CECIL HURT: Quarterback speculation can be healthy

As University of Alabama quarterback controversies go, the current Crimson Tide situation isn’t even a blip on the radar.

John Parker Wilson has taken a little heat from analysts and other observers, and there have been some suggestions, among Tide fans, that it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at backup quarterback Greg McElroy. Neither of those positions is unreasonable unless carried to extremes. Wilson is the first to admit that he could play better than he has. It probably wouldn’t hurt to see McElroy, who hasn’t played since the season opener, get back on the field — in the right circumstances.

At this juncture, that doesn’t even approach the usual level of Crimson Tide quarterback controversy. Some, like Andrew Zow versus Tyler Watts, went on for years and can still bring close comrades to fisticuffs after a few beverages. In other years, uncertainty at quarterback consumed the team (remember Mike DuBose putting Luke Tucker in the game inside in the LSU 10-yard line in 1997?). Even when the starter has been well-established, there have been rumblings from time to time. For a good part of Jay Barker’s career, fans were anxious to see Brian Burgdorf.

Normally, winning takes care of the problem. Mike Shula and Vince Sutton went back and forth for much of 1984, but the team got better with Shula at the helm, and he was one of the more popular Tide quarterbacks (at least in terms of avoiding backup clamor) for the next two years. There have been others, probably dating back beyond the memory of most fans. I don’t know who Dixie Howell’s backup was, but there was probably some Crimson Tide fan somewhere who wanted Howell benched,

So the speculation about seeing McElroy get some playing time isn’t really harmful to anyone, as long as it stops short of Tide fans abandoning Wilson. It certainly doesn’t sound like Tide coach Nick Saban is about to do that. In his Monday press conference, he was quick to come to Wilson’s defense when asked to “evaluate” the quarterback position.

“John Parker [Wilson] competed his tail off in the game,” Saban said. “Under some really adverse circumstances, I thought he persevered well.

“I don’t think that we played around him as well as we need to in the passing game. And our inability to run the ball certainly creates a lot of third-down situations that aren’t favorable to conversion, so that’s something that we really need to improve on.”

That hardly sounds like a coach about to make a dramatic switch.

A couple of more points could be made.

First, changing quarterbacks, even for a couple of series, can be great, but it isn’t guaranteed to work. Some people felt there was a stark contrast in Alabama sticking with Wilson and FSU coach Bobby Bowden making a change to Xavier Lee. It is only fair to point out that this wasn’t the first time Lee has been put in a game, and he hasn’t always been effective.

That leads us to another point. One reason why Lee was effective in the Alabama game — and why the FSU quarterback switch made an impact — was that Lee brought a different dimension to the FSU offense. He created a running threat (Drew Weatherford did not) and forced Alabama to use its safeties more in run support and less in double-covering the FSU wide receivers. That gave those receivers more one-on-one opportunities against the Alabama cornerbacks. The Seminoles exploited that for big plays.

Now, switching from Wilson to McElroy for a series or two might have a psychological impact (or it might not.) But McElroy doesn’t bring a different dimension to the Tide offense. He might execute better that Wilson (or he might not), but he wouldn’t suddenly be a running threat. He doesn’t have a stronger arm. So it is a little different than switching from Weatherford to Lee (or, in a different time, from Watts to Zow.)

One other point might be worth mentioning here.

McElroy might very well have gotten some playing time last Saturday if the opponent had been Utah State or New Mexico State and not Florida State. (Alabama would probably be 4-1 instead of 3-2, also.) No one has been a more staunch advocate of playing one strong non-conference team per year than I have but such games do come with a potential cost. First, you are likelier to lose — Alabama has now lost six “big-time” non-conference games in a row, dating back almost 18 years. Second, you have to stick with your starters in a close game. The benefits — exposure, competition, the excitement when you do win — might outweigh the costs, but the costs are there.

That’s a lot to think about from one simple quarterback controversy — especially if it isn’t really a controversy at all.

Cecil Hurt is sports editor of The Tuscaloosa News. Reach him at cecil.hurt@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0225.