Slimm's 2020 Quarterbacks (underclassman) | Page 5 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

Slimm's 2020 Quarterbacks (underclassman)

I was honestly surprised you had last year’s defense rated worse. Which is what prompted my curiosity.


Well, I had mentioned several months ago in a thread around here somewhere that it was the worst defense of the Saban era since the one that gave up nearly 250 yards rushing to Ezekiel Elliott, without much thought. It didn't require much.

But if you really want me to think about it, last year's defense was probably worse. Zeke Elliott was a great player.

However, Reggie Ragland had to leave the game against Ohio St. which forced us to have to play a freshman version of Shaun Dion Hamilton who wasn't ready yet - which led to the 85 yard TD run by Elliott in the 4th quarter. He let a WR absolutely destroy him on a crack back.

But that 2014 defense also gave up 44 points to Auburn in a win about a month earlier.

In terms of scoring defense and all the other categories, they were both about the same. More similar than I originally thought. But last year's defense played with the best offense statistically in the history of Alabama football. Last year's defense should've been better than they were. When Trevon Diggs went out for the season against Arkansas, it really caused a chain reaction that exposed the secondary from that point forward.

Last year's defense was so poorly coached. Saban stripped Lupoi of defensive playcalling duties a month into the season and gave it to Golding. The communication on the field was lacking. Often we couldn't get aligned properly before the snap. Just inexcusable. I've never seen DB play as bad as I saw last year.

I'll sum it up for you - if you want a play that tells the story of Alabama's defense in 2018 - go watch the play against Clemson in the national championship game where we're running a stunt with the best defensive lineman in the country in Q. Williams on the goal line. I've been around football all my life and I've never ran across a coach that would stunt his defensive line on the goal line and create a huge hole for the RB to gain the yard he needed for 6 points.

I hope Clemson is favored by 28 points when they play again.
 
I can understand love over Fromm if it’s taking into account upside. The love I saw looked raw.

I sure don’t see much upside with Fromm. And he never elevates the play of guys around him. I won’t hold him accountable for the bowl game result though looked like the whole ga team didn’t want to be there. But it’s not like he did anything to offset either. Best thing I see is ball placement but it doesn’t match tuas downfield wonderful tight window throws and placement. Average athlete average arm. Top level placement
 
But if you really want me to think about it, last year's defense was probably worse. Zeke Elliott was a great player.

However, Reggie Ragland had to leave the game against Ohio St. which forced us to have to play a freshman version of Shaun Dion Hamilton who wasn't ready yet - which led to the 85 yard TD run by Elliott in the 4th quarter. He let a WR absolutely destroy him on a crack back.


Evan Spencer. Same dude that threw the TD pass to Michael Thomas (Buckeyes had him too!) just before the half.

I remember the play oh so well. I'm a lifelong tOSU fan, just like you're for Bama. Hence my curiosity. I would have thought for sure you'd say that was the worst defense. But I totally get your explanation and reasoning why 2018 was worse. And I agree with you.
 
I can understand love over Fromm if it’s taking into account upside. The love I saw looked raw.

I sure don’t see much upside with Fromm. And he never elevates the play of guys around him. I won’t hold him accountable for the bowl game result though looked like the whole ga team didn’t want to be there. But it’s not like he did anything to offset either. Best thing I see is ball placement but it doesn’t match tuas downfield wonderful tight window throws and placement. Average athlete average arm. Top level placement

Im on the fence with him as well. Every time ive watched a Georgia game, I am impressed with a throw here or there, but nothing ever seems spectacular, then you check the stats at the end of the game and youre like, damn, he played well. Tough projection for me.
 
Any opinions on Nick Starkel?

You look at him and think there's no way he's only 6'3".

Seems to have a good feel for changing his launch point and arm slot to facilitate the throw. That's promising, advanced stuff. Obviously he's got a hose for an arm, good velocity and ball control. The ball comes out like he's got big hands and good control.

In four games against ranked, SEC competition in 2017 and 2018 he is 42 of 78 for 611 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT, with 4 sacks for -14 yards. That's 7.3 NET yards per attempt against the likes of Alabama, Mississippi State, LSU, and Auburn.

His total YPA in 2017 (8.8) would've put him in the Top 10 of passers in FBS that year.
 
Last edited:
Any opinions on Nick Starkel?

You look at him and think there's no way he's only 6'3".

Seems to have a good feel for changing his launch point and arm slot to facilitate the throw. That's promising, advanced stuff. Obviously he's got a hose for an arm, good velocity and ball control. The ball comes out like he's got big hands and good control.

