5 reasons Matthew Stafford left UGA without a title
Matthew Stafford's final fling: Three bowl wins, no SEC titles. (AJC photo by Pouya Dianat)
1. He never quite grasped the need for a quarterback to be a leader. (For someone who does grasp that need, see Matt Ryan of Flowery Branch.)
2. He never fully understood that a quarterback can lose a game faster than he can win one. When in doubt, he trusted his arm. Sometimes his arm let him, and his team, down.
3. He never worked behind a top-shelf offensive line. That wasn’t his fault, but he compounded the liability by throwing too often off his back foot.
4. He was never as accurate as someone with his arm should have been. He completed 57.2 percent of his passes at UGA; David Greene completed 59 percent. Greene also threw fewer interceptions over four seasons than Stafford did over three.
5. He played at the same time as Tim Tebow.
(And with that, our all-Georgia Tuesday is complete. The first installment: 5 reasons Georgia should be concerned about Joe Cox. The second: 5 reasons Georgia shouldn’t be worried about Joe Cox. Coming soon: 5 reasons Bradley shouldn’t do any more of these “5 reasons” deals.)
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152 comments Add your comment
glenn
August 25th, 2009
4:38 pm
I think he left school early should be one . Another should be because there is no playoff system . A couple of years back UGA was as good as anyone by the end of the year . Yeah, Florida was/is stacked .
EnjoyFootball
August 25th, 2009
4:38 pm
Stafford played as a 18 year old Freshman. Green was a red shirt and DJ had 4 years to learn before he was put in the starting role. You seem to forget the intent was to sit Stafford for a year until Richt’s hand was forced. Remove his Freshman stats and the other 2 years are much better. I agree that his stats would have been much better if he had seen the open man a little more often instead of trying to go deep but that was what it was. He still will be a good to maybe great NFL qb. I would rate the 3 as 1) Stafford, 2) DJ , 3) Green. As for the gator boy just remember what goes around comes around.
Burdell
August 25th, 2009
4:46 pm
People!
It’s “could have been” NOT “could of been”.
Or “should have been” NOT “should of been”.
Seen these WAY too many times today. Just use your brain people.
Pi$$onaDawg
August 25th, 2009
4:52 pm
I love men!!! Bring me a man!!!
Oh, RAMBLE ON!!!, where art thou? Daddy wants some action.
HH
August 25th, 2009
4:55 pm
Reason #6: Bozo as the offensive coordinator. Does anyone out there think he has enough knowledge and experience to mentor a quarterback with Stafford’s ability, much less coordinate an offense? Where has he been? As far as I know, he’s always hung around the UGA football program: graduate assistant,quarterback coach, now offensive coordinator. One has to go other places to gain the necessary maturity and experience to become competent in what one does. That’s why scientists and health care professionals, in particular, train at several institutions to get different ideas and perspectives on what they intend to do. Different experiences mean greater knowledge and ability. Where has Bozo been? A “home boy” from the get-go. My opinion has always been that he’s Richt’s boy, along with Willie, and that’s why they continue to hang around. Has either been offered a job elsewhere. Has any head coach come banging on their door? I will be glad for somebody to tell me differently—-backed up with the facts. I been wrong before.
Tbone
August 25th, 2009
4:58 pm
How about…..”receivers dropped too many balls”????? Sorry, MB, but to say that MS was not a leader is simply not knowing your subject material. You should do more homework…..like say, asking someone that knows something.
Bat Masterson
August 25th, 2009
4:58 pm
With Stafford a National Championship was expected, anything less was unacceptable. Fair or not.
Tbone
August 25th, 2009
4:59 pm
Burdell, give us a break, brother, its email. Get a life.
Jaybo
August 25th, 2009
5:01 pm
Stafford did do the best “kegstand” I’ve ever seen. A true leader!
breaking news.
