The 'Dawgs Of Spring: QB Battle Royale.
by MaconDawg on Mar 4, 2010 10:16 AM EST
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PrintI know. With all of the excitement surrounding Mark Fox's basketball team, the Diamond Dogs, Georgia gymnastics, and loyal DawgSports readers battling the elements, you hardly even noticed that spring practice begins in Athens this afternoon. Oh, who am I kidding? Like me, you've probably been counting down the days since January. Spring practice has always been one of my favorite pages on the football calendar because, much like spring training in baseball, it's the time for renewal. Possibilities abound.
The only thing more abundant in the Classic City this spring than possibilities will be storylines. You will hear all about new defensive coaches, defensive players in new positions, even how Mark Richt is organizing the practice agenda. If you thrive on change, the University of Georgia football office is the place for you my friend. They've got it in spades.
Me? I don't really dig change. I prize continuity, which of course explains why I am so disconcerted by the fact that we'll be starting our third different quarterback in three seasons come September. That makes me nervous. Like, "Coach Dye, it's the NCAA on line one . . ." nervous.
I should be comforted by the fact that we have the most seasoned offensive line of the Mark Richt era. Not to mention two guys who, with apologies to the former walk-on quarterback in the Governor's Mansion, run this state. But I remember the last time I exhibited hubris in the face of quarterback uncertainty. The result? Losses to Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the same season, the untimely demise of Doug Gillett's toaster, and the realization that who takes the snaps really does matter. I will not exhibit such brazen optimism again. I will assume that whoever lines up under center for the beginning of the 2010 season has the pocket presence of a palsied goat and the howitzer-caliber arm strength of my Aunt Tessie.
Who in fact will take the snaps on September 5? I'm not sure. Based solely upon what I saw last season, what I saw of the 3 contenders in high school, and what I've heard from those who watch more practice than I do, I'd guess Aaron Murray. He has the Colt McCoy seal of approval. And unlike Logan Gray, I haven't watched him wander around Jacksonville Municipal Stadium doing a palsied goat impersonation.
To be fair, Gray entered the 2009 Georgia/Florida game under far from ideal circumstances. He responded, however, by doing nothing to make me think that he would have left Joe Cox in a better position had their respective roles been reversed. If Logan Gray were going to seize the reins in Athens, i believe he would have done so by now. And if Logan Gray emerges from the spring scrum as your starter, I would not be excited about that. Because it means that our two redshirt freshman bluechippers were unable to unseat a guy who has divided his time between signalcaller and not-so-secret-punt-fair-catch-specialist.
Zach Mettenberger is intriguing if only because the kid really does have a rocket arm. Seriously, if you've ever just watched him wing it down the field it is pretty impressive. Former Tennessee QB Tee Martin claims that Mettenberger throws the ball so hard it whistles as it goes by you, which is either very impressive on Mettenberger's part or a sign that Tee Martin needs to get a hearing test. Who knows which is the case?
But I believe Mettenberger was hampered by playing in a run-oriented offense until his senior season in high school. I don't know if he's been able to develop the proper read/reaction and throwing touch to beat out Murray and Gray. But again, it's not like a blogger like me has a lot to go on.
One near certainty you can count on is this: Mark Richt and Mike Bobo will not likely announce a clear cut starter at the end of spring drills. Sure, someone will nominally be first on the depth chart, but Coach Bobo made clear that this thing is going to be an open competition. And you get the feeling from all that has been said this offseason that every player will have to fight for every spot, including and perhaps most especially the most glamorous spot on the roster.
So that's my uneducated guess. Who do you believe will start the season at quarterback for the University of Georgia?
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In my opinion....
our Coaches & Staff screwed the pooch with Gray by not putting him in against Okie State when it should have been clear to all & sundry on the sidelines that Cox was not recovered from the flu. I have my doubts as to what good it did to “prepare” him for Florida or even Tennessee bu having him run one play against the Cowpokes in the 1st half, then fielding fair-catch punts until he got some garbage time against the Vols. But that is all water under the bridge now. If Murray is anywhere as good as advertised, we should see enough separation between him and the runner-up to know that we have a designated starter going into the summer. Only USC’s Barkley was ranked higher amongst the QBs in last year’s recruiting class, I think. And that was after Murray had to spend almost half his senior year in HS recovering from an ankle injury – which he did in time to lead his team to the State Championship in Florida. Had he not missed so much practice last fall due to tendonitis, he might have been thrown into the fire then. But maybe it is just as well. Our last RS freshman at QB didn’t turn out badly at all, did he?
