So this quarterback controversy? meme is a thing, I guess.
If I might offer a “whoa, hoss!” before it goes scampering off in the sunset, consider the following:
- The defense, while no great shakes, isn’t any worse than it was last year.
- Special teams, the other great black hole of 2013, have improved and to the extent that other teams are having to game plan around Georgia’s return game.
- Even with an anemic passing attack, Georgia is scoring at a pace better than eight points a game more than last season and is eighth in the country in scoring offense.
Put that all together and what have you got? You’ve got a remaining schedule for which ESPN projects Georgia will be favored in every game for the rest of the regular season. That’s not a situation where you say screw it, let’s get one of the back up quarterbacks ready for next year.
Hutson Mason had a bad game… check that, Mason had a bad half. You don’t toss him to the side on such a slight body of work. You work to get his game fixed. If it can’t be fixed, well, then, it’s not like the back ups are going anywhere this season. But the idea that a change needs to happen now, damn it? In the immortal words of Mike Tyson, that’s ludicwus.
Get The Picture 
That’s ridicwurus!
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Did you just say ridicurus?
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If we lose two more games, I guess we’ll just fade into Bolivian…
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In Tyson’s defense, it’s hard to speak plainly while chewing up an ear.
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“ESPN projects Georgia will be favored in every game for the rest of the regular season”
Really? Even against Auburn?
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Did you click the link?
Yes, even against Auburn.
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ESPN’s projections look very bright for us. Wonder what Vegas says? Or are they using Vegas? I hope they’re on target.
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Ha! I wasn’t questioning whether you were describing the contents of the article correctly, Bluto. I was expressing my surprise that we were favored!
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If we keep winning, no doubt….
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I can’t see why not.
Incredible running game. Decent passing game. And, AU’s OL is looking pretty week thus far.
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I know. I just assumed the entire SEC West was ZOMGAWESOME!
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Welcome to the party. Was beginning to wonder when you would weigh-in. Of course, now that you’re on the record, cue…sockpuppets!
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i hope Mason pulls through. but if i’m a coach i sure as hell want a plan B.
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Totes agree Bluto, totes agree.
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I am thinking that because UGA wasted a practice session on Troy by running the ball (which UGA already does just fine) and not actually working on throwing, Vandy provides a “mulligan” for this oversight and the coaches want to take advantage.
I think this is the perfect game to work on passing with not just Mason but the other QB’s as well. This is basically the last “cupcake” to work out the kinks so I think it’s a perfect time to see other QB’s in live game action.
Yes, I’m overlooking Vandy as is everyone else. I don’t care what UGA says, Vandy is terrible. It would even be hard for coach Richt to “talk up” Vandy as is his M.O. when playing lower tier teams. What Vandy stat could he possibly pull out of his ass that would make UGA worried about this game?
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“What Vandy stat could he possibly pull out of his ass that would make UGA worried about this game?”
Last year’s score?
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Not a pertinant answer. The Vandy program this year is a distant shell of last years. It ain’t even close…
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How about, without knowing the final score, you dial up Vandy vs SC, First Half, then tell me who wins the game? Take a look at what Vandy or Kentucky or Tenn look like in their last games. Without a good-to-better O line, our O strengths are sapped and can approach parity against an inspired opponent (like.. anyone out there) and now, by surprise, Ark is always mentioned as a dread. Then the up coming not dreadnaughts of FU, Ken, Aub, GT, who, at any time, can receive the gift of a beneficent God and luck their way out. GOK.
Then, we always have the option of just going out and kicking their collective asses.
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ESPN…that great bastion of prognosticational prowess, proving once again that greed conquers logic in all situations.
Who gives a fat rat’s ass if we are favored, other than the bookies, its what happens after the large lady sings that matters.
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Sorry to get in the way of your running shtick, but it kind of matters in planning the season if your team is likely to be competitive.
