Out of Bounds

List is Growing of Colleges Where Mettenberger WON’T be Playing Football

Of course UGA was the first. Coach Mark Richt felt he had no choice. The trust had been broken, Zach Mettenberger had to go. Now the question is, where will Mett continue, rather begin, his football career?

Looks like Valdosta State may be out of the question. It’s not that Mettenberger wouldn’t consider the Blazers or the Blazers wouldn’t consider Mettenberger. But the 18 year old may not have the option to continue his education there. He’s been banished from the town of Valdosta for a year.

Banished?  Banishment is still a punishment? From the entire town? Considering he was arrested by the REMERTON Police Department in REMERTON, Ga, makes the punishment seem even a little more strange.

But alas, it’s part of a plea bargain. The charges of  underage possession, disorderly conduct, obstruction and two counts of having a fake ID were dismissed due to the deal after the more serious sexual battery charges surfaced. Mett will serve 12 months of probation and pay a $2000 fine, and of course, stay the hell away from Valdosta!

Oh, and he’s not allowed to contact either directly or indirectly the victim. Who, by the way, Mettenberger apologized to in a statement after his sentencing. He must either get a mulligan on that one, or apologies don’t count as contact.

He is also not allowed during the term of his probation to visit ANY establishment that serves alcohol. Party’s over for you Mett; no more bars, significantly less choices of resturants, and, worst of all, no more Chuck E. Cheese!

Zach Mettenberger was  a few weeks away from potentially being named the starting quarterback at a major university, and couldn’t contain his ego and feelings of being above the law.  I do hope the fine, the 80 hours of community service, and the banishment (still sounds weird) teach him that he’s not, and keeps him from becoming one of those guys who consistently get their name in the news for these types of situations (*cough* Roethlisberger *cough*).

Who Will Be Your QB? – UGA Edition

It’s another year, another debate amongst fans as to who should be the starting qb at UGA. Logan Gray has the most experience, albeit limited. Zach Mettenberger has the best measurables, although his skills aren’t polished. Aaron Murray delivers the leadership and moxy desired in a Southeastern Conference signal caller, but is nowhere near the prototypical size.

Before Saturday, everyone had their favorite. After Saturday’s annual G-day game, fans vehemently defend their choice.

Each QB had their moments of greatness. Each delivered a head scratcher or two. Most Dawg fans have been on either the Mett or Murray bandwagon, with Gray being an afterthought. After watching all three play, I would say one of those two would be a safe wagon to hitch a ride on.

Mettenberger came away from G-day as the star of the show. He connected on two touchdown passes against the Bulldog defense. He looked poised in the pocket, calmly making razor sharp accurate throws amid the surrounding chaos.                                     

Unfortunately for Mett, he may have reserved himself a spot on the bench (or standing room next to the coach with a clipboard) before he even had a chance. When Louisiana-Lafayette rolls into Athens in September, Mettenberger will have watch the game from the sidelines due to a discipline issue. It is hard to imagine Coach Mark Richt giving a Freshman his first action of the season on the road in Columbia, therefore, who know if, or when, Zach Mettenberger will have a chance to display his talent when the game actually counts.

So this leaves the battle between Murray and Gray. I don’t think there’s much question that Murray leads in the talent category. But Gray is talented in his own right, plus he’s the only one with game experience. Coach Richt values that experience – see Joe T. III. But, I think Richt will make the right call between these two signal callers and announce Aaron Murray will be the starter come opening day.

From that point on, unless Murray forgets how to throw a football, he will be the Dawgs’ quarterback until he graduates in 2013.