Ben Queen/USA TODAY Sports
Morgantown, West Virginia – Make no mistake about it, Garrett Greene is the reason that the West Virginia Mountaineers upset the Oklahoma Sooners yesterday. Without him, the Mountaineers would be 3-7, and Neal Brown and Shane Lyons would likely be unemployed.
However, following the game, something strange happened. Neal Brown listed several players and reasons why West Virginia won the game, but nowhere in his opening statement did he mention the very reason why they won, Garrett Greene!
When asked about the quarterback situation, Brown seemed to be noncommittal about Greene’s playing time in future games: “JT, that first interception that he threw, we really kind of got crossed up,” Brown explained. “It wasn’t his fault. It was more about just needing somebody who can help us in the run game.”
Brown continued, “I’m happy for Garrett. He’s waited his time and he hasn’t complained. He went in there and did a nice job. He made some mistakes but he made some big plays too.”
WHAT!?
Was Brown watching the same game that the rest of us were? Garrett Greene just saved this man his job and all Brown has to say is, “He did a nice job. He made mistakes and made some big plays.”
Absolutely unbelievable.
The same happened last year. Although Greene outperformed former starter Jarret Doege, Brown routinely praised Doege while constantly finding excuses to not play Greene.
“He has to learn to make better decisions.”
“He makes poor reads.”
“He lacks experience.”
“He has to take care of the ball better.”
None of these were accurate statements, of course, but because he was the head coach and he somehow had the support of the fan base at the time, no one questioned his choice to stick with Doege game after game after loss after loss.
Garrett Greene is by all accounts a hard-worker and a tremendous teammate, but eventually this unfair, unjust treatment by his head coach will certainly affect him, if it hasn’t already.
It’s actually shocking that he hasn’t already transferred from the program. He sat patiently behind a bumbling, walking mistake in Jarret Doege last year, worked his ass off to win the starting position this year but will never be trusted to be the team’s starter. When JT Daniels leaves, it’s clear that Nicco Marchiol is the future of the team.
Garrett Greene is an exceptional talent and deserves better, but unfortunately as long as Neal Brown is the head coach of the team, it seems that he will never be given a fair opportunity to shine. The very things that make Garrett Greene great – his enthusiasm, his passion, his competitiveness – are somehow frowned upon by Neal Brown and always will be.
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) November 12, 2022
