Quarterback questions abound in the SEC
I cannot remember the last time that the SEC had this many questions at the quarterback position as Spring practice draws to a close.
It’s just one man’s opinion, but:
**–There are only two solid locks returning at quarterback in this league.
**–There are four returning starters who I will call “on the bubble.”
**– There will definitely be six new starting quarterbacks in the SEC when the 2010 season starts.
Here’s the breakdown. Feel free to tell me where you agree or disagree:
THE LOCKS
These guys will go the distance if they stay healthy:
Greg McElroy, Alabama: Led his team to a national championship last season and is 29-0 as a starter dating back to high school. He completed almost 61 percent of his passes last season for 17 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Redshirt freshman AJ McCarron is the backup and is going to be very, very good.
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas: Mallett, who is sitting out the spring while recovering from foot surgery, led the SEC in passing (3,624 yards) with 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He should only be better in the second year working in Bobby Petrino’s offense. Mallett is the best NFL prospect in the league.
ON THE BUBBLE
These guys started a year ago and will start again. But there are no guarantees they will keep the job for the entire season:
Mike Hartline, Kentucky: Hartline, a rising senior, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game against South Carolina and was replaced by true freshman Morgan Newton. Hartline’s experience has given him an edge this spring but he will be pushed by Newton and sophomore Ryan Mossakowski. Newton gives the ‘Cats bigger play-making ability. He also makes more mistakes.
Jordan Jefferson, LSU: Jefferson (2,508 passing, 17 TD) has all kinds of talent but he is wildly inconsistent and I don’t believe the coaching staff trusts him enough to turn really him loose. He will start against North Carolina in the opener (Sept. 4 at the Georgia Dome) but watch this one closely. I’ve spoken to enough football people to believe that Jarrett Lee, who has had an up and down career, is talented enough to regain the job if he can find his confidence again. Lee has talent but has not been developed well.
Stephen Garcia, South Carolina: Coach Steve Spurrier has made no secret of the fact that he is not completely pleased with the junior from Tampa. Garcia’s numbers were decent (2,862 yards, 17 TD) but he still makes too many bad decisions (ninth in the SEC in passing efficiency) and doesn’t work hard enough in the off-season. Freshman Connor Shaw (from Flowery Branch, Ga.) played well in the spring and will push Garcia this summer. Garcia will be on a very short leash once the season begins.
Larry Smith, Vanderbilt: When Smith led the Commodores to a win over Boston College in the 2008 Music City Bowl, the coaching staff thought they had their quarterback of the future. But Smith (46.7 percent passing) and the Vanderbilt offense (ranked 110th nationally) struggled last season. JUCO transfer Jordan Rogers, freshman Charile Goro, and redshirt junior Jared Funk all got snaps in the final spring scrimmage. Head coach Bobby Johnson shook up his offensive coaching staff hoping to get more production so a change in quarterback could also be possible.
THE NEW GUYS
(Last year’s starter in parentheses)
Cameron Newton, Auburn (Chris Todd): The former Florida backup is a great athlete at 6-6, 247-pounds. He won a JUCO national championship and is going to get the chance to run Gus Malzahn’s spread offense. The coaching staff is mum on the subject but it’s hard to see Barrett Trotter, Clint Moseley or Neil Caudle running this offense better.
John Brantley, Florida (Tim Tebow): The junior had a good spring but that was expected. The unexpected news for the Gators this spring is how well freshman Trey Burton and tight end Jordan Reed can run the “Tebow package.” Florida can’t replace Tebow’s leadership and intangibles, but it looks like the offense is going to be very good again.
Aaron Murray, Zack Mettenberger, Logan Gray, Georgia (Joe Cox): Mettenberger has a very good arm, which he showed in the spring game. Gray is a versatile athlete who can do a lot of things. He is one of those “glue guys” who holds a team together. Yes, I know that the coaches are saying that the quarterback competition will carry over until this summer. But barring injury Murray, my Bulldog friends, will be your starting quarterback when the season begins on Sept. 4. He is the complete package. He has what (Duke coach) David Cutcliffe calls the “it” factor that good quarterbacks have.
