Joey Gatewood (Update 10/30: Leaves the team)

[doc4aday 1,887]

3 minutes ago, Momma Worm said:

Those are not my thoughts lol but at this point I just support him as a mother should.

I am proud of the way "The Worm" has played this season. That young man can really motor when he gets the ball!

[RHN1975 302]

Just now, WarEagle1983 said:

lol. You can't be serious. According to Gus everyone has a great practice. I'm talking about live games. JJ looked great in every practice we had according to Gus's press conference but was a hot mess in games. We DO know that Joey wasn't given an opportunity to show if he could give the offense a spark in those games b/c Gus didn't play him. So you're saying you trust Gus's judgement when it comes to QBs?

Not at all.  I am just saying you and I and every other poster on here have no idea how he looked. We have also learned that you can't listen to GM when he talks abut how great someone has done at practice. If JG's greatness was on the same level as JJ's greatness we may have our answer.  

[cole256 17,080]

8 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

It's definitely the most logical explanation, especially for a coach on the hot seat. 

Let's say that isn't true - that Gatewood actually would have been a better quarterback moving forward. Then him not playing is either politics, as some have suggested, or incompetence. If that's the case then I would lean towards incompetence, but that's just me. 

For what it's worth I've seen at least 3 different former AU players post that it's been politics. I don't know if it's true or not but they certainly used that very term

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,670]

9 minutes ago, shabby said:

I didn't ignore that. In fact that was the first thing i discussed and dismissed. What eveidence does anyone have that Nix started because he was a legacy. I'm going with  Ockham's razor. The simplest explanation is the best one. Nix was the better QB. 

That’s the best explanation if that’s what you want to believe. You’d have to be absolutely psychotic to believe Joey could be any worse than what was the worst Auburn football I’ve seen a QB play this decade. Kiehl Frazier and Clint Moseley would be an upgrade over this guy, but...Ockham’s Razor!

[Gowebb11 9,323]

1 minute ago, Barnacle said:

It's definitely the most logical explanation, especially for a coach on the hot seat. 

Let's say that isn't true - that Gatewood actually would have been a better quarterback moving forward. Then him not playing is either politics, as some have suggested, or incompetence. If that's the case then I would lean towards incompetence, but that's just me. 

In college football in 2019, you’re not going to have two stud potential QBs in the same class and keep them both. Either Bo or Joey was transferring based on the situation. Same as Eason and Fields at UGA, Burrow at LSU, and Hurts at Bama, and Bryant at Clemson, etc...... Yes, Gus’s offense is a hot mess and is costing us dearly and we all despise how he has derailed the season, but lets not pretend that under any circumstance we could keep two highly rated QBs and keep them both happy. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,670]

The Florida game would have been at least a closer loss if Gus just did what he does with every backup QB and asked him to run almost every play. 

[cole256 17,080]

4 minutes ago, WarEagle1983 said:

lol. You can't be serious. According to Gus everyone has a great practice. I'm talking about live games. JJ looked great in every practice we had according to Gus's press conference but was a hot mess in games. We DO know that Joey wasn't given an opportunity to show if he could give the offense a spark in those games b/c Gus didn't play him. So you're saying you trust Gus's judgement when it comes to QBs?

We also do know that the players on this very team say his play gets even better when they go live. So we do know that as well. 

[Tigerpro2a 5,650]

I am not going to pour on Gus. I am over him....I think we all knew that this day may be coming, but unexpected mid-season. I get it. I don't like that he is leaving mid-season but after Gus yanked him that was a big F U to Joey.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

1 minute ago, RHN1975 said:

Not at all.  I am just saying you and I and every other poster on here have no idea how he looked. We have also learned that you can't listen to GM when he talks abut how great someone has done at practice. If JG's greatness was on the same level as JJ's greatness we may have our answer.  

But you said you we don't know if JG was given the opportunity. We do know when it comes to live games. He wasn't given the opportunity. And yes..we can't listen to Gus. That was my entire point though. Because Joey wasn't given a chance in actual games...we don't know what he could or couldn't do b/c we certainly can't take Gus's word on evaluating QB talent. 

[alexava 6,973]

I have no doubt Bo was better in practice. I had a source who talks to a current player. I know Bo digested the playbook better. Bo got the other players lined up right and did the little things better per my source. Joey throws just as good and runs better. Also per my source. I just thought back to Campbell and Cobb when petrino liked Cobb because the same reasons but when Jason got chances in games he played better. I was hoping Joey would get a few chances and pull off the same things Campbell did. I fully expected him to leave but not till the end of season. Unless he had emotions he could not overcome. I wish it could have been handled differently. Very draining feeling right now. 

