After that mainly “dismal, fairly typical” performance by Emory Jones in our Bowl Game against UCF, I was far from the only one who was left wondering how many teams were gonna be all that hot after him in the transfer portal after THAT one.
Sure enough, and much as I’d feared all the more with his sort of wishy/washy response to reporters’ questions on the matter after the game, now come online posts headlining Jones’ possibly not leaving UF after all.
Now, BEFORE the game I had for some time held (and freely shared) the opinion that Emory would make a “FINE backup QB”; but having since stated his intention to leave, then in what amounted to what was for him a “crucial public tryout/audition” for his next job he comes out and can only manage THAT, well, my attitude (and that of most prospective takers) had to be,
“Um, maybe at a lower-level of likely competition...”
Hey—even Copeland had to settle for Maryland—and HIS stock hadn’t fallen NEAR as far!
I admit to a certain amount of concern (along lines of, “OH NO!!!...”) when I saw the first headlines to this effect the following morning...But I can’t see our new Coach being anything but honest with the kid. If he gets hardly any “encouraging” offers and decides to stay, it will likely have to be KNOWING that he’ll no longer have anything LIKE “the inside track” on “QB-1”, but more like “competing for the #1 back-up”! If he can do so gracefully, he and AR remaining good and mutually-supportive friends, then I congratulate his maturity (maybe he learned something watching Kyle Trask—EVERYONE could!) and welcome him back to the fold.
But damn: Thursday night he basically gave a strong demonstration as to all the things we DON’T want him for!
Sure enough, and much as I’d feared all the more with his sort of wishy/washy response to reporters’ questions on the matter after the game, now come online posts headlining Jones’ possibly not leaving UF after all.
Now, BEFORE the game I had for some time held (and freely shared) the opinion that Emory would make a “FINE backup QB”; but having since stated his intention to leave, then in what amounted to what was for him a “crucial public tryout/audition” for his next job he comes out and can only manage THAT, well, my attitude (and that of most prospective takers) had to be,
“Um, maybe at a lower-level of likely competition...”
Hey—even Copeland had to settle for Maryland—and HIS stock hadn’t fallen NEAR as far!
I admit to a certain amount of concern (along lines of, “OH NO!!!...”) when I saw the first headlines to this effect the following morning...But I can’t see our new Coach being anything but honest with the kid. If he gets hardly any “encouraging” offers and decides to stay, it will likely have to be KNOWING that he’ll no longer have anything LIKE “the inside track” on “QB-1”, but more like “competing for the #1 back-up”! If he can do so gracefully, he and AR remaining good and mutually-supportive friends, then I congratulate his maturity (maybe he learned something watching Kyle Trask—EVERYONE could!) and welcome him back to the fold.
But damn: Thursday night he basically gave a strong demonstration as to all the things we DON’T want him for!