Ty Simpson was Okay

I think many fans with rose-colored glasses expected Ty Simpson to come out and be elite no matter how improbable that was given the previous history. Unfortunately for the Tide, we didn't see an elite QB against FSU, and many of the same fans now believe he's terrible, which isn't true either. Ty Simpson looked pretty average to me. He was fairly accurate, moved the chains at times with his legs, and didn't turn the ball over. I thought he had decent command of the offense - mostly getting guys lined up and into good checks. However, we did see some shaky, first-time starter type behavior as well: leaving the pocket early, ball coming out late on routes, and trying to fit throws into poor, un-open windows. Given the right environment, he can be successful.

DeBoer and Grubb Went Away from the Run

After a clinical first touchdown drive that went 75 yards on 17 plays with 9 runs, Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb decided the run-game wasn't their best strategic advantage against the Seminoles, and they finished the game with 52 called passes compared to 21 called runs. That is way, way too much pressure to put on a quarterback in that environment, especially in a game that had some rain and was halfway muddy. I would've liked to see them take pressure off Ty Simpson by committing to the run more and leveraging play action against FSU's linebackers. In the first two drives, the play action was moving the backers all over the field because of the early, successful runs.

Give Me Germie Bernard Over Ryan Williams

Time and time again, Germie Bernard gets open. He wins matchups against man to man, finds the open spot against zone coverage, and he rarely drops a football. I think Ryan Williams is unbelievably gifted, but his lack of toughness, focus, and antics really frustrate me. In one specific example against FSU, Williams and Bernard were lined up on the same side. Williams ran a vertical which cleared space for Bernard to break in on the dig route underneath, and before the ball even gets to Bernard, Ryan Williams is pointing at Bernard for the ball to go there, because the corner and the safety are running with him. Why, you ask? I really don't know. It seems like an ego thing that "you guys are covering me so I have to point out that I got someone else open". Dude, just run the route. Then he drops multiple footballs and looks scared to catch the football over the middle. Yeah, give me Germie every day, even if he's the less gifted receiver.

Closing Thoughts

• Negative and/or not positive plays on 1st down made it difficult on drives 2 and 3. There was a screen that went for -3 and a boot leg that got eaten up

• As mentioned, play action was effective - do that more off the run game

• Offensive line looked fine - nothing special

• Jam Miller was certainly missed, but Kevin Riley was a decent bright spot

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