McElwain ready to put his mark on Bama offense

Jim McElwain is funny, engaging, intense and, per Nick Saban’s rules, will never be heard from until next summer.

Saban teased the media Sunday with about a dozen minutes of McElwain before banishing Alabama’s new offensive coordinator back to his bunker where, I think, he’s fed three times per day and is permitted outside once. For practice.

The Montana native attempted to describe the humidity in the South, joked he wouldn’t answer dumb questions and said he thought Saban’s initial phone call about the job opening was a prank by one of his friends. (I’m guessing McElwain figured out it was real when he asked about vacation time and heard hysterical laughter on the other end.)

McElwain, who came to Tuscaloosa from Fresno State, also discussed a great conversation-starter these days in Alabama: quarterback John Parker Wilson.

“I know there are a ton of questions. I’d like to start out with a few things right now. I’ll go ahead and tell you: There’s a pretty good chance John Parker Wilson will be our quarterback,” McElwain said, smiling.

Cue the screeching record sound effect. Yikes. Some fans really didn’t want Wilson, who ranked eighth in passing efficiency among SEC quarterbacks last season, to start last year.

Wilson completed just 55.2 percent of his passes. Only two quarterbacks, Seth Adams and Brandon Cox, threw more interceptions. Saban even fielded questions last season about Wilson’s status as the starter even though the Tide lacked a capable backup. Wilson, a senior, did not receive a single vote from the media for any of the preseason all-SEC teams. Not one.

McElwain vows to “rip the rearview mirror off” in terms of discussing the past, but even he acknowledges that Wilson has been the recipient of some harsh criticism.

“I have been very happy with the time we’ve spent and the things he’s done in the offseason to better himself as a player,” McElwain said. “I think some of the things he’s maybe gone through are part of the position. I don’t think they are all deserving. This is a great kid. Somebody who cares about the state of Alabama. Somebody who really cares about Alabama football and a guy who is doing everything he can to help us win games this year.”

This is a promising year for Wilson. I know, I know: I was at the Florida State game. And the LSU game. But Wilson’s mistakes typically stem from too much emotion, too much immaturity. He forces passes. He doesn’t take sacks or throw the ball away. His bad games turn into really, really bad games.

Being a senior will fix some of those problems. He’s a year wiser. Teammates say Wilson worked harder this offseason than ever before, organizing 7-on-7 drills, staying late after those workouts and pestering defensive backs about what they saw from him. Wilson knows this could be the last year he ever plays football.

It sounds like a negative, but Wilson is also playing under his third offensive coordinator. I hate to compare Alabama and Auburn, but Jason Campbell thrived under his fourth coordinator with the Tigers.

“I think it probably didn’t help John Parker much when he had to do it,” Saban said of going through coordinators. “Now that he’s done it, it’s helped him tremendously. His capacity to learn and make adjustments has probably been enhanced. He’s adapted extremely well to our coordinator. Him and Mac have a good relationship. I think Mac’s helped him.

“He seems to be a little more business-like in his approach. He is a great competitor and very emotional guy and sometimes playing quarterback, you want a guy to make business decisions and not get caught up emotionally in trying to hard and forcing things. He seems to have developed a real maturity in that area which I think could effect his play in a positive way.”

The system will also help. McElwain said he adapts the system to the player, which means he’ll put Wilson in position to make fewer decisions. The offense should also help an inexperienced receiver corps. McElwain’s offense at Fresno State blew up scoreboards last year, dropping 40 points and 571 total yards on Georgia Tech in the Humanitarian Bowl last season.

“When we talk about the quarterback position, I think sometimes, as coaches, we force them into systems,” McElwain said. “What’s a system? It’s our responsibility as coaches to find out what these players do best and put them in situations to their advantage as far as how they feel comfortable.”

What methods does he use to help quarterbacks feel more comfortable? Never mind: McElwain’s time is over. He’s gone.

Oh well. Maybe next August.