From Athens- Friday Thoughs

yd1 makes a great point - everyone is the best college football head coach on earth, including me, until they have to put on the headset on Saturday. Trying to say how you woulda, shoulda, coulda done it better is always easier, especially two years after the fact - you can make the W/L record whatever you think it "woulda" been if they had just done what you think they "coulda" and "shoulda".

However.

I'm not upset about a down year every so often. One of my earlier posts, I pointed out that we have had excellent QBs and a few "fillers" from time to time, while we sort out who will be the next "great" QB. So letting Hutson have his time at the helm didn't bother me so much. In fact, I can't really lay a single loss at HMs feet last year, honestly.

What BOTHERS me is that we CURRENTLY do not have any IDEA who the next great QB is going to be, and may not even know who the STARTER will be this fall, until sometime in August! Instead, the "buzz" is about some high school junior in Washington state, who will (understandably) be stumbling through the fall of 2016 during his freshman year (assuming he wins the starting job), giving away games to teams we "shoulda" beat (remember when Stafford and Murray were freshmen?).

Remember this . . . Aaron Murray finished his career as a 5th year senior, year before last. And (apparently) the best guy we had to take his place was Hutson Mason. Fine. But we platooned Greene and Shockley, and if you recall, alternated QBs during Matt Staffords freshman year (or at least there was no clear "starter" per se, for much of that year).

I have defended CMR more than probably anyone on the board - and I'm still not necessarily calling for his job - yet (mostly because I honestly can't name who I would replace him with - I'm definitely NOT the best AD on earth).

But now, for the first time in a LONG, LONG time, I honestly don't feel we will be competitive in 2015. Or 2016. Say what you will about the past few years, but at least we were COMPETITIVE for the SEC, and even the NC (once). 2017 is a LONG time to wait.

yd1 - I will sincerely ENJOY eating my words this December if/when we whoop up on "whoever" shows up from the West and we fret over our playoff opponent!

2007 is the last legit team to contend for the NC. Can say what ever we want about the 5 yards away but the fact is the Tide kicked or butts in the 4th quarter to the tune of 150+ yards on the ground and once again as in the past (and future) stoopid coaching cost us from playing Notre Dame for the trophy. Hind sight is 20/20 but since the debacle against Carolina(stoopid coaching), the gaytors(unprepared) and Tech(pooch) CMR tenure as HC is indefensible. Giving players like JTIII, Cox, and Mason the starting job just because of longevity is also indefensible. Mason was told the job was his if he would take a redshirt no matter who was on the roster behind him. That is also indefensible and unfair to the other QB's. Now the media(with help from some coaches no doubt) are being told that the savior is coming and we are 2 years away. Indefensible. I have never said I was very smart or smarter than any of our coaches I just observe and speak.

ogredawg, hard to disagree with the obvious.

thriller, I appreciate your post, many parts are agreeable points, hard for all to be on the same page.

Have to ask this question and I pulled this from your post.

But now, for the first time in a LONG, LONG time, I honestly don't feel we will be competitive in 2015. Or 2016. Say what you will about the past few years, but at least we were COMPETITIVE for the SEC, and even the NC (once). 2017 is a LONG time to wait.

Here is my question, asked only because I want to be sure of the meaning to the above italicized paragraph.

Why in your opinion do you feel that we will not be competitive the next two years?

That question is asked out of respect for your opinion, and I value your opinion. Maybe competitive is too strong a word, maybe another 8/9 win season which many have come to accept as ok? That is a guess on my part.

Orgredawg. and Thiller. Good follow up posts. Will ask this. Move USC to a win

Then the question if we a a BR or FB against UT. 3 point game. A pick 6 and we swapped

USC for UT. Saying we would have won all our other games with adifferent QB is a leap.

Which you could add the question. Why not. A win at UF. More out of the offense might have

Picked the defense up...... fun guessing. .... can't change one thing without effecting change or

As the say unintended consequences. which can be with good or bad results

Go Dawgs

YD1 with the talent at RB hard to say that we really should have lost any of the games other than the gaytors. That one I will lay squarely on the defensive coaches for not having them prepared. Losing to that caliber of a gaytor team was by far the worse loss we suffered all year. The other 2 were lost by piss poor coaching decisions.

Ogre. Agree we stunk it up on D. Big time. Sadly the O was also lifeless. We tried to mail it

In from Athens without success. I would be surprised no disappointed if we had a repeat

This year. Go Dawgs