Anybody who made the spring pilgrimage to the Classic City this past April to take in G-Day may have left surprised and feeling good after watching Christian LeMay scramble and run with the football. Many were (and still are) a bit skeptical about how ready LeMay will be to make early impact after deciding to sit out his senior year of HS ball instead of taking a half season suspension. But after watching him run a few QB draws, and gain some impressive positive yardage doing so, I was left with images of the early aughts when we would bring in DJ Shockley regularly to run a play or two while giving David Greene a quick breather.We all know that Aaron Murray has the ability to scramble and turn nothing into something. We got to see it right off the bat in the game against LA-Laf, again against Arkansas, multiple times against Tenn, and several other times throughout the season. But the way Christian LeMay looked at G-Day, it makes me wonder if he is ready to come in and give Murray a bit of relief in short yard situations, sparring him the wear and tear that comes along with a QB running up the gut, or trying to get around the trenches.
Nobody is more exhausted from the "Mark Richt hot seat" debate than myself, but you have to keep it in mind when it comes to predicting his game strategies this coming season. I believe we have seen the kindling of his fire which will translate into a "win at all costs" philosophy between the hedges this fall. If LeMay really shows up at summer camp/practice, and shows that what we saw on G-Day is indeed the real deal, is it worth burning his redshirt to get him into the mix right away? Many argue that Richt's greatest successes came in his early UGA days when his FSU offensive philosophies were still fresh on his mind. I cannot help but think that the memories of the Greene/Shockley 1-2 punch have been resurrected with the arrival of LeMay.
Is it worth it?
Murray is entering his Sophomore season, and based on what I read about his attitude, and factoring in his size, he reminds me very much of David Greene: meaning that no matter what successes Murray has at UGA over the next two seasons, I expect to see him in Sanford Stadium in 2013 for his senior season. If we burn the redshirt off LeMay this year, it will eventually create a very similar scenario to Shockley's senior year in 2005. But how will Dawg Nation react if we wait to use him the following year, and realize the 1-2 punch of Murray and LeMay proves to be a force to be reckoned with? Thoughts of Knowshon Moreno taking a redshirt his freshman season will come to mind, with many Dawg faithful wondering why he wasn't utilized as soon as possible.
If the Murray/LeMay combo happens, and impresses this season, where does that leave current backup Hutson Mason? It may hurt, but truth is he may want to look into transferring if playing time is of any importance to him. This would put extra emphasis on UGA signing a QB in the upcoming class. A good one to try and lock up is currently taking snaps down in Wayne County (Jesup), Georgia by the name of Greyson Lambert. He has shown interest in the Dawgs, but is being courted by Nick Saban pretty thoroughly as well, among others. If we want to implement this plan, we need to act fast with this kid.So, what are your thoughts on a Murray/LeMay combo? Do you see it being as effective as David Greene and D.J. Shockley back in their prime? Do you think Richt realizes a combo like this could not only be deadly to SEC defenses, but could also gain a magnitude of trust back from Dawg Nation? My opinion is, go for it!! I cannot wait to watch these two work together for the next 3 seasons. It will be (as it already is) a GREAT time to be a Dawg!!!
90 days til' kickoff!!
GO DAWGS!!!!
I don't think we should burn Lemay's redshirt. We have nick marshall coming in that we could use in a similar package. I would rather burn a year of eligibility on a db than a qb in this case. If you remember we really didnt use shockley that much anyway, i just dont think its worth it.
ReplyDeleteI am also against the idea of using Lemay in that aspect for the simple fact that its been proven that Bobo doesn't know how to sale it. Look what he does with the joke of a play wild dawg (which is way out of date and he acts like its something new). Everybody who's watching the game knows its a run playand he uses it anyways. I suspect a play with Lemay would be the same outcome and they are to conservative to let him throw it (unless things change drastically). I would say save him till we really need him.
ReplyDeleteI go back and forth. I think saving him will be just fine, but I fear a situation where we realize that it is golden, and we look back to the season we didn't use him and the "what if's" haunt us like the Moreno situation.
ReplyDeleteAfter that, I have become a big fan of "use em' while yo got em'" scenarios.
Thanks for reading!!
I don't think the benefit of what Lemay brings to the table would be worth burning redshift. But this morning I was watching highlights of the 2002 season and was thinking about this very same topic. The variation of Greene and Shockley made me think of the possibilities of Murray/Lemay. But also the ability of Musa to find open running lanes so easily reminds me of Crowell's highlights. I'm excited about what could be with our offense. I just wish our defense was as loaded as that 2002 team. Hopefully they will step it up.
ReplyDeleteyou can't compare this to the knowshon situation, it is completely different. If we wouldnt have redshirted knowshon we would have gotten 3 years out of him before he went pro and we would have had a #1 back and not as much running back by committee. In this case if we redshirt lemay chances are we get two full years out of lemay after murray is gone. If we dont redshirt him we get at best we get very limited production this year and and only one full year out of him as a starter
ReplyDeletebrantleyluke, those are very valid points. While I am using Moreno as an example, I am fully aware it is a different situation. My point and fear is more the fanbase's frustrations if Mark Richt sits somebody again when it appears a solution was on the roster the whole time. I threw in the emphasis on Greyson Lambert, who appears poised to be a long time starter on a Div I team, as a must sign if we do pull the redshirt off LeMay.
ReplyDeleteI guess my view on if we should or should not pull the redshirt will weigh heavily on the outcome of the first 2 games. We win them, I say win at all cost, since our schedule will look really, really pretty to go far in the postseason. We start 0-2, the shirt must stay on no matter what.
now that i absolutely agree with. One of the reasons I said redshirt him was that despite all the talk of us being a dark horse for the national championship, I just don't see it happening. There is nothing that would make me happier, but I am just being realistic. If we make it through the 1st 2 games I might start to buy into it. I dont know if you read my earlier post or not but i suggested that we use nick marshall in a similar package
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to see what Nick Marshall brings to the table. It cannot be any worse than lining up Branden Smith or Washaun Ealey behind center. At least Marshall will have the ability and recent experience to be a throwing threat.
ReplyDeleteMike Bobo certainly cannot say he doesn't have the weapons....
And you're right. Depending on Marshall's abilities, he very well could keep the redshirt on LeMay's back.