SB Nation User Blog: sandman227

JPW by the Numbers: 1st Half

sandman227 — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:32:27 -0000

I just finished watching the replay of the Georgia game, and thought I'd do another breakdown of JP's attempts. These are just the first half numbers, and I neglected the second half for three reasons:

1. The vast majority of his attempts came in the first half.

2. I didn't really want to watch our less-than-stellar perfomance in the 3rd and 4th quarters again.

3. I'm still hung over.

Before I get to the numbers, I do want to bring up something unrelated. Despite the fact that our biggest issues Saturday night came on special teams, I want to congratulate Leigh Tiffin. Not sure what he was eating all week, but his kickoffs in the Georgia game were far and away his best of the year....and fortunately he had a lot of opportunities to do so.

So, with that in mind, here is the breakdown...remember, I'm charting each attempt, whether it "counted" as a pass or not, so my numbers will not match the official ones.

#1- 2nd and 8 on the UA 22. JP is in the shotgun, and throws a completion to BJ Scott for 7 yards.

#2-2nd and 7 on the UA 35. Play action rollout to JP's right, and he hits Julio about 6 yards downfield, which he turns into a 13 yard gain.

#3-1st and 10 on the UA 48. JP is in the shotgun, and he hits Julio for another pass of roughly 12 yards. Ball was thrown a bit behind him (maybe off by a foot or so), but it was an easy adjustment for Julio to make.

#4- 2nd and 6 on the UG 36. JP throws a pass for Maze in the end zone, set up off of play action. Very well thrown ball, and the GA defender has to draw an interference penalty to save the touchdown.

#5- 3rd and 12 from the UG 23. Screen pass to Coffee who takes it down to the UG 7 and fumbles. However, a roughing the passer penalty moves the ball to the UG11.

#6- 2nd and 7 at the UA 38. JP is in shotgun but gets pressured quickly from his right. He make a great decision, pulling the ball down and running for 7 yards and a first down.

#7- 1st and 10 at the UA 45. Play action rollout to JP's right. He can't find anyone open, so he chucks it out of bounds to avoid a sack. One of the reasons he couldn't find anyone open is because McCoy draws a defensive holding call on a GA defender.

#8-2nd and 6 on the UG 41. JP goes into a 3-step drop, and throws a strike to Nikita Stover for 14 yards between two defenders. Also draws another roughing the passer penalty.

#9- 1st and 10 at the UG 36. Play action pass to Julio down around the UG 20, who turns and takes it all the way down to the UG 5.

#10- 1st and 10 at the UG 33. JP is in the shotgun, and throws a nice pass to McCoy coming across from the left. Mike takes it down to the UG20.

#11- 3rd and 6 at the UG 17. From the shotgun, JP throws an almost perfect pass to McCoy for a 10 yard completion. He threw it before Mike made his break to the sideline, and the catch was made without having to break stride.

#12- 1st and goal at the UG 7. Incomplete pass to Julio in the end zone. He tried to throw the fade, but the GA defender had great coverage. The nice thing was that it was thrown where only Julio could get it: no chance of an interception.

#13- 1st and 10 at the UA 36. 6 yard completion to Coffee as a dumpoff throw. Nice job of reading the coverage and making a quick decision to get it to the back as a checkdown reciever.

#14- 2nd and 6 at the UG 37. Great pass to Nick Walker for a 10 yard completion. The ball was thrown between two defenders sitting in the zone, with not much margin for error, and the pass was extremely accurate.

#15- 2nd and 6 at the UG 21. Just a magnificent pass to Julio for the 21 yard touchdown. Perfectly....and I do mean perfectly....thrown over Julio's left shoulder, in the only spot the pass could have been complete.

JPW by the Numbers, or: How I Learned to Live With My Quarterback

sandman227 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 02:28:14 -0000

Not sure where I got the idea to do this, but boredom in a hotel in Lafayette Louisiana makes for some strange notions, I suppose. Anyhoo: a lot has been made about JP's "efficiency" and "game management" (or lack thereof, depending on which side of the fence you're on), and since he had so few pass attempts in the Arkansas game, I thought I'd break down each attempt from the replay of the game. You'll notice that I included every pass attempt, even the ones nullified by penalty or sacks...that's why this doesn't exactly jive with the official stats.

