For AJ McCarron, It’s Now Time To Shut Up And Play

Feb 21, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron speaks to the media in a press conference during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

AJ McCarron first rose to national prominence for something that happened on the sidelines. It’s no wonder that in the afterglow of the NFL Draft, McCarron’s words off the field take precedence over his actions on it.

A nationally-televised swat on the butt by head coach Nick Saban was McCarron’s first taste of the limelight. McCarron was a cocky young quarterback with attitude to spare, and Saban was beginning the process of turning his brash young charge into his future team captain.

McCarron got the message, and over his career broke most of the Crimson Tide passing records, collecting a total of three BCS National Championship rings along the way. He became a Saban disciple like none before him, and reaped the rewards of the Process.

But for every accolade and every win, there were critics of his mechanics, his decision-making, his talent level. And the tag that McCarron was a ‘game manager’ became the mantra. He was no game-changer like a Johnny Manziel. He was merely a system QB with a hot girlfriend.

McCarron will find himself where he was at the time of that Saban spanking – competing for a job. This time, however, the Alabama hype machine won’t be following his every move. He’s going to have to do it with his ability and work ethic.

That girlfriend, Katherine Webb, became more of a media sensation than did McCarron, and the talk as the NFL Draft approached was that the two would be starring in a reality series about their whirlwind lives.

Alabama fans wailed about the distractions, and berated draft analysts who called McCarron a third-round pick at best. Supporters found themselves in a tough position.

On one hand, Alabama was the best, most talented team in the land in 2013, only missing a berth in the title game due to a fluke Auburn play. On the other hand, McCarron had won all those games on his own pure talent, with little assistance from such a deep Tide roster.

McCarron was forgiven when he skipped the Senior Bowl in his hometown of Mobile, thinking that it could hurt his stock more than help it. It was as if to say that his rings and pedigree spoke volumes, and that playing in a low-rent all-star game would do more harm than good.

As the NFL Draft drew near, there was some late gamesmanship by McCarron, who said that NFL teams had told him he was a potential first round pick.

However, as the fourth round of the draft dragged on, irate Alabama fans choked on reports that McCarron had “rubbed teams the wrong way” during the interviewing process.

According to the reports, McCarron’s brash confidence – a necessary tool for success at this level – had crossed the line into arrogance, especially when paired with his relative talent level.

When all was said and done, the most decorated QB in Crimson Tide history was drafted 164th overall by the Cincinnati Bengals.

McCarron had lots to say on Twitter – as you might have imagined – about his eventual placement in the draft. He also spoke on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Saturday, telling Jason Horowitz, Pat Kirwan and Senior Bowl President Phil Savage that he played hurt at Alabama, which would have limited his ability as a player.

"“A lot of people don’t realize I wasn’t healthy at Alabama. I sacrificed a lot to play for coach Saban and that university. I played through a lot of injuries, and we never leaked it because that’s just the way it is.”"

Now the draft is over, McCarron will find himself where he was at the time of that Saban spanking – competing for a job. This time, however, the Alabama hype machine won’t be following his every move, and he won’t be the big man on campus. This time he’s going to have to do it with his ability and work ethic.

Let’s be clear on this: BamaHammer has always been hugely supportive of McCarron. Not only did he play well enough to finish second in the Heisman race last season, he brought honor to the university with his class and decency. He’s a good man, and Alabama fans are rightly proud of him.

But there’s a reason we never ran articles on the Katherine Webb drama – go check our archives, we’ll wait. We were fans of McCarron’s talent, not his celebrity.

Joe Namath and Kenny Stabler were bigger hell-raisers and got in far more trouble in their wild youth. They also won a Super Bowl each.

Johnny Manziel has been on TMZ nearly as often as he has on ESPN, and stayed one step ahead of the law at every turn. He also won a Heisman trophy in his first year at Texas A&M, and was selected in the first round of the draft.

In other words, the NFL will overlook a lot of what you say, if you’ve got the talent to back it up. And now that the smoke has cleared, Alabama fans must face what NFL analysts told them all along – AJ McCarron is a fifth round talent.

That is not the final word, however. It certainly wasn’t for Tom Brady, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft and became one of the greatest quarterbacks in history.

For McCarron, the difference between fame and glory will now be the stat line next to his name. And once Alabama football kicks into gear with another starting QB, the McCarron hype will settle down. The sooner that happens for him, the better his long term prospects will be.

In other words, the time for talk – along with draft speculation – is now over. It’s time to shut up and play.