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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Logan Gray Paradox: You Only Need Him When You Need Him

Mark Bradley wrote an interesting piece for the AJC today asking a simple enough question: What's the big deal about Logan Gray potentially leaving?

It's a fair question, really. After all, was anyone particularly enthusiastic about the idea of Gray starting at QB for Georgia at some point during the 2010 season? Chances are, if something happened to Murray and Gray had to step in, most fans would be covering their eyes in anticipation of the worst anyway.

And as Bradley writes, how often does the backup QB play anyway?

He mentions that D.J. Shockley never started a game while David Greene was in Athens. It's a good point. Of course, when Shockley became the starter in 2005, it turned out that his backup ended up playing a pretty vital role in how the Bulldogs' season played out.

That's the thing about backup QBs… you never need them until you need them.

So I agree with Bradley's overriding sentiment here: If Aaron Murray stays healthy in 2010, it doesn't matter if Gray stays, transfers or dons the Hairy Dawg costume and parades through the stands high-fiving small children. Murray is Georgia's future, and this season's success will in large part be measured by his production.

But in 2005, Shockley did everything asked of him, and yet Georgia still had to turn to the backup during a moment of crisis. These things happen from time to time, and while Joe Tereshinski's lone start didn't define Georgia's season, I'm willing to bet a few fans still sit back and think about what might have been had Shockley started against Florida that year instead.

So while Bradley reasonably asks what the big deal about Gray potentially bolting Athens would be, I might offer these 10 relatively reasonable questions, too...

1. What's Logan Gray going to do?

This is, of course, the biggest question. If he transfers, that leaves Georgia with just two scholarship QBs -- one of whom hasn't even arrived on campus yet. If he stays, he still could move to receiver, which would at least make him a viable alternative in an emergency situation -- but if playing receiver is the crux of his decision, does holding down the role of potential QB -- i.e., you can be a receiver until we tell you you're not anymore -- really appeal to him? And will it appeal to the rest of the team?

2. How does the lack of competition affect Aaron Murray?

My thought on this is not at all. Now, we may not be able to take everything coaches say about practice at face value. After all, things always seem a bit rosier when players are only dodging each other and not angry Florida, Alabama or LSU defenders on the field. But every report I got on Murray's preparation and dedication has been glowing, and Mike Bobo told me routinely that Murray prepared last year as if he were the starter, despite the redshirt. Of course, all the preparation in the world is no substitute for experience, and perhaps that's the biggest impact on Murray -- he'll be the elder statesman despite having never played a down on Saturdays.

3. How ready is Hutson Mason?

If you look at his high school stats, there's every reason to be excited about Hutson Mason's future. And at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Mason's probably better than just the upper middle class man's Joe Cox. He's a pro style QB and proved to be reasonably accurate during his days at Lassiter, so all those things work in his favor. Still, he'll be a true freshman, and that's a scary proposition. Matthew Stafford struggled as a true freshman -- 52.7% completions, 7 TDs, 13 INTs -- and he had far more physical tools and all of spring practice to prepare for the job. Mason may be a solid QB in the future (and you have to love the maturity he's displayed thus far), but he's not exactly being called a future No. 1 draft pick by Mel Kiper right now, so the expectations for him shouldn't be too high in the short term.

4. Who would be the third-string QB?


Mark Richt routinely praised Bacarri Rambo for his efforts leading Georgia's scout team offense in 2008 -- notably playing the roles of Josh Nesbitt, Randall Cobb and Tim Tebow to rave reviews. Rambo played QB in high school at Seminole County, so the job wouldn't be entirely unfamiliar to him. Of course, there are two not-so-small problems with that notion. First, Rambo's style doesn't fit what Georgia runs in the least. His arm strength isn't good enough to be a real threat at this level, and Georgia's offense is designed for a QB who can throw, not run the option. Second, Rambo does have some other responsibilities these days. He's perhaps Georgia's best defensive back right now (apologies to Brandon Boykin, who certainly can make a claim to that title, too) and moving him to the offensive side of the ball would be nearly impossible. So, beyond that, who would get the nod? Hard to say. A number of guys played QB in high school, but there's a reason they aren't still there now. No doubt Georgia will try to bring in a walk-on or three, too. But I'm also guessing no one is going to get too excited about a first-year walk on as a potential starting QB in an emergency situation.