I voted for Murray
But only because everyone else did. Really, I don’t think I’ve seen any of his abilities cited as being all that great — Met has the arm, Gray is more mobile in the pocket, and if I’m not mistaken Murray is the shortest of the three. But apparently Murray has “moxie” or something, and for that reason or some other of which I’m not aware everyone assumes he’ll get the starting job. And who am I to quibble with everyone?
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
I understand your point...
but his ability has actually been cited in several places. His mechanics are great. He has a quick release, he has very good footwork, he exhibited an ability to make the proper reads and not hold onto the ball too long, and if he does get in a situation where he is in trouble, he is quick enough on his feet to buy himself some time and get out of the pocket to make a play. Speaking of making a play with his feet, most scouts have actually said that he almost seems more comfortable throwing on the run (which is something he can do well going both left and right). Regarding his arm strength, he doesn’t have the cannon arm of Stafford or Mettenberger, but his arm is strong enough to make all the necessary throws with the proper amount of zip required (for less than required zip, see Joe Cox). He is very accurate, winning the accuracy challenge at the Elite 11 camp both as a junior in high school (when he was just there as a ball boy!) and as a senior. On top of that, he was voted MVP of the Elite 11 camp…a camp that included guys like Matt Barkley, Tajh Boyd, and Zach Mettenberger…just to name a few. Rivals gave him the number two senior camp performance of the past four years, with only Stafford beating him. That was above guys like Jake Locker, Jimmy Clausen, Tim Tebow, and Ryan Mallett. The kid is a beast.
I’m not anointing him the savior yet, but there are reasons to be hopeful. Oh, and he’s got moxie!
by hailtogeorgia on Mar 4, 2010 4:56 PM EST up reply actions
not to mention
You plucked him right out of our backyard when we wanted him badly. That’s reason enough to vote for him, isn’t it??!
Absolutely!
With our offensive line and our running back tandem, though, I hope we find out how well Aaron Murray can throw about six weeks into the season. I’m thoroughly prepared to underutilize Murray’s talents in 2010 and run the damn ball like it was the late ’70s or early ’80s.
Go 'Dawgs!
Two words for you:
Greg. McElroy. I don’t know that we have a budding Mark Ingram in the backfield. And I am fairly certain that whatever schematic changes we make we won’t have Bama’s 2009 defense this season. But I would be more than happy for Aaron Murray to run his record to 5-0 as a starter without ever having to throw more than 20 passes a game.
That's a good point
If we don’t tally at least one Murray-to-Charles TD in Jacksonville I’ll be severely disappointed.
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
I think the word you are looking for is mobility.
He seems to have a lot of that! Not to mention that he can throw on the run. That’s a huge plus in my book. But I guess my book is a little like one of those “Little Golden Books”.
I'm considering voting for
Kristin Davis – just because.
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
With Kristin Davis lining up under center . . .
. . . we’d definitely make more effective use of the tight end:
How’d Quincy Carter poll a number higher than zero, though? Who let the Georgia Tech fans vote?
Go 'Dawgs!
Had it been an option...
I would’ve voted for TT for QB
"Never refuse to do a kindness unless the act would work great injury to yourself, and never refuse to take a drink- under any circumstances." Mark Twain
I'm sad that Reggie Ball wasn't an option
We should run a 10 man offense and cede Ball to the opposing team every game.
by first and thom on Mar 5, 2010 10:03 AM EST up reply actions
If the poll were still open...
I’d be voting for Quincy Carter, my all-time favorite Dawg.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
I was at that 2000 game . . .
. . . and I will never return to Columbia, S.C., for a sporting event.
Even ten years later, it remains the worst Georgia sports-related experience of my life, although there is a reason why I should celebrate, and you should revile, that event: Jim Donnan was fired, and Mark Richt was hired, as a result of that game. Because the Gamecocks won the battle, the Bulldogs won the war.
Go 'Dawgs!
True, true.
An irony of history, I suppose.
Garnet and Black Attack: A Blog by and for Gamecocks Fans.
Perhaps my worst
Donnan/Carter moment excepting the 1999 Auburn game. Being down 31-0 to Auburn at home, at halftime was borderline traumatic. Especially given the engineer driving the train was Ben Leard, bum-shouldered QB from nearby Hart County, and, when you get right down to it, Brandon Cox before being Brandon Cox was fashionable.
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