Found this article on another site. Just another one of us \"commoners\" that seems to have some of the same opinions. News on UGA seems to be coming from all directions. That is the love that all of us have for UGA.
This article was picked up from The Grit Tree.
On Cox and Murray
Published November 3, 2009
I’ll be blunt: I think it is absolutely ridiculous that Joe Cox will continue to start at QB for the Georgia Bulldogs. Cited as “the best chance to win”, Joe has proven that he too often makes the wrong decisions and is not athletic enough to be an SEC QB. Joe has not played like a 5th year Senior, but rather a skinny true frosh. If you have read anything I’ve written over the course of the year, you know that I have been a big supporter of Joe. I’ve wanted nothing more than for him to succeed. He did what he could do, waiting four long years to finally get his shot. Somewhere around the 4th Quarter in Jacksonville my patience with Joe finally ceded and I realized that it was time to move forward.
I truly feel that this is yet another example of CMR being too soft as HC. I understand that they know the players on this squad better than anyone, but in front of God and Bulldog Nation Joe Cox has proven that he is not a very good QB. Logan Gray may not be either, but we are not getting anywhere with Cox at the reigns.
It’s not time to throw in the towel on this season, but Joe has not won a game against a real good opponent yet (Arkansas and SC are not that great.) Against Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Florida and LSU Joe has proven that he is not the QB that we were hoping for, the QB who was so highly praised in the pre-season as being a great leader. We underestimated how badly we would miss #7.
So, you may ask, who do you suggest we start? Obviously Logan Gray has not progressed like our coaching staff had hoped, or he would have been given an opportunity already. All year long I said that we do not need to burn Aaron Murray’s redshirt, but now I have officially changed my mind.
My thoughts are tricky to explain, but I’ll give it my best shot. If Aaron Murray is as good as they say he is, then there is a chance that we will only have him for 3 seasons. While he probably wouldn’t leave after a redshirt sophomore year, he would very likely leave after a redshirt junior season. Of course, he may stay, but the chances that he would leave after a redshirt junior year would be greatly increased. So, in my thinking, the same would be true for a true junior/true senior year. His redshirt junior season would be his true senior season, and if he is a Stafford caliber player, he will probably bolt for the riches of the NFL. I would hate to get burned by a lack of playing time like we did with Moreno if this kid is that good. I at least think it’s worth a look.
To take this a tiny step farther, if Aaron Murray does not pan out to be the QB that Stafford or Shockley or any of our other greats were, I would like to find that out sooner rather than later. Further, if our coaches don’t think he will be, then I hope we have our eye on a kid in high school who is a 3 year type college kid. Whether we like kids leaving early or not, every program wants those type of athletes on their team.
I understand that Murray has been hampered by injury this year, but it is my understanding that he is now at 100%. Again, I struggle to fathom that Joe really does give us the best chance to win. Part of me wonders if CMR sees a little bit of Joe in himself. I don’t know, but at this point, Joe is better served being a mentor to these younger guys. With both David Greene and Matthew Stafford, we took our lumps early and then produced arguably 2 of the greatest QB’s in UGA history. I really feel that if Joe wants to be a leader, he should do like JT III and take a backseat to a more talented youngster. We have talent in the wings, and it takes some time to get used to the speed of SEC football. A game against Tennessee Tech would be a great place to get that first bit of experience. A win in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry would give a major boost of confidence. I think we have an opportunity here to really mold a solid young player into the face of our future, and we shouldn’t squabble this opportunity.