5. Does this put a target on Murray's back?

So if teams know Georgia only has two QBs, one of whom is a true freshman, wouldn't that put a thought into the minds of a few defenders that Mr. Murray is the one thing standing between them and enjoying the spoils of tormenting Mason in a crucial SEC game? Perhaps a well-time shot at Murray's knee is just what an SEC defense needs to slow down the UGA offense? I'd like to believe that, at this level, most players and coaches would be above such shenanigans. I'd like to believe that, but I'm not that naive.

6. Wasn't Murray hurt the past two years anyway?

Indeed he was. His senior season at Plant High School, he broke his leg and missed the latter half of the season before returning in the playoffs and leading his team to a state championship. A broken leg is hardly an indication that a player is injury prone -- these things just happen in football -- but he does like to pull the ball down and run a bit more than some other QBs, which will invariably put him in the line of fire more often, too. (Which leads to a Question 6a. -- If Murray and Mason are all Georgia has, does this affect playcalling in terms of allowing Murray to run with the football?) Last season, Murray may have had a real shot at playing time as Joe Cox struggled midway through the season. Unfortunately for Murray (and perhaps for Georgia fans, too), Cox's struggles coincided with yet another injury for the freshman QB. Arm problems developed, likely as a result of throwing more often than he had in the past, and it cost Murray several weeks of practice time and any shot at avoiding a redshirt. So, do two injuries in two seasons offer enough to label a guy as an injury risk? Hard to say, but three in three years probably would, and that's not a question Georgia is looking to answer.

7. What happens if there's a longterm injury to one of the QBs?

This is perhaps the most important question if Gray should end up leaving because there really is no solution. If Murray went down, Mason would have to step in, which would likely mean a very watered-down version of Georgia's offense would be in place. Moreover, Georgia couldn't risk Mason getting hurt, too, meaning the Bulldogs would be facing playing out the season -- to use a basketball metaphor here -- with four fouls. The Dawgs would essentially be one play away from flushing their season down the drain, and at this point, there's really nothing Georgia can do other than hope and pray that the QBs stay healthy.

8. Does this really matter all that much?

Hey, Georgia returns 10 offensive starters, has a veteran offensive line and a stable of running backs that should be able to run early and often, right? So who cares about the QB situation? I can understand that mentality from fans who remember the Herschel Walker era so fondly, but it's a foolhardy notion. First off, as much as I like Caleb King and Washaun Ealey, neither of them are Herschel Walker. Secondly, the SEC has changed a lot in the last 30 years, and teams cannot win by simply running, running and running some more. Yes, Alabama won a national championship last season with a foundation of Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, but the Tide had a better defense than UGA is likely to have, which kept scores low, and even then, Greg McElroy had to step up and lead Alabama to wins on more than one occasion. (Without McElroy, Alabama almost certainly would have lost to Virginia Tech and Auburn.) The fact is, Georgia can probably win six or seven or eight games this year by minimizing the role of the QB if the running game and defense play up to their potential. But if the Dawgs want to get to nine or 10 wins and have a chance at an SEC title, eventually the QB is going to have to win a game or two for them. And as The Senator pointed out earlier this week, Joe Cox's shoes might be a little harder to fill than most fans think.

9. How does this affect the 2011 recruiting?

It was Gray's flirtations with a move to wide receiver back in November that caused Georgia to change its recruiting strategy at QB last year, remember. Had he not discussed the idea then, Mason likely wouldn't be wearing a Georgia uniform this season… so at least there's that silver lining. But if Gray were to leave now, with Zach Mettenberger out the door, odds are the Dawgs would be looking to ink two quarterbacks in the upcoming class, and with Christian LeMay and Nick Marshall on their list of potential gets, people may not be too sad to see Gray and Mett hit the bricks.

