Fretting over UGA’s Logan Gray: Much ado about not much
Logan Gray was OK on G-Day. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)
Georgia fans are of two minds: The majority of them didn’t want Logan Gray to be their No. 1 quarterback, but they don’t want him to leave, either. Because what would happen if Aaron Murray gets hurt?
This is, I submit, much ado about not very much. Whether or not Gray decides to transfer — he’s “weighing his options,” as we know — the fate of Georgia football in 2010 and beyond rests with Murray. Gray might be an OK backup, but how often does the backup quarterback play? (D.J. Shockley never started a game until he was a redshirt senior; once he became the starter, he missed one game — Florida — due to injury.)
There’s still one other quarterback on Georgia’s roster, or there soon will be. He’s Hutson Mason, incoming from Lassiter High. He wasn’t quite as big a recruit as Gray — Mason was a 3-star prospect, according to Scout.com, while Gray was a 4-star — but does that really matter?
What matters: Georgia’s coaches had seen enough of Gray, who’s a redshirt junior, to believe he isn’t a starting SEC quarterback. They didn’t turn to him when Joe Cox came undone at the end of last season, and this winter they seemed more tempted to move Gray to wide receiver — he has returned punts as a Bulldog — than to bump him ahead of Murray.
Bottom line: If Murray goes down in the opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Bulldogs will be in trouble. That said, they’d be in trouble no matter who the backup is. No, Mason hasn’t yet thrown a collegiate pass. Let’s also note that Gray, who enrolled in 2007, has thrown only 12 (two of them intercepted).
Yes, it would be nice if Zach Mettenberger were still part of the program. But he isn’t, and that’s his fault. We all know that Bulldog backers, taking a cue from the legendary fretter Larry Munson, are hand-wringers of the first rank, but the program will survive no matter what Logan Gray chooses to do. The man who matters is Aaron Murray.
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232 comments Add your comment
dawgdude
April 28th, 2010
11:38 am
Ignorant article. Of course it matters if he transfers. First of all we have to hope that Murray succeeds…but that is still an unknown. Mason has not even stepped foot on campus. At least Gray has experience and could back up if needed. Sorry but just ignorant to say basically he is not needed. We better hope he stays….but can’t blame him if he leaves.
Murray the Midget
April 28th, 2010
11:40 am
ugaaccountant, what you got against short people? Or for that matter, freedom of speech? Sounds like you’re pretty sensitive about height. How tall are you? Also sounds like you should should consider moving out to Arizona, you know, “the New Republic”. Won’t be long before they’re banning free speech out there so you should be right at home.
UA Alum92
April 28th, 2010
11:41 am
Chuck Oliver’s 680 The Fan blog makes it sound doubtful that Gray will stay. He feels like he’s been lied to by Bobo and Richt about the competition for the position being open at least until August practice and wants to explore his options.
That said, I agree with MB that if Murray goes down, it doesn’t really matter who is sent in. There will be a step-down regardless.
Murray the Midget
April 28th, 2010
11:49 am
By the way, the only thing I had in my sippy cup that night (in Alpharetta) was Kool-aid….you know, the official drink of the Georgia Dawgs.
Jones
April 28th, 2010
11:51 am
The last time Richt went with a QB based on his high school hype, it didn’t work out so well. (Cox was undefeated in High School, but 8-5 as a starter in 2009).
If Murray’s so good, why was he outperformed over the 3 Spring Scrimmages by Gray and Mettenberger? If Murray’s such a great leader, why wern’t guys busting their butt trying to make plays for him on the field (only 2 td’s in 3 Spring scrimmages vs. Mettenberger’s 5 td’s)?
If Murray’s such a great leader, why are teammates defending Mettenberger, instead of being outspoken about Murray’s “leadership” skills?
Something doesn’t add up, I think Richt might WANT Murray to be the leader, but the team isn’t buying it, and based on the 3 Spring Scrimmages, I see why, Murray hasn’t done anything to deserve it.
Bulldog59
April 28th, 2010
11:56 am
St. Ridiculous, again what school are you from? Judging from you comments, you aren’t college material, but you may have snuck thru somewhere.
Boling is highly regarded by CHS staff and students.
So, it’s not at all possible that Boling, of legal drinking age, got pulled over, blew a .04. The cop decided to present the case, and the DA said, we can’t win this, I’m not prosecuting. NO WAY! That happens all the time!
Your logic indicates that any UGA football player cited for any offense is GUILTY. If he gets off, someone pulled some strings for him!
You would benefit from some advice Abraham Lincoln once gave, “Better to keep your mouth closed and thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.”