As far as conclusions to be drawn, I'm still scratching my head. Some of the good things I'll point to are the two throw-aways (three, if you count the one on a penalty play), the two 25+ yard completions, and the lack of interceptions. The bad can include the two poorly thrown balls in the first quarter (although I think only one could be called a "bad" decision), and no one knows for sure whether the throw-aways are a result of hesitancy on the part of JP, or poor route-running by the recievers.

At times like these I'm inclined to quote our fearless leader: "it is what it is". We probably don't have a playmaker at quarterback with regards to the passing game. Essentially, if he gets protection, has time to set his feet, and the reciever runs a good route, we'll be okay. If one or more of those things don't happen, we'll be at the mercy of fate. My only true criticism would be that I'd like to see him make a few more plays with his legs: I think he's a good enough athlete to pick up positive yards if a pass play breaks down.

So, look at the breakdown and draw your own conclusions. The closest thing I've made to a conclusion is this: if JP wants to do a Jay Barker impression the rest of the year, I'll take that anytime...especially if the alternative is the JP we had last year.

Attempt #1- 1st and 10 from the ALA 46. 5 yard completion to Nick Walker in the left flat.

Attempt #2- 3rd and 4 from the ARK 47. Incomplete pass to Maze around 7 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Looked like Maze was trying to find the hole in the zone: he broke one way and JP threw the other, resulting in a tip by the linebacker. Probably ill-advised due to the traffic in the area, but it definitely looked like Maze was his check-down receiver.

Attempt #3- 1st and 10 from the ARK 44 (after the running into the punter penalty). JP is hit as he throws, attempting a pass to Maze at around the ARK 4 yard line. Pass is overthrown and incomplete.

Attempt #4- 1st and 10 from the ARK 32, 26 yard completion to Earl Alexander to the ARK 6. Very well thrown ball, in front of the receiver (who had a defender right behind him) where he didn't have to break stride.

Attempt #5- The score is 14-0 Bama and it's 1st and 10 at midfield. Play action pass, JP loads up and throws to Julio down around the ARK 17. It was man coverage and Julio had a step on the defender, but the ball was slightly underthrown and the CB was able to get a hand on it....nearly intercepted by the safety on the tip. Overall not a bad read by JP since it's hard to pass up man coverage on Julio, just not executed due to the underthrow.

Attempt #6- 3rd and 6, two plays after attempt #5. JP is in the shotgun, has a bit of time before being flushed toward the Alabama sideline....throws the ball out of bounds to avoid the sack.

1st Quarter stats: 2 for 6, 31 yards. One throw-away, one PBU

Attempt #7- 2nd and 10 from the ARK 25. Shotgun formation: soon after the snap JP is pressured from his right, causing him to scramble left and throw the ball out of bounds to avoid the sack.

Attempt #8- 3rd and 10 from the ARK 25 (play immediately following the previous one). JP is in the shotgun and gets good protection. Sets his feet and throws a strike to Julio at the ARK 10...Julio never has to break stride and his momentum carries him into the end zone.

1st Half stats: 3 for 8, 56 yards and a TD. Two throw-aways, one PBU

Attempt #9- 2nd and 9 from the ALA 20. JP is in the shotgun, and throws a strike to Earl Alexander on an out-route at the ALA 31. Nice zip on the ball, and it hits EA in stride with his momentum carrying him out of bounds.

Attempt #10- 1st and 10 from the ALA 31, immediately following the previous play. JP in the shotgun, gets pressure from the center and left sides of the line, primarily as a result of Terry Grant being a little overmatched in pass protection. Result is a 10 yard sack.

Attempt #11- 3rd and 18 from the ALA 24, JP in the shotgun. Screen play to Grant which was read beautifully by an Arkansas defender, who stops Grant for a 5 yard loss. Mike Johnson "missed" the block, but it would have been an incredible effort on his part with the amount of steam the defender was coming with.

Attempt #12- 1st and 10 from the ALA 15, JP is under center and performs play action. He's able to get the ball away, just before getting creamed by an Arkansas DT. Pass falls incomplete downfield.

