Flash-mob hysteria, QB injuries and that other football
Why shouldn't Aaron Murray be able to enjoy a pick-up game? (AJC staff)
I was off Monday and away from the UGA blogosphere during the afternoon when the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it furor over Aaron Murray’s ankle set the Bulldog Nation atwitter — or, I should say, aTwitter.
So the ankle that “team sources” told a student journalist was broken in two places turned out to be merely sprained in a pick-up soccer game and no real threat to Murray’s status as Georgia’s starting quarterback. Stand down, Hutson Mason and Christian LeMay.
What was most interesting to me coming in on this flap after it was over was seeing some fans harumphing about how Murray was irresponsible and shouldn’t have been playing soccer or any other nonfootball sport where he risked injury, to begin with.
Listen, if you’re going to try and make bubbleboys out of UGA’s “franchise” athletes, you might as well also ban them from riding those scooters that are the preferred mode of transportation around campus for today’s Bulldogs. Riding in Athens traffic is a lot more dangerous than playing soccer.
Besides, that sort of thinking ignores the fact that these kids are, for the most part, athletes, not just football players. Many of them grew up playing more than one sport. Mark Richt certainly recognizes this, as we’ve seen with the diving excursions and having the team play ultimate frisbee after practice for fun and fellowship. Guess what, many of them shoot hoops when they get a chance, too. They’re college kids, let them have some semblance of a normal life!
The other thing that struck me was the way the Murray incident brought to the surface that streak of latent soccerphobia that seems to permeate a certain strata of Southern sports fans and sportswriters. So we’re told that Murray getting hurt is one more knock on a game that ought to be reserved for kids or “furriners.”
You can thank soccer for giving us Kevin Butler. (University of Georgia)
I’ve never really understood the irrational fear and loathing that soccer engenders in some folks around here, unless it’s just because in the grand scheme of the “beautiful game” Americans aren’t worldbeaters. Sort of like the way some Georgia fans have always tended to put down “basketball schools.”
Just remember this about soccer, though. UGA folk hero Kevin Butler was all-state in that other football for Redan High and without his soccer skills, he no doubt never would have made that 60-yarder against Clemson, gotten a Super Bowl ring and been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
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— Bill King, Junkyard Blawg
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196 comments Add your comment
Ed Pilcher
February 23rd, 2011
8:30 am
Like I used to tell my Thomas Co Cental players…….Soccer is football for a**-holes.
Rush Probst
February 23rd, 2011
8:31 am
Amen, Coach Pilcher……
Rance Gillespie
February 23rd, 2011
8:32 am
Preach on, fellow football coaches!!
Lee
February 23rd, 2011
8:34 am
Soccer has no business being played here in the USA. If you want to play soccer, move to Mexico, England or Europe. Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey are what we play here…. Now if Soccer were full contact….
UGASlobberknocker
February 23rd, 2011
8:34 am
Our old friend Willie Martinez has helped get Oklahoma in hot water …by questioning players about missing voluntary workouts..makes me glad he’s gone..not that I needed another reason. check out the link
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6148972
Jim
February 23rd, 2011
8:44 am
Murray needs to beat a winning team before anyone mentions Murray as even a good QB, much less great.
Years ago
February 23rd, 2011
8:58 am
Back in the mid 70s, a star UGA linemen was water skiing up at lake Lanier and fell into some submerged barbed wire, left over from the old farm days before the lake was filled. It cost him an entire season or most of it.
Stuff happens.
This thing about soccer this and that is a waste of time.
Go Dogs.
Just saying
February 23rd, 2011
10:44 am
Nick Marshall will be the best QB in Athens on the day he arrives. This includes Fran Tarkenton.
Halston
February 23rd, 2011
10:51 am
Murray tends to choke under pressure.
Let me give you an example.
Murray completes 67% of his passes against losing teams, but just 55% against winning teams.
Murray is 5-1 record against losing teams, 0-6 record against winning teams.
Murray is 6-0 when Georgia scores first, 0-7 when other team does.
Halston
February 23rd, 2011
10:52 am
Murray only threw 8 td’s against winning teams, Newton & Mallet threw 14 td’s against winning teams 2x more than Murray.
AltamahaDawg
February 23rd, 2011
12:04 pm
So you are saying you like a more expereinced QB running the show? Great news for you then!
Halston
February 23rd, 2011
12:30 pm
Murray needs to beat a winning team before anyone mentions Murray as even a good QB, much less great.
Jim
February 23rd, 2011
12:31 pm
Murray only threw 8 td’s against winning teams, Newton & Mallet threw 14 td’s against winning teams 2x more than Murray.
