The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly- Quarterbacks

I pushed this back a little due to the Partygate thread wave, but now practice starts and we can all think about actual football. So with that said..

LAST YEAR RECAP

The amusing thing about fans is that while McElroy played really well in 10 out of 14 games, they like to talk about those 4. Last season's QB recap can be summed up in 3 games: Virginia Tech, Auburn, and Florida. They can because those 3 are the 3 games that needed the QB to win the game for them, and he did. For all the complaints, for all the "AJ will start ifs" and all the bullshit that comes from fans across the Internets, not once in 2009 did McElroy endanger the team's chances of winning. Even in his worst games, he didn't quit or go into his shell the way that Jarrett Lee has or Tim Tebow did after he got rocked. The 3 games referenced are great indications of why McElroy doesn't lose often. Remember back to VT, the team was rattled, they were getting beat up by the Tech Defense early, but McElroy didn't quit, he slowly dug his way out of the trenches and then started to control the game and finished with a flurry after missing his first 7 out of 8. Against Auburn, nothing had gone well....NOTHING. However, the team had held on and was in a position to win the game in the end. They needed Greg to be Greg, and he commanded the pocket and the huddle and it was almost a throwback to Barker's days where you almost knew they were going to win just because he had the ball. I think the biggest boost to why the staff is locked in on McElroy is displayed in this game.

In the goal line, the call was to grind out and play for a field goal, but Saban chose to use Greg's abilities and play for the lock down win. Remember, a FG there doesn't ice it, but a TD makes things hard for Auburn to recover in less than a minute. Saban trusted McElroy to win the game, and he did. Against Florida, he owned Florida and played through pain in the end to crush them. Those are the games that make 2009 what it was for the quarterbacks.

THIS OFFSEASON

Who is back?

Greg McElroy. Can he hit all the throws? No, or at least he wasn't last we saw him. Does that matter? No. I really tire of that argument as to why someone should or shouldn't start. Has a Nick Saban team ever won anything throwing the ball around? Not really, he likes control and time consumption, not WAC stat lines. McElroy is the guy in the huddle who gets the guys to where they need to be mentally. You can see that time and time again as the team struggled, he amped them up, when they needed to get poised, he calmed them. When things went bad for him and he wasn't at his best, he didn't dwell or point about it, he accepted it and worked through it. I do think that we will see more of his abilities this fall though because he's now faced 14 rough games....well maybe 11 tough ones. He's now had the entire summer to get the kinks worked out, and if he can get a 2nd WR to play consistent, watch out. Regardless, as long as he controls the huddle, keeps the offense moving in the right direction, and scoring points, he's going to be remembered fondly in time. He had plenty of reasons to quit, but his patience paid off in the end.

AJ McCarron- AJ is a 4 star QB that comes from a HS that is rich in college profile players. He has a good arm, not a cannon, and is accurate when his mechanics are on. He has a tendency to not set and throw and forgets his fundamentals at times. When he's got his stuff together, he's a very capable pocket QB. He likes to sit in the pocket and check down, not real wild about getting out in space and creating or doing a waggle. His throwing motion is good, and he whips the ball around the way you are taught, and the ball comes out fast so he avoids sacks. The ball rarely drops below the pad and it comes out at the point of release not too early or late. His footwork is improving and he sets up better now than he did in HS. The thing that AJ has to learn or earn is how to lead and how to deal with adversity. He has had his visits to the dog house since arriving and needs to continue to prove those days are over. Relax team AJ fans, he didn't shoot fireworks or anything bad, he just let the staff down a bit when they tested him. AJ will play some this year, how much will depend on what kinda lead they build and other situations, but I don't see anything indicating that he's going to start or push to start this year. He'll get broken in some and play with the 1s and 2s to get some film for the staff to work with, and then next spring it is his to lose.


Who is gone?

Star Jackson. I wasn't surprised that he went in a new direction. He never could get over the fact that his arm wasn't what they wanted him to use.

Thomas Darrah. Somewhere, the fans of Darrah are in their jorts ready to seek revenge. I just hope they are loose fitting and not nut huggers.

Who is new?

Phillip Sims- He has all the ability to be great, there is no questioning that. I don't know that he'll play any this year, but it won't be because he's not ready or not good enough. He has the big arm, good mechanics, and doesn't fear getting hit. His main issue is that his throwing motion is slower than old people screwing. I think this fall he needs to show that he can handle being the scout QB, and show the staff that he's got the mental game down. That always wins with Saban over physical attributes.

THE QUARTERBACKS

The Good…

A proven QB

For all the doubts about him and complaints, he is one of the most experienced QBs in the SEC and already one of the winningest. McElroy will only grow from his experiences and with that and his abilities, I can see good things for the offense this year.

A better schedule for QBs

Sounds like a bad grunge band name, but it is true. There are not as many buzz saw defenses to face like what they saw last year. Penn State is going to be tough, but they are not fast like what Bama sees all fall in the conference. Florida and USCar will be the best 2 they see this fall, but he's already experienced all they have to offer.

The quality of depth is improving each fall

This is a cut and paste from last year but still valid: I think as long as I live, I will remember the Croyle/Pennington/Guillon/Avalos fiasco season where the defense won all 6 games for them and the offense resembled a 9-10 year old rec team. Saban realized early on he didn't have much to work with, and really he is still pretty thin if he is using walkons above 3rd string at times. This fall, however, he has McElroy who has the potential to be very good, McCarron who has the potential to be a long term answer for the team, and Phillip Sims has that potential as well. It seems like 100 years ago that things were that bad, and who knows we may all be snowed over on the talent of these guys, but I doubt that.

The Bad...

The Team AJ v. Team Greg thing...

It really isn't down to fighting yet, but there is always the group that loves the backup QB. I did when Wilson was the QB because he shakes like a tree when he gets hit, and wanted to see McElroy play in 08, but for the most part I usually accept that there is a reason why the depth chart is what it is. Not to jump off subject much, but what would we be talking bout if he had gone to McElroy in 08? Do we talk about our repeat champions or not? Interesting random thought to ponder. When this battle on message boards and coffee tables rages, it will be about experience vs. potential. That's really all AJ can show fans is potential, but he has nothing real to go on yet. That will change this fall, but every time AJ plays, you can bet that there will be about 50 dumb animals who say "see that is who we need out there, he can hit all the throws". Again with the throws thing.....anyways, it will be there and it can be divisive if not handled well by fans and others. My hope is some will just let things be and enjoy what we are seeing and not trying to tinker so much now that Bama is on top.

The Ugly…

The worst case scenario

The traditional ugly for me at QB. The thing here is that we don't know much beyond McElroy. We think, but we don't know. It is one thing to look good in 7 on 7s (total snow job as far as talent evaluation goes) and it is hard to know when watching practices or scrimmages because there are so many situational drills that you can't tell much by them, but it is another thing to look great vs. live opponents. If McElroy gets hurt, and AJ isn't all that we all think he can be, things can get real bad real fast even if the defenses aren't as mean this year. They're still mean enough for a green QB.

DEPTH CHART

Starter- McElroy. even if he loses a game, it is his job for the year.

2nd String- AJ McCarron. He now gets the tough task of waiting and dealing with the wait.

3rd String- Ogilvie. Only because I think Sims will redshirt if at all possible. Look for Morgan to run the clock out vs. San Jose and GA State.