Jones
April 28th, 2010
12:01 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if the team throws Murray under the bus from here out to send Richt a message about being fair, and basing decisions on performance.
Richt may THINK he decides who the #1 is, regardless of performance, but he’s mistaken.
If the WR’s drop ALL of Murray’s passes, and O-Line doesn’t block for him, Murray won’t be real successful.
And I think it could happen, is some ways, look like it’s already happening.
If Murray is such a great leader, he’ll figure out how to get the guys to buy into him, even though he’s the worst QB on the roster stat wise over the 3 Spring scrimmages. That just might be a tough sell. I wouldn’t buy it. If Murray is a great leader, the Summer scrimmage stats will be off the charts because guys will be making plays for him. But, if his stats stay lackluster, you have to wonder, are they throwing Murray under the bus to send a message to their Coach?
Bulldog59
April 28th, 2010
12:03 pm
St. Ridiculous, again what school are you from? Judging from you comments, you aren’t college material, but you may have snuck thru somewhere.
Boling is highly regarded by CHS staff and students.
So, it’s not at all possible that Boling, of legal drinking age, got pulled over, blew a .04. The cop decided to present the case, and the DA said, we can’t win this, I’m not prosecuting. NO WAY! That happens all the time!
Your logic indicates that any UGA football player cited for any offense is GUILTY. If he gets off, someone pulled some strings for him. Good grief.
You would benefit from some advice Abraham Lincoln once gave, “Better to keep your mouth closed and thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.”
The Cynical White Boy
April 28th, 2010
12:03 pm
UGA’s treatment of Logan Gray = Females’ treatment of ‘guy friends’.
They’ll keep him around….just in case….maybe let him kiss their jaw or have nice long hug. They’ll accept all manner of goods and services, but still want to keep a distance…you’ll never be “the one” to them. But, you are very useful when “the one” is less than wonderful to them, and they want to complain.
Hey Logan, look on the bright side, it’s good training for dealing with women in general – ha!
Jones
April 28th, 2010
12:09 pm
The Mett decision, was NOT a popular one among the players. Richt didn’t appear to have his player’s back there, didn’t appear to get input from his team captain’s and eladers, if so, not good. The players felt the punishment did not fit the crime, and that Mett was dealt with too harshly for a 1st time offender–it appeared Richt had no grace or mercy. Richt’s got to get his locker room back, but I don’t know if he can by kicking Mett, the most popular QB in the locker room off the team, then turning around and naming Murray the starter, after the poor performances in the Spring scrimmages, so far, Murray is NOT a leader in the locker room, and I don’t see Murray getting his locker room back, if he does, he’s quite a leader.
FORTY ONE POINTS to your seventeen points
April 28th, 2010
12:35 pm
Doesn’t matter.
((((((((((((((((((((((41-17))))))))))))))
Lunchtime links: Why fret over Gray? | SportsCentral Arkansas
April 28th, 2010
12:35 pm
[...] Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that fretting over Logan Gray is much ado about not much. [...]
Lunchtime links: Why fret over Gray? | Hog Country Online
April 28th, 2010
12:38 pm
[...] Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that fretting over Logan Gray is much ado about not much. [...]
AceDawg
April 28th, 2010
12:38 pm
To say the Bulldogs would be in trouble if either Gray or Mason had to take snaps may not be fully true. The offensive line and running game have the potential to give UGA a “great” rushing offense, and if the defense is better, UGA might actually start in somebody else’s territory a couple times this year.
That said, at least Gray would know the full play book and not limit playcalling because of lack of knowledge. I’d rather see him train as a receiver or safety though, and then just be available to play QB if needed.
All You Need is Love
April 28th, 2010
12:41 pm
Is LG an NFL prospect? I dont know. But I DO know he will NEVER play on Sunday if he doesnt play on Saturday. Even if the NFL is only a pipe dream, what true competitor would settle for all practice and no play. Imagine how much fun golf would be if one could only pound balls on the range. I know the “Loyalty” argument comes into play, but as any college kid will learn in the corporate world, loyalty OFTEN only runs one way. Good Luck, Dude. Whatever you decide.
gtfanfrom1951
April 28th, 2010
12:47 pm
As far as the number of UGA players in trouble it goes along with what happen under MR at FSU so it will continue. The QB will only be as good as the offense line and running backs.
fishtales
April 28th, 2010
12:50 pm
My goodness. Every week now it seems an AJC writer is penning a rationalization piece on UGA football. It doesn’t matter if Richt wins championships as long as he’s a fine Christian man. It doesn’t matter if there is no depth at QB. It doesn’t matter that players are getting arrested faster than Poles in 1939 Warsaw. What is most amazing is that a lot of Bulldog fans are on board with accepting this alarmingly fast slide into mediocrity.