Nathan Stanley, Ole Miss (Jevan Snead): Stanley has all but locked up the job because an expected challenge from redshirt freshman Raymond Cotton never materialized. Stanley, a redshirt sophomore, is an accurate passer with good mobility. Cotton, a redshirt freshman, is more mobile. JUCO transfer Randall Mackey will get in the mix this summer and could spice things up with this athleticism.
Chris Relf, Tyler Russell, Miss. State (Tyson Lee): Relf, a redshirt junior, played well in the 2009 season finale against Ole Miss (three touchdowns) and has had a very good spring. But Russell is a special talent and, after redshirting last season, is just too good to keep on the bench. Coach Dan Mullen is going to have some nice options in 2010.
Matt Simms, Tyler Bray, Tennessee (Jonathan Crompton): Nick Stephens, the only Tennessee quarterback with experience, has transferred leaving the field open for Simms, a junior college transfer, and Bray, a true freshman. With back-to-back games against Oregon and Florida in September, it’s hard to believe that Simms won’t start the first game if he stays healthy. With a very young offensive line, it could be tough sledding for whoever wins this job.
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230 comments Add your comment
Gunner Dog
April 14th, 2010
10:57 pm
relly, geno at u conn, or john wooden didn’t win a natl champ for 9 years or 15 years as a head coach. then they went on to get 7 (geno), or 10 (wooden). something clicked.
PMS
April 14th, 2010
11:06 pm
[P]atrick [M]artin [S]ulley…says it all, doesnt it??
Fatrick
April 14th, 2010
11:12 pm
no PMS it is FATRICK. He took his fat body off facebook and put on his truck.
Fatrick
April 14th, 2010
11:13 pm
Under CMR:
UGA is 14-11 against SEC east opponents the last 5 years.
UGA is 2-7 against Florida
UGA is 3-8 against Florida and Tenn. the last five years.
UGA is 2-3 against Tenn. the last five years.
UGA has never beaten won all its SEC east games in a season
UGA has never beaten Tenn and Fla in the same season
Ummm trend not looking good for the suntanned preacher.
Fatrick
April 14th, 2010
11:14 pm
CMR=nothing clicked.
UGA....Do Little University
April 14th, 2010
11:28 pm
Well Gunner Dog I’ll take the Gator 5th string QB (on your team)Brantley any day over your 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th string QBs and win yet another SEC East title after kicking your butt in Jax once again. Brantley throws 4 TDs or more in that game. Georgia plays all 4 better “string” QBs and still lost by 35 to the Gators. And Georgia fans look forward to blogging about how good their team is again next spring. Same old story. Blah..Blah…Blah. Maybe you guys can wear retro Gold helments this year…and you can dream about being good back in the good old days.
AltamahaDawg
April 14th, 2010
11:33 pm
The implication that Murray is injury prone is such a huge reach. Somebody hitting and rolling your ankle to the point of dislocating and breaking a bone is “prone” to nothing. And if you don’t actually think his unbelievable rehab is way more telling about the kid than the fact that he has human bones in his ankle, you are missing the point to the story.
A completely side note would be the 4 TDs he had before the half in that game.
The tendenitus would seem to be more of a training/condition issue than an injury. I would venture to say he has thrown thousands more balls since then, than he would have leading up to that. If he was prone, or had some issues, he would be more likely to have tendenitus NOW, not then.
Fatrick
April 14th, 2010
11:43 pm
altamaha, instead of the injury bug, you ought to be concerned about him being a midget that cant see over the line; like in saturdays interception.
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
12:36 am
just because Brantley went 58% completion in the 3 spring scrimmages, with 26 sacks, and 8 fumbles, and 2 interceptions, and sat the bench for 2 years, doesn’t mean he’s a bad qb. It means he’s great, right?
