Flashback to the Idiot NM Sportswriter Who Said Moving Gentry to Tight End "Sucks"
Figured this was a good time to report this. Back in February of 2016, when Zach Gentry was officially moved from quarterback to tight end, you'll remember that Mark Smith, the assistant sports editor of the Albuquerque Journal, wrote a column about how the move "sucks."
He said Harbaugh misled the kid, and that he'd never get another recruit out of New Mexico again. He was advocating that Gentry transfer to a D2 or D3 school right away so that he could play quarterback.
I wonder how this moron feels after the Maryland game? Gentry has now become College Gronkowski and will be a first-round draft pick as a tight end either this season or next.
You can re-read the idiocy here.
October 9th, 2018 at 10:50 AM ^
First round would be a surprise. I can see second. Even Gronk was picked in the second. And if he gets that draft grade after this year, he should go.
October 9th, 2018 at 10:56 AM ^
Jake Butt endorses this message.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:26 AM ^
Too soon.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^
Agreed that first round would be a surprise. Regarding Gronk though.... didn’t he fall out of the first round due to injury concerns?
October 9th, 2018 at 2:11 PM ^
Everything I've heard from Gentry points to 3rd/4th round pick. It's a pretty loaded TE class with Noah Fant, Dawson Knox, Irv Smith, Issac Nauta, Albert Okwuegbunam, Kaden Smith, Caleb Wilson and to name a few are all considered to be better prospects than Gentry.
Only reason why Gronk was picked at 2nd round is because of medicals. He had a back injury that sidelined him his final year at Arizona and wasn't healthy enough for the combine. Otherwise, he would've been a top 10 pick.
October 9th, 2018 at 4:13 PM ^
Those guys may have better production but none have close the the measurables or potential, imo. He is just shy of 6'8" 265 and will run low 4.6. That is a potential match nightmare. And the NFL draft is largely about potential.
October 9th, 2018 at 5:05 PM ^
Thing is most of the TEs ranked ahead of Gentry don't have the production either.
NFL is both production and athleticism based. That being said, Gentry isn't anywhere close to being a 1st/2nd round pick type of prospect.
October 9th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
Ok, but you still have to appreciate the pettiness.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:14 PM ^
TBH what do you want the guy to write about? Local kid was Jim Harbaugh's first "prized" recruit. And it's an honest take from their perspective.
In fact, if I were he, I'd still be trying to ride a little Zach Gentry news to a little New Mexico fame. Maybe an article moaning about how if it's Zach Gentry throwing that fake-reverse pass instead of Grant Perry, it's a touchdown 99/100 times.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^
Yeah I thought the article was a good perspective from his hometown. It's nice to read that article, knowing how successful he's been.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^
Also the OP:
October 9th, 2018 at 10:52 AM ^
*sportswriter is idiot for not venturing to the future to see the error of his ways*
October 9th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^
Exactly!
October 9th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
I don't know, I remember us discussing this article back when it originally ran and we all agreed it was a stupid, uninformed take. It's worth rehashing this stuff so people can be held accountable for their stupid takes.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:19 PM ^
I don't remember the discussion, but I certainly believe you that it happened. My point here is that a take is not stupid just because it turns out to be wrong.
The writer, at the very beginning of the article, puts a disclaimer that he has not seen Michigan practice and is taking this view from the outside. It is an open admission that his take is uninformed, eliminating the need to fill the echo chamber with critiques of an 'uninformed' take. He admits openly that he has, "little doubt," that Gentry can become a great TE. There is no accusation of Harbaugh misleading Gentry. This seems to be an article from a devoted New Mexico sports fan (who happens to be a writer) that knows of Gentry's family and his importance to the local sports scene there.
There is no reason to dredge up an article from an obviously supportive fan and writer that wanted Gentry to return to his hometown and lead the local team. Who's to say that he's wrong? What if Gentry returned to UNM and lit up the competition as a QB? My point is that the critique is nitpicking, and, if I am being honest, completely misleading as to the content of the article.