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So, let me see if I get this picture clearly….meeting in the BM coaches office….”Ok guys, “says Mark, ” Espn is saying we are gonna be favored in all our games…even Awbun, so we gotta get ready…I guess we better make sure Hutson does not get hurt.”
You really believe that coaches plan their seasons based on being favored in their games?
That they even know what the betting line on a given game is? or care?
Really?
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Let me see if I get this picture clearly… the coaches get together and realize Georgia doesn’t have a chance in hell of winning the SEC East, so Richt says, “we better make plans to get next year’s quarterback ready.”
Do I think the coaches care about ESPN predictions? No. Do I think they try to realistically assess their chances to get to Atlanta? Hells, yeah. And that’s the context in which I offered the ESPN link.
Really.
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Really?
“Put that all together and what have you got? You’ve got a remaining schedule for which ESPN projects Georgia will be favored in every game for the rest of the regular season. That’s not a situation where you say screw it, let’s get one of the back up quarterbacks ready for next year.”
Sorry man, I should have known what you meant was the coaching staff thinks we could be competitive the rest of the season, I guess I can’t read.
And FWIW, Bluty-baby….coaches always think they got a shot.
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You think Richt thought he had a shot in ’06 when he started JTIII and moved on to a true freshman QB? Yeah, sure he did.
Look, I get that you’re enamored with your one game at a time superstition. You probably should assume that Bluty-baby isn’t.
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“You think Richt thought he had a shot in ’06 when he started JTIII and moved on to a true freshman QB? Yeah, sure he did.”
Yep, I figure Richt though Stafford gave the team the best shot at winning.
And, Bluty, darling, it’s not that I am wedded to one game at a time, although I think it is healthy. It’s that I’m supposed to think that anything ESPN says is worth factoring in to anything.
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Well, enjoy your straw man argument – and work on those reading comprehension skills. At least you’ve got the patronization stuff down cold already.
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Not that Bluto needs me to defend him. But it’s also possible that ESPN predictions reflect consensus opinions about reality. Has ESPN favored Vandy to win the SEC? I doubt it. And, coincidentally, nobody else has either. Is that a conspiracy, or does it reflect the fact that Vandy is lousy this year? I’m going with the latter.
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So, what if Mason struggles some more and his passes continue to lack zip? Do we wait for a loss?
The coaches have to be a little nervous about other teams stacking the box and playing press coverage.
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I believe I said you try to fix Mason and if you can’t fix him, then you consider other options.
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Listening to the Seth and Gentry podcast, three things resonated with me. The first is that Mason is struggling mightily with the pressure of his lone starting season. He seems to have an overwhelming fear of failure and it’s affecting his decision making. The second is the lack down field passing game (whether it’s arm strength, play calling, or both), how defenses are/will adjust for a perceived deficiency and how those adjustments may diminish other aspects of Georgia’s offense; e.g., the running game, short passing, and how tight ends are utilized in the passing game. The third is how both Seth and Gentry have interpreted statements from both Richt and Bobo which they believe indicates an open-mindedness to go in another direction if, as you put it, Mason cannot be fixed.
Some of Mason’s issues can be fixed, the psychological aspect in particular. If Mason can fix the things that can be fixed, on balance, Georgia probably should be favored to win.
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If Mason struggles, then it is time for a change. Why waste 2 years (this season and next season) with a new QB. That being said, why is Mason even playing this year? Because he waited his turn? The fact that we will break in a new QB two years in a row when we could have done it this season alone seems silly.
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So you’re not buying the possibility that the coaches thought the team had the best chance of winning with Mason as the starter, eh?
