Greg McElroy explains why he expects criticism of Stetson Bennett IV to continue in 2022
Greg McElroy liked what he saw from Georgia QB Stetson Bennett IV as he bounced back from a lackluster SEC Championship Game performance to lead the Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980.
So, does that mean Bennett can avoid the constant criticism, even from Georgia fans, that he faced in 2021 as he leads the Dawgs into 2022?
Don’t count on it, says McElroy. On his “Always College Football” show, McElroy said he thinks the fan criticism will continue this fall:
“Based on the history, everyone wanted to blame Stetson Bennett for their loss in the SEC Championship last year when Alabama scored 42 points,” McElroy said. “Unless Stetson Bennett was also playing corner covering Jameson Williams, I don’t know how you could blame him for that performance. Now, he didn’t play well. He forced a couple picks. He didn’t play great. One pick wasn’t his fault. But either way, as the quarterback at a high-profile school you’re always gonna get way too much credit and way too much blame.
“The only thing that’s different about Stetson Bennett is he never actually gets the credit. So, I don’t really understand how to deal with it. I don’t think it’s fair. He is extremely underrated, and if you look at what he did in the fourth quarter of the national championship game, he should be forever beloved by Bulldog Nation. I called the spring game. The second Carson Beck threw a touchdown pass, I saw people lighting up my Twitter feed saying ‘There’s MY quarterback. Stetson Bennett no longer. I want Carson Beck.’ Y’all, it’s a spring game. He’s going against the twos. What are we doing? So, I think Stetson Bennett is going to get unfairly criticized regardless of what he does or how he performs.”
Can Bennett continue to prove the doubters wrong? He’ll face a tough test in Week 1 when Georgia faces Oregon and former DC Dan Lanning in Atlanta.
The criticism won’t stop because that’s simply the nature of the beast.
To his credit, though, Bennett never looked overwhelmed last year. I think he can handle it.
The backup QB is the most popular player on a lot of teams every season. Bennet more than most has dealt with being doubted throughout his college career. In fact, it may help him to known he still has a lot of doubters out there, as he seems to have learned to feed on it. I remember Kobe Bryant saying at one point that he loved the doubters because they only motivated him to keep getting better.
So, my message to Georgia fans is– embrace Bennet. Constantly let him know he is the greatest!
mrtruth………Yes, what you said is true to a point. As one who has and does embrace Bennett and anyone who starts at QB for Georgia. I think that once again it’s only fair to give BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY!!!!!!
I embrace Stetson Bennett but with caution. I saw him throw the picks that gave the SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME AWAY!!!! While it’s true he doesn’t play defense. It’s also true that the Georgia defense consistently gave him elite starting field position all season. They were constantly stoning offenses and getting short punts and even blocking punts!!! Just the danger of them blocking punts was enough to make average punters to shank one or kick it a line drive that is returnable. Otherwise just short kicks!!!
Their defensive pressure made field goal kickers consistently miss. Made people go on 4th down and get stopped out of fear they might not get another shot inside our 50 yard line!!!!! Stetson Bennett consistently had very little pressure and hardly if ever played from behind. The defense saw to it he played with the lead nearly every game!!!! It’s was nearly like clockwork. If a team scored on our starters at all. It was usually the very first drive or two! Once Georgia figured out what they were doing. The iron door quickly slammed!!!!!
The fact is even GREAT DEFENSIVE TEAMS don’t usually do the things Georgia was consistently doing!!!! Stetson Bennett might still have a GREAT DEFENSE!!!! But not an iron curtain like last season!!!! Point is he might be called upon to do more!!!!! CAN HE CONSISTENTLY DO MORE WITHOUT THE BONEHEADED PLAYS HE HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER BEFORE THIS SEASON. ESPECIALLY THE LAST TWO GAMES????
If not we have 3 5 star QBs with far more ability and waaaaaaay more upside!!! They deserve their shot to spin the football to. Without the constant pressure of if they make 1 mistake they get benched!!!!! Stetson Bennett hasn’t had such pressure and that is the #1 reason he has succeeded!!!!!!