I'm not sure it's that simple an equation though. First off, odds are if Georgia signs two QBs, one of them is not going to be a stud in waiting. The fact that Murray and Mettenberger arrived in the same class met with questions about potential transfers from Day 1. It's a rare occasion that two top talents are willing to sign up for the same recruiting class. And then there's Murray. No one likes the idea of not having a solid backup for Georgia's top QB, but at the same time, no one should be too worried about Murray's long-term potential either. Odds are, he's going to be a very good QB for a long time. And while Stafford had NFL written all over him from Day 1 in Athens, Murray's road to the next level will be a bit tougher due to his smaller stature. So, while there was always a good chance that Stafford would be gone in three years, Murray's just as likely to be around through the 2013 season. The question then becomes, does a top-flight QB want to come to Georgia and sit behind Murray for the next three seasons? Maybe. Mark Richt has certainly convinced QBs to ride the pine before. But as Gray has shown us, watching from the sidelines isn't everyone's idea of a fun way to spent a Saturday in the fall.

10. How did this happen… again?

Once is a problem. Twice might be a sign of some chinks in the armor. Three times though? It's probably fair to ask Mark Richt (and Rodney Garner and Mike Bobo) some questions about how the QB situation in Athens has become so desperate yet again. In 2005, when Shockley got hurt, Georgia's national championship hopes rested on the notion that Joe Tereshinski could beat Florida in his first career start (and first significant playing time). As such, Georgia lost the game and Thomas Brown had the only TD pass of the day. Last season, Joe Cox played with a bum shoulder and struggled mightily at the midpoint of the year, and yet, there seemed to be no clear backup plan. (Of course, the caveat here -- and it's no small one -- is that Gray would have been the backup plan then, but obviously the coaches weren't thrilled with that option, so how does he become a more viable Plan B now?) And now, if Georgia hadn't changed its recruiting strategy at the last minute when Gray began discussing a position change, the Dawgs might have found themselves with just one scholarship QB in the fall. (And is it worth a side note here that the indecision on recruiting a QB played a role in Da'Rick Rogers bolting for Tennessee?)

In his career -- both at Georgia and at Florida State -- Richt has coached some of the best quarterbacks in college football and has rightfully gained a reputation for being one of the best in the business at preparing a QB. No one is arguing with that -- and given what he did with Shockley, Stafford and Greene (and heck, given what he got out of the limited resources of Cox), he deserves credit.

But that begs the question: If he's so good with QBs, why have there been so many times when he doesn't seem to have enough of them? In '05, Tereshinski was ill prepared to step in for Shockley. A year later, Tereshinski was still Georgia's best option until the coaching staff threw up their hands and decided to let Stafford take his lumps. When Stafford left early -- a move that surprised no one -- Georgia was left with Cox and little else. And now, here we are, on the precipice of entering the 2010 season -- a year in which Georgia returns 10 offensive starters and should be thrilled about its prospects for moving the football -- without a QB on the roster who has taken a snap in a game situation. It's hard to fault Richt & Co. for what happened with Mettenberger, but this has still been a precarious situation for a long time.

I've made the argument enough times throughout the past few years (and I'll continue to do so) that Georgia's lack of a national title has been as much about luck as it has been about talent. In 2002 and 2007, Georgia was as close as anyone, but things just didn't fall into place.

But sometimes you have to make your own luck. And if Georgia enjoys a 2010 season in which A.J. Green is an All-American and Orson Charles torments SEC defenders the way he's capable of doing and the tailbacks really do look a lot like Herschel and the defense really does turn around under Todd Grantham -- but the Dawgs still fall short of an SEC title because they had to play with a true freshman QB down the stretch, that will be more than just some bad luck.

So what say you? How big of a deal would a Logan Gray transfer really be in your opinion? How much of this situation should be blamed on Georgia's recruiting strategy? And how many of you have some years of eligibility left in case you're needed in November?