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Based on the performance we have seen through 4 games, no. I believe the coaches knew this season would harken back to the 80’s with an unbelievable running game that few teams would be able to handle. Reward the 5th year senior with the Starting QB title and ask him not to lose the game. There’s a reason the coaches did not let this kid throw the ball all over the yard vs Troy, and it was not to get other RB’s a few additional carries. Yes, the WR’s and OL have not helped Mason a ton at times, nor has he done himself any favors. If Mason really is in there to hand the ball off and lob a few 5-7 yard out patterns, then why not play one of the young QB’s in a effort to be better prepared for next year? Given the strength of our running game, the weakness of our defense, what’s the worst that could happen? We finish 7-5 or 8-4 and end up in Shreveport opposed to finishing 9-3 playing in the Tampa? All the while building for the future.
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Needless to say, I think your attitude is premature.
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“Needless to say, I think your attitude is immature.”
Fixed it for you.
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I get that you do not agree and that’s cool. And I get your point. Do you at least understand my take? And, what’s going to happen next year when this team is breaking in a new QB? He is going to take his lumps. Why not ease him into the starting role with the best RB in the country and ask him to do very little? I guess I do not see the point in playing Mason as a reward for sticking around. To me that is what youth sports are about and not D-1 football.
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I disagree with your premise. Mason isn’t starting as a reward. He’s starting because the coaches think he gives the team the best chance to win.
If you honestly disagree with that, then why would it matter which quarterback starts, since the staff isn’t committed to winning?
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This!!!! I don’t get those who don’t get “This”.
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And Bobo said as much on Tuesday in interviews. Reporter asked him if Mason was putting too much pressure on himself with this being “his year,” and Bobo was quick to reply that this isn’t about Mason’s year. This is about Georgia’s year. That seems to indicate the coaches care more about the team’s success than that of one individual.
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It’s not the NFL Skeptic…the guy exercised enormous patience in waiting his turn, all the while competing to be the best, think of his sacrifices as well as his parents sacrifices. In my opinion he has Vandy to prove he is número uno. If he looks like he did against UT, then we work in the newbies.
As senator said, watch the relay, he had one bad half.
Krikeys!
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*replay
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That “logic” just doesn’t pass muster. Why should we have played Murray last year when we could have played Mason so that he would have better experience for this season? Hell, why not skip Mason altogether and play Ramsey last year so that we could get him some experience?
As Bluto said, the coaches play the guy they think is the best QB who gives the team the best chance to win.
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Ya know Skeptic, the head coach at UGA gets paid pretty well, You should try out for it. You seem to know more than this coach: In his seven years as offensive coordinator the Seminoles ranked in the nation’s top five scoring offenses on five occasions, were top twelve in total offense five times and top twelve in passing offense five times. The 2000 Seminoles offense finished the regular season ranked first nationally in total offense (549.0 yards per game), first in passing offense (384.0 ypg) and third in scoring offense (42.4 points per game).
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Skeptic. Oy.
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Good post.
~~~
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That ESPN chart thinks we have a better chance of winning in Columbia (71.5%) than beating Florida (64.7%). Don’t think I agree. We’re going to have to play our asses off to beat Missouri up there.
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I’m not so sure. As much as Florida’s offense has been maligned, Missouri’s is worse.
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CMR and Bono are pretty good at developing QBs. I’m pretty sure if they thought Mason couldn’t get it done on the field they would have let his ass go two years ago when he wanted to.
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They do a pretty mean duet on “With or Without You” too.
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Bono still hasn’t found what he’s looking for
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The Senator is clearly right.
Although I would say the defense is better than last year’s sen if the numbers are similar. We’re not getting beat for a whole game on D, and while Coach Pruitt’s boys are struggling, they are working, making adjustments band getting key stops on occasion.
But Mason is the guy that everyone said they wanted when Murray had a bad game the last few years. Now you have him. Give him a damn chance.
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Nice post, Chuck. +1.
I agree. And I don’t care what the numbers are (I have no idea). It’s considerably better, in my mind, because they are making plays, and as you said, key stops.
The big difference in the Tennessee game, the thing that separated the teams, was UT had 2 critical turnovers. Georgia had 2 TO’s (interceptions) and fumbled twice. But all that cost us nothing. Why? Because our defense stopped Tennessee twice with key stops. And we got some good bounces on the fumbles.
