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AJC > Sports > UGA > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 28
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Who’s the franchise player?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia fans are all too painfully aware that the Bulldogs stand a very good chance of losing both Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno to an early departure from school for the NFL draft.
Of course, we’d love to have both of them return next season to see if they can win a championship ring before turning pro, but even wishing for that out loud feels like tempting fate.
There does appear to be at least a decent chance, though, that one of the dynamic duo will come back for another year. So here’s the question that came up in a couple of Dawg fan conversations this weekend: Which loss would hurt more, Stafford or Moreno?
You can make a good case either way, but based on what I’ve seen on the field so far my first inclination is to say losing Moreno would probably be the bigger setback.
Here’s my thinking: Joe Cox might not have the abundant natural physical prowess that Stafford has, but he appears to be a better than average passer and a smart player. Could he make a game-winning pass like the one Stafford threw against Kentucky? Well, his game-winner against Colorado a couple of years ago might not have rated quite as high on the difficulty scale, but it showed he can win under pressure. And if we need to change it up a bit, there’s Logan Gray, who is a running threat.
Put it this way: The prospect of Cox as starting QB is, as of now, a heckuva lot less scary than was the impending ascension of D.J. Shockley at the end of David Greene’s senior season. Remember how bad D.J. looked in relief of Greene, even in that last game of 2004? The Bulldog Nation shuddered. But we know how it worked out once D.J. had the starter’s job: an SEC championship.
Meanwhile, the drop-off from Moreno, who’s always a threat to break a long run any time he gets the ball, to off-and-on backup Caleb King looks to be quite a bit steeper at this point in King’s development … the key phrase being “at this point.” (Yes, we also have young Richard Samuel, who currently is No. 2, but I’d put my money on King to take over if Moreno leaves.) There’s no question King is a talented runner (though probably not in Moreno’s league), but his difficulties with blocking, a crucial job for a tailback in Georgia’s balanced offense, have been well documented and cost him the backup spot and drastically reduced his playing time late in the season. Of course, by next year that all might be behind him. But having Moreno back for another year definitely would keep Georgia from becoming a one-dimensional offense and take some of the pressure off Cox.
On the other hand, the case arguing that the loss of Stafford would hurt more is also pretty compelling. Quarterback is, frankly, a more crucial position than tailback, and Stafford is good enough to win games even when he doesn’t have much of an offensive line. Chances are he could continue to do so with King as his tailback. So on second thought …
Anyway, bottom line: If either one of them returns, Georgia’s offense should still be pretty damn good.
It’s the defense we’ve got to worry about. …
SPEAKING OF STAR PLAYERS: I saw the basketball Dawgs in action Sunday against North Carolina A&T and came away with two thoughts: First, winning over a team like that by 30 points is what Georgia should be doing, as opposed to the two previous games coming down to the buzzer. So it’s not a win to get excited about, though it was enjoyable to watch. Which brings me to the second thought: Trey Thompkins (once known as “Little Howard” out in Gwinnett County) looks like the real deal. Hampered much of this season so far by injuries, the much-hyped freshman really hadn’t asserted himself much until Sunday, when had 22 points (including five of six 3-point attempts), a dozen rebounds, four steals, two assists and a couple of blocks. An all-around player, in other words. The Dawgs are probably too young and raw this season to do much in the SEC wars, but if Dennis Felton can land another star to go along with Thompkins next year, his hot seat might cool off considerably.
