Alabama's Greg McElroy Is Throwing TDs Again, So Quit Complaining

Greg McElroy thought he was prepared for the starting job as quarterback at the University of Alabama. He thought he knew what to expect, but the recent criticism has gotten under his skin.

Though he is a junior, this is his first year at the helm of a program whose quarterback gets thousand times the publicity and scrutiny of the state's Governor. This is the first year he's had to endure being circled by the press in the media room and picked over like road kill by a flock of vultures.

It has become evident in watching him over the season how McElroy's mood in these meetings went from excitement and pride to annoyance. At least in the media room, most are both professional and kind to Greg in the post game interviews. However, the press that comes after has burned him a little.

And so do the blogs and forums that post fans' displeasure with his mid-season slump.

He thought he was prepared for such things. Greg said that he watched how John Parker Wilson handled himself with the criticism that he endured for his last two years, especially during Saban's first year.

But the talk that came from some corners hit nerves he didn't count on.

Greg privately told a few people that yes, some of the talk was bothering him. From the look in his eyes you could tell it bothered him maybe a little more than he wanted you to know.

Then he spilt it all out to ESPN Saturday night.

“So many times, guys do read press clippings, and I think a lot of my teammates might have lost faith in me because of some of the things that were written,” Greg said.

That must have shocked his teammates who said their confidence in him had never wavered. Mark Ingram told me about Greg and his "slump" recently, saying, "As long as we're winning and trying to improve, there is no blame to pass around. We all make mistakes, (he had earlier referenced his fumble in the Tennessee game that almost cost them the game), but we learn from them."

"Greg and I are both in our first full year of starting and we have a lot to learn, but we all have faith in one another," Ingram continued. "No one on this team would rather have another person leading this offense right now. We have faith his ability to do whatever it takes to put a win on the board, no doubts, no question about it."

In fact, Greg worrying about what his teammates think may have been the first crack I've seen in the cohesiveness of this team. His teammates were probably shocked to hear that Greg had doubts about how they felt about him.

But results speak louder than words. Those results not only silenced the press, the blogs, and the fan sites, but also any doubts that Greg may have had about the faith his teammates have in him. A 28 point win over a good opponent will do that.

Going 13 for 18 for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns that included yet another beautifully thrown bomb to Julio Jones made everyone in the 'Bama nation breath a sigh of relief as McElroy's spot-on passing kept the running game open for Ingram.

Greg has played through several of the toughest defenses in the nation so far this year and has come up a winner each time. Five of Alabama's 11 opponents so far this year have defenses that are in the top 25 in the nation.

McElroy has seen some best defensive coordinators throw some of the top defensive players at him, and he's still undefeated. To be fair, Greg hasn't played a defense ranked as high as Florida's, but he practices against one almost every day.

And those he practices against have high words of praise for McElroy as well. Marquis Johnson said he's not had to face a quarterback with better long ball ability than McElroy.

"You can blanket your man and cover tight and McElroy can still put it over his shoulder and into his hands". Johnson said. "I wouldn't want to face him as an opponent."

Defensive leader and linebacker Rolando McClain also had praise for McElroy. "He has great vision and instincts back there and he has a talent of finding just what what is there and take what they will give him," McClain said. "[The defense] know that if we do our job, he'll do his and we can win. We have that faith in one another."

McElroy has had some private talks with his head coach about his insecurities, and Saban has helped him work through them. Greg has never heard a public word come from his coach's mouth that could have ever been construed as negative.

About the harshest comments from Saban were, "We had some opportunities we didn't take advantage of and some passes we didn't complete that we could have, but we are confident that we can work those out and come back and take advantage of those opportunities the next time they come up."

Saban was never in doubt of Greg's mechanics, his abilities, or his desire, just in his ability to relax and not force throws.

So with McElroy's teammates so solidly behind him, maybe the press and fans will fall in line too. If not, then maybe McElroy will take his head coach Nick Saban's advice to heart and "believe in yourself and ignore the negative."