But those stops were HUGE. As Butch Jones said, Tennessee should have had 7 points on one, and at least 3, if not 7, on the other. Without the defense making plays, we lose to Tennessee.
The defense made plays in the Clemson game. In South Carolina, they made a great play at the end of the game and all but gifted the offense with the TD we needed to win.
We didn’t see anything like that last year. The defense has great problems. Everybody knows that. But they are working to get better We know that. AND, they have made plays to help us win in every game.
~~~
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Good Post.
Yikes! Forgive me… I’m not myself. 😉
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It’s OK. I forgive you. 🙂
~~~
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Right on. You changed my lense filter for the D. The filter was more askance than thru a critical lense and you have bolstered my positive feelings of this team.
Thanks and “Ditto” goes for Hutson in your last sentence.
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The fact that we’re not all bitching about the defense is a pretty clear sign the defense is better.
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Given the attrition we’ve had, Pruitt is doing the best he can and when he gets his recruits in, we’ll have a Georgia defense our offense can be proud of
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Or it’s a sign that we had low expectations for the defense and are willing to give a new defensive staff the benefit of the doubt for now. I think they’re showing signs of improvement with each game, but I wouldn’t call it better than last year’s defense just yet.
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Give Hutson Mason a chance. I believe he’ll rise to the occasion when we need him.
A middle age point of view.
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Let’s see, did’nt the middle ages occur just before the Renaissance? Sombitch, Hogbody, that’s friggin’ old.
A point of view that old’s gotta be a Republican.
Sorry, Senator, when our cheering becomes maudlin, I just gotta stir the pot.
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Who you calling old Cojones? You better not be buying any green bannanas.
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Lol.
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Mason has earned the right to show that the UT game was an aberration, and that he can move the ball downfield when necessary. Let’s see how it plays out.
Half the posters here are just like my father; who now assumes we’re going to lose at least 3 more games based on nothing more that innate pessimism. Let’s actually play the games before we concede defeat in all of them.
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Yeah. That’s right.
Yes, we will lose 2, if not 3 or more games, IF we play just like we did against Tennessee. But that’s not a fair assumption, nor a smart one (not saying there haven’t been years where that assumption may be pretty accurate, but this isn’t one of them, even if we do lose 3 more games).
This team has its problems, but it is more than reasonable to conclude they may yet work their way out of them.
The Tennessee game was disappointing, because we didn’t show any sign of getting better, we sorta went backwards. We need to get better every game, because that is the only way we can be successful.
But it doesn’t, in any way, mean we’re done. There’s still a very good chance for improvement on a weekly basis, offense and defense especially. And if we get it, we’ll have a great chance to win every game left on the schedule.
~~~
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“And if we get it, we’ll have a great chance to win every game left on the schedule.”
Where is IveyLeaguer and what have you done with him?
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Shhh! I got the message to play along.
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LOL. Does that look different? Actually, it fits right in to everything I’ve said the last month. And all year as well. LOL.
I guess this platform (or any other internet platform) isn’t the easiest to get to know people and what they think, or how they roll, even when it comes to something they all have in common – Georgia football. Yeah, I think it takes time to get to know everybody. And though I’ve been in-and-out for 4-5 years, I wasn’t a regular until this year.
~~~
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I need to compliment him more often. I think it brings out the best in him. I feel a little brighter afterwards as well.
But Scorp. ..wuz up with the running battle with Bluto? That’s very unattractive Scorp! You never see me jawin’ with Bluto. Think about that.
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Just trying to sell tickets….where do I send the free coke? 🙂
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One of the key things to keep in mind about the struggling passing game is that we’re missing 3 quality, deep-threat receivers. Getting those players back this week could be an immediate boost. And the early reports from practice seem to confirm that.
Yes, Mason needs to improve. And yes, the line needs to improve. But the receivers might just be fine by Saturday.
