The Simpson story is almost the exact opposite of the Bailey story. Simpson was great for the first two thirds of the season and marginal for the last third. There are 2 schools of thought on why. Some believe the defenses just caught up to him. Others believe the accumulation of injuries lowered his capabilities.
Simpson is the son of a college coach and he was well trained. His throwing mechanics are nearly textbook. He can read defenses, anticipate blitzes, use hot reads and identify coverage advantages. He has a quick release, while exhibiting excellent ball placement. This has provided receivers with an exceptional opportunity for YAC. Simpson does a good job of moving safeties with his eyes. He’s impressive when maneuvering in the pocket; reminiscent of Drew Brees. This enables him to avoid quick sacks and allowing receivers to get greater separation. It also gives him better throwing lanes. When he faces tight coverage he has good touch to drop the ball into layered defenses. The first 9 games of the season he was almost unstoppable.
The Oklahoma game seemed to change everything. They decided to treat Simpson like an NFL QB and began disguising their defenses; often shifting at the last moment. It disoriented Simpson who had his worst game to date. This trend continued for the remainder of Alabama’s games. Simpson never looked like he did in those first 9 games. His completion percentage dropped from 70 to 57. In fairness to Simpson we’ve subsequently learned he was dealing with a number of health issues that may have somewhat impaired his performance. That said with a 17 NFL game schedule, no QB is likely to be fully healthy for the last third of the season. Playing hurt effectively is critical.
There are other concerns about Simpson. He does not have an extremely strong arm. On throws under 30 yards, he’s very accurate. On longer throws he’s erratic. He showed he can get the ball there, but not consistently on target. Occasionally he locks on receivers, telegraphing his target.
He also has a turnover issue not only with interceptions, but he fumbled in 5 straight games. Some of the interceptions come from timing. He often waits until the receiver comes out of his break to throw the ball giving the defender a chance to jump the route. He recognizes rush gaps and can escape, but not with great acceleration. He is especially troubled by mid line rushers. In fairness many QBs are.
I’ve saved the biggest concern for last. I cannot find a successful NFL QB with 15 or fewer college starts. If you consider Murray successful, he only stated 17. Through the first 9 games Simpson inspired a number evaluators to believe that he could change the paradigm. Once teams started to disguise defenses many reversed their opinion. Simpson could surprise evaluators and be the first one of this group to succeed. However, do you want to risk pick number 3 to find out, especially without a great QB guru in place?
Simpson is the son of a college coach and he was well trained. His throwing mechanics are nearly textbook. He can read defenses, anticipate blitzes, use hot reads and identify coverage advantages. He has a quick release, while exhibiting excellent ball placement. This has provided receivers with an exceptional opportunity for YAC. Simpson does a good job of moving safeties with his eyes. He’s impressive when maneuvering in the pocket; reminiscent of Drew Brees. This enables him to avoid quick sacks and allowing receivers to get greater separation. It also gives him better throwing lanes. When he faces tight coverage he has good touch to drop the ball into layered defenses. The first 9 games of the season he was almost unstoppable.
The Oklahoma game seemed to change everything. They decided to treat Simpson like an NFL QB and began disguising their defenses; often shifting at the last moment. It disoriented Simpson who had his worst game to date. This trend continued for the remainder of Alabama’s games. Simpson never looked like he did in those first 9 games. His completion percentage dropped from 70 to 57. In fairness to Simpson we’ve subsequently learned he was dealing with a number of health issues that may have somewhat impaired his performance. That said with a 17 NFL game schedule, no QB is likely to be fully healthy for the last third of the season. Playing hurt effectively is critical.
There are other concerns about Simpson. He does not have an extremely strong arm. On throws under 30 yards, he’s very accurate. On longer throws he’s erratic. He showed he can get the ball there, but not consistently on target. Occasionally he locks on receivers, telegraphing his target.
He also has a turnover issue not only with interceptions, but he fumbled in 5 straight games. Some of the interceptions come from timing. He often waits until the receiver comes out of his break to throw the ball giving the defender a chance to jump the route. He recognizes rush gaps and can escape, but not with great acceleration. He is especially troubled by mid line rushers. In fairness many QBs are.
I’ve saved the biggest concern for last. I cannot find a successful NFL QB with 15 or fewer college starts. If you consider Murray successful, he only stated 17. Through the first 9 games Simpson inspired a number evaluators to believe that he could change the paradigm. Once teams started to disguise defenses many reversed their opinion. Simpson could surprise evaluators and be the first one of this group to succeed. However, do you want to risk pick number 3 to find out, especially without a great QB guru in place?
