Hutson Mason and the future
by fotodog on Aug 5, 2010 10:40 PM EDT
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With Gray now playing (and impressing) at WR, that leaves us with Murray, Mason and some walk-ons. Richt has discussed the QB situation a little bit, but it is probably to early to make a hard decision. However, I wanted to see what the DogNation thought about the situation at this point. So here is your chance to make the call (Note: Making the wrong or right call could put you on the "hot seat".)
I couldn't think of any other choices, but if you are smarter or more creative than I am, please leave your option in the comments.
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I don’t see Mason ever really making much of a mark as a QB for us. He’ll almost certainly redshirt this season barring any catastrophic injuries.
Murray will hold down the fort for the next couple of years, and if he were to get injured this season (God forbid), Logan Gray would most likely step in because of his experience in the offense.
Once Murray is gone, Christian LeMay is most likely going to be the guy to play QB for us. Mason seems more like an insurance policy/depth provider than anything else.
by get swoll yunel on Aug 5, 2010 11:16 PM EDT reply actions
I think it would depend on the injury...
if it’s a small sprain around Kentucky, then I doubt we pull a redshirt for one game late in the season (if he’s redshirting). But if say it’s a broken bone against South Carolina, he’s playing.
Good question, fotodog.
I voted not to redshirt him. Aaron Murray may make me eat my words by having a David-Greene-in-2001-like season, but the Knowshon Rockwell Moreno experience and Urban Meyer’s recruiting pitch (“There is no such thing as a redshirt year at Florida”) have left me convinced that, if a guy is good enough to play, he ought to play.
Murray was a special situation; he was injured last year at the time we might have used him. Since Logan Gray clearly is a receiver now, and is an emergency-only option at quarterback, our choices are (a) let Murray take literally every snap under center this season or (b) let Hutson Mason play. I don’t know about you, but I think it’d be crazy to leave Murray out there in the fourth quarter against Louisiana-Lafayette and risk having him go down to injury in a game in which the outcome is no longer in doubt.
Play Mason. Play him early. Play him often. If Murray starts every first quarter and Mason starts every fourth quarter, we’ll have a heck of a season.
Go 'Dawgs!
by T Kyle King on Aug 6, 2010 8:59 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Agreed, Kyle
For all the reasons you have mentioned. The experience deficit at that position right now is just too great. We are all hoping for a fine opening season for Aaron Murray but we also want to maximize his chances and that includes not risking him when the game is well and truly in the bag. He will be accumulating lots of high-quality playing hours on the field vs Carolina, Arkansas, the lesser Bulldogs of the West, UT, Florida, Auburn and Tech. No need to try and pad things by leaving him in all the way vs Oo-la-la, Idaho State, etc. UF’s Meyer was notorious for leaving Tebow in to rack up points on the field and in the polls (for the MOST part without bad consequence) but Texas’ Mack Brown was even more extreme in his use of Colt McCoy, perhaps because his chief rival at Oklahoma likes to run it up with the best of them. What we saw in the first half of last January’s title game between Texas and Alabama was the result. Garrett Gilbert is, I think, goiing to make a fine QB for the ’Horns but the poor kid looked simply overwhelmed when he had to replace McCoy early. Texas went way into the hole vs the tide and by the time he found himself in the second half, it was just about too late although they made a great effort.
This was tough.
As much as I’d like to get Hutson Mason some experience, I believe Aaron Murray should play whenever he can…that includes all 4 quarters of the ULL, Idaho State, Vandy games, etc. A kid who’s our starting QB and has never taken a snap in college will benefit from any real playing time, mop-up duty or not. Maybe Murray can use that time to gain more confidence and explore some plays he’s never tried. I understand the risk of injury, but that’s football, and we do have a 3rd year QB/WR that HAS to be more serviceable that an 18-year old true frosh. I can see arguments for both sides, though. Good question.
The problem is we have two QBs with 0 college starting experience
And obviously giving playing time to one takes playing time away from the other. How much more valuable experience is AM going to gain from ULL, I State, or mopping up against Vandy*? There’s no point in redshirting Mason; LeMay is pretty clearly The QB of the Future of the Year and if he doesn’t pan out we’ll probably grab someone on the same level in 2012. We honestly don’t need Mason for the extra season. He needs experience now because the only situation he’s going to be called on is in an emergency (unless he exceeds expectations in really a big way, which is always a possibility.)
Obviously it’ll be a balancing act on the part of the coaches, but if AM goes down, and we put in a QB with 0 snaps, meaningful or otherwise, we’re back where we started with Murray, except that Mason doesn’t have nearly as many non-experiential positives as Murray does (i.e., two spring camps, heavy recruitment, etc.).
*I was about to put “and Kentucky” here but based on our recent records and the current trajectories of the two programs, I think we’re more likely to be “mopping up” against UT than UK. How weird is that?
Leaving insightful football commentary and analysis to other people since 2006.
If Logan is really a receiver, play Mason as much as possible
We need a backup QB that we can count on. Right now, Mason is an insurance policy of unknown value. If he can’t handle a limited playbook against Upper Middle Regional State Educational Institution, we need to know that. The coaches need to know it. Logan needs to know it. If he can handle it, we should play him as much as possible.
I doubt he’s going to give Murray a race for the starting job or create any fan angst when Murray makes stupid mistakes. Only an idiot would say “this Murray guy makes too many freshman mistakes. Let’s pull him and put in the true freshman with less native talent, less time in the offense, and less leadership with the team.”
Mason was a shotgun QB in college, and he needs to learn how to take some snaps under center when the big uglies are coming after him.
I voted for giving him playing time, even if injury doesn't make it necessary
I see no one has voted for option 2 (Redshirt him at all costs) yet. “All costs” would mean if Aaron and Logan get injured, we’d run through the walk-ons plus whoever else on the team might be able to take a snap. Yikes. There’s no realistic set of scenarios where we could preserve the redhirt at all costs.
We could always put a wig on Bobo
And send him out there in Mason’s jersey.
I’m sure the NCAA investigators would love that.
"I want anything wearing red and black to tear the head off anything that isn't."
- Lewis Grizzard
by RedCrake on Aug 6, 2010 5:50 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Play Mason
against ULL and whomever else we happen to be far enough ahead of to warrant “mop up duty”. There is NO reason to risk the season leaving Murray out there in garbage time behind the 2nd or 3rd Team line (hell against ULL and Idaho State they may let the fans suit up by the end of the game…..I can always dream can’t I?) so he can get injured. Remember what happen when Richt trotted Fred Gibson out against somebody (UK I think) to return a kick and we lost him for the Auburn and GA Tech games with a hamstring injury.
One other thing that it seems nobody has mentioned
is that perhaps Mason puts a little pressure on Murray to become that much better. Coaching kids, you always want to have that reminder that the one day, one practice, the one second that you aren’t working to get better and stay better than your competition, you will see how warming the bench feels. If Mason can provide that, while striving to take over the position, then we have a great situation at that and any other position that has that same “problem”. It also provides that sort of confidence the team needs in another player if the dreaded injury comes about, especially in a big game. (Who knows when someone’s eyes will be raked.)
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