Nick Saban knows a thing or two about what makes for a great quarterback.
He played the position throughout Pop Warner and high school, winning a West Virginia state championship in 1968. For the past five decades, he has seen it from the other side of the field as a defensive-minded coach in college football, including the past 13 seasons as the coach at Alabama, where he has won five national championships.
In the latest episodes of Detail, the sports analysis program that will be available April 13 exclusively on ESPN+, Saban breaks down projected first-round draft picks Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa.
There’s no doubt that Saban has an appreciation for Burrow, the projected overall No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL draft. After all, LSU had lost to Alabama in eight consecutive games before Burrow went on the road to Bryant-Denny Stadium and completed 31 of 39 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns, winning the game 46-41. The Tigers went on to win the national championship and Burrow won the Heisman Trophy, finishing with 60 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
It’s the tape of the CFP Championship Game against Clemson that Saban chooses to dissect in Detail. In it, he points out how Burrow sees the field before the snap and makes quick decisions that lead to big plays. Burrow’s ability to extend the play with his feet and keep his eyes downfield, Saban said, is important.
“You got everyone covered,” he said. “You got pressure on the quarterback. You think it should have a positive play. And it turns out to be a big play for them.”
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Nick Saban breaks down how former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa attacks a defense.
In another episode of Detail, Saban turns his attention to the quarterback in this draft he knows best: his own, Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa, who came off the bench as a true freshman to lead Alabama to a national championship, nearly won the Heisman as a sophomore. And if not for a serious hip injury, he might have made a run at becoming a finalist yet again.
While Tagovailoa’s health is debatable, his talent isn’t.
Saban turns on the Missouri game to show why, pointing out Tagovailoa’s ability to go through progressions quickly, working left to right, and getting the ball deep. Of the ability to see that the safety was out of position and hit Jerry Jeudy for a long touchdown, Saban said, “A lot of guys can’t do this.”
Tagovailoa’s greatest strengths, Saban said, are his instincts and accuracy.
“One of the things that makes an outstanding quarterback, all right, is when you can throw the ball accurately like this, you’re putting it in position where the guy can catch the ball and run with it,” Saban said.