August 25th, 2009
5:07 pm
August 25, 2008: ESPN just reported that Matthew Stafford has been offered the role of the Tin Man in Broadway’s newest production of ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Producer Stephen Sondheim said that after hearing Stafford sing “If I Only Had a Heart,” he was a natural for that role. Production will begin after Lions season ends. Should the Broadway play be successful, a film version will be forthcoming next year, and Sondheim has already indicated that he wants Stafford in the role of the Tin Man for the film.
Rumor has it that he will be offered $45M to play in the movie, and he will forego the rest of his football career.
Mel Kiper, Jr. predicts that if he takes this, he will be a “lock” for the Academy Award in 2010.
Commercial jingle singer
August 25th, 2009
5:15 pm
Five … Five reason … Five reason free for all
Mark Bradley
August 25th, 2009
5:17 pm
As luck would have it, T-bone, I’m sitting on a bench at Tech as we speak. 5 reasons on the Techsters tomorrow.
FisheriesDawg
August 25th, 2009
5:17 pm
I don’t see how him playing at the same time as Tebow had anything to do with it. He faced Tebow twice in Jacksonville. He beat him the first time and lost to him the second time. The first time, Georgia finished ahead of Florida in the SEC East and they had no impact on our standing (in fact, they helped us by beating Tennessee which gave us a chance in the last week of the regular season). The second time we had already lost to the team that won the SEC West (at home, no less) and likely would have lost to them again in Atlanta had the Gators not won the cocktail party. Besides, as poorly as Georgia played in Jacksonville last year, Florida probably would have beaten us with Brantley or Newton taking snaps. That was by far Stafford’s worst game of his career and Tebow wasn’t doing anything on defense to make him suck…but Brandon Spikes was.
The only way the Tebow thing is relevant is that they entered school in the same class and will forever be compared on that basis. Tebow’s list of accomplishments blows Stafford’s out of the water. But Tebow’s presence had absolutely zero effect on the underachievement of the Stafford era in Athens.
CMR
August 25th, 2009
5:17 pm
HH wrote: Reason #6: Bozo as the offensive coordinator. Does anyone out there think he has enough knowledge and experience to mentor a quarterback with Stafford’s ability, much less coordinate an offense?
Actually, I do, as does the rest of the coaching staff and our players.
Don Gill
August 25th, 2009
5:19 pm
Give me a break. If he, like Eric Zier, had a decent defense they would be much more highly regarded. They both put up the points. Look what Stafford did to opponents when their defense was great. Like Hawaai. Tech, Auburn, etc. I have great regard for David Green, but he did have a few good guys on defense. Like another guy named David. And a few others.
Gator Fan
August 25th, 2009
5:21 pm
Dawg in Lex,
I’m pretty sure that that QB in 2007 won the Heisman. I wouldn’t call it underperforming when he played and could not lift his right arm during the game. He had probably one of the worst defenses in recent memory at UF, and still had a decent season. Rest assured that Stafford didn’t win that game in 07, Moreno did.(both are now gone, good luck this season). Face it, Stafford was a selfish talented player, who was only concerned about getting to the NFL, and not on his team. Talent w/o heart = No SEC or National Champs for the doggies, who had great talent, great players, but lacked leadership and heart.
FisheriesDawg
August 25th, 2009
5:26 pm
Gator Fan,
I certainly hope Tebow wins the Heisman again in a 4-loss Gator campaign. That has to be one of the most meaningless Heisman seasons for an award that is basically meaningless to begin with.
I’m sure if you asked the baby Jesus himself, he’d trade that Heisman in a heartbeat for wins against LSU, Auburn and Georgia that year. And don’t give the hurt arm excuse…he won the Heisman because he ran so much in short-yardage situations and racked up garbage TDs. That’s the same reason his arm got hurt. You can’t have it both ways.
barneyb
August 25th, 2009
5:27 pm
All have pretty valid points. Hope Stafford excels in the NFL.
