The Sad Facts

[Furmanoid]

I suspect he lost the job when he entered the portal- not before. If the coaches really did firmly decide on Sisson as their man leaving Grainger with no choice but to accept a better offer, then that’s on them. But I really doubt that’s what happened.

[The Jackal]

I suspect he lost the job when he entered the portal- not before. If the coaches really did firmly decide on Sisson as their man leaving Grainger with no choice but to accept a better offer, then that’s on them. But I really doubt that’s what happened.

It's all speculation at this point. In his public comments, Grainger was complementary of the Furman coaches and staff.

Again, I realize that the backup QB is always the "most popular" guy on the team, but if you just look at the numbers, it is not as though Grainger had a vice grip on the job.

Arguably, Grainger in 2019 was the worst passing output of any Furman QB over the last 20 years. The only comparable season may have been Dakota Derrick/Cody Worley in 2010 (we were 5-6 that year).

[Furmanoid]

I suspect he lost the job when he entered the portal- not before. If the coaches really did firmly decide on Sisson as their man leaving Grainger with no choice but to accept a better offer, then that’s on them. But I really doubt that’s what happened.

It's all speculation at this point. In his public comments, Grainger was complementary of the Furman coaches and staff.

Again, I realize that the backup QB is always the "most popular" guy on the team, but if you just look at the numbers, it is not as though Grainger had a vice grip on the job.

Arguably, Grainger in 2019 was the worst passing output of any Furman QB over the last 20 years. The only comparable season may have been Dakota Derrick/Cody Worley in 2010 (we were 5-6 that year).

I’m not saying he was Tom Brady. But he was good enough to move up to FBS. If he was as bad as you suggest and Sisson really is as good as it’s gonna get, then the OC needs to go back several drawing boards and figure out an offense that will work. Forget about throwing downfield. I’d be happy if we could just throw a bubble screen.

[Davemeister]

When DG was good he was very good, but when he was bad he was awful. He made the decision to transfer and I'm sure we all wish him well. But our current predicament is not the results of his departure. If you disagree, I suggest you watch a replay of the 2019 APSU game.

[Paladin91]

I agree that losing Grainger was huge. He was very athletic, and had a good arm. Regardless of whether he was the 1st or 2nd string, we needed him .

Grainger was a ton better than Sisson. If one couldn't see that, they need to see an optometrist.

You might find it interesting that this spring Sisson has largely put up superior passing numbers to Grainger's 2019 season by nearly every metric. In 5 games, Sisson is pretty much already at Grainger's passing output in 13 games last season. The only area where Sisson really lags Grainger is turnovers.

Grainger completed fewer than 50% of his passes and roughly 94 yards a game and lost the starter's job. So, he wasn't exactly crushing it.

So, I don't think it is fair to say Grainger was "a ton" better. In fact, by most objective measurements, he's not. The coaching staff apparently thought he wasn't. We can quibble with whether the coaching staff is correct in that assessment.

Oh Jackal, your analysis is laughable. I guess you forgot Grainger played against two FBS teams (GA State and VA Tech) in his first two games and did quite well against tougher competition. You forget Furman also had an OL that could at least run the ball a year ago...I'm sure Grainger would have been throwing the ball a lot more on 3rd and long situations. I suggest heading straight to the optometrist.

You realize the offensive line is essentially the same guys, right? All the running backs are the same? Grainger even had one of the great WRs in Furman history to throw to.

Sure, many on the same O-line, but we averaged 4.6 yds per carry in '19. We are averaging 3.68 yds per carry this year. That's huge when it comes to setting up a run or pass play on 2nd or 3rd down. We've been in a lot worse yardage situations on 3rd down mandating a pass, and Grainger clearly had better speed than Sisson. Sisson would be a back up on any other FCS team.

[Furmanoid]

See I’m taking the optimistic stance that we had a QB with potential, but he got stolen. Otherwise it looks like we just can’t recruit qb’s. Even that would be ok if we had a good line, but they are regressing. We are in a pickle.

[Paladin91]

The reality is that Grainger was a Drew Cronic recruit. Guarantee you that if Drew was still running the offense, we would not be having the same discussions today. In his first year as O coordinator, Drew did a great job with the offense given that he had no speed at the RB position. Give Mercer a couple of years and they'll be the premier team in the SOCON.

[The Jackal]

The reality is that Grainger was a Drew Cronic recruit. Guarantee you that if Drew was still running the offense, we would not be having the same discussions today. In his first year as O coordinator, Drew did a great job with the offense given that he had no speed at the RB position. Give Mercer a couple of years and they'll be the premier team in the SOCON.

Grainger announced a Furman offer at the same time Cronic was out the door. He announced his commitment after Cronic was already at Lenoir Rhyne.

Cronic may crush it at Mercer, but right now they are one of the SoCon's worst teams. They've beaten winless Citadel and a terrible WCU program. VMI crushed them in Lexington.