Fans short leash on Vernon seems uncalled for

Vernon Teel | Courtesy of Facebook

I feel compelled to address something I keep reading on the message boards, and that is the fans cries for Vernon Teel to be benched.

I don't know why it is, but I think Lions fan have too short a leash for Vernon. I've watched almost every game the last three years, and I wonder if these fans and I are seeing the same thing.

Yes, this year we have not seen the Vernon we did last year. His shooting percentage has dropped by 10 percent, his assists per game are way down, and so are his points per game. But, who on the Lions team has seen their stats go up or even stay the same this season? The answer is no one, and that is why the team is 1-5 against Division-I opponents.

It's frustrating, but Vernon is definitely having turnover problems this season, something we also saw two years ago. But, if the team is playing well as a whole, then these turnovers don't happen to the extent they are now. The Lions offense is out of sync, and therefore, the turnovers for the point guard start to pile up, as they don't have anywhere to go with the ball or feel more compelled to make something happen. Anthony Ireland has taken over the role of point guard for the most part, and his turnovers are starting to pile up as well.

There is no doubt in my mind that Drew Viney is the most talented player on the Lions, and many other fans feel that way. But because of that, I think the Vernon-bashing comes through even louder. Drew had an awful game against Long Beach State, and there was barely a peep about it on the message boards afterward. I was there, and hands down we would not have won the game without Vernon, and especially without his clutch free-throw shooting (who would have every thought we'd say that).

On the flip side, after Vernon's awful Morgan State game, and after nine turnovers last night, the message boards are calling for him to be benched, some even saying the walk-ons should play before him. It seems absurd. I'm in no way implying that there should have been any negative talk about Drew after Long Beach State, I'm just pointing out what looks to me like an unfair difference.

These season has in no way gone as planned, but beginning to point fingers doesn't help. Vernon and Head Coach Max Good have gotten the majority of the blame on the internet, but the truth is no one on the team is doing their job as well as they did last year. All we can do is hope they can turn it around.