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Don’t fret how long it took, just be glad the Dawgs now have a QB in JT Daniels
System
Posts: 11,460 admin
Don’t fret how long it took, just be glad the Dawgs now have a QB in JT Daniels
Transfer gives Georgia offense an explosiveness it previously lacked
Comments
Well, Kirby seems to be in the pattern of loyalty towards QB and while that's a very human thing to do, it's NOT your best chance necessarily to win.
2016: Eason - Easy pick of Lambert, did pretty well as a Freshman
2017: Eason started. Was Fromm better than him at that time? It sure looked that way from the G-Day game. Eason got injured which forced Smart to put in Fromm and he never gave Eason another throw again.
2018: Fromm with Fields drama. People will whine about Fields, but keep in mind that he did get 39 chances to throw, scored 4 TDs, got sacked 4 times.
2019: Fromm. Bennett got some backup work, but Fromm all the way. Very good season, but not quite as elite as 2017/2018. Should Bennett have gotten more work since he'd become the early starter in 2020? Dunno, but maybe he should've.
2020: Mathis started and Bennett took over. This was probably the only time that Smart brought in another that wasn't injury related. He probably felt like he owed Mathis to give him a shot.
It wasn't until Bennett got injured before Daniels got his shot.
I've gotta believe there is a failure in the system when a short term injury happens and then you switch to someone else who becomes the starter. Fromm probably should've started in 2017 (despite an excellent year by Eason), Fields should've started (despite amazing year from Fromm) and Daniels should've been given the chance once he was healthy.
I have to wonder if Daniels was healthy to play Game #1, maybe he would've been the starter all along.
Smart recently said something along the lines of "with him injured, we had to look for an alternative". I think that's the wrong approach. You NEED to experiment and forget loyalty and give guys a shot. It shouldn't have been one of the last games of the year before giving Daniels a single throw.
"Fromm probably should've started in 2017 (despite an excellent year by Eason), Fields should've started (despite amazing year from Fromm) and Daniels should've been given the chance once he was healthy."
I'm 100% with you on Daniels, but don't see how you can draw the other two conclusions other than with the benefit of hindsight. Fields was (understandably) pretty hit-or-miss as a freshman, while Fromm looked the part of the team leader. And without Fromm having had any chance to show what he could do in a live game in 2017, I don't see how you could fault the decision at the time to give Eason a chance to show what he might be able to do with a season's worth of experience to go with his physical talent.
Also, I'm not sure about the whole idea of prepping Bennett in 2019. I find it very hard to believe that the plan was ever for him to be the guy in 2020; in fact I'm sure it wasn't.
This is the first year that I think you could point to questionable QB management in real time. Here's hoping it's a lesson learned.
I’m a big fan of Kirby Smart.
That said, JT Daniels embarrassed him a bit last night, let’s be honest.
What the heck, this kid didn’t deserve a single snap in a game all year?!?
If Stetson Bennett or Dwan Mathis have to throw 38 passes in the game last night, we lose by two or three touchdowns.
Did Daniels really look that bad in practice? REALLY?!
More than most these days, I go rather far back. I have never forgotten Billy Lothridge at Georgia Tech (and later the Atlanta Falcons) who essentially did not touch the field for Bobby Dodd until his Junior year. Dodd did not feel comfortable with him at all UNTIL he actually got into game day competition. As it turns out, he was a lousy practice player, needing the adrenaline rush of genuine competition to show out. He did rather well, finishing second in the 1963 Heisman voting to one of the greatest ever, Roger Staubach. Not to give too much credit to the North Avenue Insects, but I would be very happy if JT becomes our equivalent of Billy Lothridge.
Most fans including myself were shocked that Mississippi State totally shutdown our running game. It’s important to note that MS had the 3rd best rushing defense in the SEC, slightly behind A&M and UGa. So, one of the best rushing D’s in the country focused on stopping our backs because they knew we’d be “dead meat” if we had to pass. Thank goodness JT came to the rescue and screwed-up that game plan Go Dawgs!!!
Agreed. The kid def made Kirby look dumb. EVERYONE noticed.
Yep. Woulda been 35-10 or so.
Bill, as much as I loved his performance last night, I'm not ready to crown Daniels the chosen one or our savior just yet. I need to see how he performs for the next few games. Teams will be prepared for him now. South Carolina and Vandy know we will be able to throw the ball effectively. How will they respond? How will their game plan change?
If Daniels continues to do well and ends the season on a high note then Kirby will have a lot to think about as we go into Spring practice with potentially (2) 5-star QBs (Beck and Vandergriff) and Daniels. It could be an interesting competition.
But I want to see consistency from Daniels and our offense, and I want to see our running game back for a more balanced attack.
GO DAWGS!
Smart's QB evaluation process needs to be evaluated and changed. Any evaluation process that keeps the most talented QB from playing is inefficient and ineffective. That was the evaluation of Fromm over Fields and Bennett and Mathis over Daniels. Eason was the most talented, but an injury cost him. When the people who get paid to evaluate QBs, pro scouts, looked at Eason and Fromm it wasn't close. Ryan Day is a good coach, but there's no way he made Fields into a Heisman finalist in 9 months; Fields was that guy when he was at UGA.
Amen, UGA FINALLY has a QB!
P.S. It was not Kirby's inability to assess talent that kept Daniels on the bench, it was his previous injury. Come on folks, stop making it sound like CKS doesn't know what he is doing. He is the one that chose all the talent that IS on the team!
I love Bill King's perspective. I only hope that CKS can handle the evaluation of the QB talent he has with with our freshmen 5 Star we have now, and the commit 5 star we have in 2021.
If Kirby can handle it we can be champions for the next 3 to 4 years. Go Dawgs!!!