Big Time Praise Comes With Big Time Criticism

Georgia starting QB Joe Cox said he doesn't care what those who never have played a down of football say about him. Really? Perhaps he's not being honest. One thing is for sure. Cox, along with every player who signed out of high school to play for a big time Div. 1 school, did so because they wanted to be in the "Big Time."

When things go well, it's great to be in the spotlight. If you're a starting QB at a big time program and you're playing well and your team is winning, you're the hero. It feels great! That's why many of these players come to places like Georgia, Florida St., Alabama and USC. However, when things don't go your way, or you're not playing well and your team is under performing, criticism, a lot of it, comes your way, especially if you are the starting quarterback.

At big time programs, big time praise comes with big time criticism. You cant have it both ways. I'm sure Cox, along with every other starting quarterback at major programs, knows this principle. I'm sure that he tried his best at Stillwater last Saturday in the loss to Oklahoma St. One of his receivers dropped an open pass which would have given the Dawgs a first down in OSU territory. That play wasn't his fault. The quarterback, whether this is right or wrong, is given god-like status at these big time schools. To whom much is given (full-ride scholarship, free tuition, fame, girls, etc.), much is expected.

I'm not mad at Joe Cox. He was suffering from the flu. Again, he and the Dawgs tried their best. They just didn't make the plays they needed to make. This is his first year as the Georgia starting QB. If criticism really bothers him, he needs to get use to it. At places like Georgia, where the passion is intense, he will get criticism if he performs poorly. The critics have already spoken (I'm not one of them). How he handles criticism will show how good his Senior leadership is. If he's not really bothered by it as he says he isn't, that's great. But if he is, he's got to get over it. It's part of the territory. At big time schools like UGA, big time praise comes with big time criticism.