How big a deal is Gurley’s return?

We’re all fired up about it, obviously.

It’s part of the reason Marc Weiszer gives Georgia an edge in intangibles tomorrow.

But then I think about this obvious comparison.

“I guess the best way I can answer that is how do people feel about A.J. Green around here,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said this week.

Green, like Gurley, was suspended four games in 2010 when he took $1,000 for a signed Independence Bowl jersey from a person the NCAA deemed an agent.

Since you brought it up, Coach, I can’t help but point out that Green’s return, while triumphant from a personal point of view, as it included one of the most remarkable catches of his career,

… didn’t turn out so well for the team, as Georgia lost to a mediocre Colorado team on the road.

I’m not saying that Weiszer’s wrong about the intangibles, as there are differences in the two situations – the biggest being that Gurley returns in a night home game against a big rival – but it’s worth keeping in mind that it’s not necessarily a slam dunk, either.

I guess you could say I still have a healthy respect for Gus’ rabbit’s foot.