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How the Georgia football quarterback position got to rock bottom

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How the Georgia football quarterback position got to rock bottom

Welcome to Good Day, UGA, your one-stop shop for Georgia football news and takes. Check us out every weekday morning for everything you need to know about Georgia football, recruiting, basketball and more. How the Georgia football quarterback position hit rock bottom Georgia clearly has a problem at the quarterback

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BubbaBill

I disagree when fans blame Kirby for mishandling the QB situation. How in the world do you bench Fromm and play Fields or Eason after the fabulous Freshman season Jake had? Don’t forget, it was Fromm who got us into the SEC CG again his sophomore year and Fields who botched the fake punt costing us that game and the playoffs. BTW, that was Field’s last play in a UGa uniform and his last play in the 2019 season was an interception in the playoffs for Ohio State..... a mistake by Fields and not the receiver. If Eason had not been injured and replaced by Fromm then all the dynamics could have changed. Fields likely would not have signed knowing Eason and Fromm were on the team. Also, it’s possible Fromm would have left to get more playing time. I also think UGa getting Daniels this year is the reason we lost Newman. This has been a series of bad breaks for UGa, but we aren’t by ourselves. Bama lost Hurts and it cost them dearly last year when Tua was injured. Clemson also lost Kelly Bryant and USC lost Daniels. Hopefully, we can get a few great QBs on campus (who stay) and not have all this chaos, but I don’t blame Smart because I would have NEVER benched Fromm after the leadership he showed his freshman season and in the locker room. Go Dawgs!!!

reddawg1

Jake's biggest accomplishment was beating Fla three years in a row(not bad), albeit as they were regrouping. That said, I seriously think Fields could have beaten them too.

CKS liked the Jake vibe. I get that. Justin is more subdued. Jake's an extrovert, Justin probably an introvert. But that one throw against UMASS should have made CKS go "Oh my Goodness. Look what we have here"(as UGA fans did and the press). Jake was a leader of men, Justin just a better talent.

CKS made a decision, he got all he could out of Jake Fromm(which wasn't quite enough), not so much out of Fields(Fields had the higher ceiling), IMO the last thing KS wanted in 2018 was a QB controversy as he was headed to a rematch with BAMA that he knew the press would start(and fans) if Justin was given more meaningful playing time and looked more talented than Jake.

It is what it is, as they say. It is a decision that will stick with CKS for a while, especially as the season plays out and you're starting a walk-on and OHIO St. has the Heisman QB, or runner-up. Who just so happened to be in your program. Just a bad look no matter how you try to justify it.

If anything, perhaps CKS didn't fully recognize Fields talent and potential or the defunct run first throw if you have to philosophy didn't suit Justin's talent enough for him to shine, or and this is MHO, CKS overestimated Fields loyalty to UGA. Just thought he would bide his time on the bench til Fromm left.

dawgfromduluth

Well, Kirby has botched the offense. He's on the wrong side of every offense decision.

No surprise, he's not a offense subject matter expert. He needs to find one, give him the reins and stay out of the way.

Otherwise, he's not going to surpass Richt.

randyglass14

So what's the conclusion here....QB room mismanagement? Bad QB recruiting? Overpromising by coaches? Outdated offensive philosophy? Just bad luck?....everyone is clear on WHAT is wrong....but there seems to no clear consensus on WHY.

oddsbodkin

What an incredibly depressing read.

MontanaDawg

Nice analysis Connor.

So, the (3) games where Fields actually got a decent amount of playing time (more than a few snaps) he outshined Fromm or was certainly as good as Fromm - the guy who had all the experience.

I rest my case. The future of our program wasn't with Eason or Fromm. It was with Fields. It's pretty obvious. I've said that since this discussion started a couple of seasons ago. Kirby didn't get the memo, and I'm still not sure what his plans are going forward.

Our offense at the time could not truly take advantage of the weapon that Fields brings to the table, but you've got to start somewhere with Fields. First year Ohio State coach Ryan Day figured it out in the first season. In Field's second season this year, he is a throwing lights out with one of the best QBRs (if not the best) in the nation. He leads the nation in pass efficiency among those who have played more than one game, checking in at 222.38. That’s ahead of Joe Burrow’s FBS-record 201.96 last year. Fields has 11 incompletions and 11 touchdown passes, which is absurd. He hasn’t run much the last couple of games because the Buckeyes don’t need him to—but he can do that, too. The guy would probably still be here had we played him more.

