5 reasons UGA should be concerned about Joe Cox
Georgia's Joe Cox: A Saturday hero or just a workout wonder? (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
1. He last threw a pass that mattered Sept. 30, 2006.
2. The Colorado comeback victory over which he presided in relief in 2006 came against a team of Buffaloes that finished 2-10. The victories were over Texas Tech and Iowa State.
3. He has no Knowshon Moreno to make play-action fakes work to maximum effect. Maybe Caleb King will assume such stature. Then again, maybe not.
4. He doesn’t throw the deep ball like Matthew Stafford, which is why he spent most of three seasons backing up Matthew Stafford. (The longest of Cox’s 33 collegiate completions — 34 yards.) And Georgia’s best player is A.J. Green, who does his best work on deep balls.
5. His first start of 2009 will come on the road, which is a major thing for a quarterback. As Mark Richt said, by way of explaining his program’s success in opposing venues: “It all starts with the quarterback.” And Cox has started one collegiate game.
(OK, OK! Before you get all riled up — too late, I fear — please be advised that this correspondent has compiled a companion list: “5 reasons Georgia shouldn’t be worried about Joe Cox.” On this issue I am, as they say, covering the waterfront.)
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161 comments Add your comment
JB
August 25th, 2009
8:23 am
I’ll give you ONE reason Tech folks should be holding their breath on EVERY play. No back up QB( injured) and Nesbitt gets hit about 25-30 times a game. That offense requires a surgeon type ability to run effectively . He goes down, a weak defense already………I’m just say’in………..hold your breath.
Dawgie Style
August 25th, 2009
8:31 am
REALLY BRADLEY…THIS IS ALL YOU GOT..NO WONDER THE AJC IS GOING DOWN THE CRAPPER…SERIOUSLY WHAT A GARBAGE ARTICLE…I MEAN DO YOU ACTUALLY THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE THIS CRAP….
WE ARE GEORGIA MAYBE WE DONT HAVE ANY NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS…BUT WE WILL WIN 9 TO 11 GAMES EVERY YEAR NO MATTER WHO IS UNDER CENTER….THE CROW WILL BE OUR YOUR FACE COME DECEMBER 1ST…
WHAT A DOUCHE!!!!!!!
Dawgie Style
August 25th, 2009
8:31 am
OOPS MEANT TO SAY MANY!!!!
MRB
August 25th, 2009
8:33 am
Lee Harvey – Your a mad man!
KNelson
August 25th, 2009
8:37 am
What kind of person uses the term DOUCHE? Obviously someone who has never been on the campus of uga on a weekday. Yes you should worry about Okie State as your defense will be scored on and often this year. I look for The Oklahoma State to in by at least 10. Georgia your defense is so questionable. One of the additional worries you should have is Eric Berry having a field day against Cox!!!!!
JB
August 25th, 2009
8:37 am
To my mind, darn near anyone should be able to run this offense, effectively, unless they are really bad. The OL is one of the better ones out there. He’ll have one of the best WR’s in the country and, amongst all of the other RB’s, he’ll have quality talent.
He just has to jump in the car and drive. It’s also well know that probably no one in Athens knows the O better.
I really have no real conserns with the man. Frankly, he’s close to the least of my concerns.
Now DE…
HBTD!!!!!
JB
August 25th, 2009
8:39 am
KNelson, thanks for the laugh. Good stuff!!!
HBTD!!!
Milledgeville DAWG
August 25th, 2009
8:39 am
JD you and MB are idiots. It is always easier to tear down than build up. MB makes a living tearing down. I always wanted to talk to the kids in the neighborhood MB grew up in. I would bet he was not the fan favorite. As a 51 year old and watching over 175 games in Sanford Stadium during my life, I have the upmost confidence in Joe Cox. I bet the rest of my fellow bulldog fans feel the same way.
matt r
August 25th, 2009
8:43 am
The sign on the wall might be apropos… divine intervention might be his only hope.
Atticus
August 25th, 2009
8:48 am
65 dawg, check the stats before you state your case. Matthew Stafford improved every year and had a great year. The best single season probably by a Georgia QB ever and that was as a junior. If he had played with a David Greene defense he possibly would’ve won the SEC and a national title.
eBuzz
August 25th, 2009
8:50 am
I apologize for posting on your blog, guys, but it’s amazing how so many GA fans, who were justifiedly crawling up his rear end for three years, are now willing to slam Stafford to bolster Cox, before Cox has even built a case for himself at the college level. It’s also amazing why Cox, who could have easily started at many D-1 (screw the BCS acronym) remained at GA after realizing that he wasn’t going to play, and while I am obviously not a GA fan, I admire Cox’s integrity and fortitude. He appears to be a class act and I wish him well. You guys should simply support him without slamming a guy who did an amazing job for you.
Required Reading | Hard Knox Sports
August 25th, 2009
8:52 am
[...] 5 reasons that UGA should be worried about Joe Cox. [AJC] [...]