In four games against ranked, SEC competition in 2017 and 2018 he is 42 of 78 for 611 yards, 5 TD, 4 INT, with 4 sacks for -14 yards. That's 7.3 NET yards per attempt against the likes of Alabama, Mississippi State, LSU, and Auburn.

His total YPA in 2017 (8.8) would've put him in the Top 10 of passers in FBS that year.


Yeah I like him a lot more than Kellen Mond to be honest. I've never really been able to figure out how Mond kept beating him out for the starting job.

I'm interested to see what he does at Arkansas.
 
That’s a mystery to me as well. Mond only flatters to deceive.

The way Starkel throws the football, the way he controls it, the way it comes off his hand, the feeling you get that he’s got big hands and good control of the football, reminds me a bit of what I found initially attractive about Carson Wentz when I started to dig into him at NDSU.
 
Slimm we've talked before about Jordan Love's history with his father and how it ties to his motivation.

There's a beautiful story written up in The Athletic about this.

https://theathletic.com/1049138/201...dan-love-quarterback-father-suicide-progress/

Goes a long way toward explaining Jordan's attention to detail and motivation for working hard. Those are things his father instilled in him.

It wasn't in the story but it was his father that insisted that Jordan stay at quarterback, which was hard to do because at first when he got to high school they tried to have him playing wide receiver and safety, since he was such a great athlete.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Jordan became the starting QB for Liberty right after his father's death, while basketball went away.

I don't know if you subscribe or not. If not, there's a great passage in there from David Yost describing how when Jordan Love first got there he used to sneak into the building through the side door, find an abandoned meeting room, and go through all the film. Yost would try to go through the film with everyone and Love would have the answers before they can even get done showing the play, and so he'd ask Jordan, when did you watch this? Jordan would tell him this morning between classes. Yost seemed particularly proud of the fact Jordan never did all that to be SEEN watching film during his spare time. He was just doing it because he wanted to be prepared.

The passage was eerily reminiscent of things we've heard about Minkah Fitzpatrick.
 
Damn, Even if it’s a fraction of a second that’s hard to detect, Fromm freezes when he sees a rusher coming at him, also, when he sees it coming at him at times, he doesn’t move laterally to escape with consistency, more often goes strait back, which just delays the outcome, or making matters worse goes strait back and makes an unforced error in the process..

That’s a panic trait, and I wish I didn’t see it..maybe he can improve this..
 
Jordan Love managed to get Greg Cosell's attention.

I swear when it comes to QB evaluation that guy is my spirit animal.
 
Gotta say I hope Nick Starkel gets the start in Arkansas. I'd like to see more of him.

In terms of pocket movement and pocket presence, Nick Starkel and J'Mar Smith are savants. They may not be flashy in other areas and therefore ultimately may not be successful. But the pocket is the draw for them.
 
I wrote this from the spring game about Tua.

Just finished the spring game for Alabama, Tua is holding some weight, not sure if it’s on purpose but he ain’t no gym rat up til this point, bottom heavy and he needs to get a handle on it..His athleticism to make plays at the next level is gonna require as much quickness as possible.

Also there were some reps where he was mentally favoring the leg around trash..

So I was happy to hear this..

Earlier this spring, Tagovailoa was measured out at 6-feet and 1/4th-inches tall and 230 pounds, according to a tweet from Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, during Alabama’s Junior Pro Day in early March.

Two months later, Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban publicly challenged his quarterback to “get back into great shape” after nagging injuries to his knee and ankle last season contributed to his end-of-the-year struggles against the elite defenses of Clemson and Georgia...
Tua Tagovailoa heard his head coach’s challenge to get in better shape this summer and the Heisman Trophy runner-up responded, dropping roughly 15 pounds over the offseason.

During his appearance Wednesday morning at SEC Media Days, Tagovailoa told reporters he was under 215 pounds and feeling “a lot healthier than I (have) since I got to the University of Alabama.”

“I’m at a goal that I think I reached better than what I could think of for myself and what coach (Nick Saban) set for me,” Tagovailoa said. “Coach wants me at 218, and I’m about 215-214.”

A lean Quick Tua..:)
 
Not like he was slacking, and maybe a good reason we didn’t see him at his best against Clemson..

“After the Clemson game, I still had to do rehab. So I stayed off of my legs as much as I could, and of course, you’re going to gain weight,” Tagovailoa said. “When I was able to finally move and do what I wanted to do, it was very important to me to get back into shape. I feel a lot healthier than I (have) since I got to the University of Alabama.”
 
Nobody saw Tua at his best from the LSU game forward - he was injured. But he still wasn't the problem against Clemson, no matter how much you hear it on message boards.


Although I did hear Jake Fromm is planning on coming back for his Senior year.
 
Back
Top Bottom