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NFL Rumors: AJ McCarron says he wasn’t healthy at Alabama

By Bryan Rose

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Jan 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron (10) walks off the field following a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners in a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 2, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback AJ McCarron (10) walks off the field following a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners in a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Oklahoma defeated Alabama 45-31. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

During his tenure at Alabama, all AJ McCarron did was produce – both on the field and in the win column. But it wasn’t enough to get the quarterback into the early rounds of the 2014 NFL Draft as McCarron wasn’t selected until the 164th pick by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Granted, McCarron wasn’t ever mentioned in the same breath as Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater in terms of draft stock, but it was a painful slip for the former Alabama star.

So why the late pick? Was it because he was rubbing NFL talent evaluators the wrong way, as reported? Was it a lack of translatable skill? Actually neither, at least according to McCarron who suggested he wasn’t healthy playing at Alabama.

“A lot of people don’t realize I wasn’t healthy at Alabama,” McCarron said. “I sacrificed a lot to play for coach 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.”

McCarron took quite a bit of flack for the comments on social media and attempted to clarify his comments, suggesting he wasn’t throwing head coach Nick Saban under the bus by insinuating that Alabama injuries aren’t reported.

Still, a rather interesting comment though we’ll likely never know how truthful it was.

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