re: Does Lock give Mizzou a shot in the East?

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James Fraklin went into beast mode in the 2013 SEC Championship game and performed very well on our biggest stage yet.

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Not really. Go back and watch the game or, better still, read the Rant in-game thread of that 2013 SEC Champ game. You'll see repeated comments that "Franklin is KILLING Mizzou" and that he was all over the place throwing the ball and if he'd just settle down and throw accurately Mizzou would have been in much better shape. He did make a lot of good plays in that game, but it was a Maukesque up and down performance at best.

I could easily argue to you that last year, Mizzou's offensive line and overall offensive game plan is what got owned by Bama. Our only scores and major passing plays were off of Mauk improvisational scrambles where he used his legs and a creative pitch and catch play with Jimmy Hunt et al to make a play after Bama had COMPLETELY dismantled the actual Mizzou play call from the sidelines. Not many QBs out there can do the creative, spinning out of the pocket, Johnny Football-lite improvisation stuff that Mauk could, and it was the only thing that day that gave the Bama defense problems. When we ran our set plays, our whole team got owned. The running backs, healthy though they were, did JACK in that game too which is telling.

I guess that's the thing with the Mauk saga that I don't like. If people are going to say that his winning was a result of what the team around him did, then its unfair to pin losses like Georgia and Bama last year on his performance either without taking into account what the team around him did then either.

Bottom line, the kid's career at Mizzou is over now (there's no way he will suit up for us again) so I think given the very difficult time in his family life he is having right now, its better to just thank the kid for 17 very fun wins and a great SEC East championship season last year and let the debates on his stats and ability come to an end.