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
12:37 am
If Murray gets injured, we’ve got 2 other Elite 11 qb’s to take his place, and a parade all-american who threw for 4500 yards and 55 td’s his senior year. we’ll bo ok. what if brantley gets injured, the tighe end gonna play qb? haa haa haa haa
PMS
April 15th, 2010
1:50 am
Does “Fatrick” really now have a picture of his pickup truck on his Facebook?? Does it have a gunrack or a dead moose in the bed??. The first time I tried to click on to see what the dude looked like, my computer almost came down with a some kind of weird sexually transmitted virus.
UGA....Do Little University
April 15th, 2010
6:20 am
Gunner: As Tony said freshman Trey Burton looked good and like a seasoned vetern running the offense this spring. And Jordan Reed was a QB before moving to TE. He runs the wildcat from the QB position and can throw the ball too. If Brantley played for Georgia and got hurt, there would be a big drop off to any of your 4-deep QBs. The Gators would do fine with Burton and Reed as a backup. The Gators also have another duel-threat QB coming in this summer.
GatorNation
April 15th, 2010
6:27 am
UGA starting a Frosh QB. In for a long year guys. Everyone will stack the box and dare you guys to pass. As someone said earlier, 3rd & 20 and Bobo calls for the draw. Good luck.
GatorNation
April 15th, 2010
6:31 am
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
12:37 am
If Murray gets injured, we’ve got 2 other Elite 11 qb’s to take his place, and a parade all-american who threw for 4500 yards and 55 td’s his senior year. we’ll bo ok. what if brantley gets injured, the tighe end gonna play qb? haa haa haa haa
College is a whole lot different than HS. Yea, Gray was spectacular last year. Couldn’t even beat out the pitiful Cox.
Bulldog59
April 15th, 2010
6:37 am
The two QB systems rarely have sustained success, but Meyer is talking about the second QB having a very small and defined role, flashback to Leak/Tebow. It’s a tall order to expect Burton to bullrun like Tebow, push the pile, and move the chains. The key to beating UF is minimizing those situations, keeping UF’s O in third and 5+. To do that, pressure Brantley and the O, don’t let them get in a rhythm. It will be interesting to see if this kid is as good as advertised and if he can have sustained success in “real” game situations, not just mop-up duty.
kaput
April 15th, 2010
7:24 am
Some players are injury, they just are. Regardless of the injury, things happen to certain players more than others. Perhaps it has to do with on the field awareness or poor body positioning but some guy just can’t avoid injuries.
Murray has a history. That’s not to say that he was get hurt again but to discount it completely is naive.
UGA fans leave Foley Field in 5th innning
April 15th, 2010
9:04 am
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
!!–25-6–!!
Da truth
April 15th, 2010
9:43 am
yep. ed…i hope GA gets to play Bama in SECG as well. With the easy schedule…decent QB play should put them there.
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
9:48 am
no way i’d bet against mark richt after a bad season. so far, every time in his career that has happened, he finished the seaosn in the top 3 in the nation.
if bloggers arn’t worried about georgia, why spend hours a day here? being truthful?
if meyer isn’t afraid of richt, why schedule georgia, and NOT bama on the 2 week bye?
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
9:49 am
wonder why meyer recurited murray so hard if he’s “injury prone”? must not be a smart coach.
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
9:50 am
if murray gets injured, we have a guy who beat him AND BRANTELY’s stats in the spring scrimmages waiting in the wings.
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
9:51 am
tebow wasn’t injury prone, and he ran the ball a lot, right? murray scored over 60 td’s in 1 year and accounted for over 5000 yards and 2 state championships, i’d say that’s pretty decent at being durable.
Gunner Dog
April 15th, 2010
9:52 am
wouldn’t bet againt richt coming off a bad season. richt always finished in the top 3 in the nation in those years. 2010 is one of those 3 seasons that’s happened, the other 2 were 2001 & 2006, both times, richt finished #1 in the sec east.
pat sulley
April 15th, 2010
9:58 am
UNDER Richt
Vs. SEC foes: 52-23
.
Vs. Top 25 foes: 29-18
.
Vs. Top 25 foes away from home: 18-12
.
Vs. Top 10 foes: 8-6
.
In postseason games (bowls and championships): 9-3
.
In games decided by a touchdown or less: 34-14
.
