Sidenote: The QB Race

The big question for Dawg fans is who will be the quarterback at the start of the season. And a large percentage still ask who will be the QB by the 3^rd game, but that’s another story. Think of the quarterback as the babysitter. Who do you want to leave your kids with? Someone who says ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘yes sir’ or someone who has piercings in their private parts? The Dawgs’ last two QB’s were the kind of guys you want your own kids to grow up to be. David Greene and DJ Shockley were good guys and great QB’s.

This year’s choices include:

Joe Tereshinski, III (ter-uh-shin-ski), a senior, third generation Bulldog who is probably tired of hearing how loyal he is. While it’s true he pales in comparison to Shockley athletically, he’s taken some unnecessary heat just for being there. Personally, I think he’s tough as nails and extremely smart. He’s been playing on the punt team for the last couple of years just letting people plow into him. I’m betting that he’s a pretty good quarterback, too. You don’t get to be #1 on the depth chart at a perennial Top 10 program by default (………no you don’t!) More than likely, Joe starts the first game. There’s a small contingent of fans rooting very hard for this guy. Those not rooting for him will point to last year’s Florida game as evidence he is not the successor to Shockley (he started that one game when Shockley was injured). They seem to forget that Shockley had a bad game vs Georgia Tech in ’04 when Greene was hurt. Call Joe the ‘sentimental favorite’.

Blake Barnes, a redshirt sophomore. (note: A redshirt basically means that when the player first showed up to campus as a freshman, the coach looked at him and said, “There is no way in hell you’re playing this year.” So they can practice with the team, learn the game, use the Playstation in the locker room [seriously] and they will still have four more years to be eligible to play) Barnes has not impressed many people outside of the coaching staff. And let’s remember, despite what you hear down at the local watering hole, the head coach’s opinion is the only one that matters. Barnes seems to be the odd man out, but he looks great holding a clipboard. Having said that, he’s the only QB other than Tereshinski that has seen any action in a college game.

Joe Cox, redshirt freshman. Joe’s big plus was that he was the Scout team QB last year. That means he pretended to be the QB’s of each of the teams we played in ’05. In the spring game earlier this year, Joe must have still thought he was Jared Zabransky of Boise State, because he threw four interceptions. Joe’s strength is passing accuracy, despite what happened at the spring game. He holds a bunch of high school records in North Carolina. He’s probably still learning a little, but should be ready to go. I have yet to see if he can scramble – not that it’s important. David Greene could barely outrun Joe Paterno, but he’s the all-time winningest QB in 1-A history.

Matthew Stafford, freshman. If you look up ‘hype’ in the dictionary, you’ll find, “Excessive publicity and the ensuing commotion”. We are now in the ‘ensuing commotion’ phase of Matthew’s arrival on campus. He was one of the most sought after quarterbacks in the nation, and rightfully so. The kid from Texas can flat out play. How big a deal is it that he signed with Georgia? When a UGA golfer went to the White House to meet President “Don’t Mess with Texas” Bush, Dubya pressed him, “You guys stole one of our players……..” Most fans are clamoring for him to play. If not now, then by the 3^rd or 4^th game. The latest pictures of him are not flattering. Looks like he’s got a small spare tire around his waist. Obviously the strength and conditioning program will take care of that, but DAMN what’s that boy been eating? Anyway, do you let your daughter go out on dates starting when she’s 14 or when she’s 18? It depends on her maturity, right? And whether or not the guy has his private parts pierced. It’s up to the coaches to gauge maturity. And scan for piercings.