After one game, all the question marks that surrounded Ty Simpson as Alabama's starting QB remained the same. He made some plays, but missed plenty of others. The same issues he had when facing pressure two years ago in his only other meaningful action against USF were the same against Florida State yesterday.
When facing pressure, or even assuming pressure will come, Simpson is skiddish. That was true two years ago. It's still true now. He bails the pocket too quickly, almost always to his right, and doesn't have Jalen Milroe-like athleticism to make big plays. His throws on the run were consistently bad, despite Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb talking up his ability to make plays outside of the pocket during fall camp.
When Simpson was kept clean against Florida State, he was good. He went 20/29 for 186 yards and two touchdowns. When he was pressured, however, things fell apart. He went 3/14 for 68 yards.
The loss is not exclusively on Simpson's plate. There were plenty of struggles everywhere. The offensive line wasn't good enough. Alabama's running game was non-existent after the opening drive, and the coaching staff went away from it too quickly. Alabama's much-ballyhooed WR room was disappointing outside of Germie Bernard.
But as the QB, Simpson must accept his part of the blame. It comes with the responsibility of the job. And to his credit, he 100% took accountability after the loss. He knew he wasn't good enough.
Simpson has heart. You watch the tape, and it's impossible to complain about his effort. You can make that complaint about a lot of guys yesterday - veterans, and even team captains - but you can't say it about Simpson. He clearly cares. But whether or not he's good enough to be the starting QB at Alabama is a legitimate question, and one that was not even close to being answered in the season opener.
Kalen DeBoer faces a difficult QB decision going forward
It's probably too early to call for a QB change. Simpson deserves to - and will - start next week against Louisiana Monroe.
The issue is that Simpson's struggles when pressured is not a new issue. It has been the book on him since he first got playing time for the Crimson Tide. He looked like a deer in headlights against USF two years ago. He bailed the pocket too quickly consistently in mop-up duty since.
DeBoer spoke after the game and stopped well short of a ringing endorsement for Simpson in his first start:
“He’s gotta just trust his reads and just cut it loose sometimes," DeBoer said of Simpson. "Just let it fly. He can make the throws. Just let it fly, and throw on rhythm, throw on time. There might have been a time or two where they got in his face a little quick. That’s gonna happen. That’s football. But just let it fly. Then just some decision-making there in certain critical moments. That’s the things he’s gonna learn from."
Alabama has to get more out of the QB position. In camp, all three QBs earned praise from DeBoer and Grubb. Simpson seemed to win the job rather easily, but Austin Mack and Keelon Russell are both talented, too. Russell seems like the big wildcard - the 5-star freshman who should continue to get a grasp of what to do as the season progresses.
Saturday's game against Louisiana Monroe should afford an opportunity for Mack and/or Russell to see the field. If Alabama is able to dominate early, they should get an opportunity at some point.
Any QB change likely won't happen in September. They will ride with Simpson - barring complete disaster - through the Georgia game. Depending on how things look coming out of Athens, a change could happen going into Vanderbilt week.
Simpson was voted a team captain. It won't be easy to make a swap at QB. But it might end up being necessary for Alabama to reach the potential it had on paper in the preseason.
Simpson proved against Florida State that he can provide the steadying play that was missing last season. But yesterday also proved that Alabama needs a lot more than steady to be successful offensively.