For the second season in a row, University of Alabama fans have come out of the annual spring game feeling less than thrilled about the prospects at the quarterback position.

On a team with, perhaps, the most explosive running back in the country in the 6’3″, 241-pound Derrick Henry, and a receiving corps that is filled with uber-talented, yet unproven, playmakers — most notably tight end O.J. Howard, receivers ArDarius Stewart and Robert Foster and all-around athlete Kenyan Drake — you would think that it would be easy to find a competent QB.

But, au contraire, mon frere, the Tide appear as though they don’t have a QB capable of navigating the type of competition they will see on that brutal schedule.

One must harken back to this exact time last season when it appeared the Tide would be in trouble at the position behind a complete inept performance by fifth-year senior Blake Sims.

All Sims ended up doing was having one of the, if not the, best season a QB has had at the Capstone. His success was undoubtedly due to offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin’s ability to put his personnel in favorable positions to succeed.

Make no mistake; Kiffin’s scheme is a modernized version of the old West Coast, rhythm-and-timing philosophy that’s predicated on the quick game — where accuracy takes a precedence over arm strength.

Quick hitches, 3- and 5-step drops and sling-shot throws to the edges are the norm, which coincides with taking advantage of all those aforementioned target’s skill sets that line the Alabama roster.

Sims, who had the ability to manufacture plays with his unique athleticism, established a style of play that bridged the gap between inexperience and that winning tradition we’ve come to expect from the Tide.

Expected starter Jacob Coker has some innate gifts, but none have to do with making quick, accurate decisions. In fact, his skill set seems a lot more conducive to schemes centered around the old “Air Coryell” offense where a premium is placed on arm strength as it wants to threaten the defense vertically.

By doing so, it forces the opposition to defend the entire field. Kiffin’s scheme, on the other hand, wants to force the defense to play in a phone booth which would allow for the occasional vertical throw to seem like taking candy from a baby.

True freshman Blake Barnett is a scheme-specific fit for Kiffin’s scheme behind his dual-threat ability and short-to-intermediate accuracy. However, a year spent in the weight room could prove beneficial for him as he will encounter some physical contact when he, ultimately, starts using his legs to manufacture first downs.

I’m not opposed to him being the starter at some point in this season, as he’s the most talented QB on the roster, but I understand if some think it just may be too soon for him to play in the toughest conference in the sport.

But Alabama could possibly catch lightning in a bottle if it were to land Ohio State University superstar Braxton Miller as a graduate transfer for this coming season.

And I’d be willing to bet we would very well see Alabama right back in the thick of things behind the exploits of one Mr. Miller.

Because this kid is the absolute truth!

The Playmaker Of All Playmakers 

I waxed poetic throughout last season about the gifts Sims brought to the table. His compact release, speed, accuracy and toughness were not lost on me one bit.

But if I were to assess Miller’s skill set to that of Sims’ — for comparative purposes — it’s hard to say there’s much of a comparison.

Miller is superior to Sims in all aspects of football.

He’s bigger, faster, stronger, with more arm strength and play-making ability, which is saying a ton as Sims was such a good player.

But Miller’s build, 6’2″, 220 pounds, coupled with his 4.4 40-yard dash speed — although Ohio State credits him with running as fast as at 4.32 — makes him the ultimate weapon. And Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer knows just how to use that ability: the designed-run game.

BraxtonAcceleration

This modernized version of the old triple-option scheme is a lot harder than one might realize. The initial read is if the linebacker fills on the potential dive play; the second read is if the edge-player stays put or crashes; the last part has to do with navigating the corner in a similar fashion to the original edge-player.

Miller not only made those quick decisions, he showed off some serious 0-to-60 acceleration against an approaching defender who had a great angle.

Kiffin would salivate at having that type of speed in the backfield to go along with Bama’s future superstar running back Henry — who works best out on the edges; Miller may be the best option runner since Tommy Frazier at the University of Nebraska.

BraxtonAgility

Just look at the beauty that ensued on this QB counter-run: short-area agility and flat-out track speed.

One element that Alabama has yet to account for is how it’s going to derive power from its run game. With the injury to physical freak Bo Scarbrough, there’s not a proven power runner on the roster, although incoming freshman Damien Harris may have something to say about that.

Miller can certainly be used in the power game as he’s shown a propensity to get those first downs in short-yardage situations.

That aspect alone would make him worth his weight in gold.

Arm Talent

As great as Coker’s arm is, Miller’s ability to throw the deep ball may surpass his as Miller understands how to throw with touch and put the necessary air under his vertical throws.

OSU has, perhaps, the best vertical attack in the country as Bama witnessed first-hand in the Sugar Bowl. The story of the QB competition at OSU has been chronicled, ad nauseum, throughout every corner of the media.

We know Cardale Jones is the darling of the college football universe after his three-game run during the postseason en route to the title. We also know that J.T. Barrett, who took over for the injured Braxton Miller during the regular season, was downright phenomenal in providing OSU the chance to play for the Big 10 Championship before his own season-ending injury.

But what you rarely hear is just how Braxton helped revive the program, even finishing with an undefeated season, in Meyer’s first season on campus a couple of seasons ago. And it was mostly behind his ability to manufacture plays and beat people vertically.

But he’s also shown that he can function in the quick-game portion of OSU’s playbook; he has a release that looks very similar to Sims’.

If Miller has aspirations to play QB in the NFL, which is probably a longshot at best, having one of the best QB coaches in the sport tutor him on his mechanics could go a long way into helping reshape NFL scout’s opinion on his prospects at the next level.

Braxton9Route

Here’s an example of Miller’s over-the-top delivery and how accurate he can be downfield.

Once Kiffin gets a chance to tailor his scheme to fit what Miller does best, which is exactly what he did with Sims, the college football landscape will once again let out a collective moan in disapproval of what would be in store for the Tide.

You guessed it; another friggin spot in the final four.

Pray it doesn’t happen, haters.