ButtsMehreSniffer
August 25th, 2009
8:57 am
So what are all you mow-rons gonna be posting after Mark puts up his “5 reasons not to worry….” column?
Ed
August 25th, 2009
9:01 am
Stafford did not throw a good deep ball
DawginLex
August 25th, 2009
9:01 am
I see it only took 5 posts before a hater showed up. The obsession continues.
Joe Cox has the ability to lead this team to a lot of wins. Running an offense comes down to execution. If Joe cox can read defenses, UGA will be very successful. The key to the whole thing is the development of the OL.
I’m actually less worried about the offense than I am the defense.
joe cox III
August 25th, 2009
9:07 am
Joe cox will win the Heisman Trophy, GA will win the National Championship, no game will be close. CMR is the as close to Heaven that you can get on earth. Anyone who has ever doubted UGA will burn in HEll, and all UGA players are warriors from another world that we as humans can only dream about. The UGA fans are superhuman people who know that they are better than anyone else and that they create jobs for submortals. UGA grads hold high positions and their wives are trophy goddess that drive the best suv with GA colors.
Athens is the Atlantis that we all like to exsist in.
PMC
August 25th, 2009
9:17 am
As long as the play action looks good (Richt’s forte) and he can throw a dump off/swing pass to the back; the tunnel screen on time accurately a 20 yard out and a 25 – 30 yard skinny post there isn’t anything in the Mike Bobo playbook he can’t execute.
Who else in the conference has a QB you feel really good about other than Ole Miss and Florida…. that’s right… no one.
Fools Gold
August 25th, 2009
9:17 am
Mr Bradley, Dont worry about Cox…… worry about clueless Willie and his defensive adjustments or lack there of.
chazzo
August 25th, 2009
9:18 am
Where Stafford was out lifting kegs (and posting pics of it), Cox has been lifting weights. I am telling you, this guy has that Tebow attitude. He will find a way to win and motivate this team.
Sanford Drive
August 25th, 2009
9:18 am
Matthew Stafford couldn’t throw the deep ball either. So, number 4 is moot. I’ll agree with the rest.
Dawg Fan 4 Life
August 25th, 2009
9:20 am
Tough crowd! Settle down UGA faithful, MB did say that he was also writing a column about why UGS shouldn’t worry about Cox. But I think it has already been written for him.
41 38 49 38 45
August 25th, 2009
9:21 am
Here are the real five good reasons that dawgs should be concerned……. 41 38 49 38 45.
Dawg Fan 4 Life
August 25th, 2009
9:23 am
Whoops, should be “UGA shouldn’t worry…”
PMC
August 25th, 2009
9:24 am
Matt Stafford may have been wreckless at times with the football but he was a hell of a talented QB. They had a hodge podge of a line for the bulk of his time at Georgia and Stacy Searles had to work his butt off to get that.
Stafford can’t throw a deep ball? Really? Did you miss the pass to Mikey Henderson that beat Alabama?????
Joe Cox is not going to be the playmaker that Stafford was… what people are counting on is him taking care of the football and facilitating the offense. I hope that that happens….but GA QB’s have also turned the ball over in practice way to much in training camp. I think they can fix that and I’m pretty sure out of 5 or so talented backs they can find a few guys to carry the load. They typically do. So far this is the best group that Stacy Searles has had to work with… ask Shonn Green what a great line does for your running back.
dan
August 25th, 2009
9:24 am
Hey Mark,
I’m calling it right now! I say that the game against Oklahoma State is going to be a high scoring affair and I think the Dawgs WILL win and maybe even win big. I’m thinking a 45-24 kind of score. How’s that for putting your balls against the ball!
SuperB
August 25th, 2009
9:25 am
Let’s see, Joe Cox has spent four years in high school (as an All-American) playing college football, then four more at Georgia doing the same.
If he wasn’t talented, he couldn’t have started for Independence HS, and Richt would be using Murray or Gray now. Mark, let’s have your FB stats?
Ed
August 25th, 2009
9:28 am
PMC, did you see Stafford miss Moreno down the sidelines against S. Carolina in Athens? The Mikey Henderson pass was only 20-25 yds.
KNelson
August 25th, 2009
9:35 am
Is that post from Joe CoxIII , something he wrote while playing D & Dragons? What a little boy who once again displays his own lack of formal education. Its going to be fun reading all of the excuses in the next few weeks.
Denver Dog
August 25th, 2009
9:40 am
We will just have to see now won’t we? He has good credentials, he has good recievers, he has good backs, he has a good line, he knows the system, and he has good coaching. He is an X factor, may be great, may not be. Right now, he is the best we have to put up there, and if he slips there are plenty behind him. We will just have to see now won’t we?
