Fran Tarkenton, Nick Saban Rip AJ McCarron for Criticizing Alabama

Fran Tarkenton and Nick Saban respond to AJ McCarron's criticism of Alabama.

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You'd think that by winning three BCS titles, AJ McCarron would be untouchable in Alabama football circles. You'd think that, and you'd be wrong. The former Crimson Tide and current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback criticized Alabama's play calling during the team's loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, and now he's come under fire not just from Roll Tide nation, but also from his former head coach Nick Saban and NFL Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton

The QB made the mistake of telling Tide 99.1 that he had a problem with the team's playcalling during the loss, hinting that perhaps Saban was handcuffing offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin. He went on to question the team's leadership, saying:


“I think one of the things that this team is lacking that hurts them the most is not having the true leaders like we had last year… I feel like when things go bad, this team struggles a little with bouncing back and making good plays.”

Tankerton was the more explicit one when it came to his comments, saying that:


"He needs to be quiet. He was so fortunate to play in that program. He's an average quarterback at best. He played fine, but he couldn't have played anywhere else but Alabama... He needs to keep his mouth shut and praise Saban and Alabama for the rest of his life."

For his part, Saban was a bit more diplomatic, standing behind his current quarterback, Blake Sims. He seemed more bemused that his former starting quarterback would dare judge how he runs the team:


"I don't know how AJ would really know, but I don't see that as the case..."

McCarron's camp has already begun the apologies, as his wife Katherine Webb told Crimson Tide fans to basically chill on her Facebook, while McCarron will be hopping on 99.1 again tonight to clarify his comments. Stay tuned.

[via Larry Brown Sports]

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