[CoffeeTiger 5,108]

9 minutes ago, WarEagle1983 said:

I wouldn't care if they did lose to Wisconsin or Penn State or Iowa in upcoming games. The fact is that Minn is not getting the same athletes that those schools are getting and they've vastly improved since he's been there. They've gone from a program where those schools could just chalk up a win against them and name the score to where now that's not the case.  He's getting the most out of the talent he's recruiting. Similar to Franklin at Penn State. Vandy didn't win the SEC while he was there but he got good production out of the talent that he could get. The same with Scott Satterfield at Louisville and it is his first year. Louisville got plastered last year by at least an average of 20+ point losing margin. This year they beat a ranked Virgina. It's about the fact that both coaches went to programs that were a mess and changed the culture and attitude very quickly and showing results. Imagine bringing that to AU with much better recruits and facilities. Yes, sign me up. Gus had 1 year of HC experience when so they've already surpassed that. 

Minnesota won 9 games the year before Fleck was hired, and Jerry Kill had Several good years prior to that. Minn. was arguably considered  a middle of the pack B10 team before he got there. 

 

I mean Fleck May be an amazing coach, but having 1 good year in with a weak schedule doesn’t necessarily convince me of anything.

I look at Scott Frost, who built UCF into a juggernaut that even beat several very good teams, but plop him into Nebraska and so far the results with more talent and more resources have been less than stellar. He may very well still succeed, but Nebraska fans are already starting to grumble about Frost’s results. 

[AuJoe 79]

I'll start with the bottom line first. Joey Gatewood should have been given an opportunity during the LSU game for at the very least one series. Folks can say what they want but he could not have done too much worse for our chances to win. The way the defense was playing even a turn-over probably would not have been the game loser. This would've at least accomplished 2 very valuable things even had he not been successful. One, we would not have been on here and everywhere else including the press right after the game asking/complaining about why Gus did not give JG a shot. Two, Gatewood most likely would not be leaving the team unless he did a really p-poor job at it and even then probably not. More-than-likely we would still have our back-up QB. If he had done a good job on the drive and scored or showed poise and success passing you would expect more opportunities to come and maybe even a win there. Who knows, we never will. In my mind the slap in the face was when Gus put in less than 100% Boobie to play wildcat rather than 100% QB JG. Boobie is a 10% or so pass play threat allowing the safeties to cheat up where JG means all bets are off and the safeties probably have to stay back freeing up the run some. Gus not using JG in that situation more than anything to me sent the signal that JG will not ever truly be allowed to do more than mop-up play or QB dives. Looks like JG got that same message during the game also. Good Luck to JG wherever he goes. I deep-down still hope he changes his mind and stays but that is somewhat selfish of me. I'll be a JG fan whatever he decides to do.

[WarEagle1983 2,185]

1 minute ago, cole256 said:

We also do know that the players on this very team say his play gets even better when they go live. So we do know that as well. 

Agree. I'm certainly not saying he is better or worse than Nix b/c we have no idea. I just always found it interesting that some thought b/c he wasn't starting or allowed to throw when in the game that Nix is the better or the two. The thinking is that if Joey was then he'd be playing. I guess that's just hard for me to agree with considering the messenger and evaluator is Gus. I'm more so inclinded to think Joey could be a Heisman QB if we're trusting what Gus is saying.

[Barnacle 9,064]

And here's one more thought about the politics. 

There are 100 other things that Gus is constantly maligned for - not utilizing other talent on the team, not adjusting his offense, play calling - whatever it may be. It's almost always chalked up to stubbornness or incompetence, but never politics. So why then would the same people single this situation out as politics? If Gus is incompetent or stubborn, then it follows that this situation is due to stubbornness or incompetence. I just don't see the political angle. 

I'm not saying it's not political - it's certainly possible, it just doesn't add up for me and no one has presented any evidence to prove it.

Finally, as someone pointed out earlier, it may be that Bo truly was the best option at QB. If not, then my vote goes for things that I filter all my other complaints about Gus through: stubbornness or incompetence, or both.

[SCTiger2011 1,278]

Wish Joey all the best. As for the very few criticizing him for leaving mid season, Joey by all accounts gave 100% to Auburn since early in his high school career. 
 

