CAN AARON MURRAY STAND THE HEAT OF THIS GEORGIA SUMMER?

Spring practice 2010 ended and everyone anxiously awaited news as Coach Richt prepared to release his post-spring depth chart that would include a ranking of each of the three quarterbacks vying to land the starting spot for the DAWGS this season. Well, a lot changed before that could happen. Zach Mettenberger was dismissed from the team and…then there were two. Coach Richt dropped his list on us and red-shirt freshman Aaron Murray sat on top with Logan Gray coming in at number two. Soon thereafter we learned that Gray was considering a transfer to another school in search of playing time and what had been a three-man race was suddenly perilously close to becoming a one-man option. I created more than a little nervousness for this member of the DAWG Nation flooded with ideas of security coming only with my visions of Murray being tied to a wheelchair, wrapped in bubble wrap and rolled into a man-sized safe until the season opener. Eventually we found out that Gray had decided to stay and that he had done so for all the right reasons. For a moment I was easing back towards some level of comfort worried only that this now rekindled quarterback derby could possibly drag into the season, thus mucking up my preferred option of a clear-cut starter being solidified prior to the season’s opening kick-off. Then I heard that Gray and Richt were seeing eye-to-eye on a position switch to WR and I quickly reverted back to my paranoid ways, looking for all the bubble wrap I could find to ship to Athens.

An unforeseen byproduct of this melodrama playing out was that I found myself concerned that by moving to WR, Gray may have once again derailed himself in his attempts to see the field. Gray sacrificed valuable practice time at quarterback during his early years in the Classic City working on special teams units in an effort to help the team win and get in the game sooner. It is my opinion that this hurt his development in the long run when it came to competing for the starting quarterback position. His employing the “TEAM me” philosophy came back to bite him in the end. Now Gray hopes to make an impact at WR this fall, while still remaining an “emergency” option at quarterback (as I see it now). His actual practice time at each/either position is still to be determined.

Now there is a chance that this will work out well for everyone involved. Georgia needs every player that will to step up and be a reliable option at WR this fall. Gray has the athletic ability necessary to be a viable option, but will his knowledge of the passing game translate to him running good routes or catching a ball in traffic? I guess we will all find out together. There are recent success stories to turn to for hope in this scenario. At Kansas, Kerry Meier moved to WR after Todd Reesing was tabbed as the starter at quarterback and Meier was just drafted in the fifth round (165th overall pick) of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons…one round and 26 picks ahead of college teammate and full-time WR Dezmon Briscoe (6th rd, 191st overall pick). I just hope that Gray, by making this move at this point in his career, can still salvage some meaningful game action and help the DAWGS win and that he won’t just end up spending another year languishing…torn and straddling that line between two positions and not giving himself a good opportunity to succeed at one.

As for Murray, it’s his show. If he thought summers were hot in Tampa, just wait until he experiences this one. I know that young trigger man Hutson Mason is on his way to campus in a few weeks, but assuming Gray will be given every chance to make a successful move to WR, we all know that Murray will be the DAWGS starting quarterback in the fall. I’m a little torn with this situation. I’m glad it looks like there will be a definitive starter at QB headed into the fall and that Murray will have every opportunity to grow into his role as a leader of the team, but the DAWGS are now seriously lacking in not only experience at the position but sheer numbers as well.


Courtesy Dawgpost.com


It is a simplistic view to be sure, but if “should” and “ought to” write the story of the 2010 Georgia campaign Murray should benefit from being the only new starter on the offensive eleven and he ought to benefit greatly from a deep and veteran offensive line, a talented set of skill players and an aggressive defense that promises to provide several more offensive possessions as a result of the takeaway than last year’s offensive squad had. Murray’s job…make good decisions with the football, let your play-makers make plays for you and don’t turn the ball over. Sounds simple enough, but I have feeling that as good as we all believe Murray to be (because we’ve been told so by the coaches and seemingly everyone else) there still will not be much that qualifies as simple for the DAWGS new signal caller.

