Player A, Player B and Player C are on Team 1. Player B leaves school. Player A leaves Team 1 and is replaced by Player C. In Player C's first game on Team 1, he does not set any school records. In Player B's first game for Team 2, he does set school records.
Is Player B better than Player C?
If you said Player B is better than Player C, congrats, you are an idiot. If you said Player C is better than Player B, you're an idiot too. If you said, "I can't answer," congrats, you are a logical person.
That does not include these two writers who seem to think that Florida might miss Cam Newton's Tim Tebow impression based on John Brantley's first game. Not only is this argument stupid. It is...
That's right. Garbage. I understand the rush to judgment, because it's easy to do and requires no patience. Plus, one game against different opponents is a large enough sample size for anyone who last took math in middle school.
Then there is this;
Well, no one seemed to mind when Newton packed his bags and left Gainesville a couple years ago. No one really thought the Gators needed him AND Brantley. In fact, at the time, many thought Newton leaving was good for Florida football because it could make room for a more talented quarterback. That attitude was obviously a mistake in judgment. The Gators could use Newton right now and that fact is not up for debate. If anything, he could be playing tight end right now, but he also might have been a pretty good quarterback at Florida.
What do you say Mike?
Yes, the passage of time as clouded our minds. You see, Brantley was an injury prone backup with a broken hand and separated left shoulder in his first two years at UF. Newton was used as a relief pitcher for Tebow in 2007 and was the established backup. Going into 2008, Brantley and Newton were competing to be the backup until Newton hurt his ankle. Brantley stepped in, Newton threw a computer out a window, and Brantley got a clear path to the starting job. Dan Mullen leaving UF also contributed to Newton's decision to leave Gainesville in January 2009.
Did people think Brantley was the guy and not Newton? Sure. But as many people thought Newton was the guy since he was built like Tebow and could take the blows Brantley's body couldn't. But Newton got into trouble and didn't want to wait around for his punishment or for Tebow to decide on the pros or a senior season. Newton made the decision for UF, not the other way around.
Both Brantley and Newton might end up being awful. Both might end up being stars. But to think Cam Newton would have been better for UF is garbage.