All AJ McCarron did at Alabama was win football games, but that wasn’t enough to make him one of the better pro prospects in a loaded 2014 draft class. McCarron fell further than some expected and was eventually scooped up by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round. Would he have gone higher if he was healthy at Alabama?
On Sunday, McCarron rubbed some people the wrong way when he went on SiriusXM NFL Radio and spoke about playing through injuries in college.
“A lot of people don’t realize I wasn’t healthy at Alabama,” McCarron said, via Tadd Haislop of Sporting News. “I sacrificed a lot to play for coach (Nick) Saban and that university; I played through a lot of injuries and we never leaked it because that’s just the way it is. I’ve played through a lot, just try to fight through for my teammates and my team.”
From the sound of it, McCarron is basically saying Nick Saban puts together his injury reports the same way Bill Belichick assembles his. You could also argue that McCarron was making excuses for falling all the way to the 164th overall pick, but the three-time national champion insists his comments have been blown out of proportion.
I never said I didn't love my time at Bama I said myself & other guys played through a lot of injuries for our great university & for fans..
— AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) May 12, 2014
To say that I wasn't a good leader is crazy. All you have to do is ask the other two captains @TreyDeuce32RTR & @MrClutch_83 if I wasn't ?
— AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) May 12, 2014
People need to understand I wasn't bashing anybody at all or coach. He's like a dad to me all I was saying was us as players give a lot so
— AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) May 12, 2014
To hear people make up rumors ab you that aren't true. That's what sucks when you sacrificed so much for your team & university while there!
— AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) May 12, 2014
Y'all stop reading so much into this media bull.. I love Bama & always will. Roll Tide for life. Love my fans and ex-teammates/brothers #RTR
— AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) May 12, 2014
To his credit, McCarron also said he respects the fact that he could end up holding a clipboard behind Andy Dalton for a few years.
“I’m confident in myself but at the same time, I know Andy’s the QB out there and I respect that,” he explained. “All I want to do is go in and help us in whatever way I can. If that means me holding the clipboard for a couple of years and giving Andy reports during the week and watching film with him and helping him in any way I can, I’m just ready to do it.”
Most football players battle through injuries over the course of a season. That is certainly the case in the SEC. I don’t think McCarron meant to throw Saban and his methods under the bus, but I can understand why people felt he didn’t need to say that. Playing through injuries is more admirable when you let others recognize you for it.
