Pay Tech Football Players?

Year after year, game after game, the Jackets continue to stumble and do not play up to their ability. Players and coaches have a higher opinion of themselves than their performance on the field dictates. This is quite distasteful and unattractive. Now players are wearing messages during games lobbying that they should be paid. As a quarterback Synjyn Days fumbled too much and couldn't pass as well as Tevin Washington. Last year Days was moved to running back, currently a thin position on the Georgia Tech roster. So far this year Days has played in three games, carrying the ball ten times for 30 yards. No touchdowns or pass receptions. And he is lobbying to be paid? He is lucky to have a football scholarship.

Tech did show signs of life against a good Miami team. For the Jackets to be able to win any of these games against stronger opponents they have to play mistake-free football, and right now they're not capable of that. Bad snaps that lead to missed extra points don't happen to winning programs.

After beginning his career against weaker opposition QB Vad Lee is being exposed and confused by more talented defenses. He has to learn to handle the ball without fumbling and use proper mechanics while throwing. Until then Tech fans will continue to suffer. Paul Johnson's offense involves too many fakes, pivots, and twirls – causing plays develop too slowly. On obvious passing downs the QB takes the snap from under center and fades back left, then must pivot right to make the throw. By then the pass rush has beaten the run-block oriented offensive lineman. It's hard for the most talented QB's to by successful in such a system. Tech's second-string QB played like a freshman, but the less-heralded third-stringer looked more poised.

Clemson destroyed Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Orangemen, dressed in all navy, looked like they didn't want to be there (and they want to be paid as well!). FSU looked real good, trouncing Maryland. Should be interesting to see if Tech can beat Syracuse and if Clemson can handle Maryland on the road without many problems. I don't see Tech beating BYU on the road.

I noticed the college total quarterback rating. Too bad it doesn't figure more into the Heisman Trophy balloting. Here are the top ten, plus other notables, before last week's games:

98.1 Mariota, Oregon (1)
96.9 Petty, Baylor (2)
95.0 Murray, Georgia (3)
90.9 Mettenberger, LSU (4)
89.7 Bridgewater, Louisville (5)
89.0 Hogan, Stanford (6)
88.7 Winston, FSU (7)
88.5 Manziel, Texas A&M (8)
87.9 Metheny, South Alabama (9)
87.0 Bell, Oklahoma (10)
85.1 Morris, Miami (13)
85.1 Bortles, Central Florida (14)
79.2 Renner, North Carolina (25)
77.4 Boyd, Clemson (31)
69.2 Connette, Duke (47)
68.1 Shaw, South Carolina (51)
66.1 McCarron, Alabama (54)
66.0 Worley, Tennessee (56)
60.7 Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech (66)
60.5 Thomas, NC State (67)
60.5 Lee, Georgia Tech (68)
30.6 Price, Wake Forest (115)

Note: Unlike the tougher schedules Oregon and Georgia have played, up to this week Baylor had run up the stats on Wofford, Buffalo, and Louisiana-Monroe.