PS. If he goes all bonehead at any point. I say allow someone else a fair chance!!!!
Negan
Hmmmm… Sorry, Greg. I think you might be fanning some sort of flame. I heard the media blaming Stetson for the loss to Bama. But pretty much EVERY Georgia fan I talked to (and there was a lot of them) blamed the obvious change in the defensive strategy. That loss was not on Stetson — he threw a couple of bad balls — it was on our inability to get to Young.
So by commenting that you don’t understand the criticism, I think you are actually just fanning those flames that no longer exist.
McElroy makes some excellent points about Stet and I agree. There are two things that should be discussed about Smart and Monken initiating the fan base’s doubt about Stet. #1 They were convinced that Dwan Mathis was better than Stet because he was QB1 after Fromm left. That was a COLOSSAL mistake and did they expect the fan base to ignore that. It actually made me question Smart and Monken’s ability to choose the right QB more than any question about Stet. #2 Then when Daniels was healthy, they benched Stet. How was that supposed to garner the fan base’s belief in Stet? The never ending coach speak of “who gives us the best chance to win” was actually harmful to the ability of the fan base to believe in Stet because two times, Smart and Monken told us Dwan Mathis and JT Daniels gave the team the best chance to win.
I was not convinced about Stet until after the Michigan game because until that point, he played poorly in the biggest games, mainly against Bama in 2020 and in the SECCG in 2021. Since Michigan, I have been all in on Stet and I am glad he’s back in 2022.
Mrs Kirby is not very good at developing QB talent. She has a couple five stars that don’t play.
Is the Tide going to be okay if tiny little Bryce gets hurt? When five-star Eason got hurt we turned to a five-star Fromm. When five-star Fromm left we turned to a highly efficient Stetson Bennett. When Bennett got hurt we turned to a five-star Daniels. You get the jist.
Fromm was a 4 star. If young gets hurt well of course that is a set back. He is the best QB in college football.
Never win another championship with Bennett.
Impeccable logic. Dude wins a natty and the #3 national QB rating as a 3rd string backup off the bench, but an off-season of working with the ones as the starter for the first time in his career can’t possibly make him better.
That’s okay. Clemson never won another championship with Trevor Lawrence. Florida never won another championship with Tebow…the first one was with Chris Leake as QB1. USC never won another one with Matt Leinhart. My point is most QB’s don’t win multiple national championships.
I agree with you, it is very hard to repeat as NC. Not impossible but the odds are against it.
Not so fast: “Bennett recorded the highest QBR of any Georgia quarterback, currently has a record of 14-3 as the starter, and after just two seasons he ranks 8th in passing yards and 6th in touchdowns amongst all Georgia quarterbacks.”
QUITE CAPABLE OF WINNING A NC!!!!!!!!
It’s funny, many will simply look at the 247 Rankings weight-height and assume the 5-star sitting on the bench, with no real experience will without a doubt be able to come in and do better than the 3-star starter who has already proven that he can and has gotten it done.
Bennett has accomplished plenty in a short time, from not getting first team reps in Spring, to becoming the starter and putting up the No.4 QBR nationally on his way to winning the national Championship game.
Anybody who doesn’t think Bennett should be the No.1 to start 2022 is simply looking at supposed potential and ignoring what Bennett has already accomplished. I can’t wait to see the Mailman can do with all those first team reps under his belt. And hopefully the receivers will stay healthy unlike last year. Many miss that GA was without almost any returning starting receiver for the first half of last season.
Considering all the injuries to starting receivers, I’m very impressed with what Bennett and OC Monken accomplished.
Well said Tim!
Some of the Georgia fans on here have openly said that Alabama losing two WRs is no excuse for losing. Now the ones that do say that are known retards, but still they post it. Representing the Georgia fan base.
Georgia retards. Leghumper, 2008, Corch and Negan.
I suppose nobody knows better than Greg lol
The best sarcasm on this chain.