FisheriesDawg
August 25th, 2009
5:27 pm
By the way, Gator Fan…
Dennis Dixon’s ACL just called to remind Tebow to say thank you for that Heisman Trophy.
DawginLex
August 25th, 2009
5:29 pm
Don’t give me that crap about how he couldn’t lift his right arm. It is an excuse. You gators always have an excuse for why you lose. stafford killed you that day. Marcus Howard killed you that day. Moreno played well but he didn’t direct the offense, Stafford did.
You use the excuse about Tebow’s non throwing shoulder but refuse to acknowledge that Urban would have gotten slaughtered by UGA in 2005 if DJ Shockley had played instead of Joe T. You then went up to the chicken coop and got whipped the very next week. UGA went on to destroy LSU in the SECCG.
I’m not saying stafford had the ehart of a champion. But to say he couldn’t play is just stupid.
Burdell
August 25th, 2009
5:31 pm
Other than the pick 6, Stafford sure was accurate against the Jackets last November–short and long balls. As a Jacket fan, I am glad he is playing on Sundays now.
Ed
August 25th, 2009
5:33 pm
Maybe Stafford just isn’t that good.
Tim Tebow
August 25th, 2009
5:37 pm
Staff will make more money than me but I will always look more buff.
Top 5 Reason Matthew Stafford = UGA QUITTER
August 25th, 2009
5:40 pm
1. UGA Football Players spend too much time smoking dope and drinking, HEAVILY, to take football seriously.
2. Stafford couldn’t wait to go bang trashy, intoxicated, underage, trashy Michigan girls.
3. Stafford couldn’t wait to be the next “Mike Vick.” (Does it burn when you make a wee-wee, too, Matt?)
4. Stafford is really more of a cat person.
5. Stafford * F E A R S * Coach Saban.
Carl Spackler
August 25th, 2009
5:43 pm
What a horrible team, player, teammates, coaches, etc….are you kidding me…you had 19 players injured for crying out loud…you loose to a team that becomes ranked #1 for a while, then to a #2 ranked team and eventual Nat’l Champs, and finally to Tech, which itself is a heated in-state rivalry where you can always throw the records out the window (besides Tech finished 9-4)…granted the 2008 team won ugly at times, but they still racked up 10 wins…the coaches may just have done the best coaching job of the careers, being that there were 19 injuries…not everybody is a rah, rah type of leader, so you’ll get to see this year if your rah, rah type can deliver wins…
Top 5 Reasons Matthew Stafford = UGA QUITTER
August 25th, 2009
5:46 pm
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
TIDE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DawginLex
August 25th, 2009
5:48 pm
I guarantee you talent beats rah-rah. Cox has talent, but not Stafford talent. The difference is what surrounds Cox with the OL being healthy and 2 deep and the DL being healthy and 2 deep.
I said last year that Stafford would have played for a better OL at UGA in 2009 than the one with the Lions. He needed to stay another year IMO but hey, 41 million $$$$. Can’t fault him for that. Being the number one pick, he only had one way to go and that was down if he stayed for his senior year.
Dan
August 25th, 2009
5:49 pm
And the Matt Ryan references continue.
Mark – reading you these days is like listening to a smitten teenage girl working refeences to her new boyfriend into every conversation(the weather, what do you want for dinner, etc.)
Until Ryan wins something (did I miss out on the T-shirts and caps that were distributed after the Falcons got a wild card slot?) you might consider giving the sdulation a rest, at least in the non-Falcons spots.
Mark, a different 1
August 25th, 2009
6:07 pm
Stafford grew up at UGA, and he has the skills for the next level. His freshman year was almost a waste, and he wasn’t a leader. Too much to ask of a freshman. After that, he matured. However, it takes a team. The o-line has not been up to standard for two years. Lots of injuries including some that ended careers. Last year the defense and kick coverage where unbelievably poor. No dpeth. That’s too much to put on any quarterback.
staff fan now
August 25th, 2009
6:20 pm
I think Detroit would love about 10 wins this year-even from an ex dog.
