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Al.com Published 2 Articles Stating the Case for Who Should be Our Starting QB
Posted on 7/31/18 at 6:48 pm
Posted on 7/31/18 at 6:48 pm
This is probably a mistake to bring here, but what the hell?
The case for Jalen Hurts to be Alabama's starting quarterback
The case for Jalen Hurts to be Alabama's starting quarterback
quote:
Joe Namath was Alabama's starting quarterback for three seasons. During that time the Crimson Tide won 29 games, and a mythical national championship.
AJ McCarron won 36 games as a starter over three seasons, and quarterbacked two BCS national championships.
Jalen Hurts has won 26 games before his junior season, and led Alabama to two College Football Playoff national championship games. He is, by all accounting, one of the best quarterbacks in the history of Alabama football. In a season of transitions for Alabama both offensively and defensively, Nick Saban can't afford to leave that kind of experience on the bench.
Fall camp opens for Saban and Alabama on Friday, and all sentient life in the universe will be watching the quarterback competition between sophomore Tua Tagovailoa and junior Jalen Hurts. For the next month, it will be the biggest story in college football. There can be only one, to quote the greatest 1980s fantasy-action movie not named Predator, Terminator or Aliens.
To give the hype train a proper sending off from the station, AL.com sports editor John Talty and myself are picking sides. Talty is Team Tagovailoa, and I'm Team Hurts. It's like picking between Captain America and Iron Man. Captain America (Hurts) is the leader this free world needs. Iron Man (Tagovailoa) is the creative genius whose inventions and panache save the world in the end.
It's a tough choice.
Team Hurts isn't here to argue which player is a more talented passer. Tagovailoa might have the edge there based on, you know, one of the greatest throws in the history of college football. But one historic throw doesn't mean Tagovailoa is the best quarterback to lead Alabama into the 2018 regular season.
No, that player is Hurts, who brings invaluable experience and leadership to the table at a time when those are the most valuable of things for this Alabama team.
This is a unique time for Alabama. Saban had to replace both of his coordinators following the national championship against Georgia. The team lost a record 12 players to the NFL Draft, including one of the greatest team leaders in the history of Alabama football, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Hurts is the natural person to fill that void for Alabama, and to deny him that important role now could be detrimental to the development of this team. Hurts cannot be the leader Alabama needs if he's on the sideline with a clipboard. He is 26-2 as a starting quarterback, and that type of leadership has to be on the field.
What is leadership?
At Alabama, leadership means toughness and accountability. Saban demands both at all times, and there is no greater embodiment of those characteristics right now at Alabama than Hurts. He is the toughest player on the team, and he threw one interception last season.
At Alabama, that might be more valuable than 10 touchdowns.
Hurts led Alabama to back-to-back national championship games by making smart decisions, and making plays when his team needed them. A small fraction of being a college quarterback is about making highlight throws, but it's not like Hurts is incapable of making them.
More often than not, he just chooses the wisest option. And the wisest option, always, is to defer to Alabama's defense. It's perennially one of the best in the country.
Putting your teammates in position to win games is the stuff of real leadership, and Hurts has done that since he arrived on campus.
Both quarterbacks can succeed at Alabama, but only one can start the season. You play the percentages here, and take the calculated risk. Based on the past two seasons, the job is Hurts' to lose. He has always put the team first, and that's what quarterbacks at Alabama do.
If you need Iron Man to save the world in the end, then you make that call again.
According to Saban, Hurts says he's not transferring even if he doesn't win the position. Would Tua do the same? Probably so. And if Tagovailoa doesn't start, and transfers, and takes his little brother with him, then did you really want that type of selfishness on the team anyway?
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Posted on 7/31/18 at 6:48 pm to TideSaint
The case for Tua Tagovailoa to be Alabama's starting QB
quote:
It's not hyperbole to say the Tua vs. Jalen debate is the biggest college football storyline headed into fall camp.
But as fun as it will be to debate the merits of both over the next month -- we'll do plenty of it here at AL.com -- it's really not much of a debate on who should be Alabama's starter when it opens the season against Louisville.
All you need to do is put the second half of the 2018 national championship game on a loop to know who will win the starting job.
There isn't a ton of evidence that Tua Tagovailoa should be Alabama's starter this season, but unfortunately for Jalen Hurts, the little evidence we do have is incredibly compelling.
Tagovailoa, as a true freshman, delivered one of the most incredible moments in college football history. Alabama finally has a cool nickname for a big game as Tagovailoa created the "2nd-and-26" memorabilia cottage industry.