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Yeah, it’ll help, even if they don’t play the whole game. FWIW, I don’t think we should expect to see either MM or JSW like they used to be for this game. It may take a while for them, and it’d be no surprise if it did.
But just their presence on the field will help us, at least Saturday, because the DC has to respect them, regardless of who the QB is. If they make some plays, that effect will continue, and it’ll help us the rest of the year.
I doubt we’ll see Rumph, and I personally don’t expect any contribution from him. Sad. He had a great opportunity.
~~~
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A 66-0 score against Troy doesn’t inflate those scoring numbers AT ALL
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And NOBODY plays cupcakes except Georgia. 2014 Georgia.
See? I can do CAPS FOR EMPHASIS, too!
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Please don’t make me drink anymore of the kool aid I indulged in over the offseason.
I am not wanting Mason to be benched. But I am concerned that he is not succeeding on throwing the ball downfield when teams are stacking the box to stop the run. Opposing teams are begging us to throw on them and we struggle to do that. Mason made one strong throw to Bennett on a deep dig against UT (and it was a great throw with good velocity), but has floated more passes than he should. I think his mechanics are just not there and that is not good to see in a 5th year QB.
I would love to think myself that the Dawgs would be favored in every remaining game, but I am not that much of a homer.
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Meh… you can do it.
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WTF is “Not that much of a homer”? You don’t have to be, sport, especially since you ain’t from around heah.
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Maybe I don’t have to be a homer to see them favored, but at this point in the season, I think Arky on the road and UF are going to give us all we want. I think we match up well against Mizz and AU. Unfortunately, my offseason optimism was dashed at USCe.
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A lot of our optimism was dashed as well, but this be the Resurrection Choir singing today. We see a lot of fun while cheering these particular Dawgs down the road. I’m sure they are beginning to insulate their psyches for the finishers they have to face for the rest of the season.. We should all be with them full force, otherwise, you may be piddlin’ instead of paddlin’.
What in hell is the reasoning in not cheering mightily for the team you love, win or friggin’ lose? It isn’t logical to be a “fan” and not cheer like heck for the team, is it? Didn’t think so. Buck up! Get your ass back into the game or go piss somewhere else.
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Never said I wouldn’t cheer mightily. I think sometimes it takes until Thursdays to get back in an optimistic mood. Thanks for the kick in the pants to shake the doldrums early.
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Well done sir.
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Better than “Well done.” It never required a smiley face. Just pure Dawginess is needed now. I’ll follow your lead, sir.
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Couldn’t have said it better myself. When you’re 3-1 and control your destiny, you don’t just dump the starting qb, triple that given what you just described.
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I agree with staying with Mason. He gives us the best chance to win. Will the light suddenly come on for Mason? No, at this point he’s past that. But that doesn’t mean he can’t become more effective. He can improve his footwork, his quick recognition and checking into better plays, and his timing and overall chemistry with his receivers. He can also learn to trust his protection as he and his OL keep playing together. Incremental improvement from Mason is what we need, and as long as he shows that he’s continuing to make progress, CMR won’t bench him. And rightfully so.To do otherwise would drastically limit the playbook, put us at far greater risk for turnovers, and consequently lessen our chances of winning. Defensive coordinators in the SEC know all too well how to confuse and frustrate young quarterbacks. Let’s give it some time and stay with what we have.
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I think Hutson will play better this week, but I think Brice will get some quality time and could get more as the season goes on. Could be a 2-QB system before long. We’ll find out soon.
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Kool-Aid for my friends, Gurley for my hosses.
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Working to “fix” the game of a fifth year senior? Not exactly the spot we should be in at a position that is usually our bread and butter. These types of fixes do not usually spell “championship”.
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Let’s give Hutson a chance with a couple legitimate deep threats. Let’s also give Brice a chance with ’em.
Down a couple of runners, let’s give Faton a chance with the Wild Dawg.
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