I respect you as a regular poster, and I am often aligned with your views, but this just seems like a case of the board slamming a guy without actually reading the article.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:32 PM ^
Agree with this take completely. He had an opinion, he was outspoken about it, and he was wrong. Surprisingly, it's not just newspaper journalists, but even well-known bloggers who have been opinionated and wrong on occasion.
Let's hold Brian accountable for singing Rich Rodriguez's praises back in 2007!
https://mgoblog.com/content/profiles-heroism-rich-rodriguez
Rodriguez is everything a Michigan fan could want in a hire; to get him after the month-long disappointment train that was the coaching search is manna from heaven.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:56 PM ^
What a ridiculous response. Brian openly acknowledged that he was wrong. Has this New Mexico writer done so?
October 9th, 2018 at 1:05 PM ^
I agree in part. I do not believe the writer has done so, but my 10-second internet search shows me that he doesn't even work at the paper anymore as of mid-December 2018, reported on January 8, 2018.
I, admittedly, did not know this until about 5 minutes ago. It doesn't really reinforce or undermine my point, so I'm not putting this in as a 'gotcha.'
https://newmexicogolfnews.com/long-time-abq-sports-scribe-goes-free-agent/
EDIT: I now see that someone else posted this below.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:12 PM ^
I do remember this. The writer had some heated comments in a brief twitter war with Michigan 'fans' over the story. He also followed up with a couple of stories where decried Harbaugh's coaching decisions, although not to the level of the linked page. The writer deserves the crap he's getting here.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:24 PM ^
If this is a criticism of the writer, then focus it on the twitter war and the other stories that actually critiqued Harbaugh's coaching decisions. If that was already done on the board, then we are done here and this is an exercise in futility for the sole purpose of OP wanting to feel good and have a good roast session on an old story. This is restarting an old fight.
This specific article is not caustic, derogatory, scathing, or in any way demeaning. I don't follow every story from a New Mexico sports journalist, but if the board is to convince the more skeptical of us that this specific writer deserves to be vilified, better evidence is needed.
If the OP is aimed only at those that remember a guy getting into a Twitter war in 2016, and there's now a prerequisite that we remember every, "Idiot" sportswriter (quote from OP, not you), I have to start questioning what the hell we are all doing with our time here.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:52 PM ^
Why? This isn't just beating a dead horse. This is reminiscing about a dead horse, digging it up, reminding everyone why you beat it to death in the first place, and then beating it some more just because.
October 9th, 2018 at 10:54 AM ^
"Mark Smith, the assistant sports editor of the Albuquerque Journal"
Think about this for a moment. How much money would you have lost if I had bet the board that a thread would be started on MgoBlog for the sole purpose of creating discussion about what that the assistant sports editor of the Albuquerque Journal thought about Michigan tight ends and our ability to recruit that noted football hot-spot New Mexico?
A lot of money that's how much.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:08 PM ^
MgrowOld,
You think the rest of us would say “oh no. Not the message board of MgoBlog. Nuh Uh. Those threads are never obtuse enough or petty enough to get to an assistant sports writer in Albuquerque. This board will ONLY take down the big questions of how many fake accounts someone has, what we should tweet at recruits who are or definitely are not considering Michigan, and bowel movements.”
you think we would cackle with knowing glee as we each placed wager after wager on the above thinking?
(Said in jest because I found your op funny)
October 9th, 2018 at 12:15 PM ^
That's the former assistant sports editor of the Albuquerque Journal.
He left about a year ago after having a "difference in philosophy" with his editors.
https://newmexicogolfnews.com/long-time-abq-sports-scribe-goes-free-agent/
Can you believe this guy might be hard to get along with?
October 9th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^
So I'm guessing the real reason he left was because of the Gentry column.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:12 PM ^
....either that or he wanted to start his own line of men's formal wear. Looking all natty, especially with the purple lapels.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:23 PM ^
Looks as likable as Creen and a lot like him.