Tuesday Notes « Football on the Brain
August 25th, 2009
6:25 pm
[...] 3.Mark Bradley lists 5 reasons Georgia fans should be concerned about starting QB Joe Cox. He also counters it with a companion piece- Why Georgia fans should not be worried about Joe Cox. He then counters those with 5 reasons Matthew Stafford left UGA without a title. [...]
Kelly
August 25th, 2009
6:49 pm
6) Kentucky and Vanderbilt both missed golden opportunities to beat Tennessee in 2007.
Not sour grapes or making excuses–just pointing out that CFB championships are affected by results beyond the control of the immediate team. If Vandy had put away the Vols, the Dawgs would have rolled into the Dome to play a wounded LSU team. Winner plays for MNC.
BIGBOY
August 25th, 2009
6:57 pm
Honestly I can’t remember losing many games because of Stafford’s play on the field.I don’t care much for the rah-rah stuff either..Tom Brady is not a hyper-talker type and he has done pretty good in the NFL.Stafford played well for UGA and earned himself a 1st overall draft position in the process. but I’m telling you guys for the college game..Shockley was the best player at QB…run threat and big arm.Too bad for him…Green ended up being the All time win leader.I say the next run/pass dual threat QB we have will take us there.
mike on lake hartwell
August 25th, 2009
7:02 pm
MOONLIGHT MILE said it best. if tennessee didn’t have that horseshoe up their
butt in 07 i think uga would have won the sec championship and national
championship. im still ticked about ohio st jumping from #2 to #1 and uga from
#3 to #4. and lsu jumping from #7 to #2. RIDICULOUS.
and by the way guys, its spelled…
GREENE
ZEIER
seems like good fans would know that.
that is all.
rockc82
August 25th, 2009
7:24 pm
give me a break with all this crap…we competed for the national title in his sophomore year, sure last year was a complete disaster but not because of stafford. it was because of our defense and because we were undisciplined. all the stafford haters quit blaming him for everything. he was a winner (27-7 as a starter), and would have a chance to break all of UGA qb records if he came back. Number 1 reason why we didnt win a title with him? We were unlucky. If we had the opportunity to play LSU in the 2007 Sec championship game we would have beat them and beat OHIo State. We needed a Tennessee team to lose who was down to Vandy 24-9 at half and UT won on a missed FG by vandy. That’s unlucky. Dont know why all the hating starts to come out on stafford when our defense was clearly the reason we didnt win a championship last year
DublDawg
August 25th, 2009
7:24 pm
6. Stafford did not wear jorts, the attire of choice for championship quarterbacks.
Maybe we should buy our current quarterbacks some denim shorts, I’ll accept the embarrassment of quarterbacks wearing jorts if they can perform. Think Tebow would donate his older items?
Importantly, Bradley’s column and the commentators above ignore the more important statistics. Like how many lovely young coeds did he seduce? How many times did he seduce more than one in one evening? How many quality Polaroids does he have in his collection?
rockc82
August 25th, 2009
7:25 pm
How bout an article on 5 reasons that some Georgia fans need to quit being so negative all the time, im sick of it. I’m excited about another year so we can put ‘08 behind us!
GTOldSchool21
August 25th, 2009
7:32 pm
I’ve been saying it for 3 years that Matt Stafford is this generation’s Jeff George. Great tools, no character or heart. I saw the kid play as a freshman at UGA and thought…oh crap…this kid is good…he rolled out and hit a deep out on a dime. At the end of the day, he’s played with a silver spoon in his mouth based on his given talent. I hope he matures and develops some character and leadership skills.
SOS
August 25th, 2009
7:33 pm
I’m not piling on Stafford. He didn’t get pass protection, but neither did Bobo. Just count the reasons the dawgs didn’t get a title during Stafford’s era. Poor special teams play, poor defense, poor coaching, and untold arrests and penalties. Superman couldn’t have won a title with all those handicaps. I liked Stafford for the most part, but he did like to take off his helmet and pose for the cameras.