I’ve tried to express my feelings about Georgia’s current quarterback situation, but I really believe this is just the beginning. I am only one person. Just one DAWGS fan with one a lonely opinion. I deeply appreciate each of you that choose to read my thoughts in this forum, but it is a small voice and it is only May. Very soon there will be writers with a much greater audience than mine and well known voices that perceivably carry a much greater weight than that which I employ here that will have their say on this topic. They will opine at a dizzying rate and their perspectives will cloud the DAWGosphere, rising high and growing dark like the storm clouds driven by the scorching temperatures of a Georgia summer’s day, blotting out most every ray of positivity from the bright and shining sun rising on the day that is Georgia’s upcoming football season with a storm of questioning doubt. Voices like mine that are reasonable but hopeful will be much like the whisper of a child…not discernible in the fury of the storm.

Whatever pressure Aaron Murray is feeling right now he should dismiss as a happy day in the park. His slate is clean and he stands at a fresh and new beginning. We in the DAWG Nation are hopeful and positive. Coaches Richt and Bobo have every faith that he will continue to grow and develop into the leader the DAWGS need him to be and Murray knows he has done it before. It is everyone not bleeding red and black, everyone not lucky enough to call the University of Georgia home and everyone in the national media ready to fall at the alter of Saban or cuddle up to the new batch of reptiles in Florida that will rain on Murray’s parade. I will be putting my faith in Murray’s self-confidence and Richt’s tutelage and experience to weather the storm, but make no mistake….there is a storm a comin’.

Glory, Glory.

DAWGS QB? YOU CAN FORGET METT

Courtesy UGASports.com

We may never know who was leading in the race to become the University of Georgia's starting quarterback in 2010, but one thing is for certain...the herd has definitely been thinned. This is the reality after the Mark Richt issued a statement Sunday saying that Redshirt Freshman Zach Mettenberger had been dismissed from the team.

Up until today, it had been a three man battle between Mettenberger, Logan Gray and Aaron Murray. As I type this, details are few as to exactly why Mettenberger is no longer with the team.

As we go forward, I have just a couple of thoughts in the immediate wake of the news.

1. Fewer players in the quarterback battle should mean more quality reps for the two main competitors for the job. This may have been the case anyway since Coach Richt had promised to issue a post-spring depth chart that would have set a pecking order for the quarterbacks, but now it is pretty much guaranteed. Hutson Mason will be on campus soon and he will compete, but barring disaster has virtually no chance of seeing the field for Georgia in 2010. From where I sit, I see this as a good thing. More clean reps split between two players that have been in the system for a while gives the DAWGS a better chance at settling on a clear starter prior to the beginning of the season. You always hate to lose a talented player, but this has happened before and will most likely (and unfortunately) happen again. If history has taught us anything, it is that the program is greater than any one player, that Coach Richt has a plan and that Georgia will be just fine.


2. Hutson Mason signing on to join the DAWGS back in February looks like a big pick-up, but Georgia should still look to sign at least one top-tier quarterback in the class of 2011. Like I stated above, the record-breaking Lassiter standout and Marietta native Mason will come in and compete, but unless Georgia suffers a freakish series of injuries at the position he doesn't figure to see the field in the fall. Mason was a late offer from Georgia in the last recruiting cycle. The DAWGS now do not have the luxury of waiting to get in on the nation's top signal callers in the class of 2011. So, it's a good thing the DAWGS are seemingly in good shape at this stage of the recruiting process with at least two of the top prep quarterbacks in the country. Given that Coach Richt has said repeatedly that he likes to have at least three or four quarterbacks ready to go at any point in a season to be comfortable, it would seem imperative at this point that Georgia sign at least one quarterback to avoid a numbers and talent crunch at the position in the future. The reality is that the DAWGS went from having three former Elite 11 quarterbacks on the roster to having two. So, given the track record of how the DAWGS recruit the position, there is no reason to believe that Georgia would pursue anything other than the top talent at the position to fill this need.

Finally, this dismissal of Mettenberger says something else about the Georgia program under Mark Richt. This is the second player dismissed from the team in the past month and in each case, the player in question was not just some guy on the team but a player that was in position to be a key contributor on the field in 2010. I see this as further proof that if Coach Richt feels it is best for the team, he will remove any player or person that is acting in a manner contrary to the standards established for the program regardless of name, position or affiliation. I believe this is as it should be.

