Like any young, inexperienced quarterback, Ty Simpson likes to see his receiver come open before he lets the ball fly. That works against Louisiana Monroe when he has open targets all game, but against SEC competition, and even Florida State, that invites pressure in the pocket. Worse, many of those windows close just as quickly as they opened, which in Week 1, forced Simpson to tuck the ball and run far too often.
In Week 2, there were still more than a few instances when Simpson double-checked his work and hitched or patted the ball at the top of his drop before making a throw. But it’s impossible to argue with the results. The redshirt junior quarterback completed all 17 of his passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns in his limited action before handing the keys of the offense over to Austin Mack, and eventually, five-star freshman Keelon Russell.
Simpson’s time to throw on Saturday was 2.16, so he was getting the ball out quickly, but his offensive coordinator also schemed up multiple pop passes and screens to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers. Eight of his 17 completions were screens, which accounted for 79 yards and a touchdown, and Simpson attempted just one throw beyond 20 yards down the field.
So yes, Simpson’s perfect performance is deserving of an A. He did everything he was asked and put his offense in a position to hang 73 points on Louisiana Monroe, without Ryan Williams or Jam Miller. He didn’t take a sack and was never forced to scramble. Still, his performance didn’t answer any of the lingering concerns I have about him or the Crimson Tide offense at large.
Will Simpson be able to trust his eyes against a faster defense and under more pressure? Will he start to throw with more anticipation against Georgia and the top-tier contenders in the SEC? That all remains to be seen, but he’s proven to be an accurate thrower who, when his team has superior talent, isn’t going to crash the car. That’s valuable, and should (probably) allow him to hold off Russell as the starter this season.
This is the type of game Simpson needed to begin his career with, because I’d bet that we see a much more comfortable quarterback when the Tide hosts Wisconsin in Week 3 than we did in Tallahassee in Week 1. Incremental growth is all DeBoer and Grubb can hope for from Simpson, who still has physical limitations that will likely prevent him from ever being a true high-level difference maker at the position.
Russell, on the other hand, has all the tools in his toolbox and every club in his bag. He has a juiced-up arm to make every throw on the field and is a dynamic and shifty runner who likes to create off-schedule. He looked a bit jumpy in his fourth-quarter debut, wanting to bail from the pocket too quickly, but as he settled in, he played in structure more and unleashed an impressive throw to the front pylon on his second touchdown toss.