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After Bama, I wrote the following:

// I give us a pretty good shot at finishing 2-3. An outside chance at 3-2. And right now, LONG odds on 4-1. I’m not sure which is a better bet for win number 4: Mizzou on the road? Or UGA at home?/ /

I was proud of us against UK. And even got a little optimistic after UConn ("we're finally on track!").

Losing Thornton is awful. Not as bad as losing Bru, but... both just awful.

Joe should play Saturday. And then, hell yeah, give the keys to Nico.

Here's the reality: Joe is a nice guy. I like him. But he is not a winner. He is NEVER gonna take you home against tough competition. He just ain't that guy. He can do okay, against similar or lesser comp; but he puts no pressure on the opponent.

I know that's not a nice thing to say. But this is athletics. Performance is all that matters. What I saw from Nico against UConn is a guy who is looking to make things happen, ALL the time. Joe is looking to execute the play. That's pretty much the sum of his mindset. Sometimes he does. A lot of the time he doesn't. When he doesn't -- next down.

Nico may be the guy who can make the D pay for any mistakes. And put pressure on them. With instinct and creativity. "What's he gonna do?" Put him in against Vandy. And the bowl. This season is over. It can still be 9-4, whichever QB. Not too bad. But why not start next season right now?


I think this guy puts it very well. A vid I saw after I posted yesterday. We are simpatico. "Joe is just not the QB for this system." It APPEARS Nico is -- let's see.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hay7b9HvN1Y

That dude wants to put Nico in against Vandy at the half. I say give him the start. But I'm not going to pick nits.

Let Joe sit the bowl. Get ready for the draft. He's going to get taken; and as the dude says, can have a nice career making millions of bucks as a journeyman backup QB.

Let me say one thing in Joe's defense. Because I DO like the guy.

If last season had been an odd-numbered year, and we played UF and Bama on the road: it's VERY doubtful that we would've beaten either of them. Or UGA at home. All of a sudden, our 10-2 season is 8-4. Maybe 9-3, if USC is not as motivated against a #15-25 UT. And doesn't have our signs, courtesy a quid pro quo with UM... ( ^ ; And Banks is not a green-eyed-monster over Hendon.

This thought I'd throw that out there...