Bama Texas

Exciting night it was!
Hard pro hit, Dareus on McCoy, knocking him out of the game.
OLine getting it done.
Ingram/Richardson both over 100 yards rushing.
Anders BIG sack, scooped up for game clinching TD.
Texas 2000's magic carpet ride would be over.

IF ONLY COLT HADN'T GOTTEN HURT...

They wuz rayyciss.

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Exciting night it was!
Hard pro hit, Dareus on McCoy, knocking him out of the game.
OLine getting it done.
Ingram/Richardson both over 100 yards rushing.
Anders BIG sack, scooped up for game clinching TD.
Texas 2000's magic carpet ride would be over.

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6 mins into the game I was like, “ what the hell is happening”. Def stepped up and stopped the bleeding.

Shipley gave us fits in the 2nd half. Young man played his guts out.

I believe Colt’s father made the decision for him not to return in the game. He was projected to go high in the draft.

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The biggest disappointment for me was our QB play. As well as we executed vs Florida, G-Mac was just horrible throwing the ball. It was truly a Jay Barker performance for 4 quarters.

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You do know that McElroy was playing with at least one broken rib, right? Nobody knew before the game, but it came out later.

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I heard that, many times. A hairline crack in his ribcage.

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You "heard" that? Would you believe it if you heard it from Greg himself?

"I cracked my ribs in the third quarter against Florida," McElroy said outside the locker room. "Two of them -- the ninth and the 10th. Left side. It's bad. I got it numbed up before the game and it was killing me at halftime."

Source: LINK

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He just kept hanging on to the ball forever and Texas continued to destroy him. Hairline or not it's just what he did all season. For long stretches that season his play was terrible.

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Greg had a three-game dip in the middle of the 2009 season -- against Ole Miss, South Carolina and Tennessee -- where his QB ratings were terrible (below 100). In every other game that mattered, though, he was very good to excellent, including the SEC Championship Game. His overall QB rating for 2009 was 140.54 … and that's including his less-than-stellar outing in the National Championship game, when he was playing hurt.

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You "heard" that? Would you believe it if you heard it from Greg himself?

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Yes, I heard that. Meaning, I'm not the Bama doctor, I didn't take the x-rays. I heard that, many times. Greg said it and coach Saban said it. I heard that, many times.

Now, I'll tell you what is really weird about those cracked ribs.
G-Mack from the 1st quarter to the 4th set up deep in the pocket and read the defense and often was throwing the ball deep. That takes time and a QB waiting for receivers to run patterns middle to deep doesn't have a lot of time.
That's the gameplan for that defense?


Let's say you are Jim McElwain going into that game. Your QB has 2 cracked ribs. By the way, cracked ribs to a QB and trying to throw is about as bad an injury as it gets as far as managing pain. The least amount of extra damage often just makes that injury even worse. Your backup is reported to be a freshman you are redshirting. As backup QBs go that's about as iffy a situation in case of injury as it gets, zero game experience. On top of that, you are about to play a top 5 defense in Texas with NFL type players stacked and their DC is a guy you helped train in Will Muschamp. So Saban knows Muschamp is bringing the pressure from the opening bell and even in the running game is going to be trying to get his guys upfield and cut off running lanes much less bring the heat on passing downs. The guy never saw a blitz he didn't love. Saban and McElwain know this is coming.

So as OC, and that's you, what's the gameplan, in that your only QB is damaged goods and needs extra protection in the NC?

Does McElwain have Greg drop back short and throw quick passes, kind of like "the drive" in the closing 4th quarter vs the barners? The one read short passes to Julio that walked the ball down the field? When you see pressure coming off a certain edge, have you worked things out with G-Mac in practice to roll away from it and take a one read approach? If it's there throw short, if not just get rid of the ball, but don't take a needless hit? As OC, how are you going to protect this guy for 4 quarters with 2 cracked ribs and almost no QB backup plan for the NC?

Here's what I saw. G-Mac took deep drops and went through his normal read progressions. The receivers ran middle to deep routes all night and he often threw deep. On most passing plays Bama had 2 wideouts and a single back that often took a quick look and would often bleed out as a safety valve. Just like in the regular season. On a 3rd and 7 play in the end of the first half Greg actually did run a bootleg to the wide side of the field. Trent wasn't open on the short pass so he quickly tucked the ball and tried to run the ball for the first down, coming up just short. He got a helmet straight into those ribs when he tried to slide headfirst with his side exposed to the defense. A nasty hit that was replayed 3 times. He never flinched Mr. OC. Honestly, he looked like he wanted to go for it on 4th down but coach Saban went for the field goal. In the second half, it was the same stuff. Nothing but running their regular offense with Greg still throwing long after being sacked half a dozen times. Really, a gameplan where you keep throwing long late in the 4th quarter with 2 cracked ribs after being beaten up and taking shots all night? He never grabbed his ribs, never leaned his body in that direction even after all those direct hits. When he went to the sidelines he was running briskly back and forth. No Bama medical personnel I saw ever seemed concerned or looked like they were doing extra maintenance on G-Mac when he came off the field. I never saw anyone even look concerned after the sacks. It sure never got the TV's attention that I saw.

If Greg was indeed hurt with cracked ribs, that had to be the stupidest gameplan in the history of Bama football to protect your only QB. Jim McElwain should have been fired.

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Well, gosh, you're right. I'm sure Greg, Coach Saban, the medical staff, and everyone else who commented on the cracked ribs were (and still are) lying about it.

Your life must be difficult if the only things you believe are what you experience for yourself.

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I didn't say they were lying. I said if it was true, that gameplan qualifies as the stupidest gameplan in the history of gameplans for an injured QB with essentially no backup.

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No, you didn't outright say they were lying. However, this …

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He never grabbed his ribs, never leaned his body in that direction even after all those direct hits. When he went to the sidelines he was running briskly back and forth. No Bama medical personnel I saw ever seemed concerned or looked like they were doing extra maintenance on G-Mac when he came off the field. I never saw anyone even look concerned after the sacks.


seems like a pretty "I'll believe what I want to believe" thing to say.

You might not be willing to die on this particular hill, but you sure look like you're digging a foxhole and stringing barbed wire all around it.

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I made you the OC. You tell me how you protect your one and only QB in the NC? What makes sense to you if G-Mac is indeed hurt?