How locked in is too locked in? If you’re at the point where your obsessive drive begins to conflict with the very thing you’re chasing, perhaps it’s time to take a step back. Or at least that is what Georgia Bulldogs’ QB1 Carson Beck believes. The Bulldogs quarterback has had his moments of greatness and moments of growth this season. One week he’s got a franchise QB ceiling in the NFL; the next he may look firmly pedestrian. The narrative around Carson changes continually. The chronicles of his career traversing the CFB sphere now have some fresh lore. 

In a bizarre revelation, Carson Beck has confessed to not watching football. You read that right. As strange as that sounds, the quarterback of a National Championship contender actually admitted he refrains from watching the sport. This came to light during a presser when he was asked if he’d tune into the Texas versus Texas A&M game. And he did dispense some much-needed context.

Carson Beck said, “I don’t watch football. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but I don’t enjoy watching football. It’s not fun for me. I watch film. So, I’ll explain for a second what I mean by that. If I watch that game, I’m not going to be able to just sit there and enjoy it. I’m going to stress myself out the whole entire time. Watching the defense, I’m like, ‘Why this coverage?’ ‘Well, why did he throw it there against this coverage?’ You could learn from watching it, but it’s stressful for me because I don’t ever get my break whenever it comes to football.”

The collective sigh of relief in Athens reverberated across the country after that explanation. The reasons seem fair. Those who dabble in “football” across the Atlantic may be aware of such a phenomenon being something. Arsenal defender Ben White has proclaimed he doesn’t enjoy watching the game. Regardless, CFB fans seemed to understand what Carson meant. In fact, they came to his defense against people throwing shade at his perceived lack of love for the game.

Fans of different persuasions join hands in defense of Carson Beck

A faction of people began taking to social media to spread somewhat misconstrued opinions of Carson Beck’s statement. One such take came from X-based football reporter Dov Kleiman. He claimed this revelation would cause his draft stock to fall. Loads of people convened in the comments to dispel this. “He watches film, not live games. This shouldn’t affect anything,” said one person who got the idea.

Another fan elaborated on this exact notion. “He said he doesn’t watch live telecasts because he can’t enjoy them and immediately goes into film watching mode for the defensive coverages and schemes. Meaning, he’ll watch film when it’s appropriate, and he’d rather do something else on his personal time than watch live TV. GET IT RIGHT DOV,” they said. 

Carson Beck may have had a slow start to the season, but he’s been stepping up big-time in the second halves of games. This season, he’s completing an even higher percentage of passes (66% compared to 64.3%), helping the team secure a solid 10-2 record. So, why wouldn’t CFB fans back their QB? One fan put it perfectly, saying, “It makes sense after listening to what he said,” brushing off the fact that Beck doesn’t bother watching live football games.

“Talent is talent. He will be fine,” claimed a fan buoyant about his prospects in the pros. Carson’s gotten this far doing what he’s doing. It is a fair assumption that he’s not losing an edge in the process. With how much of a spectacle games like the Lone Star Showdown are, it is perhaps good to not overwhelm yourself with the pressure of picturing yourself in an environment like that. Carson has been under duress over his performances from his own fanbase. He’ll look to get the proverbial monkey off his back by beating Texas in Atlanta this weekend.