Record at home: 46-10
.
Record on the road: 42-6 (including bowl games)
.
Losses to unranked teams: 6
.
Top 25 finishes: 8
.
Top 10 finishes: 6
.
Fact:………UGA was 12-1 in 2002 (prior to bowl selections)
.
Fact ………Fla was 12-1 in 2006 (prior to bowl selections)
.
Fact ………Not UGAs fault there were 2 unbeatens that year. “unlucky”
.
Fact……….Not Flas credit that there was only one unbeaten in 2006. “Lucky”
.
Fact:………Luck (not merit) had more to do with Fla getting an invite to the BCS not that Fla was more deserving to go to a NC than UGA with identical records.
.
Fact:………No SEC team has ever lost a BCSNC game and if UGA would have been invited nothing indicates that it would have been different
.
Fact……….UGA has 2 SEC titles..same as Fla in last 9 years and equal amount of total wins (90) over all.
.
Fact……….UGA has been ranked more times top ten in last 9 years than any SEC team at 6. Fla has only been ranked top ten 3 times in 9 years (real impressive).
.
Fact……….In 9 years under Richt the only SEC team with more wins is LSU
Fact………..UGA has won 4 str8 bowls….more than any other SEC team.
.
Fact……..UGA has won 11 of last 13 bowls…Thats more than any team (tied with LSU and more than FLA)
.
Fact…… UGA has won 8 or more games in last 13 years…more than any other team in the nation including Fla.
.
Fact…….UGA is clearly as good or better than any SEC team over last 9 years. Only a fool or a fan of the mythical BCSNC selection process (non playoff) would think otherwise.
.
Fact…….UGA had same record when they won the SEC title in 2002 as Fla did in 2006/8 when they won the SEC title. But UGA had the misfortune (luck) to have that record in a year that had 2 other teams with undefeated records.
Hardly an indictment on UGA but rather on the NC selection process.
6 times finished in the top 10
2 times finished in the top 3
3 SEC Championship Appearances
2 SEC Titles
3 BCS Bowls
2 Sugar Bowl wins
90-27 record over 8 seasons – 79% winning percentage (one of only 7 in the history of college ball to have ever accomplished this)
4 str8 bowl wins
7-2 in bowls (big games)
Mark Richt coached QB coach for Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke = 2 Heismans; Head Coach for David Greene = all time winningest college QB until Colt McCoy this year); and coached Matthew Stafford = very rich #1 draft pick)
No Probations
He has my respect.
Period.
CLEVON LITTLE
April 15th, 2010
10:29 am
TONY, Of COURSE you believe Murray will be the starter in game 1: Mettenberger is SUSPENDED. Wow, what a genius.
Have you seen this kid play??? I saw him play in the Army All-American game & the G-day game. Not impressed at all, so not sure what ‘IT’ factor he has (unless throwing the pick Sat is ‘IT’).
Dawg Trainer
April 15th, 2010
10:31 am
Looks like the Dawgs have been properly trained by the other posters. My services aren’t required. Carry on!
Well CLEVON, let me tell the rest of the story...
April 15th, 2010
3:03 pm
So you weren’t impressed w/ Murray at the Army All-American game, it’s no wonder, because Murray had his left ankle immobilized w/ a brace that hindered him from stepping forward to make a pass…he shouldn’t have played in the playoff game leading up to the states, yet he did…he shouldn’t have played in the states,yet he did…why? because he’s a gamer, a leader, he’s a great teammate, but he’s knot head IMHO…any normal person would have stayed off of a broken leg and allowed it to heal completely, but Murray started working with the therapist as soon as they would allow…this allowedhim to maintain as much leg strength as possible, then he pushed the therapist to allow him to do more and more, until the bone had healed, but the ankle was still weak…yea, he played, what a jerk, who would ever want a player of this caliber…who would want a guy who puts the team before his own safety and lead them to the state championship on one leg…just think if Bryce Brown would have actually tried a little harder for that first pass instead of just letting up, maybe that would have changed your mind…Murray is a stand up guy and you’ll come to find this out, be glad you have him…
BuLLdawg
April 17th, 2010
5:14 am
You don’t know what you are talking about Tony Blowhart.