Attempt #13- 3rd and 5 from the ALA 20, JP is in the shotgun. Gets plenty of time and completes a pass to Nick Walker who had worked his way part the marker for 7 yards and a first down. BUT, Antoine Caldwell is flagged for a phantom holding penalty, nullifying the play.

Attempt #14- 3rd and 15 from the ALA 10, JP works from the shotgun. He's flushed toward the end zone and throws the ball away before drawing a late-hit penalty out of bounds. As a bonus, he then takes time out of his busy schedule to help the overly-talkative Arkansas defender to appreciate the lovely new scoreboard at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Attempt #15- 3rd and 15 from the ALA 10 (again), JP works from the shotgun. Screen pass to Terry Grant goes for 7 yards.

Attempt #16- 2nd down and 8 from the ALA 36. JP works from the shotgun, and throws a pass to Nikita Stover around the ARK 40. It was an out route toward the right sideline, and Nikita slipped down on his cut. Probably not the greatest of throws, because the receiver was working back to the ball when he slipped, but certainly not an awful one. Incomplete pass.

Attempt #17- 3rd down and 8, JP works from the shotgun. This was probably JP's most "playmaker" throw: Arkansas brings the blitz, and JP is forced to slide up and around in the pocket. He throws across his body to Nikita Stover, who is running parallel to the line of scrimmage. The ball hits Nikita perfectly, but he drops it. Incomplete pass.

Final (official) stats: 6 of 14 for 74 yards and a touchdown. Two throw-aways, one drop, one sack.

Ingram's Dad

sandman227 — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:23:21 -0000

Ingram's Dad

I'm sure this will be one heck of a distraction for him....my heart goes out to the kid.

Dear Vic Koenning,

sandman227 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:22:28 -0000

Coach Koenning,

Eff you....eff you, and your entire staff. Thanks for the bulletin board material, and I hope you enjoyed burning all your recruiting bridges in south Alabama. Also, good luck with the woman beater you allowed (excuse me, I should have said: "fought to allow") to play tonight...not that it stood in the way of you getting sodomized on national television. Eff you, and I wish we would have hung 50 on you, jackass.

Dear Clemson Fan,

Thank you for the class you displayed in Atlanta, and at all other times leading up to this game....I honestly believe that the SEC is a poorer conference without you, and my one wish is that circumstances allow you to join us one day. I sincerely hope that you're soon able to obtain a coaching staff that's worthy of such a classy, passionate fanbase. Good luck to your team the rest of the year, and I wish you moments of joy on future Saturdays: you definitely deserve them.

Brandon Gibson suspended

sandman227 — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:03:52 -0000

Brandon Gibson suspended

It's horse-crap, but we can't be too careful, l guess

Koenning saga continues

sandman227 — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:58:22 -0000

http://blog.al.com/bamabeat/2008/08/vigor_coach_refutes_comments_o.html

Looks like Clemson's overly- verbose defensive co-ordinator is going a long way toward burning recruiting bridges in Mobile. Pay attention to to quote from Vigor's coach.

what a dumbass...what a dumbass....what a dumbass... what a dumbass ... what a dumbass ... what a dumbass ... what a dumbass .... what a dumbass ... what a dumbass .... what a dumbass

Great way to get the 75 words :)

Really good article on Andre Smith

sandman227 — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:13:01 -0000

Really good article on Andre Smith

Always refreshing to read about good kids on the team.

Chris Stewart's new blog

sandman227 — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 18:19:12 -0000

Chris Stewart's new blog

Chris Stewart of the Crimson Tide Sports Network has a new blog out....should be rather interesting, especially during basketball season.

Nice interview with Saban

sandman227 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:11:15 -0000

Nice interview with Saban

Chris Low, the ESPN blogger, has a two-part Q&A with Nick Saban. Not a lot of new stuff, frankly, although he does have a funny reaction to Tubby's crack of earlier this week.

Cody.....LMAO

sandman227 — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:07:50 -0000

Cody.....LMAO

Check out this video of tody's practice from the Tidesports website, and pay close attention to Cody going through his strip-drill at about the 29 second mark :)