DP
April 28th, 2010
12:54 pm
If I was a UGA fan I wouldn’t shrug off the possibility of being one play away from Hutson Matson at QB as a true freshman. It’s not like QBs don’t get hurt. Look at the 3 Heisman front runners last year. Sam Bradford played what, 2-3 games? He got knocked out early with a shoulder injury and then Texas put him out for the season in the first series of his first game back. Colt McCoy got knocked out the national championship game early in the first quarter. Tebow would have missed a game with a concussion had Florida not had a bye week between Kentucky and LSU. Greg McElroy played the BCS championship game with fractured ribs and a flack jacket, though Alabama kept it secret until after the game.
Every competent college football coach wants to have a plan B and plan C in the event of injuries.
What if Murray doesn’t get hurt but struggles early? If Logan Gray transfers, Richt will have no viable alternative.
Alphare
April 28th, 2010
12:57 pm
Throwing like a pro-QB won’t cut it in the SEC. Except Peyton Manning, who wins anything as a pure pro-style? Jamacus Russell?
BAMA doesn’t even care about the QB. They won a NC title.
Florida used a running back as its QB. They won 2 NC titles.
Mark Richt likes pro-style QB. But the last time I checked, they had not won anything in 30 years.
Bulldog59
April 28th, 2010
1:01 pm
Jones, from what we can tell, Mett’s undoing was that he repeatedly lied to CMR and Bobo. Given multiple opportunities to come clean with the whole truth and put this behind him, he continued to hold back in an attempt to keep the suspension at only one game. Big mistake!
Not saying that I agree that the punishment fits the crime, but supposedly CMR draws the line at being lied to. Now, you raise an interesting question, will the team rally behind AM?
jarvis
April 28th, 2010
1:05 pm
I wasn’t concerrned….until I saw that Bradley agreed with me. My opinion is now completely invalidated.
Let the bed-wetting begin.
DP
April 28th, 2010
1:09 pm
Bama cares plenty about the QB. Saban talks about the need for more explosive plays in the passing game and pushed the offensive coordinator to get more aggressive with the play calling after the offense got too conservative in the middle of the year. When he gets a big lead, like against Georgia in 2008 or in the BCS championship game, he will be more conservative with the play calling to milk the clock and win the game. But he knows he can’t count on winning every game with dominant defense and running, particularly against SEC defenses that put 8 men in the box. If McElroy doesn’t make more passing plays down the field this year, A.J. McCarron could get a shot at the job.
German Shepherd Dawg
April 28th, 2010
1:19 pm
DeepDiver,
You made me laugh. Enjoy your claim to fame.
neil
April 28th, 2010
1:20 pm
when is the ajc going to get a decent sports reporter… i mean.. are you kidding me? if logan gray leaves, that leaves 1 qb on our roster. a freshmen qb who is an avg recruit, and joining the team in the summer… and in case you forgot. football is contact sport. injuries, esp to qbs, happen. often.
and who’s to say that murray will even be worth a d*mn?
ajc. please. i beg you. hire someone who is competent.
Alphare
April 28th, 2010
1:21 pm
OK, BAMA may care. But the reality is they don’t have a decent QB and still wins a NC title.
UGA focus too much on QB is what I want to say. So much so that they do poorly on other fronts, which are more important in winning a NC title from the SEC.
I’ll take power running and strong defense any day than a good QB, especially in the SEC.
Dawglasville
April 28th, 2010
1:35 pm
Why do a few, and it is only a few, go after Richt’s faith? Richt knows who he is. I don’t think you can shake him.
waters
April 28th, 2010
1:37 pm
What is the difference in UGA and every other school? When Bradford went out, Oklahoma fell from BCS grace. When McCoy went out, even though the backup showed life toward the end of the game, Texas lost the championship. Last year, Nesbitt goes out and Tech can’t move the ball. Didn’t really matter because we were ready for them anyway. In the rediculous world of “NO PLAYOFF” college football, one game can decide your season, so losing your starting QB would be disasterous for any team. If Murray gets hurt, the team will move on, so stop acting like this whole backup deal is what’s standing in our way for an SEC Championship. I’m more concerned with the new defense myself. That’s what has cost us the last few years.
JacketFan
April 28th, 2010
1:47 pm
This is too good to be true. Though, I worry that this is a virus spreading throughout GA college and professional sports. I mean, how many of our sports teams have the same plot: good talent, poor coaching? Let’s see … Falcons? Check. Thrashers? Check. Braves? Check. Tech Basketball? Check. UGA Football? Check. Hawks? Erm, yeah. It’s a dang epidemic.
