Missing Link is the perfect description

Mike Gerardi (14) cheers on Peanut Joseph as a bench player during last year’s UB game. Now he will take a more active role in the winning.


“I saw every play of the Temple vs. Penn State game and the only thing Temple needed to win that game was better quaterback play. I really think if Mike Gerardi played that game, they would have beaten Penn State.”
_ Doug Graber, on ESPN Plus telecast

The dictionary has two definitions for the term “missing link.”
I hadn’t heard it since I used to play full court noon-time basketball at the Doylestown YMCA about 20 years ago.
We’d always call this wild guy the missing link. He was bald, big, had a beard (kind of looked like Brian Wilson of the Giants) and was muscle-bound and would camp underneath the basket and get all the rebounds.
I haven’t really heard the term “missing link” again until Saturday.
The announcers on the TV during Temple’s 42-0 win at Buffalo, Michael Reghi and Doug Graber, kept referring to quarterback Mike Gerardi as Temple’s missing link.
I don’t think he’s bald, big or particularly muscle-bound so I had to page through my Merriam-Webster Dictionary to see what they were talking about.

It gives two definitions and I like the second one best:

  1.  A theoretical primate postulated to bridge the evolutionary gap between the anthropoid apes and humans. Not in scientific use.
  2.  Something lacking that is needed to complete a series.

Something lacking that is needed to complete a series.

That pretty much describes Mike Gerardi to me and what he means to Temple’s football team.

Too many series have been left on the field and, to me, the position mostly at fault was the quarterback one.

Too many interceptions.
Too many fumbles.
Too many overthrows.
Too many left plays on the field.
Not anymore.
Gerardi threw a pair of interceptions that could be forgiven today because both were right near the hands of the wide receivers and both came after Gerardi demonstrated an ability to make positive plays with the ball.
This team has so many weapons and now, for the first time all year, I feel confident that they can be used properly.
Something had been missing all year until now.
Missing link?
If your talking about the second definition of that term, I think that’s the perfect description for Mike Gerardi.

5 thoughts on “Missing Link is the perfect description

  1. Wow! Where has that team been all year? Now that's more like it. Gerardi looked great and the run game was solid. Also, the defense played tough and got the shutout.Before the season started, I thought it would be a stretch to win 6 games with Chester Stewart as QB and with the coaching I expected to see (the Bowling Green game for example). So far, four of the games could have easily been losses (Villanova, CMU, CT, Army) so I do not think that prediction was outrageous, but I do give this team credit for being in the position to have double digit wins this year. I also give AG credit for having the guts to go to Gerardi at QB. I just wish he had done it sooner.

  2. Some people are born to be quarterbacks and some are athletes who are forced into that square peg/round hole position of becoming a quarterback.In Gerardi, I think we're seeing a guy who might not be as athletic as Chester, but someone who understands to position.In Chester, he tries so hard and the harder he tries the more it doesn't work out.I think we've seen now that Chester underperformed against CMU (not as good as we thought they were), Villanova (which lost to W&M) and UConn (where he basically handed off to Pierce but left a lot of plays on the field).AG is a very stubbon man.It's his best quality and his worst.He should have started Gerardi from the jump.

  3. The Geradi love is well deserved, but the fact is Gerardi wasn't ready until now, that's why he wasn't placed in the lineup. If you think Golden wouldn't have sent Gerardi out there after the Penn State game if he was ready you aren't paying attention to Golden as a football coach. Just look back to last year replacing his starting QB in the midst of a long win streak (nevermind that he messed it up by undoing the change in the EagleBank Bowl). I can't wait for the rematch vs. the Huskies in the MAC Championship.

  4. I had a dear freind in high school who LOVED Temple University Basketball. Our High School was near Temple and had a partnership with Temple that we could use their facilities (Library, Gym, etc.) We used to get free tickets to Temple Owls football games at the Vet. I remember that Paul Palmer was at Temple our freshman year of high school in '86. My mom and sister are both Temple graduates and I have a heart for Temple. I really appreciate your steadfast loyalty as a Temple football fan. I love reading this blog and following Temple football now! I'm a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan, but I tell people there's space in my heart for the Owls too! That Penn State Game was miserable after BP went out. Yes, I hope this young man IS the missing link, 'cause Temple has a lot of promise with a good QB at the reigns.Go Owls!

  5. thanks, mally mal.We really need as many Eagles' fans as we can get this weekend.I tend to get a little crazy supporting my Owls and yelling at the refs, so I won't be in my normal seat this weekend … i'll be up at the club level with some friends.I'm going to try not screaming this week.We'll see how it goes.But I hope we convert a lot of Eagles' fans into Owls' fans.Birds of a feather fly together.

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