🏈 Your Blake Sims stats update...

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Through 2 games...
Passing- 35 of 46 for 464 yards. 2 TD's, 1 INT (170.8 rating).
Rushing- 9 for 58 yards (6.2 avg) & 1 TD.

 

[bamafan9201]

Man, everyone laughed at me when they heard about how awesome Coker was and how he was going to be a whirlwind coming in and taking over. I was among the small minority in believing Blake Sims was actually the answer to our questions and Jacob Coker was just an oversold product by Jimbo Fisher. I think that Coker is a great QB, but he's a practice QB and doesn't seem to translate well to the game.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Some folks say, "if you have 2 starting QB's then you don't have any." What we have is 2 guys, and we can win with either one of them. That is a good thing, especially in this league, when often times the back-up ends up being the starter by late November.

 

[psychojoe]

Showing my age, Coach Bryant always had two QBs who as he described it, were ready to play. I have always liked that approach. As someone said, you are never more than one play away from your second string quarterback becoming your first string quarterback.

 

[jdpas29]

I think Blakebis outplaying most fans expectations, but let's be realistic. He is throwing great screens. The rest of the passing game as it relates to Blake is still uncharted territory. When a good defense forces us to stretch the field a little, we will see how things really are. Florida will likely provide that for us.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Man, everyone laughed at me when they heard about how awesome Coker was and how he was going to be a whirlwind coming in and taking over. I was among the small minority in believing Blake Sims was actually the answer to our questions and Jacob Coker was just an oversold product by Jimbo Fisher. I think that Coker is a great QB, but he's a practice QB and doesn't seem to translate well to the game.

In his first two games as a starter, Sims now shows almost none of the indecisiveness and poor passing that he exhibited last year. He has been coached to be decisive and his perimeter passing has been crisp. Coker remains well behind Sims in field presence. Coker continues to develop and if he can get those rocket passes down a few feet he will be a weapon. Hard to agree with your roving sentiment in the last sentence and a half that Coker is simultaneously oversold, a great QB and a practice QB.

I trust the coaching staff to determine starters and playing time. I know they want the player out there who provides the best chance to win, but I also suspect that they are thinking down the road if they want to have a first year starter at QB in consecutive years (Sims and then someone else) or perhaps three consecutive years (Sims, Coker and then someone else).

RTR,

Tim

 

[MissingRing]

Alabama's quarterback situation presents quite a quandary and I'm glad I'm not the one who has to decide the issue. Neither Sims nor Coker is the complete package. The Sims repertoire - quick passes to the perimeter and dump offs to the underneath receivers - won't be sufficient against the better teams on Alabama's SEC schedule. On the other hand, Coker looks lost at times, misses open receivers, tends to overthrow on deep routes, and generally lacks the mental presence (or so it seems) that you need in a quarterback.

 

[rocknthefreeworld]

It is pretty obvious that they don't really trust Sims with the long ball. I thought maybe it was just not wanting to run up the score but when I realized Coker was throwing pretty much only long balls but Sims had only thrown short ones it hit me. Does that mean much? Probably not. I trust Sims to run the offense as long as we do not need the long ball. But once teams realize that the deep ball isn't there with him it will get tough. They really need to start using the TE more to help with that.

 

[rick4bama]

Has anyone thought that, it the coaching staff that is doing this?

 

[BAMAFSTBACK]

Sims is the man this year.

 

[russb8903]

Sims is the man this year.

Our man can't throw the ball downfield or call a play on his own. Unfortunate. Seemingly 90% of his passing yards are YAC from screens. I think we have the players to work around it, but he isn't good at this point.

 

[alabama mike]

The difference I see is that Sims know the offense; formations, plays and checks. He does not throw the deep ball as well as Coker but has the ability to pull the ball down and run.

Coker can throw the deep pass, no question about it. He is not as comfortable right now with the offense. CLK was out on the field getting the play to Coker yesterday. He cannot scramble as well as Sims but he can pull the ball down and run if needed.

Another week of reps in practice for both young men and another chance Sat. To show what they can both do.