I’ll admit, as heretical as some of my Tech brethren may think it is, I’ve gotten excited about the Dawgs in the past. I was really impressed with that 2005 season with Shockley. I thought he was a great QB and that that team had a real shot at an NC. I was excited to see what Stafford would do. I loved watching those David Greene teams (I was in graduate school in LA and saw the Dawgs at Death Valley against LSU – one helluva game). But, the mood in Athens has changed and as a college football fan I have to wonder, what’s going on in the Classic City?
Y’all need to manage your house better. Something is very off in regard to player production. I mean, I know y’all like to rag on us Techies and our coach “Johnson,” but you got to admit that the man runs a tight ship and brings the best out of what is, by many folks’ standards, mediocre talent (with a few obvious exceptions). It’s about leadership as a coach and instilling confidence and respect in your players. Just not seeing that under the arches.
Anyway, just my two cents … THWG
ugaaccountant
April 28th, 2010
1:57 pm
Jones – Please tell me you didn’t just suggest that players decide for themselves if a player should be punished or not? Do you really believe it’s appropriate for Coach Richt to share Mettenberger’s arrest report with the team and do what, take a vote on whether to kick him off or not? You should have been banned long ago as you do nothing but slander our team.
82Dawg
April 28th, 2010
1:58 pm
Dawglasville…I agree with you, what does his personal faith have anything to do with his coaching ability?
baneyb
April 28th, 2010
2:04 pm
barackdawg is pretty correct in what happened in Remerton. Really unsavory behavior by Mett, and he lied to CMR on a couple of occasions when confronted about it. Hint to Mett…..when somebody like your coach asks you something, it’s like Internal Affairs- they already know the answer. They are just asking to see if you will tell the truth, and to give you the opportunity to tell your side of the story. Advice to Mett- Denying it is worse than the original offense, you turd. What a tool. Good riddance.
North Ave. Trade School fan
April 28th, 2010
2:07 pm
“Brenda”, (I’ll bet your bleach blonde), you would have to rally to be a Bimbo. Please leave the sports bloging to the “we have no life” men!!
You sound like one dumb b-ache.
GT BABY
April 28th, 2010
2:08 pm
qb issue- because they all go to jail HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
ATLdawg, ya dig?
April 28th, 2010
2:12 pm
This article doesn’t make sense. The coaches didn’t keep Grey on the bench or list him at #2 b/c they “didn’t think much of him”…they thought Cox and Murray respectively were better. Cox had been in the program five years. Murray is a 5 star all world prospect. So all we can tell from these decisions is Gray is not THESE guys. Now the leap Bradley takes here is because Gray is not better than these two, that means he is not better than Hutson Mason…a slow-footed, average armed, system QB who Georgia waited years to offer at the last minute. Uh, do you honestly think Gray- a quick, “SEC wide receiver” type athlete, above average arm, three years in thh program, isn’t better than this TRUE FRESHMAN? Seriously?
guy
April 28th, 2010
2:12 pm
No matter what,someone better grow up overnight at qb at UGA. How often does that happen in the SEC? Face the facts!
baneyb
April 28th, 2010
2:13 pm
Hope Hutson Mason matures as a QB and can be a real contributor for the Dawgs. However, like the previous poster stated, he did throw 5 iNT’s against Colquitt. And, perennial bottom-dweller Pope HS barely lost to Lassiter in double OT with Mason as QB….he has had some real bright moments last year for the Trojans, but has along way to go before you pin your hopes to him.
This will likely be another long season at UGA, sad to say. Regardless, Go Dawgs!
Lunchtime links: Why fret over Gray? | The Fan 99.3 FM
April 28th, 2010
2:14 pm
[...] Mark Bradley of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that fretting over Logan Gray is much ado about not much. [...]
alumn81
April 28th, 2010
2:25 pm
baneyb is right….we saw Hutson Mason at a few Lassiter games this year. Some of those wins had nothing to do with him as QB. He has talent but is quite a ways away from being your “go-to” guy on the college level. Hope Richt isn’t counting on him to step in. Folks, the Dawgs are in a mess again this year. He should have tightened up on discipline long ago. Now comes the perfect storm…hold on, it will likely be another long, miserable season (may be his last).
Fair catch
April 28th, 2010
2:29 pm
Now imagine this conversation if Logan Gray made an attempt to contribute to his team beyond signaling for a fair catch on every punt. If he was a competitor and added something to this team I’m sure his attitude and the attitude shown to him by the fans and the media would be completely different. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. If you don’t sieze the opportunity when it presented to you then you’re wasting your time and talent.