The Hawaiian left-hander led a second-half comeback over Georgia that his counterpart, Hurts, was incapable of orchestrating. It wasn't just that beautiful 41-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith that delivered the Crimson Tide its second title in the last three years. It was the way Alabama's talented youngsters -- Smith, Najee Harris and Alex Leatherwood, to name three -- rallied around Tagovailoa as the Tide fought back from a 13-point halftime deficit. Alabama played with a different energy in the second half, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll opened up the playbook, and the Tide's future never looked brighter.
It was the best title game performance from a quarterback in the Saban era at Alabama, and Tagovailoa only had a half. Now just imagine what he can do over the course of an entire season with extra experience and coaching.
To be fair, Hurts is a very good college player who would make a lot of opposing coaches happy should he leave Alabama. My colleague Joe Goodman makes a compelling case here for why Hurts should be the starter. He's a good teammate, he handled his second-half title game benching with the utmost class and, lest we forget, has a 26-2 record as a starter. You can easily make the argument he's a top five SEC quarterback -- he won SEC Offensive Player of the Year his freshman season -- but he happens to be on the same team as one who has the potential to be the SEC's best.
Whereas Hurts has well-known passing limitations, Tagovailoa has "as unique of a release combined with arm strength that I've ever seen. It's Aaron Rodgers-esque, if not better," according to former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer.
While Hurts is the perfect guy to lead an Alabama offense that slowly squeezes the life out of its opponent, Tagovailoa can deliver big plays at a moment's notice. And with a totally rebuilt defensive secondary and new defensive coordinator, Tosh Lupoi, who has never called plays before, Alabama could need some big play magic this season. Tagovailoa is the better-suited QB to capitalize on Alabama's young but talented wide receiver trio of Smith, Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs.
Picking Tagovailoa as the starter isn't absent of risk. He appears to be more prone to commit turnovers than Hurts -- sloppy practice performances is one reason he didn't unseat Jalen until the title game -- which is an easy way to land in Saban's doghouse. He's courted attention much more than Hurts has to this point which could create problems down the road. He's also thrown all of 77 collegiate passes -- one less than Auburn's Jeremy Johnson had thrown before the Heisman Trophy hype cranked up, and we all know how that played out.
But for right now, just keep focusing on what happened Jan. 8 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Remember the moxie and charisma Tagovailoa had leading the comeback win over a very talented Georgia squad. Remember how giddy you felt that night trying to wrap your head around how Alabama pulled it off.
Tagovailoa isn't just the future of Alabama football; he's the present. That will be on full display next month in Orlando when Tua rightfully takes the first snap.
Posted on 7/31/18 at 6:49 pm to TideSaint
Posted on 7/31/18 at 6:52 pm to TideSaint
It’s AL.com. They live off of creating controversial articles to get clicks. I haven’t clicked on an AL.com article in awhile and I won’t unless they start posting quality articles
Posted on 7/31/18 at 6:58 pm to TideSaint
I'll just boil my thoughts on the QB battle down to a simple sentence. Note, it's just how I feel about it as of right now. I could be entirely wrong.
Jalen Hurts can win every game we play, Tua Tagovailoa will win every game we play.
Jalen Hurts can win every game we play, Tua Tagovailoa will win every game we play.
Posted on 7/31/18 at 6:58 pm to Bamafan15
It's like reading the Crimson White's yearly separate articles for SGA President.
(I wonder which one is The Machine backed QB)
(I wonder which one is The Machine backed QB)
Posted on 7/31/18 at 7:12 pm to Lordofwrath88
quote:If we stutter, sputter while reading one side, then get opinionated and condescending while reading the other side, it could be a Lou Holtz and Mark May Final Verdict script... God, how did that show stay on so long?
It's like reading the Crimson White's yearly separate articles for SGA President.
Posted on 7/31/18 at 7:24 pm to TideSaint
it gets no simpler than one has been given multiple opportunities by us to win a natty, and got us 0.
This post was edited on 7/31/18 at 9:09 pm
Posted on 7/31/18 at 8:42 pm to MoarKilometers
That’s the decider for me. One guy is 0/1 and would’ve been 0/2 in national title games had he not been benched. And the other is 1/1 in championships
Posted on 7/31/18 at 11:00 pm to Bamafan15
Just look at the rushing stats in the championship game, I think they'll tell you who needs to be the starter.
