20140929football-records.pdf

MOST PASS COMPLETIONS
SEASON
255 John Parker Wilson (462 att., 2,846 yards)..............................................2007
226 AJ McCarron (336 att., 3,063 yards..............................................................2013
222 Greg McElroy (313 att., 2,987 yards)...........................................................2010
219 AJ McCarron (328 att., 2,634 yards)............................................................2011
216 John Parker Wilson (379 att., 2,707 yards)..............................................2006
211 AJ McCarron (314 att., 2,933 yards)............................................................2012
205 Gary Hollingsworth (339 att., 2,379 yards)..............................................1989
202 Brodie Croyle (339 att., 2,499 yards)..........................................................2005
198 Greg McElroy (325 att., 2,507 yards)...........................................................2009
187 John Parker Wilson (323 att., 2,273 yards)..............................................2008

MOST CONSECUTIVE PASSES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION
291 AJ McCarron.....................................................................................................2011-12
190 Brodie Croyle.........................................................................................................2005
155 Jay Barker.........................................................................................................1993-94
152 AJ McCarron............................................................................................................2011
149 Greg McElroy...................................................................................................2009-10
141 Greg McElroy..........................................................................................................2009
135 Freddie Kitchens...................................................................................................1997
124 Greg McElroy..........................................................................................................2010
116 Greg McElroy..........................................................................................................2010
106 John Parker Wilson..............................................................................................2007
104 John Parker Wilson..............................................................................................2006
100 Jeff Rutledge....................................................................................................1977-78
100 David Smith............................................................................................................1988

 

[JoseyWalesTheOutlaw]

Blake made many great plays with his feet in 2014. I am not sure any of this group can repeat that luxury. We'll see.

 

[OldPlayer]

I saw a reference to this in another thread as well, saying that under Saban we've lagged developing our QB's. I disagree, and here's why.

First, let's look at passing numbers. Of Coach Saban's eight years at Bama, SEVEN of his seasons rank in the top 8 Bama QB season passing performances in Alabama history: 1. Sims '14, 2. McCarron '13, 3. McElroy '10, 4. McCarron '12, 5. John Parker Wilson '07, 7. McCarron '11, and 8. McElroy '09. The only Saban year that didn't produce a top 10 performance is JPW '08, and he's number 12 on the all-time season list 30 yards behind Croyle '03 (his best year) and a little over a 100 yards shy of Hollingsworth '89 to be in the top 10.

Second, let's look at interceptions. Seven of the ten longest streaks of pass attempts without an interception have been accomplished by Saban era QB's.

Third, let's look at completion percentages. The top five seasons in Alabama football for highest completion percentages (minimum 200 completions) belong to Saban era QB's.

It's been discussed that it's very difficult to assess QBs in recruiting. There are far more variables than for any other position. I'd like to know what statistics or intangibles support that we haven't developed QB's effectively under Saban.

RTR,

Tim

Could this also be attributed to the changes in offensive philosophy in college football? During Coach Bryant's day, most of the offense was run oriented or had a strong run component. Over the last 20 years the passing game has become more prevelant. Records are made to be broken and I'm sure that one day all the offensive and defensive records will be broken.

 

[Bravo Crimson]

RTBers, just for your reference, uofarolltide was a notorious Blakehater at Woollyal.

Totally disgusted me sometimes when lurking over there. It was blatant. Probably why he and some could not see that Blake was actually better option. And had talent to get us SEC championship. Respect Blake Sims respect.

 

[psychojoe]

Some people here, and in general, are in despair that Saban and 'Bama can't find a good QB. To them, it's an absolute mystery why we are in our supposed predicament. While all fans would love for one of our QBs to 'take the bull by the horns' and 'make this team his,' it just hasn't happened yet. What's funny to me is that everyone is so shocked, considering our recruiting classes. However, think about the following:

1. Consider that the VAST majority of high school QBs are not 'future' QBs in ANY division. Sure, in big high schools there is the luxury of finding a 'natural' QB because they have many students, and many athletes to choose from. However, most schools are smaller, and in any case, all high school coaches want to WIN. They will find the best way to win, and so most schools take the best ATHLETE available. They are not usually asked to make great reads and hit the hot receiver, or to complete the deep post. They hit the fast receiver on a deep fly, or they become proficient in the 12 yard slant or hitch, or they have a run/pass option and run a lot because they are great ATHLETES. The 'spread' has taken over high school, and QB development has suffered. These guys become safeties, CBs, RBs, receivers. So the pool of QB recruits for major college football programs is small.

