Crimson Red Sports

TUSCALOOSA -- AJ McCarron and Phillip Sims grabbed hold of Alabama's offense Saturday in the first of several auditions that will culminate with one of them winning the starting quarterback job.

Few people were invited to watch Saturday's first spring scrimmage at Bryant-Denny Stadium, which was closed to the general public and the media.

Still, speculation and curiosity is inevitable for one of the storied collegiate football programs which has produced quarterback legends such as Joe Namath and Bart Starr.

The final decision of choosing a replacement for two-year starter Greg McElroy, ultimately to be made by coach Nick Saban, isn't expected until preseason practice.

Saban immediately addressed the current quarterback situation, but gave little away and discredited the statistics because the format of the scrimmage was not a true game format.