Nick Saban Calls Mistakes an Opportunity to Learn, How Many Opportunities Will Each QB Have?

Alabama head football coach Nick Saban has played things close to the vest when it comes to who's going to play quarterback for the Crimson Tide this season. The 2023 team is replacing Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Bryce Young and has a number of options to try out as the season begins.

Common consensus is that redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe will get the first chance to take the reigns on Saturday night as the Crimson Tide takes on the MTSU Blue Raiders, but how long will Milroe's leash be before Saban turns to Ty Simpson, Tyler Buchner or even freshman Dylan Lonergan?

"Where you all think that, like whoever we name as a starter the first game, that's like the end of it. That's not the end of it. It's just the beginning. What if a guy doesn't play good? He's not entitled to keep playing," said Saban last Wednesday.

2011 with A.J. McCarron and Phillip Sims was Saban's first opportunity to hold a quarterback competition. A competition that McCarron clearly won in the first week as he eventually led the Tide on the road at Penn State and helped win two national championship as a starter.

How did the seven-time national champion divvy up the drives between quarterbacks against the Kent State Flashes in that first week? McCarron led the first three drives of the game, putting Alabama up 14-0, while Sims entered for the next three drives, scoring a touchdown on just one of his possessions.

Both quarterbacks were aided by a stellar running back duo and a stifling defense as is the expectation for the 2023 Alabama Crimson Tide.

McCarron threw an interception on his fourth drive, but remained under center for two more subsequent drives, adding just a field goal to Alabama's tally.

Sims was likely scheduled for three more drives of his own, but ended both of his next two possessions with interceptions and was essentially never seen again, serving in mop-up duty in contests against North Texas, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss and Tennessee before transferring to Virginia.

On Wednesday, with just three days until the Tide kicks off against MTSU in Bryant-Denny Stadium, Saban complimented redshirt freshman quarterback Simpson on his mental makeup and his improvement from the spring until now.

"Ty has done a really good job. I think all the quarterbacks have made significant improvement. I think Ty has made improvement. I think one of the hardest things to not get involved with is to be outcome-oriented and show your emotions when things don’t go exactly like you’d want them to. And that’s one of the things that I think has helped all of our quarterbacks, especially Ty, improve on," said Saban. Mistakes are opportunities to learn, get better, grow and not get disappointed or frustrated in terms of how it affects the next play. And that’s something that he’s done a really good job of, and I think it’s impacted his execution in a really positive way."

There are sure to be bumps in the road this season no matter who is handed the keys to the Alabama offense. So how patient will Saban be if his chosen starter makes a mistake? Will he treat it as a learning opportunity, or utilize a quick hook with several options waiting in the wings?

"I don't have any expectations for that right now. I mean, we're going one day at a time. We're repping the players and regardless of what happens in this game, it's the same thing that I told you guys before. Just because whoever starts in the first game, that doesn't mean you don't have to continue to compete and play throughout the season because the competition doesn't end with the first game, at any position, including quarterback," said Saban on Monday. "My expectation is what can we do to get them better today so we can play better the next day and the next day and then when the game comes we'll be playing as well as we need to be playing to create value for themselves as players as well our team to be able to have success."

The last time the Blue Raiders were in Tuscaloosa the Alabama offense was alternating between Cooper Bateman and eventual starting quarterback Jake Coker. Both quarterbacks ended with a touchdown pass and an interception but it was Coker who produced more than double the passing yards that Bateman had and his ability to threaten defenses deep with Derrick Henry's hammering rushing style that ultimately won him the job.

The pair split reps for a third straight week when Ole Miss came to the Capstone and despite Coker's pair of interceptions and a loss it was he who seized the reigns and never looked back, leading Alabama to its fourth national championship in the Saban era.

The parallels in the 2023, 2015 and 2011 quarterback competitions are hard to ignore, meaning the only thing that Saban and Crimson Tide fans can do is remain patient. MTSU, Texas and USF will separate the wheat from the chaff and Saban's quarterback cake will be ready when it's ready.

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