DawginLex
February 23rd, 2011
1:31 pm
Murray has the best stats of any freshman QB ever at UGA.
He is the best returning starting Qb in the SEC.
He will be fine regardless of what this idiot thinks who keeps signing on as multiple people and having this conversation wiht himself.
Lemay will play too.
Nick Marshall will play defensive back and some offensive plays. He didn’t go to Tech because he knows his NFL future is as a defensive back plus he didn’t want to get beat tot death running the TO.
Fire Mark Richt
February 23rd, 2011
2:42 pm
Didn’t know we played hockey here, Lee. Only if you’re from Massachusetts or Minnesota, maybe. That’s a Canadian and European sport. But at least it’s played by real men as opposed to the sissies that play soccer. Those guys roll around in agony every time they’re tripped. Yet they never seem to be seriously injured. Amazing.
WIN WITH RICHT
February 23rd, 2011
4:04 pm
Aaron Murray is 6-0 as a starter when the opposing team scores fewer points than the Dawgs. Also, his completion percentage is 100% when one of his teammates catches the ball. When you look at all the statistics, your point is still moot.
Fat Ball Coach
February 23rd, 2011
5:04 pm
Watch for the news flash….Murray does have a broken ankle……..bank………..
Robert Wilson
February 23rd, 2011
6:14 pm
Having had the privelege to play for Coach Vince Dooley from 1972 to 1975, I seem to remember that we were, in fact, forbidden to ride a motorcyle–which would have included the “scooter” as well. We never considered it an unusual rule, in fact, it made some of us feel a little special, even valuable. But then Coach Dooley–and Coach “Erk” Russell–each had their own unique way of making all people feel special and valuable both on and off the field, athlete or not!
T Hoage's army
February 23rd, 2011
6:31 pm
“Soccer was imported by foreign governments to subvert our American way of life.” Hank Hill
kristin
February 23rd, 2011
9:26 pm
Bill King, you’re F*^”ing idiot. The guys are just what you are saying, ATHLETES. They should be able to play anything they want without arrogant a-holes like you telling them its dumb. My guess is you sucked at playing sports when you were younger, especially a sport like soccer. A sport where you needed a little coordination and didn’t have any. Don’t be upset that soccer is getting more popular as the years go by. It will all be shoved right in your face one day on how awesome it is. JackAss.
AltamahaDawg
February 23rd, 2011
9:36 pm
Being younger about the same time Bill was, I can safely say that nobody knew one way or the other if if he sucked at “a sport like soccer”. There wasn’t one.
ugab
February 23rd, 2011
10:08 pm
Murray chose to play soccer and get hurt! Murray don’t care about Uga. What happened to the mentors MR hired or promoted?
ugab
February 23rd, 2011
10:12 pm
t bow played soccer 2. everyone calm down. he won a nc.
Doug
February 23rd, 2011
10:21 pm
Murray’s #119 ranking as a QB in the 4th quarter as far as passing accuracy goes, won’t win him any nicknames like ‘Mr. 4th Quarter”, that’s for sure.
Best name I’ve found for him yet is Joe Cox Jr, without the ability to beat a winning team. Murray’s about as short as Cox was, throws about as many interceptions, and chokes in big games like Cox did. Murray’s not as mobile as Cox, Murray took 2x more sacks than Cox.
bitter larry munson (9") size does matter
February 24th, 2011
12:00 am
ever have a high crouch sprain with a co-ed?? best injury ever!!!hahaha
bitter larry munson (9") size does matter
February 24th, 2011
12:02 am
kristin—-calm down–hel- ////lie down—get a rub in da-tub with ole larry
woebegong
February 24th, 2011
5:49 am
Attached is an article cohttp://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/the_2011_heismanpunditcom_heisman_trophy_watch_list/4211468
This link provides some interesting information conncerning our young quarterback. Some serious football fans on here might find it interesting. Alabama fans might also be interested since it concerns a certain running back also.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Jborodawg
February 24th, 2011
7:54 am
I agree completely with everything Bill says…on this particular issue.
Jborodawg
February 24th, 2011
8:00 am
Kristin…I don’t believe you read the article, and just jumped right in with a comment.
Woebegong…DAGSSSSSSSSSS ??????? WTH ?
Jborodawg
February 24th, 2011
8:25 am
Yeah, it’s terrible for football players to have outside interests. Loran, whataya got?
http://dogbytesonline.com/smith-bulldogs-wr-conley-a-man-of-many-talents-42511/
woebegong
February 24th, 2011
8:34 am
Jborodawg,
That is a link to the Heisman link for who is on the early Heisman watch list. Murray and Richardson are on that list.
