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You know, it's great to be "the first" at something. There's a certain amount of cachet that can go along with it. The first to the moon. The first president. The first guy to rush for 2000 yards in the NFL. Well, of course there's a flip side to being the first.
Evidently Jaybo Shaw is pushing to be first in numerous categories.
FIRST QB COMMITTED
The Flowery Branch QB was the first QB to commit to Paul Johnson. In the Triple Option, a QB is the heart-and-soul, the coup-de-gras, the cat's pajamas. The system works when you have a QB who knows and can execute the system. Jaybo runs the system. So Jaybo Shaw was the first QB who decided to hitch his wagon to Paul Johnson at GT.
FIRST RECRUIT COMMITTED
Taking it a step further, Shaw was actually the first guy at any position to verbally commit to PJ after his arrival. Others followed, by Jaybo will forever be known as the first guy to sign up for what Paul Johnson was selling.
"FIRST TO BEAT UGAg"
When meeting with Paul Johnson, Jaybo bodly proclaimed that he would be the first QB for Paul Johnson that beat UGAg. What bravado. What cahones. Hey, we all like a little mean streak and aggressiveness, right? After all, everyone (eyes rolling in back of head) loved Reggie Ball's bravado of the "we won't lose another game all year" variety. I'm all for confidence and goals, but let's not get ahead of ourselves........... especially since it hasn't happened.
FIRST TO GET ARRESTED..
..... whoops...... how did that happen? Here's a more detailed story and the other names involved. Under-age drinking. I know none of us ever expected one of our wholesome boys to go and get caught up in all that kind'a mess. So now Jaybo becomes the first recruit of Paul Johnson's to get arrested. Now THAT'S a first that I'm not sure I wanted on my name tag. I wonder how many arrests PJ had to deal with at Navy. I honestly don't have a clue, but my guess is it's pretty darn near zero. Of course they were learning the fine art of bustin' heads at Navy and putting their lives on the line.
Many of you will be of the "boys will be boys" opinion. Many of you will call the whole thing overblown. Some of you may even be somehow proud - although it's no "Matt Stafford" kind of deal unless there are pictures of him holding kegs over his head. For me, it's sad for the kid, but it is what it is. It's been reported. He'll pay the price in numerous ways - personally, legally, parentally, head-coach-ish-ly - others I'm sure.
My only opinion is that recruits have to be a little bit smarter about how they conduct themself now that they're moving to a more public "arena". Old-timers that are held up as the paragons, legends and figureheads of sports-dom are often legendary for the their off-the-field behaviour as well. It's just now with the internet, digital cameras and the like - it's going to get more publicity than ever before. Maybe Jaybo can consult with Matt Leinart about the pitfalls trying to be careful about behavior (and throw in some future wisdom about how to do it while being a father at the same time). I don't bring up this story to highlight it. I bring it up because it's news, it's relavent to GT sports, and it's a bit of a relatively minor cautionary tale to other recruits / players......................... key lesson - nothing good happens after midnight (Jaybo was arrested at 12:30 am)
If any of you have ever checked out http://www.edsbs.com/, it's a profane but entertaining college football site. They keep a "big board" of all off-season arrests, award points, and declare a winner prior to each season. All I'm saying is that these kids represent more than just themselves and everything they do is now fodder for public consumption (good or bad). Lucky for Jaybo, his FIRST day at GT won't be until the fall, which means GT doesn't break onto the EDSBS big board. Where's Reuben Houston when you need him?
Evidently Jaybo Shaw is pushing to be first in numerous categories.
FIRST QB COMMITTED
The Flowery Branch QB was the first QB to commit to Paul Johnson. In the Triple Option, a QB is the heart-and-soul, the coup-de-gras, the cat's pajamas. The system works when you have a QB who knows and can execute the system. Jaybo runs the system. So Jaybo Shaw was the first QB who decided to hitch his wagon to Paul Johnson at GT.
FIRST RECRUIT COMMITTED
Taking it a step further, Shaw was actually the first guy at any position to verbally commit to PJ after his arrival. Others followed, by Jaybo will forever be known as the first guy to sign up for what Paul Johnson was selling.
"FIRST TO BEAT UGAg"
When meeting with Paul Johnson, Jaybo bodly proclaimed that he would be the first QB for Paul Johnson that beat UGAg. What bravado. What cahones. Hey, we all like a little mean streak and aggressiveness, right? After all, everyone (eyes rolling in back of head) loved Reggie Ball's bravado of the "we won't lose another game all year" variety. I'm all for confidence and goals, but let's not get ahead of ourselves........... especially since it hasn't happened.
FIRST TO GET ARRESTED..
..... whoops...... how did that happen? Here's a more detailed story and the other names involved. Under-age drinking. I know none of us ever expected one of our wholesome boys to go and get caught up in all that kind'a mess. So now Jaybo becomes the first recruit of Paul Johnson's to get arrested. Now THAT'S a first that I'm not sure I wanted on my name tag. I wonder how many arrests PJ had to deal with at Navy. I honestly don't have a clue, but my guess is it's pretty darn near zero. Of course they were learning the fine art of bustin' heads at Navy and putting their lives on the line.
Many of you will be of the "boys will be boys" opinion. Many of you will call the whole thing overblown. Some of you may even be somehow proud - although it's no "Matt Stafford" kind of deal unless there are pictures of him holding kegs over his head. For me, it's sad for the kid, but it is what it is. It's been reported. He'll pay the price in numerous ways - personally, legally, parentally, head-coach-ish-ly - others I'm sure.
My only opinion is that recruits have to be a little bit smarter about how they conduct themself now that they're moving to a more public "arena". Old-timers that are held up as the paragons, legends and figureheads of sports-dom are often legendary for the their off-the-field behaviour as well. It's just now with the internet, digital cameras and the like - it's going to get more publicity than ever before. Maybe Jaybo can consult with Matt Leinart about the pitfalls trying to be careful about behavior (and throw in some future wisdom about how to do it while being a father at the same time). I don't bring up this story to highlight it. I bring it up because it's news, it's relavent to GT sports, and it's a bit of a relatively minor cautionary tale to other recruits / players......................... key lesson - nothing good happens after midnight (Jaybo was arrested at 12:30 am)
If any of you have ever checked out http://www.edsbs.com/, it's a profane but entertaining college football site. They keep a "big board" of all off-season arrests, award points, and declare a winner prior to each season. All I'm saying is that these kids represent more than just themselves and everything they do is now fodder for public consumption (good or bad). Lucky for Jaybo, his FIRST day at GT won't be until the fall, which means GT doesn't break onto the EDSBS big board. Where's Reuben Houston when you need him?