Comparisons between two players are rarely fair, but it's hard to avoid the obvious ones between D.J. Shockley and Joe Cox. Both players chose to stay at Georgia and ride the bench for four years, and both finally landed a starting job in their final seasons. For the most part, however, that's where the comparisons end.
Still, that hasn't stopped many fans and pundits from wondering if Cox can repeat the SEC championship-winning performance Shockley gave Georgia in his last season, leading the expectations on Georgia's new QB to be pretty high.
But while Cox may be a bit unfairly judged by what Shockley accomplished, Mark Richt thinks that his current quarterback has actually had it a bit easier than his old one did.
"If you remember, Shockley's last game he played a lot in was Georgia Tech on a cold, wet day, and he didn't play very well," Richt said. "So there was a lot of people, a large contingent of fans who were like, 'This kid can't do it.' I think Shockley came into the season with more doubters than what Joe's coming into the season with, in my opinion. I had full confidence in Shockley, and I think his teammates did, too, but a lot of people were concerned about him taking over after that last performance."
Monday, June 15, 2009
Richt: Shockley Had it Tougher
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4 comments:
To add to CMR comments about the votech game...
DJ was given a lot of playing time, often when Greenie had things rolling. Richt's desire to get DJ playing time was certainly understandable given DJ's ability and work ethic, but not all, especially in my section, agreed with the plan. Some of the fans displeasure at Richt for removing Greene was heaped onto DJ. How many of us remember the 2002 interception in Jax? The dogs, not Dawgs, really started woofing then. That same play, however, did lead to a very pretty touchdown against FSU in the sUGAr Bowl.
Dave,
Shouldn't every QB that plays at Georgia be judged by what any of his predecessors accomplished? Shouldn't Cox be expecting to be compared to Shockley? I don't think that is unfair. He should welcome it and I believe he does.
I'd much prefer an attitude that Joe Cox was recruited to bring us a championship and now we expect that of him. I think that is what he would want. Joe Cox is a winner and doesn't need to be coddled.
Joe Cox was disrespected in 2005 when he wasn't given the reigns as a true freshman against Florida and sat on the bench watching Joe T run QB draws over and over again. He then sat patiently behind Staff for three years without complaint and even saved the day against Colorado in 2006. I don't think that being compared to the great DJ Shockley is going to bother him in the least.
Keep up the quality blogs. I love reading them even when I disagree. Andrew
Not to take anything away from DJ but he had a better defense behind him than what Cox will have. Look at how many of the guys on defense from that team are playing in the NFL now.
Yeah, I gotta disagree with coach on this one.
Shockley had a lot more in-game experience, proven tailbacks, and a D that wasn't known for 30-minute collapses.
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