It was early, LOL.
GOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
DawgGrad
February 24th, 2011
8:39 am
Bill wrote: “Sort of like the way some Georgia fans have always tended to put down “basketball schools.”
Where the hell did that come from in a column about Aaron Murray playing soccer. Did you just decide to slam the ‘Dawg Nation this morning just for the hell of it, or is it just that you can’t come up with enough things to write in your so-called blog? What a piece of garbage this blog is.
Snake Doc
February 24th, 2011
8:44 am
Playing soccer sure beats being accused of some sexual deviant action in the off season that costs you your whole senior season of High Skrool football. But being a sexual deviant can still lift you to number one in the hearts and minds of UGA boneheads!
Being UGA fan used to be fun, it used to mean something. Sense of pride in state, school and team! Now it means not so much and has become a folly of watching a bunch of mindless morons trying to make sense of why their Saint and his new Sunday Skrool project, can’t or won’t win a championship and the excuses that will be made for the Saint and his projects!
Snake Doc
February 24th, 2011
8:50 am
And I also find it interesting that the ones who beat up on Murray the most are the same ones that will defend the CEO with their last breath. What a bunch of freaks!
Mr. SEC
February 24th, 2011
9:05 am
Bill,
Is this the best you can do?
Glory Glory
February 24th, 2011
9:12 am
Bill, I don’t know how you do it but you succeed to prove each and every blog that there’s nothing dumber than a Georgia Bulldog. BTW, when are you going to change that retarded picture of yourself?
DawginLex
February 24th, 2011
10:08 am
Doug,
joe cox threw 17 interceptions his senior year.
Murray threw 7 in his freshman year.
Nice try but if you are going to spew, at least use your brain and get some accurate facts.
Matt
February 24th, 2011
10:43 am
DawginLex- thanks for saying what I was thinking while scrolling down
Doug- you are an idiot.
Kristin- I have to concur, did you even read the article? Let me know when soccer becomes as popular as football, baseball, and basketball. I assure you it won’t be in your lifetime. Of course as long as our immigration laws remain a joke you never know.
Snake Doc- I assume you are talking about Lemay?? Sexual deviant? Is that what you call a senior making out with a sophomore??
David
February 24th, 2011
11:33 am
Murray’s td’s,yards,/int’s were similar to Joe Cox’s, Murray just didn’t play as well Joe Cox did against the weak pass defenses. Murray faced some of the worst pass defenses in the country like South Caro, Auburn, Colorado, Arkansas, just didn’t show up when the team needed him to. Cox went 8-5, Murray went 6-7.
RxDawg
February 24th, 2011
11:40 am
Meh, I really didn’t pay the story much attention to be honest. It’s Feb.
As far as soccer goes, I’m not scared of it. I don’t paticularly enjoy it, but I’m not scared of it. It has always struck me as one of those sports that’s probably more fun to play than it is to watch. Kinda like Golf, or NASCAR/racing.
woebegong
February 24th, 2011
7:58 pm
To blast this young man for playing a pickup game of soccer, strikes me as people just looking to have something negative to say about UGA and him both. At least he was not out there getting into trouble, like a lot of kids this day and age get into. I believe he will really shine this year. Evidentally, so does the Heisman watch board as he is listed as one of the 25 candidates for the early watch.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Joe
February 24th, 2011
9:27 pm
Murray was on a bunch of ‘watch” lists last seaosn too. He choked, wetn 6-7, lost to every winning team he faced, 0-6. Not Heisman material. Not even Georgia material. Not even JUCO quality ball.
woebegong
February 25th, 2011
12:20 am
Joe,
It would appear the majority do not share your opinion on this young man. Only a freshman last year and he finished 2nd in the conference for freshman of the year. Think you might be surprised at what he will do this year.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DAWGSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
David
February 25th, 2011
7:29 am
Murray was on a bunch of ‘watch” lists last seaosn too. He choked, wetn 6-7, lost to every winning team he faced, 0-6. Not Heisman material. Not even Georgia material. Not even JUCO quality ball.
ATLSN
February 25th, 2011
9:47 am
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woebegong
February 25th, 2011
10:48 am
One person on a team, be he QB, OL, RB or whatever doesn’t lose every game for the team. Murray was hampered by a bunch of problems that the UGA team as a whole had. He did a great job under difficult circumstances, as a Freshman and he will be a lot more comfortable this year with a stronger, better supporting cast. Quit babbling about this kids supposedly list of short comings. I doubt seriously whether you will be able to write anything negative about him credibly at the end of the upcoming season, but I am sure you nathsayers will give it your best shot.