2. In relation to #1 above, look at the NCAA QBR for 2014 ( http://espn.go.com/ncf/qbr/_/year/2014 ). Hutson Mason at #6 is the first 'pro-style' QB on the list. Of course Mariota was good, but he still ran a spread, HUNH. Barrett certainly passed, but he, Marshall, Thomas, and Sims were all more likely to beat you with their feet. As you go on down the top 30, I guess my point would be to ask: "Which of these returning guys would you rather have than Coker, or Cornwell, or Morris?" I would understand Cook or Kessler, and Boykin's ATHLETICISM is superb, but would you really rather have Josh Dobbs, who comes in at #21 last year, and thus is one of the highest ranking QBs returning based on QBR? There just aren't that many GOOD QBs, period.

Think about the SEC... who would you rather have than our guys, if you could trade? Prescott, maybe. Kyle Allen? Not proven, lots of potential. Jeremy Johnson? He's supposed to be God's gift, but don't hold your breath. Maty Mauk, Brandon Allen, Patrick Towles? All three have a lot more experience than any of our guys, but - no thanks for me. In FACT, looking around the Power 5 conferences, Trevor Knight comes to mind, and I think about Gunner Kiel at Cincy, but otherwise, do you guys look around and say, "Wow, I sure wish we'd gotten THAT guy." Maybe I'm just not thinking hard enough about other returning QBs, but, no, I can't say that...
Roll Tide!

What has Gunner Kiel done that you wish we had signed him?

 

[bradenob]

What has Gunner Kiel done that you wish we had signed him?

I'm not so much saying I wish we'd signed him, as pointing out he is a prototypical drop back passer, and that he's one of the few on another team that I'd be happy to have. http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/534259/gunner-kiel

Overall, he threw for 3254 yards and had a 60% completion percentage. His competition wasn't great, but he threw for 352 yds against tOSU and completed 65.6% of his passes with 4 TDs and no INTs. He strongly considered us before he first committed to LSU, and we cooled on him thereafter. He seems to have a good skill set as a passing QB.

 

[RhinoGuy]

Top 5 is in the media guide

CONSECUTIVE PASSES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION
291 AJ McCarron ......................................................................... 2011-12
190 Brodie Croyle ........................................................................ 2002-05
156 Blake Sims ............................................................................... 2014
155 Jay Barker ............................................................................ 1993-94
152 AJ McCarron ............................................................................. 2011

Season
(Minimum 200 completions)
70.9% Greg McElroy (222 of 313) ............................................................. 2010
67.3% AJ McCarron (226 of 336).............................................................. 2013
67.2% AJ McCarron (211 of 314).............................................................. 2012
66.8% AJ McCarron (219 of 328).............................................................. 2011
64.5% Blake Sims (252 of 391) ................................................................ 2014

Another link http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools...5/misc_non_event/20140929football-records.pdf

MOST PASS COMPLETIONS
SEASON
255 John Parker Wilson (462 att., 2,846 yards)..............................................2007
226 AJ McCarron (336 att., 3,063 yards..............................................................2013
222 Greg McElroy (313 att., 2,987 yards)...........................................................2010
219 AJ McCarron (328 att., 2,634 yards)............................................................2011
216 John Parker Wilson (379 att., 2,707 yards)..............................................2006
211 AJ McCarron (314 att., 2,933 yards)............................................................2012
205 Gary Hollingsworth (339 att., 2,379 yards)..............................................1989
202 Brodie Croyle (339 att., 2,499 yards)..........................................................2005
198 Greg McElroy (325 att., 2,507 yards)...........................................................2009
187 John Parker Wilson (323 att., 2,273 yards)..............................................2008

MOST CONSECUTIVE PASSES WITHOUT AN INTERCEPTION
291 AJ McCarron.....................................................................................................2011-12
190 Brodie Croyle.........................................................................................................2005
155 Jay Barker.........................................................................................................1993-94
152 AJ McCarron............................................................................................................2011
149 Greg McElroy...................................................................................................2009-10
141 Greg McElroy..........................................................................................................2009
135 Freddie Kitchens...................................................................................................1997
124 Greg McElroy..........................................................................................................2010
116 Greg McElroy..........................................................................................................2010
106 John Parker Wilson..............................................................................................2007
104 John Parker Wilson..............................................................................................2006
100 Jeff Rutledge....................................................................................................1977-78
100 David Smith............................................................................................................1988

It's too bad AJ wasn't a more Likeable guy.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

 

[It Takes Eleven]

All of the records are at the rolltide.com website, choose football and then along the top look at the "more info" pull down and the record book choice is there in a web form. The pdf of The Book is also available under the "Archives" choice under "more info", along with details of every season. I'm a history buff and a sadistics, I mean statistics, guy so I love these sections.

http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/record-book.html
http://www.rolltide.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/alab-m-footbl-archive.html

RTR,

Tim