The Stephen Garcia dismissal is perplexing in its timing. Since Connor Shaw proved to be a capable quarterback, at least against Kentucky, Garcia was dismissed from the team for alcohol and drug use (marijuana) yesterday. They gave the guy six chances. That’s a lot. When he didn’t work out on the football field and he messed up once again off of it, he got booted. That’s tough for the kid, but he’s had plenty of opportunities to redeem himself. His grandfather passed away a week and a half ago and he got benched last Saturday, and he lost it once again testing positive for alcohol use and marijuana. He’s having a tough go right now. But did Spurrier check on Garcia’s alcohol and drug use this season while he was the starter? That’s what I’d like to know. It’s questionable. I know that Spurrier is taking a chance now that Shaw is their only guy with any game experience, so releasing Garcia has its risks on the field for Spurrier. If Shaw gets hurt, Spurrier may be in trouble. I saw where they gave Shaw’s backup some reps at the end of the game last week.
I wonder what Saban or Chizik would have done with Garcia. They are in winning situations and can afford to get rid of players who don’t act right. They have a lot of depth, so it’s not as hard to kick off a player who is a constant thorn in your side even though he is a quality player and the quarterback. If Saban or Chizik had these problems with A.J. or Kiehl Frazier, it would be interesting to see how they would handle it. S had his problems with some of Shula’s players early in his tenure, but he seemed to clean that up. Chizik had the problems with the four players in the winter and kicked them off the team. He had to do that.
Spurrier is still struggling trying to get South Carolina to be a big time winner. South Carolina just doesn’t have the appeal of Alabama and now Auburn and has always struggled in football. Spurrier is trying to take the program to a new level, competing for SEC titles and making a run at the national title. He’s recruited well recently landing the last three players of the year in the state and a three of the top players in the country the last three years in Alshon Jeffery, Marcus Lattimore and Jadeveon Clowney. But he doesn’t have the quality depth that Saban always has and Chizik is starting to establish. It would be interesting to see how S or Chiz would handle a situation like this. I think the guy got too many chances, but I do remember Gene Stallings giving David Palmer a second and third chance after two DUI’s in two weeks. So Saban and Chiz haven’t faced this type of situation with their starting quarterback. Chiz kicked off four players for stealing in the winter, but he was riding high, had just won a national championship and really, had no choice. Those guys had committed felonies. So I think Spurrier is in a different situation that S or Chiz are right now. it’s harder to win at South Carolina, so he gave Garcia every chance to succeed as a college football player and as a person. The kid just wouldn’t do his part. The timing is still very suspect; it looks bad for Spurrier and South Carolina. Coaches need to take a stand when a player misbehaves. I believe usually in second chances for players if their crimes aren’t egregious. Players misbehave a lot and there is such tight media coverage that it never slips under the cracks. Everything is reported and out there. That’s just the way it is these days. I’m not saying that’s good or bad. In some ways it’s good that players are responsible for their actions in public. It’s bad because there is no privacy. But the answer to that is just to act right and not go to bars at 2:30 in the morning and get in a fight like Jordan Jefferson did. That situation really is egregious. I don’t know the exact circumstances of that night, but it was so easy for him to get back on the team at LSU. Seems like a pretty loose ship that Les Miles is running. Could come back to haunt him if a guy like Jefferson messes up off the field or on in a critical situation. Again, I don’t know exactly what happened that night at a Baton Rouge bar, but four guys were sent to the hospital and Jefferson was allegedly seen kicking a guy in the head by an eyewitness. Very suspicious and disturbing, too, that Jefferson kind of praised God publicly for basically getting him off. There was no accountability on his part. It reeked of injustice and foul play. I don’t like it.
But I do see a little credence in Spurrier and SC trying to help Garcia turn his life around at first. But in retrospect, it seemed to be more of a football move than saving the kid from messing up his life. It looks pretty unethical. Spurrier is a pretty fun guy, I admit. I enjoy his interviews. Not sure about his personal integrity, now, though. This didn’t look like an ethical way to handle this kid’s situation. The kid acted like an idiot for a long time and they should have kicked him off the team after the third transgression. He just couldn’t get his life together. Maybe Garcia can learn from this, turn his life around, find a place where he can finish off his playing career, get a degree and make something of himself. I hope that’s the case.
For Spurrier, he has Connor Shaw to turn to now. I saw Shaw in the spring and even though he played well against Kentucky, I’m not convinced he’s the savior for the program. He looked to have a weak arm. We’ll know more this Saturday against Ms. State at State. He could be the answer. I just want to see him play a decent defense. State is a lot better than Ky on defense for sure. Not a great defense by any stretch, but certainly an upgrade from last week. They have a pretty good secondary, too, so Shaw will be tested.
It’s a shame that Garcia couldn’t get his life together. He struggled throughout his career both on and off the field. Don’t think Spurrier showed much integrity in this matter, or the university for that matter. Spurrier may have finally done the right thing, but the timing seems pretty sleazy.
These were and are two special defenses. I would say the ’92 defense had a little more star power with Antonio Langham, George Teague, Eric Curry, John Copeland and Sam Shade, at least to this point. This year’s defense looks like it has more depth, though.Dont’a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw and Mark Barron are becoming pretty familiar household names just like those guys were. By star power, I’m talking about the interception Langham made against Florida that he returned for a score to seal the SEC Championship game and enable the Tide to play Miami for the National Championship. George Teague made one of the premier plays in Alabama football history when he stripped the ball from wide receiver Lamar Thomas of Miami who was running for a score on a long pass in the Sugar Bowl against Miami.Teague pulled off “the Strip” on the ‘Bama 10-yard line. It was an epic play and led to yet another national championship and another Daniel Moore. But there’s time for this 2011 group to make some memorable, historical plays. A lot of football left. Of course, one of the greatest lines to come out of an Alabama football game was in the 1979 Sugar Bowl against Penn State when Tide defensive end Marty Lyons told Penn State running back Mike Guman on fourth and goal at the one for Penn State, “You’d better pass.” Penn State tried to go over the top on a Guman leap and was stuffed by Lyons, Barry Krauss and Don McNeal. ‘Bama won the national title that year, too.