 

[MissingRing]

Let me say that I admire the grit and pluck of Sims. If he gets the starting job in a regular starter/backup paradigm, I will be behind him. I just think that the modern game requires you to stretch the field. I worry about what is going to happen when opposing defenses stack the box and pull the corners and safeties closer to the line.

 

[PhillyGirl]

If Sims and Coker could combine into a super QB, Smoker, or Skimmer, or Coke-ims, that would be great. I feel like they each have the pros the other lacks.

 

[psychojoe]

Our man can't throw the ball downfield or call a play on his own. Unfortunate. Seemingly 90% of his passing yards are YAC from screens. I think we have the players to work around it, but he isn't good at this point.

You have not been watching the same games that I have been watching. Yes, a lot of screens, but that is Kiffin's offense. Give us a big cushion on the outside for an explosive player, what on earth is wrong with getting Cooper, Drake, or others the ball on the edge with only one man to beat. Last time I checked, the scoreboard did not pay more for a touchdown based on how many yards up the field the receiver was when he caught it. Florida may come up in press on our wide receivers and try to take that away, though that is risky in its own right. We have hit some slants and some crossing routes, and he has had two deep balls dropped. I don't know of many defenses who want to lock up on receivers the caliber of ours without safety help available. If you double Coop, you single cover on the other side. Jones and White can also be explosive.

 

[ElephantStomp]

I think we might be in trouble once we hit the part of the schedule where teams are going to make us stretch the field because Sims can't or the staff doesn't trust him to do so and Coker overthrows.

Sims has proven me a liar in that he's done the job well for the most part, but I am concerned with the lack of deep threat. If Coker can get the plays down and the terminology I think he will be a great QB for us, but his command in the huddle is concerning to say the least.

 

[JoshB]

I do find it funny all the whining about screens (and I think most people have seen me clown on all the bubble screens Lane threw at USC) but my God if a DB is playing off 10 yards on the best receiver in the country, obviously trying to take away a deep pass, why would you NOT just get the ball out there to him and let him do his thing. Now the question is what will we do when the better teams with corners that can hang creep up to take those plays away. Can sims connect on enough deep balls?

 

[russb8903]

You have not been watching the same games that I have been watching. Yes, a lot of screens, but that is Kiffin's offense. Give us a big cushion on the outside for an explosive player, what on earth is wrong with getting Cooper, Drake, or others the ball on the edge with only one man to beat. Last time I checked, the scoreboard did not pay more for a touchdown based on how many yards up the field the receiver was when he caught it. Florida may come up in press on our wide receivers and try to take that away, though that is risky in its own right. We have hit some slants and some crossing routes, and he has had two deep balls dropped. I don't know of many defenses who want to lock up on receivers the caliber of ours without safety help available. If you double Coop, you single cover on the other side. Jones and White can also be explosive.

Sure, it's great that he's getting so many opportunities in the screen game, but those aren't always going to be there, and the only downfield receivers he's hit have been wide open. We haven't seen him throw downfield on anything that wasn't completely free. Clearly Kiffin's offense can be willing to throw downfield as we saw a good bit of that when Coker came in, not that he was especially successful either.

I do find it funny all the whining about screens (and I think most people have seen me clown on all the bubble screens Lane threw at USC)... Now the question is what will we do when the better teams with corners that can hang creep up to take those plays away. Can sims connect on enough deep balls?

Well yeah... People aren't whining because the screens have been successful, they're whining because against overmatched opponents that seems all he is trusted to accomplish and that he won't be able to throw it downfield against better quality teams.

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Kiffin is taking what is given. I doubt we see Sims constantly throw vertical in any game, but that would be the case regardless of his skill set under Kiffin. What we will see is more slants mixed in, which are hard to defend even when the defense knows it might be coming... even harder to defend when it comes out of the same formation after a bubble screen was just completed for a big gain and the DB's cheat...

 

[Brandon Van de Graaff]

Our man can't throw the ball downfield or call a play on his own. Unfortunate. Seemingly 90% of his passing yards are YAC from screens. I think we have the players to work around it, but he isn't good at this point.

Silly post is silly.