Hey folks - as a member of the DawgNation community, please remember to abide by simple rules of civil engagement with other members:
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
- Please no inappropriate usernames (remember that there may be youngsters in the room)
- Personal attacks on other community members are unacceptable, practice the good manners your mama taught you when engaging with fellow Dawg fans
- Use common sense and respect personal differences in the community: sexual and other inappropriate language or imagery, political rants and belittling the opinions of others will get your posts deleted and result in warnings and/ or banning from the forum
- 3/17/19 UPDATE -- We've updated the permissions for our "Football" and "Commit to the G" recruiting message boards. We aim to be the best free board out there and that has not changed. We do now ask that all of you good people register as a member of our forum in order to see the sugar that is falling from our skies, so to speak.
Options
Comments
Are you really asking if two freshmen, thrown into an increased role at the end of the season, were still learning how to play against top end college opposition? The answer is yes.
Give them an entire off-season and pre-season as the main guys in their position, with an added year of maturation and film at this level, and let's see how they do.
I don't think he ever had "that vision", myself. He benefited from the likes of J Carter, Nolan Smith, Kelee Ringo and other veterans to cover for him and create rushing lanes. But, yeah...nothing like Dean's vision....Or CJ Allen'that after matter.
IMO...Athleticism and defensive scheme, with veterans on the field, helped him be "the best he can be" in '22. Not so much, in '23..
"Give them an entire off-season and pre-season as the main guys in their position, with an added year of maturation and film at this level, and let's see how they do."_____E_roc
That's right E_roc. It's exactly right. That's how "Leaders" are found and developed...IMO. The heat of offseason. "We" aren't privy to that process...never will be.
What you see in December ain't always "what you get" in September. Go back and look at the 2020 defense and try to project the Dawgs having a "Generational Defense" in '21. Ya can't make that case based on what we saw in '20.
Kirby is waaayyy ahead of us fans and gum-flappers and he isn't known for giving anybody a heads-up on his thought processes or team management. All we're left with, is speculation and the value of our own experience, to make a loose judgement.
My judgements is, that the Dawg Defense will be at least as good, if not better than any of the other Defenses Kirby has constructed.
FYI...Look at all the top-tier talent in the portal that Kirby whiffed on, in 2021 and '22.
Texas A&M, for 1, started their house cleaning a little early, due to the Fisher thing. One of those players leaving...is a prized #1 Overall DL [Nolan], that Kirby courted right up to the day he arrived at College Station. I think UGA snags him...and, one or two others they targeted a couple of years ago.
But, ya neva' know...he [they] may turn out to be another Smoke Bouie or that TE transfer from LSU...Erik Gilbert...to FLA...then to to UGA...in the same year. Just sayin'. Human behavior can be a crap shoot and "unpredictable".
All you can do, is...[as Kirby IS doing]...set up as many contingencies as possible, to address the annual talent flux. I think Kirby and his personnel department, is more proactive, in that respect, than we'll ever know. At least, until he writes his book. Lol
UGA always seems to have the talent and personnel, they need to compete at a high level. That won't change in '24. Not, "Despite the portal"...but, "because of the portal".
You're so right BigDawg, The positive accomplishments made by many of the 15 who have hit the TP were made possible because at Georgia you play as a TEAM.....positive opportunities are accentuated and bust are soothed over and averaged out.....you are not an individual player on an island either making it big or getting benched.....Pops, etal will soon discover this fact as most teams only give lip service to TEAM.
That is a lot of assumptions and some flat out BS. "A second faster" on a football field is the difference between Stackhouse and Usain Bolt in the 40. If CJ or Wilson is "1 second faster" then I am still waiting to see them remove their Clark Kent glasses.
33 and 5 did not flash as freshman like JDJ did. They seemed much less "instinctive" . They also often did not bring enough punch to bring guys down when they did arrive. They have a ways to go to be at JDJ's level. 10 more IQ points? You know this how?
You (and other's below) sound just like @BigDawg888 did preseason when he said that the '23 D "would be better" than the '22 D. He named off a lot of guys that didn't see the field much and contributed little when they did. Unproven. That is what you get from freshmen.
Simply put, let's say 33 and 5 step up like we expect them to (eventually). Then they get hurt like 2(D), 10, 97, 12, 84, 19, 5, 2(O), 30, 22, 0 etc etc did? The TP is stripping UGA of 1 of its biggest assets. Quality, experienced depth. No more seasoned vet's like Quay Walker and Channing Tindall stepping in after being developed. Very possibly no more "1B starter" level players (Julian Humphrey) gaining experience and available when a starter is injured.
We all saw the D slip this year from lack of experience. Especially after JDJ was hurt. Expect more of the same next year. Ignorance is bliss and fandon is blind.