Written by Duane Long
| 11 August 2009
I don't know if we should mess around with Small anymore. I have always been a proponent that these are kids and we should not write them off. But how many chances does a kid get to make it right? This happens every year with him. It is always something. If it isn't one thing it is another. I want to tell you this. Ray Small is not a bad kid. Ray just doesn't want to go to school. Really, Ray doesn't want to practice much either. Ray just wants to play. We thought he had found the maturity last spring. It looked like the light had come on. Here we are again. I think it is time to start putting the team first. It is time to start looking at kids working hard to get those reps. Forget about standing on principle. Lets think practical. How long is he going to miss? No way is he going to be ready for USC. He won't be in football shape. His timing is not going to be right. Why are we going to work a senior, a senior that has not earned our respect and appreciation, back into the mix above younger players who could help the team down the road? He caught 18 balls last year. He caught 14 of them in the first 3 games. He did not play in 5 of our last 7. He never found a rhythm with the Franchise. Can we even count on him? We could be looking to work someone back into his spot anytime in the future because as a senior, Ray knows he doesn't have to do anything in school. We could work him back in and find that he is not eligible for a bowl game because he stopped going to school. He is not dependable. I have completely lost faith in this kid and that is really bad for him as I was one of the few people left in his corner.
I could have saved you alot of reading. It comes down to this for me. Ray Small? Next.
