🏈 Been thinking about Greg McElroy since the third quarter yesterday...

TerryP

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...and, I still find it interesting that so many sports / media figure heads insist on calling him "efficient." Now, that is no doubt the truth. But, it goes so much, so much, beyond that.

Consider this quote...

"We've had a lot of great players at the University of Alabama, and Greg is certainly a great player for us the last two years, but I would want to put him and his legacy as an University of Alabama football player as one of the greatest ambassadors who could ever represent the university," Coach Nick Saban said. "You talk about a lot of class personally, academically his achievements and accomplishments, and what he's been able to do on the field, not only with his performance but how he affected other people on the field, has to be right up there with the best and great ones." — Nick Saban

No freakin' kiddin', eh?

I don't know of you guys happen to notice it, I didn't catch it due to all the other games playing around me. When he was pulled in the third he went out to a standing ovation and returned that ovation with a salute to the crowd. (Hell of a lot of Crimson in the stadium yesterday, right?)

Here's another neat quote from the presser, this from Greg, when he was asked about that moment...

"It was kind of a surreal moment," he said. "I had to reflect briefly and it was nice to salute the fans because they make it special to come here. That's why I came here, to play for a passionate fan base and I wanted to make them proud."

Now, be honest with me. How many of you guys came out of your seat when Greg made the block downfield springing Julio for the TD?

I saw him take the corner and literally said "Oh chit" when it looked like he was hitting another gear.

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Goes to say a heck of a lot about what kind of player he's been for us the last two years.

Last, but not least...here's a few more comments on Greg that came out yesterday morning before the game...


All McElroy has done, after being the Tide's second choice, is lead Alabama to last year's national title, go 23-3 as a starter, set some school records, lead an exemplary life that'd make an Eagle Scout look like a Crip and become a Rhodes Scholarship finalist.


"It's flown by extremely fast," McElroy said earlier in the week. "I'm going on 23, I'm a fifth-year senior. I think we've accomplished everything I've wanted to accomplish since I've been here."


Today, McElroy plays his final game at Alabama, leading the Tide into the Capital One Bowl against Michigan State.


It's an opportunity for a fairly distinguished bunch of players to punctuate their careers with a win That, includes seniors like McElroy, Earl Alexander, James Carpenter and Preston Dial, and with the assumption that juniors Mark Ingram, Julio Jones and Marcell Dareus will venture into pro ball next season.


Win or lose, this isn't some legacy deal today.


Not for this senior class.


Not for McElroy.


Legacies have already been established.


The Heisman went to Ingram. The hype went to Jones. But as much as anyone, the face of the Alabama program the last two seasons has been a freckled one with sweat-smeared eye-black running down his cheek and tousled red hair.


His legacy of all-around excellence is secure. He may not join the pantheon of Namath, Stabler and Trammell. But a national title and the robotic efficiency and accuracy (70.6 percent of his passes this season) puts him on the next tier.



Eagle scout look like a crip...hilarious line.
 
BTW, in that video all you hear and really see is Greg's hit. But, go back and watch it again and pay specific attention to Carpenter at the LT spot. He took two guys out on that play by himself.
 
You have a way with words Terry, and I appreciate you using them in support of Greg...a very worthy topic indeed.

Excuse my simplton approach please, but two words sum up my thought about McElroy - Poster Child.

Greg McElroy's success is what every parent of a recruit is looking for when they send their son off to play college.

He once said that his long term dream was to be NFL Commissioner. 1) Why the heck not? 2) I'm fully expecting him to someday replace Ozzie Newsome as Athletic Director at Alabama. It will be good to have that man back on campus and calling the plays again.

Thank you Greg McElroy. Roll Tide
 
You have a way with words Terry, and I appreciate you using them in support of Greg...a very worthy topic indeed.

Excuse my simplton approach please, but two words sum up my thought about McElroy - Poster Child.

Greg McElroy's success is what every parent of a recruit is looking for when they send their son off to play college.

He once said that his long term dream was to be NFL Commissioner. 1) Why the heck not? 2) I'm fully expecting him to someday replace Ozzie Newsome as Athletic Director at Alabama. It will be good to have that man back on campus and calling the plays again.

Thank you Greg McElroy. Roll Tide

Did I ever tell you the story about the email exchange I had with Greg when he gave his verbal?
 
Email exchange? No, but I would love to hear about it.


And as a response to when Greg made that block, I was screaming at the screen after he did that. Was an extremely proud moment for me and one that the announcers could not stop talking about.

I am extremely proud of how we played yesterday. RTR

:a:
 
GMac is a class act, a great football player, one of our all-time great QBs, and super-smart. I have this hope that he will stay at UA to attend law school and work as a student coach with Saban's staff. I think he still has alot he could contribute in getting our young QBs mentally prepared for next season - and many after for that matter.
 
I think everything Greg has done for this football team was exemplified in that one block. He'll go down as one of my all time favorites and it's sad for me to see him go. Roll Tide Greg, and thank you!
 
I have to say that we, as fans, got extremely spoiled by Greg the past two years imo. I mean 5,595 yards and 37 TDs with only 9 INTs and an incredible 24-3 record? There's not many QBs in football that can claim that type of effeciency and record. People are gonna get frustrated with AJ (or Simms whoever is the QB) because they will likely throw more picks just because they're different QBs and will take more chances. Ppl will get frustrated because we just got so damn used to a QB that simply doesnt turn the ball over.

I'm def. gonna miss G-Mac, not many have his passion and heart for football and for his team. We will miss u G-Mac!
 
I have to say that we, as fans, got extremely spoiled by Greg the past two years imo. I mean 5,595 yards and 37 TDs with only 9 INTs and an incredible 24-3 record? There's not many QBs in football that can claim that type of effeciency and record. People are gonna get frustrated with AJ (or Simms whoever is the QB) because they will likely throw more picks just because they're different QBs and will take more chances. Ppl will get frustrated because we just got so damn used to a QB that simply doesnt turn the ball over.

I'm def. gonna miss G-Mac, not many have his passion and heart for football and for his team. We will miss u G-Mac!

fwiw, he want's to be the NFL Commish...imagine that. ($1 dollar to the....)
 
one of my biggest memories of gmac will be throwing that interception to hightower in the a-day game..

then he squares him up and tackles him head on.. lol

i remember saban joking about it.. you gotta admit he plays football in every sense of the word..
 
I've always admired Greg as a QB. There were times where he probably didn't make the best decisions, but no QB is perfect at this level. Hell not even at the next level for that matter. I'll miss Greg and wish him the best, dude is a class act with a capital C. :a:
 
Greg's play in this game bring back two great memories:

In the 1999 SEC championship game versus Florida, Tyler Watts delivered a block similar to the one Greg threw to spring Freddie Milons on a long TD run that broke the game open. Call that game Mike Dubose's high water mark.

In Jay Barker's last game at Alabama (by coincidence in the same stadium and against a Big 10 opponent) he saluted our fans as well. His was done post game as we didn't take the lead for good until very late in the day.

Thanks, Greg, for two great years.
 
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