UGA
April 28th, 2010
2:33 pm
When it’s all said and done, Gray will stay at UGA and be the back up.
I just think Gray realized that he isn’t good enough to be a Div. 1 QB, so he is trying to draw an attendtion and makes some noises and having the coaches and fans to talk about over the summer.
Bottom line, he’ll stay and wait for his chances. I’m pretty sure about this.
Go Dawgs!!! The offense will be fine. It’s the defense that worry me.
jasont13
April 28th, 2010
2:35 pm
Funny people refer to Aaron Murray as a midget are probably shorter and or Tech fans which have no room to speak as Josh Nesbit is the same height.
jasont13
April 28th, 2010
2:42 pm
I still believe Mett will be reinstated back on the team and it will be announced in about a month or two. He is still in school at UGA and if he was leaving he would have already found a school to transfer to.
Dawgforlife
April 28th, 2010
2:43 pm
it amazes me when we speak of Richt’s success at FSU it is all because he had the players and not about couching (which btw, if that is true, why hasn’t FSU been the same since he left) but, when one mentions miles, meyer, or saban…it is they are such wonderful coaches and never mentions they also have the best players in the country…I am just confused as to why that is….oh wel, just as how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop…the world may never know
DawginLex
April 28th, 2010
2:51 pm
I am trying to look at this from the coaches perspective. If you start gray, who has not proven he can play at this level, you risk losing Murray. Murray can develop like Greene did for 4 years. Gray has two years left. Richt is looking long term as well as knowing that this year, he has a veteran OL and the QB will spend most of his time turning and handing the ball off.
the suggestion of going out and signing a JUCO kid for depth makes a lot of sense to me as well.
editor in chief
April 28th, 2010
2:53 pm
Here’s a better title for any UGA article:
UGA: Much ado about not much
Jim
April 28th, 2010
2:58 pm
Mark, I think this one is a reach. To say that frettnig over having only 1 scholarship QB on the roster is “much ado about nothing” is pretty weak. Alabama has 4 scholarship QBs on it’s roster today, one more if you add Blake Sims from Gainesville. I think UGA fans should definitely be fretting. Having 1 scholarship QB on the roster is bad enough, having 1 that has never played a down of college football is even worse. Doesn’t this speak pretty poorly of the state of the UGA program? Florida certainly isn’t in this situation….neither is SoCaro. UTenn is…but at least their QB has 2 years of JUCO. Things are very much not good in the UGA these days.
GATORZONE
April 28th, 2010
3:07 pm
Jason13, I think you are right on the money about Mett being reinstated. That will Happen.
Dawgsforlife, the reason those coaches you mentioned get credit is because they all have at least one National championship.
Lastly, the Gators will be in the same situation as UGA if the starting QB goes down. The #2 QB will be Trey Burton who is a true freshman.
Dawglasville
April 28th, 2010
3:15 pm
JacketFan It is great to have constructive criticism on our blog without the typical redneck/nerd banter. I believe that Johnson more or less did what Richt did in his first two years. Except for VT, the ACC hasn’t had a team factor into the national picture since the last merger. That is not a knock on Johnson, he did what he was hired to do, win games and instill confidence. I think FSU is about to blow up. It will be interesting to see where Johnson goes from here. Also, the talent pool at Tech isn’t so far from the pool at Georgia. That is hype. The perception is that we are USC and you are Princeton. Tech usually finishes between 15-20 in class rankings and UGA is 5-10. It is the same hype that has people believing that Tech is Stanford and Georgia is Clayton State academically. I like it when other fans get on our blogs as long as we stick to sports. I wish some of our fans did the same on y’alls.
dawgfan
April 28th, 2010
3:17 pm
Jacketfan, you Techies have spent the past two weeks talking out of your ignorant azzes about all the 1st round NFL talent that was about to get drafted from the Flats. Now you’ve just got “mediocre” talent? Good grief Techies. Get your story straight!!! Otherwise, I’ll just go on thinking you’re grasping as straws with your arguments because you know UGA owns your mediocre azzes on the football field. Thanks.
Tech fans are the biggest effing joke on the planet. Notice that most of them on these UGA blogs don’t even have the courage to identify themselves as Tech fans. What cowards. True story.
AltamahaDawg
April 28th, 2010
3:20 pm
Jones, you seem to be a pretty connected fellow there with the players. The mind reading is just a bonus I am guessing.
Tell you what, next time you are hanging with a group of the players, tell them how you understand all that stuff you just shared with us. I am sure you will get a wink and a nod.