It’s not his fault he’s not an Auburn legacy. He deserves to go somewhere that he will get a fair shake (notice I didn’t say a starting job).

[AuburnEagle79 2,168]

It's going to be interesting to see how the team responds to this. If Gus loses the team over this, which could be possible, then I think his run is over. 

How long can the defense keep our offense in games? What if they decide to clock out?

What if Bo continues to look lost? 

Gus is toast. It's just a matter of which season does him in, 2019 or 2020. 

[Never2Yield 1,005]

26 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

one day auburn will quit being it's on worst enemy.............

Maybe ...

[Barnacle 9,064]

9 minutes ago, cole256 said:

For what it's worth I've seen at least 3 different former AU players post that it's been politics. I don't know if it's true or not but they certainly used that very term

I'm definitely not ruling it out. I just have a hard time believing that a coach on the hot seat would sandbag his season based upon politics. 

[cole256 17,080]

Just now, WarEagle1983 said:

Agree. I'm certainly not saying he is better or worse than Nix b/c we have no idea. I just always found it interesting that some thought b/c he wasn't starting or allowed to throw when in the game that Nix is the better or the two. The thinking is that if Joey was then he'd be playing. I guess that's just hard for me to agree with considering the messenger and evaluator is Gus. I'm more so inclinded to think Joey could be a Heisman QB if we're trusting what Gus is saying.

I understand and agree with you. People are using logic and hypothetical situations to come to negative conclusions but saying you can't do it to come to positive conclusions for whatever reason.

[leglessdan 1,934]

10 minutes ago, RHN1975 said:

Not at all.  I am just saying you and I and every other poster on here have no idea how he looked. We have also learned that you can't listen to GM when he talks abut how great someone has done at practice. If JG's greatness was on the same level as JJ's greatness we may have our answer.  

Couldn't we also say derive from what Gus says about practice that maybe Bo isn't as good or prepared as is being led to believe? Hard to imagine folks picking on JG after what we HAVE seen on the field from Bo. That said...the bigger issue is Gus, not these kids.

[McLoofus 35,182]

46 minutes ago, cole256 said:

I just feel that from what I see the people that are still arguing for Gus aren't facing the reality of the situation we are in. They are pretending that Bo's play has been good and he's been leading us to victories and the losses are only because of the venue the game was played.......it's sort of sad

It's actually more widespread than I realized. Auburn twitter leans weird, as it turns out. Somebody even said that it's strange Joey is leaving because... we're 6-2.

Huh?

 

[cole256 17,080]

2 minutes ago, Barnacle said:

I'm definitely not ruling it out. I just have a hard time believing that a coach on the hot seat would sandbag his season based upon politics. 

That was my logic at first but there's clearly something going on that you wouldn't play him. 

[Barnacle 9,064]

10 minutes ago, Gowebb11 said:

In college football in 2019, you’re not going to have two stud potential QBs in the same class and keep them both. Either Bo or Joey was transferring based on the situation. Same as Eason and Fields at UGA, Burrow at LSU, and Hurts at Bama, and Bryant at Clemson, etc...... Yes, Gus’s offense is a hot mess and is costing us dearly and we all despise how he has derailed the season, but lets not pretend that under any circumstance we could keep two highly rated QBs and keep them both happy. 

Agreed. What's unique about this situation, in my opinion, is that the starting quarterback has been playing poorly, arguably to the extent of costing us some W's. But this was going to happen eventually, I agree. 

[SaltyTiger 7,808]

3 minutes ago, alexava said:

I have no doubt Bo was better in practice. I had a source who talks to a current player. I know Bo digested the playbook better. Bo got the other players lined up right and did the little things better per my source. Joey throws just as good and runs better. Also per my source. I just thought back to Campbell and Cobb when petrino liked Cobb because the same reasons but when Jason got chances in games he played better. I was hoping Joey would get a few chances and pull off the same things Campbell did. I fully expected him to leave but not till the end of season. Unless he had emotions he could not overcome. I wish it could have been handled differently. Very draining feeling right now. 

With you on that Alex. Some players are bad practice players but are gamers. Hoping we could see that from JG. Remember it was said Bo Jackson was a poor practice player. Early on some of the assistants complained to Dye about it. Dye says he told them just to "shut up and get him the ball 20-25 times every Saturday."

[tbone4jc 2,241]

I saw this coming during the LSU game when he refused to let Joey come into the game during that goal line play. I am really pissed because that led to the end of my confidence I CGM. I am just done. Didn't give the kid much of a chance this season.