Russell looked terrible last night, and yet Coach Saban kept him in during the 2nd half. It finally dawned on me that he was probably trying something new with Russell, "I'm not going to pull you, so go out there and get the job done." Broussard and Addai got the job done (and the OL was great on run blocking--they've been better with that since Wilkerson went down for some reason). Russell's passing was beyond horrible. He can't scramble or pass on the run or find secondary receivers or throw with touch on the ball. Do we really need a "top" QB recruit or just a guy who can kept his head and move his feet?
I, too, am disappointed that Russell has shown zero improvement. It seems as if all of his talent lies between his waist and his shoulders. Specifically, in his right arm, which is a bazzooka, but which severely needs calibration! But he also seems to have nothing above the shoulders to help him execute plays and not enough below the waist to allow him to get out of trouble when the pass protection breaks down - to buy time to make the pass, or scramble for big gains or even positive yardage. Let's hope he gets it some time early next season. I'm also disappointed that Dwayne Bowe seems to have regressed during the course of this season. I was expecting to see Russell to Bowe as a big combination for this team.
You know, Russell had a poor night throwing the football. Touchdown interception, passes behind or over the receiver, passes at the ankles, took huge sacks, etc. He just looks confused out there if the primary receiver is covered. We also had a senior QB playing his last home game, who happens to have better stats than Russell, is a mobile runner, and he only gets in the game for one drive? A drive that led to points. I don't get it, Jimbo.
Was just wondering if I heard right, but didn't they announce Randall as the starter last night at the stadium? Not sure but I thought I heard that.
I'm telling you! you nailed it. Even at his worst, randall was no worse than last night's play by russell. if we were running te ball so well, it looks like that would be the time to go with MR. maybe a short roll out pass or two? he might have messed up I don't know but I think with his style he might have helped ice the game early. he would not have needed to throw that much.
You guys are like a dog trying to decide between 2 bones. Whichever one he picks, he drops it and decides the other one is better. Do I have to go back and dredge up old posts where everybody is whining about "Why play Randall when JaMarcus is our future"? Geez, I know I'm beating a dead horse but we've won 5 in a row and have a real shot at a special season.
JR started out the game fairly decent. The biggest problem for a young QB is confidence. When WRs are dropping passes that should be caught (Doucet, Bowe (x2), Addai) you put your QB in bad situations, force him to try to make plays, and the results are less than spectacular. If Doucet makes the catch early in the game, JR gains significant confidence. If Bowe could use old school stick'em, JR would gain some confidence. And the play before the INT that went for a touch, if Addai holds on to the screen pass that was extremely well setup, JR isn't in a 3rd and long, and isn't forced to try to make a play. I thought JR was looking pretty decent and beginning to make better decisions (i.e., reads and throw aways). But when the OL gives you no time to even begin to survey the field, it makes it extremely tough on a young kid. If you put him in a position to make good decisions, odds are that he starts to get the hang of it. We are all suffering a bit in going from a 25 yr-old QB to a 19 yr-old. IMO, the reason that we haven't seen Flynn so late in the season is that you would have additional growing pains associated with a young QB. Saban has a great opportunity to get the team into another great New Years Day Bowl Game, with a shot at another 10-win season. If you told me that we would go 10-2 after winning the NC, I certainly would have not have had any heartburn about it.
