Alabama Football: Biggest Crimson Tide need coming out of spring

How much progress did Alabama Football make this spring? What areas need the most improvement over the summer and fall? There are four primary areas of concern for the 2021 Alabama Crimson Tide. Crimson Tide fans are concerned one of them might not be solvable before the start of the season. This post addresses the first of those needs; a capable QB2 who can lead the Tide offense if Bryce Young is injured.

Bryce Young looked sharp in the A-Day game. His potential to become a great quarterback is evident. Young’s only blemish, beyond lack of experience, is throwing accuracy. He made some good throws in the A-Day game but completed only 57 percent of his passes. He hit on 59.1 percent of his 22 passes last season. Mac Jones completed over 77 percent of his passes last season. Tua was 69.3 percent for his Alabama football career. Young needs to improve his completion rate to at least 65 percent. There is every indication the sophomore passer will make such an improvement.

QB1 is an Alabama Football Strength – QB2 a weakness

QB1 is a strength for the Crimson Tide. QB2 is a weakness. If Bryce Young is lost to injury, the Alabama Football offense will be diminished. Paul Tyson made some good throws in the A-Day game. Working from a clean pocket, Tyson can use his good throwing arm. Under pressure, he is less effective. Against a second-unit defense with enough talent to be first-unit on many SEC teams, Tyson too often did not get the ball off quick enough and failed to make the right reads. The result was dumping off many passes. A Crimson Tide offense led by Paul Tyson will not be the complete offense Nick Saban and Bill O’Brien want to run.

Is Jalen Milroe a better solution to an injured Bryce Young? With time for needed development, the answer is clearly yes. The shortest interval of how much time could be well into next season. Milroe is an exceptional athlete. He offers the best running threat of all the Crimson Tide QBs. The problem is college football’s new offensive norm is not what Milroe learned in his high school offense. He passed for over 5,000 yards in high school, but in his senior season, threw less than 14 passes per game. He completed less than 60 percent of his high school passes.

More: The QB2 battle

Milroe has the skills to run the sophisticated Alabama football offense. Having to do it as a freshman starter would lead to rocky results. Alabama football fans can expect Milroe to be fast-tracked by the Tide staff, including more than mop-up game action. If Bryce Young gets hurt, the sooner Milroe can step in, the better.

Bama Hammer will continue this theme with upcoming posts on the offensive line, special teams and the need for a pair of explosive wide receivers.