Lastfinger
August 25th, 2009
9:43 am
Atticus – IF the queen had balls, she’d be the KING!
murfdawg
August 25th, 2009
9:43 am
Cox is better than JPW was at Bama. With a good and healthy OL, he will manage the game just fine. Snead and Tebow have more talent than Cox and are the two best qbs in the conference. But would you swap Cox for another qb in the conference? He is not Greg Paulus. He has been playing and practicing for the last 4 years. My only concern about
Cox, is if we have to depend on him scoring 46 points every game to win. Hopefully, our defense will make Joe Cox a good qb.
Desert Dawg
August 25th, 2009
9:45 am
Joe Cox is a winner! I guess everyone has forgotten that he has NEVER lost a game! In HS he backed up Chris Leak and was undefeated. WINNER.
He doesn’t have the arm of Matthew S. but I believe he is alot smarter and certainly more mature. His leadership will more than compensate for his lack of arm strength. WINNER.
Biggest factor is the team surrounding him…Offensive and Defense will be much better teams….WINNER.
This will all be confirmed on Sept. 5th. Teamwork and leadership will be the trademark of 2009!
DAWGS
August 25th, 2009
9:47 am
stafford came in never playing a down and i think he did a darn good job. so i think we’ll be ok w/ cox
Johnny Test
August 25th, 2009
9:49 am
Mark knows how to stir up the DAWG fans without trying to hard. To me Cox is a lot like David Green. Green was not known for his deep passing capability or his running game. He was cool, he was methodical, he knew the system really well, he was a good field leader and he got the job done. No flash, just results. IMO Cox will benefit from a good first game or two to build his confidence. Then he will get better every game. By the time we get to LSU we’ll all be singing his praises.
michael g.
August 25th, 2009
9:49 am
“he doesn’t throw the deep ball like matthew stafford?” Well I certainly hope not! Maybe this year UGA will have a QB that can put some touch on the ball and maybe even hit a receiver in stride to let him make a play in space. That would be a nice change from the previous 3 years when receivers would have to jump up, go down to the ground, or reach behind them to make catches. Maybe UGA will have a QB this year that is not so in love with his arm that he won’t feel the nedd to throw it 90 mph. Heck, all this year’s QB has to do is have the intelligence to actually check down to an open receiver rather than force a ball into double coverage!
Monticello Dawg
August 25th, 2009
10:00 am
Joe Cox III- congrats on your post- finally somebody gets it right!
Corrine Brown
August 25th, 2009
10:03 am
Go Gatuh!
Mark Bradley
August 25th, 2009
10:03 am
Stafford could and did throw the good deep ball. He also overthrew the deep ball two or three times a game. Still, he stretched the field, as coaches say.
BurningRedBleedingBlack
August 25th, 2009
10:04 am
Man i agree with alot of this stafford did throw into double coverage alot. Cox is going to be a better leader for sure. I’ll take a strong run game and accurate passer over long ball any day. Just win no need to impress!!! Go Dawgs
Nachos
August 25th, 2009
10:07 am
UGA will go 7-5 this year!
bhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
DawgRight
August 25th, 2009
10:08 am
Cox is a lot better than everyone thinks. He’ll be ok. Georgia’s only tough games are florida and lsu, and by then, cox will have learned the ropes! I think UGA puts up 30-40 on Ok state and cruises to an easy win.
Sanford Drive
August 25th, 2009
10:13 am
You’re right. He could throw it deep. He just couldn’t complete the pass MOST of the time. My bad.
Bill W.
August 25th, 2009
10:14 am
Behind a good O line any QB can look good. Cox reminds me of Bobo with better accuracy. He’ll do fine.
Sting 'em Buzz
August 25th, 2009
10:15 am
How did Tech get brought into this conversation?
Sanford Drive
August 25th, 2009
10:17 am
Desert Dawg, I don’t think it’s fair to compare high school to college. Not quite the same. Also, he was a backup in high school too? How is that supposed to be a plus?
Mark Bradley
August 25th, 2009
10:17 am
If Cox is more accurate than Mike Bobo, he won’t just be good. He’ll be great. Bobo completed 65 percent of his passes in 1997, including the 26-of-28 in the Outback against Wisconsin.
Sting 'em Buzz
August 25th, 2009
10:18 am
I’m shocked at how the Georgia fans are ripping on Stafford.
Otto
August 25th, 2009
10:19 am
3) The OL will step up and make the pay action a threat.
4) I watched Stafford throw the deep ball. He wasn’t accurate and had no touch. Watch the Auburn game last year I believe it was 3 20+ yards passes which missed the WR by 5 yards. He missed far more than he completed and never did reach the completion percentage goals set at the beginning of the season.
EveryDawgHasHisDay
August 25th, 2009
10:19 am
Does anyone remenber a guy named Tee Martin, he was a starting back from Tenessee who happened to win a national championship and have a perfect season. Oh yea it was his first year starting after Tennessee lost their QB to the NFL with the 1 draft pick. Stafford #1 pick Cox first year starting I think we will be ok!!
Sanford Drive
August 25th, 2009
10:20 am
I’m not ripping Stafford. He was a good QB. Just making the point that most of his deep ball throws were batted away, off-target, or picked off.