Pensacola dawg
August 25th, 2009
7:37 pm
Stafford was defiently looking to the future. But for the tech geek that said tech players are smarter than UGA players…hmmm lets see who on tech signed for 45 mill..just asking
D.Ellis
August 25th, 2009
7:38 pm
South Georgia DAWG-JEFF GEORGE?????????????? Your kidding right?????? Your really comparing Stafford to Jeff George??????? Gets my vote for worse comparison for the year post. RIDICULOUS
Jeff George was a locker room cancer who got in pissing contests with his head coaches on National tv on the sidelines of NFL games.
If Staff ever does that I’ll be a monkey’s uncle.
Just because they were both #1 picks and have to carry a gun permit to tote their right arms around doesn’t make them comparable
Staff didn’t win a NC/SEC becasue he was not good enough and the teams were not good enough and the coaches were not good enough……if they were they would have.
77DAWG
August 25th, 2009
7:58 pm
1) CWM 2)Willy Martinez 3) Willy M 4)W Martinez 5)CMR’s sidekick.
Army Vet
August 25th, 2009
8:03 pm
I don’t think Stafford really cares what you all think……he’s worth millions now. All of you bashed him for taking the money. It’s an easy decision for me……SEC title or millions in cash. There’s more to life than UGA football….some of you are pathetic!
brewdawg
August 25th, 2009
8:13 pm
Five reasons GT should be optimistic about the upcoming year:
1. UGA fans are convinced that Tech is going to fail. Us dawg fans, as you know, are not good at the preseason predictions!
2. CPJ has had another year to implement his offense.
3. CPJ has more of “his” players running the offense this year.
4. Dwyer is a legitimate Heisman candidate
5. This is going to be a down year in the ACC (even for the ACC).
5 Reasons Tech fans should NOT be optimistic about the upcoming year:
1. Tech fans believe that one win over UGA in the last 8 years = perennial national power.
2. Opposing defenses will have another year of tape to dissect the option offense.
3. A backup QB is very important in the punishing option offense, and Tech’s backup QB is out for quite a while.
4. No matter what the offense, you need to be able to pass every now and then with some consistency.
5. The biggest problem: Mark Bradley is on the Tech bandwagon. This is the quickest way to failure.
Mad Matt
August 25th, 2009
8:47 pm
Why is all the blame on me?? I knew that this team could not win the NC, thats why I left. Our coach is to soft on all the jail boys and none of them respect him. They come and go as they want and do what they want. When I was told how much money I could make it wasn’t hard to decide. I read all this crap about oh we win 10 games a year so what its not the NC and since CMR wasn’t going to improve the defense I decided to take the money. So if everyone wants to blame me go right ahead because I will be counting all that money I got while uga wins another 10 games and Fla brings home another NC. Love Matt
Cuz
August 25th, 2009
9:00 pm
Well, Stafford is no Fran Tarkenton. Nuff said.
paul3084
August 25th, 2009
9:05 pm
Seriously If Stafford got +/- 46 million, I figure my arm has got to be worth a million/million-five………..seriously.
Cuz
August 25th, 2009
9:06 pm
If only Matt’s parents had not been so selfish and gotten a divorce. The kid could have stopped throwing off his back foot, won a National Championship and eliminated waxy buildup. It is all his parent’s fault. Never give a scholly to a kid from a soon to be broken family.
Mark Bradley
August 25th, 2009
9:20 pm
Cuz, you’re funny. Know why I say that? Just becuz.
paul3084
August 25th, 2009
9:20 pm
I hope I’m dead wrong when I say this. I don’t see UGA being on the brink of a NC. Looking at the Gators last year and hearing the hype this year it looks like the Gators could fall off quite a bit and still manhandle UGA. I hope I’m wrong.