You never do.
Aaron Murray is too often injured AND too small AND too slow a runner at 4.7 (linemen in The SEC are that fast) to make up for his lower percentage completions than Zach Mettenberger, one fifth the TD passes of Zach Mettenberger, and 3 times as many interceptions as Zach Mettenbergerin all the scrimmages.
Further, while you flail away who is the best QB, it seems the coaches themselves are NOT SO CONVICED as you.
You cannot look at these 2 QB and say that Aaron Murray will even be drafted, while you most assuredly can say that Zach Mettenberger will be.
Then, there is your opinion, not swayed by the facts.
BuLLdawg
April 17th, 2010
6:25 am
Date Opponent (record) Result Score Site
11/21/2009 vs. Kentucky (7-6) L 27 34 home loss 1
10/3/2009 vs. Louisiana State (9-4) L 13 20 home loss 2
11/29/1008 vs. Georgia tek (9-4) L 42 45 home loss 3
09/27/2008 vs. Alabama (12-2) L 30 41 home loss 4
09/8/2007 vs. South Carolina (6-6) L 12 16 home loss 5
10/7/2006 vs. Tennessee (9-4) L 33 51 home loss 6
10/14/2006 vs. Vanderbilt (4-8) L 22 24 home loss 7
11/12/2005 vs. Auburn (9-3) L 30 31 home loss 8
10/9/2004 vs. Tennessee (10-3) L 14 19 home loss 9
09/8/2001 vs. South Carolina (9-3) L 9 14 home loss 10
11/10/2001 vs. Auburn (7-5) L 17 24 home loss 11
QUOTE :
by
pat sulley
April 15th, 2010 9:58 am
UNDER Richt
.
“Record at home: 46-10″
WHICH of the 11 HOME LOSSES in the Coach Richt Era of 9 years, DOES NOT COUNT ?
56-19 Florida last 9 years (Coach Richt Era) vs SEC foes 2 N.C.
53-23 LSU last 9 years (Coach Richt Era) vs SEC foes 2 N.C.
52-23 UGA last 9 years (Coach Richt Era) vs SEC foes 0 N.C.
Tell me again how Coach Richt 2-7 vs. Florida is BETTER than Florida who has 2 N.C. while Coach Richt does NOT have MORE WINS or FEWER LOSSES than Florida ?
Tell me again how Coach Richt is BETTER than LSU who has 2 N.C. while Coach Richt has FEWER WINS and does not have FEWER LOSSES than LSU, either ?
.91-27 LSU last 9 years all games total wins overall 2 NC
90-27 Florida last 9 years all games total wins overall 2 NC
90-27 UGA last 9 years all games total wins overall 0 NC
26 Home Wins LSU last 9 years vs SEC foes
24 Home Wins Florida last 9 years vs SEC foes
24 Home Wins Auburn last 9 years vs SEC foes
23 Home Wins Tennessee last 9 years vs SEC foes
22 Home Wins Alabama last 9 years vs SEC foes
22 Home Wins UGA last 9 years vs SEC foes.
But, you come running in here telling us that Coach Richt has the best home record in The SEC in the Coach Richt Era.
B.S.
9-3 Florida Neutral site games last 9 years vs SEC foes
3-1 LSU Neutral site games last 9 years vs SEC foes
1-0 Auburn Neutral site games last 9 years vs SEC foes
1-1 Alabama Neutral site games last 9 years vs SEC foes
4-8 UGA Neutral site games last 9 years vs SEC foes
.
.
91-27 LSU last 9 years all games total wins overall 2 NC
90-27 Florida last 9 years all games total wins overall 2 NC
90-27 UGA last 9 years all games total wins overall 0 NC
90-27 minus your 88-15 leaves OUT 2-12
“Record on the road: 42-6 (including bowl games)”
YOU SAY 42-6 on the road, and 46-10 at home.
Add it up nimrod. 88-16 according to you is what Coach Richt is, yet we all know he is 90-27, averaging 10 wins in 14-game seasons nowadays.