October 9th, 2018 at 3:46 PM ^
So what's he doing now? I'm guessing something with turquoise.
October 9th, 2018 at 4:18 PM ^
What the fuck is going on with those lapels?
October 9th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^
I like your optimism and all, but there is a 1% chance Gentry is a first round pick. Very likely he's a 2nd rounder though.
October 9th, 2018 at 10:56 AM ^
Gentry in the 1st round would be a very Lionsy pick
October 9th, 2018 at 10:58 AM ^
No sane franchise would draft a TE in the first round, much less two within six years!
October 9th, 2018 at 11:07 AM ^
This is the Lions we're talking about.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:15 AM ^
He doesn't drop enough passes to be a Lions pick. See Ebron, Eric.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:24 AM ^
Colts ain't loving Ebron either hahahaha
October 9th, 2018 at 11:46 AM ^
So far for the Colts this year Ebron has 26 receptions for 255 yards and 5 td's...
October 9th, 2018 at 11:02 AM ^
Man, I hate to think about all the bad takes over the past 10 years....and that's just stuff *I* said/tweeted.
I mean, I thought Hoke would win here.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:32 AM ^
Well he did, that first year with RichRods kids. After that. BOOF!
October 9th, 2018 at 1:54 PM ^
"BOOF"?? You wrote, "BOOF"?
Don't you know the "no politics" rule here?
/s
October 9th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
In fairness he did, just not for very long.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
In fairness he did, just not for very long.
October 9th, 2018 at 1:31 PM ^
It's higher than 1%, pal. There are quite a few tight ends in the league today that were first rounders. OJ Howard, Tyler Eifert, Zach Ertz (a Harbaugh guy), and Evan Engram just to name a few.
Both Evan Engram and OJ Howard were taken in the first round two years ago, and Howard had only 595 yards and 3 TDs in his senior year. Gentry is already at 306 yards. I'm assuming Howard just had great results coming out of the combine, but there's no reason Gentry couldn't, either. He's got the size and athleticism that a lot of teams will look at and say he could be their Rob Gronkowski.
Is it likely he goes in the first round? Probably not. He may not have the level of blocking that they'd want from a first rounder. But it's not completely out of this world to see TEs going on the first day.
October 9th, 2018 at 10:57 AM ^
I saw the Tweet from Bryan (I think) last night and was curious so I went to find this guy on Twitter (on which I don't actually post).
Just... woof.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^
The guy can't possibly still employed at a newspaper with a bullshit twitter stream like his, right?
I can see talk sports radio, but not a newspaper.
Also, for those curious, his twitter feed is not entertaining, it's not clever, it's just dumb, don't waste your time on it.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^
Not just his Twitter stream. His bio is hilarious.
He's in New Mexico so I'm sure there are plenty of people who, if they were on Twitter, would nod their head and say "you're damn right!" when reading his Tweets.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:07 PM ^
Taos and Santa Fe exist and are bastions of progressivism about on par with Ann Arbor, your move.
It's almost like varieties of opinions exist everywhere.
October 9th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^
Seems just as cringy as 99% of journalists' twitter streams, just on the other side.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:03 PM ^
Wasn't even talking about his politics(I automatically discount just about anyone's takes on politics if they don't write about it for a living as it's all pretty much emotionally driven junk), just about his overall presentation and communication. Frankly, I would be embarrassed if that was my public persona and I was, supposedly, a writer.
October 9th, 2018 at 12:22 PM ^
I agree with that, I guess I just have a lower standard in the first place and don't view this as unusual :(
Blogs are awesome, but newspaper journalists acting like bloggers kinda sucks. The two are closing in on each other way closer than people realize and I think this is part of why news is sooooo heavy on opinion these days. SB Nation is basically considered a full blown sports news site despite being a collection of blogs. It's funny to think about the times when mgoblog was young and "traditional news" sites would get pissed about bloggers.