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

If Logan stays and moves to WR, isn't he just trying to copy what happened in the third season of Friday Night Lights?

j.leonardjr said...

I think the QB recruiting strategy is the biggest issue here. A solid-top flight QB prospect needs to be signed every year to help guard against lack of depth issues. I know it is hard to get a 5-star QB every year once you have one on your roster who starts early in his career but the staff has to find a way to stagger depth at the position. Georgia's issue seems to be more a problem of clumping the quality QB signings together or having that result due to people red shirting.

It is a hard problem to solve. Look at the run UGA has had siging Elite 11 QBs recently but we are still where we are now. If I remember correctly Stafford, Cox, Gray, Murray, and Mett were all Elite 11 QBs out of high school. You don't know how these kids will pan out talent wise, if they will get hurt, transfer, or get dismissed.

daryl said...

spot on #10.

erictheredandblack said...

Regarding #5 (a target on Murray's back), let's just be glad Mr Spikes is no longer a college student. Aaron would have an appointment with an optometrist in October.

Anonymous said...

David,

You bring up the Tide's defense for keeping scores low, which is in true, their defense was better than UGA's. However how many drives did Bama have that were 4+min compared to UGA. Bama's offense may not have had better yardage or points but they could handle the pressure of a game winning clock killing drive like UGA did under Greene.

Also you did a great article on UGA's kick coverage which also lead to UGA giving up points.

You also did plenty of #s topics. The stat I would like to see you post up is average length of time per position (how many minutes did the drive last on average). I have a feeling Bama would be one of the top teams. Bama opened up the both halfs in the SECCG with bone crushing, clock killing marches and the week before calmly march the ball down the field on Auburn to win the game knowing their was no 2nd chance with a national title shot on the line.

Average time of possesion can be misleading if the other team gets the ball on 35 or better after a kick off or their on side of the field after a turnover. We all know how UGA did on turnover marging.

My point every unit takes the blame for underachieving and ever unit takes credit in the wins. You can not ignore any phase of the game at this level.

On Logan, transferring in D1 is more less out. I say move him to WR if he wants otherwise he is looking at dropping down a level if he wants playing time. I will say I was looking forward to Logan more so than Murray.

Anonymous said...

If Murray is really our guy but we want Gray to stay, I think we should allow Logan to play on the third series of each game like Shockley did (for different reasons). This will give Logan experience to fill in if necessary, if may induce him to stay, and it will limit the number of potential hits that Murray will have to take- reducing the odds.

Anonymous said...

Hairy Dawg is a costume ? WTH ??

Anonymous said...

I would love to say, "It doesn't matter how UGA's offense got into this position." But that would be a blatant lie. The thing about the current QB situation that really scares me is that isn't the 1st time UGA has been here in recent history (3rd by my count). Texas and Alabama are two programs that don't seem to have this problem at QB. Going back to Joe T., 3 times in such a short period of time is a trend. What type of planning are other programs doing that UGA isn't? Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Pore Performance! Coach Richt is an incredible coach and has an unbelievable track record with QBs and in almost no way is part of this problem. To me it seems like a recurring recruiting problem. David Hale, my question is this- What in your opinion does the UGA Football team need to do to avoid these situations at QB again (probably two more times if you look at recent history) in the next five years?

newdonkey said...

I'm probably not the only one to figure that Logan won't make any decisions before Friday, when we find out if he's likely to be ranked third next year behind another heralded 5-star recruit.

Gray has earned the right to do whatever he wants, but I do hope he stays instead of strutting his stuff before 5,000 fans at some small-college venue. But whatever he does, we should be eternally grateful if, in fact, his noises about leaving the QB position led to the recruitment of Mason, who might spare us the ordeal of starting a walk-on against SEC competition. It would be extremely cool, of course, to win that way, but so would the spectacle of pigs flying.

Anonymous said...

I think what put us in this QB conundrum was Mettenberger. Had he not gotten kicked off the team we would not have a QB problem.

Gov Milledge said...

At the end of the day, I think Richt will bite the bullet and let Logan move to WR, if that is what will keep him in the program.

