Marcus Wright may play Saturday!

If we absolutely needed him I think he would, and I wouldn't fault him for it.

Somehow I doubt we need to burn any redshirts vs Garner Webb.
 
Marcus has come a long ways since the start of practice. We would not take the redshirt off if he wasn't ready, he has done very well the past few weeks. Look at it this way, were about to stockpile on RB's once they start seeing how much we spread the ball around, we will be fine with burning his shirt. He still has 3 years and 7+ games to play at GT. We will have plenty of RB's around here by the time his eligibility is up. Marcus is excited to get the shot to play this season, he has to prove it this week in practice first though. Embry might miss a couple weeks. A lot of the freshman we are redshirting have been progressing really well and the staff is very excited about this class.
 
i think there is a big difference in redshirting lineman, defensive players and qb's compared to an a-back.

an a-back can be effective by doing 2 things. holding on to the ball and running FAST. you don't need strength and a Lot of knowledge in these areas. that's why burning a redshirt here doesn't concern me one bit.

those that REALLY benefit by being RS'ed
OL, DL: needs to bulk up and learn blocking techniques, speed of the game, etc.

QB: needs to learn coverages, practice, gain strength

DEF: bigger the better...in general



a-backs just need to know the plays and run.

use 'em while you can because these guys can be a dime a dozen and may get hurt due to the speeds they run and due to their size.
 
buzztheirazz said:
i
an a-back can be effective by doing 2 things. holding on to the ball and running FAST. you don't need strength and a Lot of knowledge in these areas. that's why burning a redshirt here doesn't concern me one bit.

a-backs just need to know the plays and run.
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I am not entering the entire Wright argument because it is silly.

However, you have over-simplified the AB position...probably not on purpose.

The AB is critical from a blocking standpoint. It has been the key block for Dwyer around the end on many of his long runs for instance. There is a reason that Lucas Cox won the AB starting postion over all of the speed guys....he can block.

You also could add pass catching downfield as important. Roddy Jones has been successful catching the deeper passes in the seams...a pass that Nesbitt can, and did, make.

I would say good blocking and holding on to the ball are the pre-requisites...speed and elusiveness after that...then receiving ability.
 
Play him if he's improved. We are very thin (and this affects us on special teams too) and with recruiting will have more options in the future. Play him now.

We won't have a defensive line like this again for 15 years, play him.

We could have a special year yet. Play him.
 
There's no reason to burn a RS against the Gardner Snakes. We could win this game with only one A back on the field.
 
I still feel that if coach really thinks that playing Wright will be the difference in wins and losses this year then play him. Otherwise, wait. I don't doubt that coach wouldn't throw him out there if he wasn't ready, but I would prefer to get the best 4 years out of a player. Those are the principles that have made Wake Forest so successful as of late and would be very beneficial to us if we were patient enough to abide by them. It's all about delayed gratification in my book. We can get a benefit now from an 18 year old kid who first saw this offense a few months ago, or we can be patient and have a grown man playing that has studied the offense for years. This instance seems very singular and may not have much of an effect, but when you start talking about burning several redshirts that aren't necessary, then you will see a major difference in the performance of the team in 4 years.
 
kirbee said:
There's no reason to burn a RS against the Gardner Snakes. We could win this game with only one A back on the field.
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There might be one reason to burn a RS vs Gardner Webb:

If you know you're going to have to burn it vs Clemson anyway, it'd be good to get the freshman some game snaps before you do so.
 
NATSman said:
Lucky for us, the most qualified person to make this decision is also the person who has the authority to make the decision. I trust and support Coach Johnson. I have no reason to think that what he does is not the best thing. After all, he is the one who coaches college football for a living, has exceeded expectations everywhere he has coached, knows all the players and their strengths, weaknesses, personalities, mommas, and their mommas' personalities, and busts his ass an ungodly amount of hours per week to run this team. When he makes a decision, I have faith that it was the right decision. Who here on StingTalk has reason to believe otherwise?
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I agree with this statement, but it isn't really what we're talking about here. I'm sure that 99% of people on here trust the decision that PJ will make, but this is about our input on what the best decision might be based on the amount of knowledge we have and our take on the idea of redshirting versus playing now in general. To say you agree with whatever the coach decides is one way to go about it, but it doesn't give us any input at all on the discussion at hand.
 
beej67 said:
There might be one reason to burn a RS vs Gardner Webb:

If you know you're going to have to burn it vs Clemson anyway, it'd be good to get the freshman some game snaps before you do so.
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This is how I feel about it too. I have been excited about seeing Marcus on the field ever since he chose Tech over Tulsa. I do trust that the coaches know more about the benefits of the RS versus play now option for each player.
 
ncjacket said:
So PJ would play someone who isn't up to it?
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Obviously, he's the expert on the situation and I risk being called a moron if I disagree (although it holds more weight coming from him). But I've heard him say (on many occasions) that he'd prefer to RS every player.

I'm just surprised given the expectation management by the insiders about Wright during fall practice. He may be ready mentally, but I doubt he's made enough of a jump physically (again, based on the what the insiders were saying). If he burns the RS at the point in the season, it's because of necessity not because he's ready. And that's why it's disappointing news.
 
ContactBuzz said:
Obviously, he's the expert on the situation and I risk being called a moron if I disagree (although it holds more weight coming from him). But I've heard him say (on many occasions) that he'd prefer to RS every player.

I'm just surprised given the expectation management by the insiders about Wright during fall practice. He may be ready mentally, but I doubt he's made enough of a jump physically (again, based on the what the insiders were saying). If he burns the RS at the point in the season, it's because of necessity not because he's ready. And that's why it's disappointing news.
Click to expand...

The argument that GW could be a tune-up for the more critical games ahead is ominous. I'm sure Wright can use the extra time, he's not a Jones or a Dwyer just ready to bust lose, but his baptism may come sooner than expected or desired. Let's keep our fingers crossed that doesn't happen.
 
as for the 3.5 seasons to 4 whole season with the redshirt, whose to say he doesn't go pro early anyway? there's no guarantee you keep anyone for 4 years nowadays anyway. Use him if you need him.
 
I was about to say the same thing GT... for a case in point, consider Moreno in Athens. They redshirted him and may only have him actually play for two seasons now if he leaves after this year. 4 years is definitely no guarantee anymore.
 
Wow!

Marcus has gone from a young, underweight, under developed freshman to a potential pro pick that will leave early.

Ah, the future, you just never know what's going to happen. That is why you use your chips now and don't count on the come.

Go Jackets!
 
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