Interesting source for Landry praise: ABQ Journal op-ed page

[NMSooner'80]

Editorial: Artesia’s Landry Jones Bowls Over Football Fans
By Albuquerque Journal Editorial Board on Fri, Jan 4, 2013 .

Tonight, many eyes will be on Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel, aka “Johnny Football” and the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, as he tries to take his Aggies to a sixth consecutive win and a Cotton Bowl victory.

But the other starting quarterback in that game — a New Mexico native — has earned more than a glance.

University of Oklahoma senior Landry Jones will lead his Sooners in Cowboys Stadium for the second time in a college career that runs like a highlights reel. The Artesia High School graduate, named after Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry, debuted in the 2009 Cotton Bowl after starting QB and Heisman winner Sam Bradford was injured. He has since logged 39 wins, 16,368 yards passing, 122 touchdowns, two Big 12 titles, three bowl victories, including the Fiesta Bowl, and OU records for wins, passing yards, TD passes, pass attempts and completions.

All while staying out of trouble and being the kind of role model to which athletes should aspire. Landry was a 2011 finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the nation’s top senior quarterback recognizing character, citizenship, integrity and those who honor the game.

Even Johnny Football is filled with admiration.

Manziel says, “It’s crazy, what a great quarterback (Jones) is. He’s thrown for more than 3,000 yards every year. Just the things he’s done at OU have been amazing. … I was in high school for two years while he was in college. I’m a big fan. I think he’s a great player.”

There’s no question Jones is. He’s made Artesia and New Mexico proud, along with Sooner Nation. His collegiate exit on a national stage is most fitting.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.


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[Tear Down This Wall]

The day after the UTEP game, we took the kids over to the Carlsbad Caverns. After spending the day wandering around the caves, we headed north, ate at a pizza place in Carlsbad proper, stopped for gas in Artesia, and stayed the night in Roswell.

I gotta tell you, I'm impressed enough with Landry as a person. But, to see where he came from...the high school competition there couldn't have been great. It's a really small place, Artesia. Big oil refinery there, but not much else.

Anyway, he's done really well on and off the field. For a quarterback for went 3-0 in starts against Texas and is 3-0 in bowl games, some people here sure do complain a lot about him. I think he's great, and hope he makes it 4-0 in bowls tonight against the Ags.

[olevetonahill]

I wish Him well in wherever and whatever Life deals him

[swardboy]

Here's an "out there" thought, but with Andy Reid coaching the KC Chiefs now, he could get a FA veteran QB, and draft Landry for development. I'm always being told that Reid is a great QB developer.

[badger]

Since Landry never won the Heisman or took us to the title game, I'd put him right behind Sammie and Jason in terms of best Stoops-era QBs. Yes, even ahead of championship-winning Josh, because Landry was here longer to accomplish the following:

- Beat Texas 3 times
- Win Big 12 in 2010 and 2012 (co-win, yes)
- Win every one (knock on wood for tonight) of his bowl games (2009 Sun, 2011 Fiesta, 2011 Insight... and maybe a 2013 one to add later today??)

I think he has an NFL future and this sketchy injury-prone line stuff this season has made him look worse than he really is.

[BoulderSooner79]

I have my fingers crossed we won't have a LJ bashing thread for his final game. The young man is a true Sooner that has played his heart out for OU and represented the university well. Hope he finishes with a great game, but he should have all OU fans respect regardless.

[badger]

I have my fingers crossed we won't have a LJ bashing thread for his final game. The young man is a true Sooner that has played his heart out for OU and represented the university well. Hope he finishes with a great game, but he should have all OU fans respect regardless.

Pessimistic truth: We need to win for there to not be a LJ bashing session, either a dedicated thread to it or just posts in the game thread. The KSU'ers were all over Colin Klein on their board due to the Oregon beating. There may still be LJ bashing regardless. I promise to not partake.

[oudanny]

He has been a great representative for the University both on and off of the field. I am pleased that he came to OU and I hope his time here has been a blessing for him.

[NMSooner'80]

One reason I said it was "interesting" to see praise for Landry in the Albuquerque paper is that at least their sports writers tend to think of OU as an "outlaw school" (never mind that both D-1 basketball programs in New Mexico - UNM in the late 70's and NMSU in the late 90's, definitely qualified). I don't think it's even been in the paper here that he was chosen to play in the Senior Bowl. Also, Artesia is over 230 miles from Albuquerque, so that also means they're not as likely to care about a kid from Artesia than they would a more "local" kid.

But, like I said, this was a nice surprise in the morning paper here.

[BoulderSooner79]

Pessimistic truth: We need to win for there to not be a LJ bashing session, either a dedicated thread to it or just posts in the game thread. The KSU'ers were all over Colin Klein on their board due to the Oregon beating. There may still be LJ bashing regardless. I promise to not partake.

Sigh, you're probably right. I won't count the the game thread because that is just a bunch of folks typing their thought bubbles that should never leave the confines of their skulls. Given how many times we throw, there will be incompletions and most likely an INT, so the game thread will contain some poison even if we win going away. I promise not to read it.

[SoonerNomad]

Thanks for sharing that editorial NMSooner'80. Nice read to start to my afternoon prep in getting ready for tonight. As good as Landry has been on the field for the Sooners and the numbers speak to that, he has been even better off the field. I know this is from a distance, but not only have I never read a negative story about anything he has done while at OU I have read and enjoyed multiple stories about his leading trips to Haiti and his other charitable role model endeavors. No matter the outcome tonight or the level of frustration of not achieving the team ultimate goal the last four years, Landry has already made this Sooner fan very proud to be able to say he played in Norman. He will be missed.

[badger]

the Albuquerque paper is that at least their sports writers tend to think of OU as an "outlaw school" (never mind that both D-1 basketball programs in New Mexico - UNM in the late 70's and NMSU in the late 90's, definitely qualified).

Those Area 51 ****ers.... if their football wasn't sh!t they would have gotten either a Pac 12 or a Big 12 invite by now... no, Brian Urlacher doesn't count, and neither does a bowl trophy that you have to carefully handle, lest the pottery and it's hand-painted craftwork break. lol.

[cherokeebrewer]

I have my fingers crossed we won't have a LJ bashing thread for his final game. The young man is a true Sooner that has played his heart out for OU and represented the university well. Hope he finishes with a great game, but he should have all OU fans respect regardless.

True this! We gonna miss Landry...

[NMSooner'80]

Those Area 51 ****ers.... if their football wasn't sh!t they would have gotten either a Pac 12 or a Big 12 invite by now... no, Brian Urlacher doesn't count, and neither does a bowl trophy that you have to carefully handle, lest the pottery and it's hand-painted craftwork break. lol.


Can't speak for NMSU, but UNM has screwed up more than once with football. I truly believe their football program was on the right track in the early/mid-2000's, but the A.D. forced out the popular, ex-Lobo superstar head coach for reasons I still can't fathom. If they'd just stayed on that track, which included a 9-win team in '07 that was really good, they'd probably be in the Big 12. But they replaced Rocky Long (the ex-Lobo QB legend) with a clueless wonder who ruined the program.

And, they also really screwed up their program even before I was born. Back in '52, they had a bowl-eligible team that their idiot school prez urged not to accept a bowl bid because it "sent the wrong message" about over-emphasizing sports. So their coach quit, and some local kid named Tommy McDonald, who wanted to be a Lobo, took a look at that "de-emphasis" policy and wound up at OU that next fall.