Logan has 3 years of experience taking snaps within the program and would still be a viable option (more so than Bacarri) as a QB backup... whether as the 3rd string emergency or as #2 QB, depending on how Hutson progresses.

Either way, having Logan still within the program leaves us much better off than banking on an unknown walk-on and a true Freshman as our primary QB backup options.

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't recruiting a 5 star QB every other year be ideal? Redshirt the first year and then start as a redshirt sophomore. Or if the incumbent QB leaves school a year early, the new QB starts as a redshirt freshman. We do seem to have a bit of odd QB recruiting timing. Is this the year to sign our top eschalon QB recruit (Lemay, presumeably). Seems like next year would be better to give him 2 years of grooming and 2 years to start for UGA after Murray Graduates.
Having Green and Shockey and Green overlapping was a mistake. I would have loved for Shockey to start at least one more year. And knowing you were going to graduate Shockey, there was no viable QB and we ended up starting Stafford as a true freshman?

revdawg said...

Here's my humble "never played the game in college" idea:

Richt to Logan, "We'd like to move you to WR as your primary position. Every week we'll have a QB package for you of 6-7 plays (half/half run-pass). You'll start off the game as a normal part of the WR rotation. At some point during the game you'll move over to QB for a play or two while we keep the same personel in the game (Murray will just slide to wide-out on those plays) therefore not telling everyone in the stadium that we're about have you run a "wildcat" running play. You also may line-up in the normal under center formation and hand the ball off or go through the regular "check with me" progression at the line. Therefore giving less of an idication of what type of play we might be about to run.

I love Bobo but do wish we were a little less predictable on our "creative" stuff ... if that make sense ... like knowing that B Smith was PROBALY going to get the ball on some kind of reverse if he were in on offense, etc

Anonymous said...

The Herschel Walker comment shows the lack of understanding by you and/or some of our younger fans. Buck Belue was a very highly recruited qb out of Valdosta. He was a winner - didn't make mistakes and managed the game properly...and, yes, he made the throws when necessary. Herschel was unbelievable, but Belue doesn't get the credit he deserves for the tangible and intangible things he brought to that team. Can Murray do the same as a red-FR. Probably not, but I still think we are better than every team on our schedule this year with the exception of Florida...I'm counting that as a loss until we prove otherwise.

Anonymous said...

David are other schools having to kick players off the team like uga?
like Al Au etc? can you do a article on this subject.

Anonymous said...

QB is a very tricky thing now, especially with scholarships down to 85 and the longer season. I don't like having 4 QBs on scholarship. However if you sign one every other year and they don't pan out you have problems look OU with Bomar and LSU with Perilou (sp? and I'm not looking it up).

If you have 4 QBs you sacrifice depth at other positions. However with that depth as David said you can take weight off the QBs shoulders maybe not a SECCG trip but still respectable year. David rereading my 11:15 post I did not give you credit on that part of your article.

UGA69Dawg said...

First of all JTIII was a legacy, he was not a DI QB. Second, the too many good QB's for our own good started with Donnan. When QC came in we lost 2 QB's that played DI at other schools. Good QB's have big egos and want to play and play early. If you want to recruit them right you get one every other year so they are starting as true Jrs.

Where the heck is Hines Ward when we need him, never has UGA had that good a player at each skill position. You need a RB, old Hines could run it. You want a WR that will block like a fullback and make circus catches, Hines could do it. QB, Not a problem, he started his first game against Alabama and ended up passing for a school record yardage in the bowl game. I'm sorry to go old school but where the heck are all the Hines Ward's now.

Jack of All Fails said...

Is Richt implying that Logan would unlikely be good enough to bump any of the other, established WRs out of their starting positions, and unlikely to jump ahead of younger guys currently competing?

Jack of All Fails said...

And just to add to what I was just saying, do you get the feeling Richt really wants Gray to be his healthy backup quarterback, and just that?

David Hale said...

Honestly Layton, I don't know what to make of it. But Richt will be available tomorrow for media, so I'll be asking directly.