Glory, Glory.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS IV

Coming into spring practice 2010, the widely held opinion was that Georgia’s most intriguing storyline would be how the DAWGS adjust to their new defensive coordinator, coaching staff and scheme OR how the competition at quarterback would play out. ‘Round these parts we believe in bone-rattling, will-breaking slap-yo-mamma and make you like it DEFENSE. Up to this point we have spent much more time talking about defensive line stunts and blitzing linebackers than who will be looking to take advantage of the opportunity to throw the ball to AJ Green or hand it off to Washaun Ealey and Caleb King. However, there is no denying the importance of the QB competition and we are just as interested in who ends up taking snaps in Athens the next few years as any other DAWG fan out there. The right to lead a team must be earned and between the lines…on the proving grounds…is the one and only place to stake a claim to the starting spot as the DAWGS top signal caller.

SPRING PROVING GROUNDS IV: QUARTERBACK

The coaching staff has thrown the competition to be Georgia’s starting quarterback open and it is a three-man race between Logan Gray (Jr), Zach Mettenberger (RFr) and Aaron Murray (RFr). Well, it was.

Mettenberger was arrested recently for underage consumption/possession of alcohol, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of possessing fake identification. Although there were times since the end of the 2009 season that I thought I was the only one in the DAWGosphere that gave Mettenberger any chance at all to compete with a real chance of earning playing time in the fall, it seems he has ended that talk all on his own. Given his physical skill set, I believe Mett may be the best pro prospect of the bunch down the line. However, given Coach Richt’s history of dealing with incidents like this one, a suspension is almost definitely in Mett’s future and the only question is how many games it will be. While I still expect Mett to become a fine football player possibly win the starting job outright in years to come, I believe any impending suspension will effectively eliminate Mett from consideration for the starting nod for the DAWGS to open the 2010 season.

That leaves Gray and Murray to battle it out.

I’ll admit that when Gray originally signed with Georgia I was excited at the prospect of the DAWGS having another QB with some mobility that would have a couple of seasons to learn the system before taking over as the starter, possibly much like DJ Shockley had done for the DAWGS a few years ago. Although he is a fine athlete, I don’t think I would put Gray in the same category as Shockley. To this point, we haven’t seen anything from Gray that would make those of us in the DAWG Nation clamor for him to be anointed the starter. Then again, Gray has not really had a chance to show what he can do when given a full opportunity to run the show. It is very possible that given the chance, Gray will step up and earn the right to lead the DAWGS this fall.


Courtesy Kelly Lambert

Murray seems to have it all…fantastic prep record (including returning from a broken leg to lead his team to a state championship as a senior), mobility, a better-than-average arm and reports are that he is a tireless student of the game. His toughness and work ethic alone are enough to garner my respect. Murray seems to have that unquantifiable quality known as “it” that makes a player special and it appears he is the odds-on favorite to earn the starting job in the season opener, even without having played a down at the collegiate level.


Courtesy Kelly Lambert

Much like the offensive line situation, quarterback play could prove to be the primary hindrance to an otherwise efficient Georgia offensive attack. If the DAWGS can determine at least a solid front-runner for the starting job during the spring, the more likely a starter can be installed in fall camp and the quicker the offense can find its rhythm once the season starts. In my opinion, this situation calls for decisive action from Coach Mike Bobo and Coach Mark Richt. Although there aren’t as many moving parts as the offensive line scenario, it is hard to argue that there is a more important position on an offense than quarterback. Everyone can say the right things about “doing what’s best for the team” and talk about how “each guy brings something special and different to the huddle” but an offense needs that leader…that one leader…to look to when the game is on the line. The sooner that leader steps to the front of the line and is identified by the coaching staff the better.

I have long held that if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one and I am always uneasy when I hear a coach say that he is open to any kind of quarterback rotation. Coach Richt is on record as saying that he is open to a rotation if necessary, but that he will name a starter if someone steps forward and earns the job outright. I really don’t think that will happen. This competition will head into fall camp. Best case scenario, the coaching staff will see enough in the spring to get a good idea about where the competition stands heading into the fall. From there, we will have to hope that the oppressive heat of a Georgia August will temper the mettle of the competitors and that the DAWGS coaching staff can then shape a leader of men that will be charged with leading the Silver Britches to victory “between the hedges” as well as bearing the weight of the crown of a nation longing to embrace him…the DAWG Nation.

Glory, Glory.