First up, yesterday’s biggest news was what Karen DeBoer said after Wednesday’s practice:
First, Cuevas has been Ty Simpson’s most critical receiving option for much of the season, and his absence over the past three games has been noticeable.
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Second, don’t underestimate Danny Lewis. The veteran tight end has barely played this season. Want to guess which three games he had enough steals?
Georgia, Vanderbilt, Missouri.
Yes, Alabama’s offense has felt the most dynamic in three of four games, and it feels like the Tide might be able to find something in the running game. Is this a coincidence? perhaps. But he’s still quite possibly Alabama’s best tight end.
If you want to watch the entire conference call, the video is below:
DeBoer doesn’t give us much valuable or good information, but feel free to give it a listen.
“I’m not as good as I used to be, but I was as good as I used to be.”
The lyrics from Toby Keith’s country classic masterfully capture the performance of the Alabama football offense in its first-round matchup against Oklahoma State in the College Football Playoff.
After late-season struggles, the Crimson Tide is looking for its own version, coming off wins over Georgia, Vanderbilt State, Missouri and Tennessee.
The song even reflects on Alabama’s struggles with injuries late in games and the defiance shown by the likes of quarterback Ty Simpson, who insisted his team had “the best offense in the country” despite a one-touchdown performance in the SEC Championship Game.
“Now my body says, “You can’t do this, kid.” But my pride tells me, ‘Oh, yes, you can.’‘”
Emily Starr of the Tuscaloosa News has an interesting article for us here, so be sure to give it a read. Ty Simpson will never tell us if he was actually injured, but regardless, he couldn’t overcome a severe lack of offensive efficiency. Is this fair to everyone in Ty? Not really. The run game is completely DOA, the receiving corps has been plagued by drops, and they haven’t been particularly good at forcing missed tackles with consistency. However, that’s the nature of this offensive strategy – it’s all on the quarterback.
And, well, OC looked overwhelmed, which didn’t give him much confidence.
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Am I too pessimistic? Maybe. But right now, Ryan Grubb’s offense is a full three points per game worse than Alabama’s 2023 Tommy Reese offense — and that’s not good. Until we see them figure it out and score over 30 points against any team with a pulse (not counting Tennessee, whose defense scored 7 of those points), then it makes me doubtful.
In some sad news for the NFL, Miami Dolphins bench Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins benched quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and gave rookie Quin Ewers the start against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, coach Mike McDaniel announced Wednesday.
“I need a convicted quarterback game. This team needs a convicted quarterback game,” McDaniel said Wednesday. “I think Quinn gives us the best chance to do that…I can’t responsibly go into the next game when what I think the team needs is already available and living in hope and desire and that sort of thing.”
The Dolphins lost 28-15 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, with Tagovailoa completing just 6 of 10 passes for 65 yards and an interception through three quarters, ultimately eliminating him from playoff contention.
I will go to my grave saying that Tua was never the same quarterback after his hip injury, and the repeated concussions he suffered a few seasons ago once again took the worst out of his game.
He has always been a risky draft prospect because of his injury tendencies that preceded a serious hip injury in college. So, despite being one of the most talented bowlers of his generation, the risks appear to have won out. Still, he had a few great seasons in Miami and earned a coveted contract at the top of the NFL market, so this is far from a career failure.
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It will be interesting to see what happens next. Tua will fight again elsewhere. The NFL is too starved for quarterbacks to not do this. Plus, the Dolphins are going to need a new quarterback (hey, Mac Jones did look pretty good as the 49ers’ backup…Miami head coach Mike McDaniel comes from the same system).