Anonymous said...

Georgia has routinely had some talented QB's, and I'm not sure they've always done great managing their QBs effectively. I don't think they've done too bad either. Stafford as a highly touted rookie was demoted to #3 (I think as a psychological ploy to get him more focused) in his freshmen pre-season year. Stafford seemed to respond and took the reins for good by the fourth game. Zach Mettenberger seemed to outperform statistically everyone this spring in the three scrimmages. Belue projected him as a co #1 with Murray, and other reputable sources said ZM had an NFL arm. ZM's demotion to #3 prior to his departure must not have gone over to well and now he is gone. He of course screwed up in Remerton several weeks earlier, but we may never know what the final straw was. However, ZM's gone now, which puts us in a predicament. However, it may also give ZM a chance to play somewhere else, and it may allow Georgia the chance to focus on the guy who has seemed to be the heir apparent (talent, maturity, knowledge, approach) all along.

Anonymous said...

That is just so much junk you write Mark Bradley that all that matters is just only Aaron Murray. How can you discuss little Aaron Murray without getting to the nitty-gritty that in fact he is 4.7 in the 40-yard dash which is slow by SEC standards at 198 lbs and short, who in high school was tackled by a lineman and injured, and who once he got on campus here, threw his arm out. How could Aaron Murray have been the best in practice all season last year, when he MISSED 21 practices because he THREW HIS ARM OUT ?

Matthew Stafford had 52 Interceptions and Fumbles in his 3 years here to only 52 Touchdown Passes.

It is just this thinking that had no Quarterback prepared for the 2006 season, the 2009 season we had played only Matthew Stafford so again we had no QB prepared, and now the 2010 season we failed to play Logan Gray now in his 4th season here more than a grand total of 12 passes with 0 touchdowns and only 5 completions along with his 2 interceptions. 4 of those 5 completions came against Tennessee Tech and the lone other completion was in the vols blow-out 45-19 in which Joe Cox threw 34 passes for a grand total of 146 yards only and again 2 more interceptions for Joe Cox.

We don't prepare Quarterbacks around here at all ever.

Logan Gray runs to the press every chance he gets to whine about this horribly under-achieving offensive coaching staff and their every decision. Joe Tereshinski III is our Starting QB 2006 and Joe Cox # 2 with Matthew Stafford # 3. God Almighty.

Joe Cox lost to Kentucky throwing only 12 completions out of 30 passes with 2 more interceptions. Every game Joe Cox threw more than 17 passes, he threw interceptions.

For example, Joe Cox lost to 3 teams who combined lost 17 games last year while none of the 3 were ranked in the Top 25 Final AP Poll, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Kentucky.

Aaron Murray is not going through this SEC season without getting injured, it is what he does so small and slow. All 5 deeper type passes in the G-Day Game were overthrown, he threw another interception to end the 3 Scrimmages with more Interceptions than Touchdown Passes, and we fumbled the football 5 times in the G-Day Game, this while we witnessed no Penalties called for anything, including punching one of our own teammates for holding him down when he was tackled. Our problem on Offense the last 4 years has been to not develop our Quarterbacks and this alone has led us to 5 SEC East Losses just these last 4 years, none of the 5 of whom are ranked in the Top 25 Final AP Poll.

Logan Gray is right and you are wrong again Mark Bradley that only Aaron Murray is all that matters for the next 4 years. Coach Richt and Mike Bobo have not done what is right for the TEAM, not preparing Quarterbacks to be ready to play around here. Now, of course, Logan Gray should do what IS best for the TEAM.

After 14 Losses just these last 4 years, no SEC Championship Game appearance even since 2005 and this is now 2010, the last thought Coach Richt’s Offensive Coaching Staff who all should have been fired can entertain is that we can just call this team this year, a young team with 14 Seniors and 5 Juniors all starters who will leave after this season, and that therefore we can just chalk this year up go 9-4 or 10-3 in 14-game seasons nowadays and call it a rebuilding year. The rebuilding year is next year.