+90-27
-88-16
2-9
Where is the 2-9 ?
We all know he is 4-8 on neutral site games, 2-7 vs Florida and 2-1 SEC CG.
YOU SIT THERE AND MAKE THIS CRAP UP.
When I correct you each time, you MAKE UP MORE LIES.
And, change your handle embarrassed as patrick.
.
“Losses to unranked teams: 6″
ANOTHER LIE.
Coach Richt has LOST TO 8 TEAMS not ranked in the Top 25 Final AP Poll the year he LOST.
.
.
Coach Richt Era compared to. Final AP Poll Top 25 teams :
1-LOST 2009 to Oklahoma State, UNRANKED Final AP Poll Top 25.
2-LOST 2009 to vols UNRANKED 7-6 team otherwise not winning record.
3-LOST 2009 to Kentucky UNRANKED 7-6 team otherwise not winning record.
4-LOST 2007 to South Carolina UNRANKED 6-6 not even in bowl game.
5-LOST 2006 to Vandie UNRANKED a 4-8 team for God’s sake. B.S.
6-LOST 2006 to Kentucky UNRANKED Vandie and KY not good teams.
7-LOST 2002 to Florida UNRANKED and still LOST. David Greene.
8-LOST 2001 to Auburn UNRANKED 7-5 team. David Greene.
Which TWO (2) of these 8 LOSSES to teams NOT RANKED in the Top 25 of the Final AP Poll the year Coach Richt LOST to them, DO NOT COUNT ?
.
.
“Fact……….UGA has 2 SEC titles..same as Fla in last 9 years and equal amount of total wins (90) over all.”
We are 2-7 vs. Florida in the Coach Richt Era with 0 N.C. while Florida has 2 of the last 4 N.C. Coach Richt does NOT have MORE WINS or FEWER LOSSES overall than Florida, and LSU has MORE WINS than Coach Richt who also does NOT HAVE fewer losses than LSU either.
.
“Fact…….UGA is clearly as good or better than any SEC team over last 9 years.”
B.S.
LSU has been better.
Florida has been better.
And, now Alabama has passed us by too.
.
“No Probations”
Curious comment when only Alabama is ON PROBATION in Football as we speak in The SEC, especially given the 92 arrests / suspensions in the Coach Richt Era.
The biggest problem with Coach Richt is his COACHING STAFF, all of them, not just the Defensive Coaching Staff he just fired all of, not just the Special Teams’ Coaching Staff he just fired all of, but MOSTLY the Offensive Coaching Staff whom Coach Richt has now announced in public he is taking over ALL THE RESPONSIBILITIES of the Offensive Coaching Staff.
We are in decline having not even been to The SEC Championship Game since 2005.
The SEC is better than us.
Glaringly.
And, outside The SEC there are another 10 teams doing FAR BETTER than Coach Richt too.
# 96 NCAA Rank Penalties average every year of the last 4 years
14 Interceptions average every year of the last 4 years
21 Fumbles average every year of the last 4 years
14 LOSSES the last 4 years, fired Donnan for 13 his last 4 years
10-10 vs SEC East the last 4 years
BuLLdawg
April 17th, 2010
6:38 am
pat sulley
or
patrick
or
whatever handle you use NEXT,
Look, UGA is not better or as good as the other SEC teams.
And, as for your “FACTS” all LIES, one would THINK that IF I do the
RESEARCH
for YOU
and, CORRECT YOU
in PUBLIC
making a FOOL of yourself
that the least you could do, would be to CORRECT your boilerplate of
ALL
LIES.
Instead, you leave me with the OBVIOUS
more LIES
that you think Coach Richt is the best coach in The SEC
that he is doing BETTER than Florida and LSU
And, now Alabama too.
He is NOT.
And all of us are frustrated with his results in fact.
Coach Richt is on the hot seat, and after this season graduates 14 seniors he loses and 5 juniors will be gone too – so NEXT YEAR after this year is going to be MORE of the SAME.
No QB prepared 2006, 2009 and now again in 2010.