1st Half Rushing Stats
Team total: 73 yds
Jalen: 47 yds
Running backs: 26 yds
2nd Half Rushing Stats
Team Total: 128 yds
Tua: 43 yds
Running backs: 85 yds
That doesn't even take into account the fact that Tua threw for 103 more yds and 2 TD's (not including overtime). The simple fact is that having a passing threat opened up running lanes. If you want Alabama to get back to a dominant rushing attack, you should be rooting for Tua to get the job.
With Tua at QB, Alabama has the chance to be a two-headed monster on offense.
1st Half Rushing Stats
Team total: 73 yds
Jalen: 47 yds
Running backs: 26 yds
2nd Half Rushing Stats
Team Total: 128 yds
Tua: 43 yds
Running backs: 85 yds
That doesn't even take into account the fact that Tua threw for 103 more yds and 2 TD's (not including overtime). The simple fact is that having a passing threat opened up running lanes. If you want Alabama to get back to a dominant rushing attack, you should be rooting for Tua to get the job.
With Tua at QB, Alabama has the chance to be a two-headed monster on offense.
Posted on 7/31/18 at 11:39 pm to Goombaw
quote:
Goombaw
Well said.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 12:58 am to TideSaint
I'm not worried at all.
We have 2 great QB's and Saban making the decision. We are sitting soo damn pretty either way.
But I fully expect to see Tua starting like everyone else not trolling.
We have 2 great QB's and Saban making the decision. We are sitting soo damn pretty either way.
But I fully expect to see Tua starting like everyone else not trolling.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 8:06 am to 3down10
I'm just ready for fall practice to start and hopefully hear that Tua is locked in and things take care of themselves.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 8:16 am to SummerOfGeorge
Yeah, nobody is more opinionated on this subject than I am, but I'm sick of discussing it. Everybody knows the situation. I just don't think there's much more to say about about it. I'm ready for some football. If Tua isn't the starter, I'll bitch and moan then. Until then, I just want to hear news about the team.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 8:26 am to 3down10
pretty much this, not worried at all but very happy Hurts has said he is sticking around this season
Posted on 8/1/18 at 8:46 am to Sneaky__Sally
Everyone is glad Hurts is staying. I hate the 26-2 argument. One Jalen might not have lost those games but outside of a couple of games it wasn’t just him that won them. Truth is against good teams like LSU that have inept offenses Jalen works out just fine. You know he will eventually make a play with his feet that get you the win because LSU can’t score. Just don’t give them a short field. Against teams with good defenses and functional offenses you need a playmaker back there. Our best run games were behind AJ McCarron because you had to respect the pass.
I don’t like the it was a great pass argument for Tua. He hit seven different receivers that weren’t always his first option. That said he was lucky on the game tying TD. That was intended for Najee but Ridley in typical fashion stole that pass no doubt. He is also lucky that interception was followed up by an interception from Georgia. If Ga drives and scores there the game may have been over.
All in all I think Tua gives Alabama the ability to fully utilize its weapons and opens the run game back up.
I don’t like the it was a great pass argument for Tua. He hit seven different receivers that weren’t always his first option. That said he was lucky on the game tying TD. That was intended for Najee but Ridley in typical fashion stole that pass no doubt. He is also lucky that interception was followed up by an interception from Georgia. If Ga drives and scores there the game may have been over.
All in all I think Tua gives Alabama the ability to fully utilize its weapons and opens the run game back up.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 8:56 am to labamafan
He was a true freshman, playing his first significant minutes of the season, in the biggest game of the season. I'm surprised Tua only had one turnover in the NCG.
What Tua did is unheard of and he will only get better with experience. Hurts has reached his ceiling at the QB position.
What Tua did is unheard of and he will only get better with experience. Hurts has reached his ceiling at the QB position.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 8:58 am to labamafan
quote:
That said he was lucky on the game tying TD. That was intended for Najee but Ridley in typical fashion stole that pass no doubt.
If Ridley had not caught that ball, it would have been an obvious and easy pass interference call on the man that was actively tackling Najee well before the ball arrived. It would have been first and goal, Bama.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 9:11 am to prevatt33
I agree except the flag wasn’t thrown. Ridley catching the ball didn’t negate the penalty but the flag wasn’t thrown.
Posted on 8/1/18 at 9:18 am to labamafan
quote:
Everyone is glad Hurts is staying.
Not on this board - i don't understand it but some people have said they wanted him to transfer for whatever reason.
This post was edited on 8/1/18 at 9:19 am
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