David Hale, if you cannot say that Aaron Murray is injury-prone, I can. Why is it that Alabama and Florida with their great seasons last year COULD get a Quarterback prepared as back-up and here at UGA in a 5-Loss Season, we could not find the time to prepare a Quarterback AGAIN ? Logan Gray is right. You don’t know what Logan Gray or Zach Mettenberger might have done in the 5-Losses we suffered last year and 14-Losses now just the last 4 years here.

I am sorry David Hale, but I agree with Logan Gray, and therefore disagree with Mark Bradley.

Cojones said...

I didn't count Anon's clicks above, but you wouldn't accept my 4,096 clicks yesterday where I said pretty much the same. I thought that your's and Bradley's column were insensitive to a fine player and person who strived and succeeded. Both of you gave Logan an undeserved kick in the teeth. Put yourself in Logan's place just once. Quit overreporting Aaron to the underreporting of Logan's exploits. Your writings of favoritism serve to take the competitive air out of players and the team. Both you and Bradley blithefully ignore that Logan may be the glue that may move this team better than Aaron since you say that passing isn't as important as running, therefore Aaron won't sit back and take the hit when he can just handoff to the running backs. So can Logan with the additional factor that he is mobile to avoid the tacklers in order to get a long ball off and/or can run with it. You both castrate your own words and meanings.

David, you are much better than this as validated through your article on Robinson. Is it so hard to write as sensitively for Logan Gray? Everyone is also writing from a "using" standpoint for Gray. It denigrates him as a player and hurts him as a competitive person of great value to our team.

David Hale said...

Cojones -- I'm sorry you see it that way, but I make no apologies for how I wrote or reported any of this. The FACTS are that Logan is currently No. 2 on the depth chart, that there is a reason Aaron is ahead of him, that Aaron has been in the system two fewer years and is still ahead of him and that Logan is the one considering a transfer.

If Logan had done anything to give me reason to report that he deserved to be ahead of Aaron, that's what I'd report. But right now, the facts don't support that story, and therefore I won't write it. It's no different than if I were to write that Abry Jones is ahead of Derrick Lott -- every bit of info we've gotten says it's true. That's what I have to write. If Logan wants to step up, then that's on him. It's not my job to be his cheerleader.

And the difference between my post and Bradley's is that I'm saying IT DOES MATTER if Logan leaves.

Cojones said...

My references were to past writings and writer's references to favor Murray in the middle of competition. The end result was to proclaim Murray as THE QB and Logan was a failure. Logan's work and improvement were slightly mentioned whereas there was a great deal more to tout for him as was the case with Murray. Why don't you reverse the circumstances for the G-Day Game(and please spare us the approbation that this game is not the full body of work, it didn't matter, Murray had a bad day from normal, etc.)and just reverse the names in your writeups. Just try it. My intention here is not to promote Logan beyond what he has accomplished or to not say that Murray is undeserving. He is deserving. My point is that in your haste to prove your prediction, you trashed a good person and player during and right after competition. Logan comes out feeling like the 4th QB instead of a deserving 2nd that we would like to see on the field as well. Logan didn't attend the QB meetings regularly last year because we know that he was trying to make a difference elsewhere and it cost him the time you claim has been available for him to overcome Murray. I simply want a fair shake in the press for a loyal athlete who has endeavored. I've reread my posting and I see nowhere did I say that Logan should be the QB in place of Murray. My writing skills are poor, but nowhere does it say that Logan should be the starter at this time. You, Belue, Robinson, Coleman plus others (and now Bradley) have been on the Murray bandwagon and have accentuated his accomplishments. Many of us know those accomplishments and can't wait for him to QB this team. Logan Gray deserves the same, not in a promotional sense, but one of a complimentary sense. Your acclaims of "I told you so" don't have to lessen another player's accomplishments. Just switch the names and see how it reads. You are a good writer and you have proven in print that you are a caring and good person. Honing that position always helps. Receiving nothing but candy from your readers is a poor diet and tends to make you toothless as you grow older.