Jake Coker played through more than just a broken toe at Alabama last year.

This will give you even more respect for Coker's toughness.

Coker, the quarterback that helped the Tide win the national championship last season, told AL.com that he played through a separated throwing shoulder late in the regular season.

The injury happened during the second quarter of Alabama's November win over LSU when a scrambling Coker lowered that right shoulder and ran over standout Tigers linebacker Deion Jones.

Doctors told Coker the injury would take around three weeks to heal, Coker said. Yet, with help from Jeff Allen and the Tide athletic training staff, Coker didn't miss any games.

"I just wasn't going to miss a game," said Coker, who threw for 3,110 yards and 21 touchdowns last year. "It meant a lot to me. In football, guys are banged around toward the end of the season. It is what it is. It's just part of it."

The most challenging game for Coker with the shoulder was Mississippi State the week after suffering the injury.

Something that helped? Derrick Henry running for 204 yards and two touchdowns. That took pressure off of Coker to make plays in the passing game.

Even with Coker limited, the Tide beat then-No. 17 Mississippi State, 31-6.

Coker finished 15 of 25 for 144 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

"We didn't throw as much that game," Coker said. "Thank God that Derrick had the game that he had. I do remember getting hit one time that game and got the shoulder worked on a little bit, and I know rolling out to the right and throwing was tough, and just certain throws were a little different. But it was just one of those things that we worked around, and we got the job done."

Coker felt better the next week and was 11 of 13 for 155 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions during a 56-6 win over Charleston Southern.

Then came the Iron Bowl. Coker said he was "almost back to normal" by that point.

He said the shoulder was "fine" for Alabama's three games after that -- the SEC championship game and the two College Football Playoff games.

In those three postseason games, Coker threw for a combined 825 yards and completed 73 percent of his passes with six touchdown passes and no interceptions.

"It got progressively better," Coker said of the shoulder. "It was just a non-stop thing with treatment. They were always working on it. Like I've said, the rehab they do there and all the work they do, I can't imagine being around a better group. It's kind of like everything else. Every guy you see go down with an injury at Alabama comes back really quick, and it's pretty crazy just how fast it happens."