We're slowly moving away from run heavy to a more pass heavy offense, but we are moving at a snail's pace when other elite programs are already there with little growing pains to show for it.

Monken may be an excellent addition to the program, but if we don't see a serious 180 degree turnaround by kickoff next season when we OPEN with Clemson, then 2021 may be a long year as well.

BubbaBill

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/493803#Comment_493803

Randy, I think it’s a combination of bad luck and huge egos. Players saying, “if I’m not the starter I’m out of here”. That’s EXACTLY what happened to Eason, Fields and likely Newman. It’s the same garbage that is taking place everywhere including at Bama and Clemson. Oh well, I guess it’s the “sign of our times”. Go Dawgs!!!

E_Roc

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/493812#Comment_493812

Yeah, he looked great against Austin Peay and UMass.

MontanaDawg

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/493816#Comment_493816

Hey E_Roc, considering they just put him in those games fresh off the bench what do you want me to say? I don't understand the point of saying that. He didn't get to choose which games he played in even though he wanted to play while Fromm continued his roller coaster ride. And if Smart had played him in more meaningful games then he probably would have done well then too.

And take a look at his stats I posted below thus far for this season...crazy.

kirkhilles

Thank you! Wonderful timeline and puts things in perspective. I don't like the negative title however, would prefer something like "Complete Timeline of Georgia's QBs".

Some additional notes/comments:

1) Enough about Fields. He got some playing time behind Fromm and knew that ahead of time that he wouldn't be the starter. His first year at Ohio State was him as a SOPHMORE and he wasn't named the starter till close to season start. Despite what he has said, the race card was indeed used. Don't tell me that he would've gotten permission to not wait out a year without the racist comment from the baseball player while LEAVING his home state and going north vs Eason which DID sit out a year even though heading back to his HOME STATE. To imply that Smart should've done something different is to also imply that Penn State should've done something to keep him too since that was his first commitment. Let it go.

2) Eason. We are good with Eason and he is good with us. We gave him a shot for a year, he looked okay in the G Game and Fromm rightfully won the job. In the end, he was considered a 4th round pick, so pretty much a wash vs Fromm. Nothing could've been done different there.

3) Plumlee. Kinda proves that ratings aren't everything. 4 stars, but only an "okay" Freshman year with 52% completion and 4 TDs/3 INTs. Crappy team, of course, but only 6 attempts in 2020 and is the #2 QB below another 4 star QB. No loss there.

4) Newman. The guy was anticipated to be the 3rd best Heisman QB pre-season (improved all the way to 10:1 which is impressive considering Lawrence and Fields. He left 3 days after the first practice and just 3 weeks before season start. Why? He clearly didn't win the job. I get that sitting on the bench would torch his Draft Rating, but not playing could potentially be worse. To suggest that Smart should've declared him as the starter after one practice is ****. Newman did was he thought was the best "business decision" for him and I'm sure the NFL spot will reflect that. I guess we'll see what happens in the Senior Bowl, but honestly doesn't really matter. Never really part of our team. See ya.

5) Beck. It'd be nice to see him play, but as mentioned he dropped down in the list late in his HS season. Definitely a potential, but if he transfers because of lack of playing time then that's unreasonable. Keep in mind that the #1 and #2 Pro QBs of 2020 class signed knowing they wouldn't get the starting job under Lawrence and Fields.

6) Mathis. Well, he needs work and isn't a true freshman, so he may never get there. I seriously doubt he would be in high demand at the moment. 3 INTs compared to 12 successful passes and 18 incompletes means that he isn't super-elite. Not sure I even want him starting although he clearly has raw potential.

7) Daniels. Tough to say what's going on here, but keep in mind that he didn't join the team till basically June and has been injured. He definitely deserves a shot and hopefully will for the end of the season.

RxDawg

Nice timeline. Well done.

RxDawg

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/493813#Comment_493813

Good post. I like that part about bad luck and big egos. Eason is the only one I don't really give to hard of a time. He was replaced by a younger player them himself. He risked never seeing meaningful game time again if he stayed. And at the time (for context) he was being talked about by national sports writers as being the #1 overall pick in the first draft he was eligible for.

But if your pouting because your playing behind an upperclassmen... well then be better or bug off.

kirkhilles

Something else to think about. Beck is the only one that chose UGA from the beginning. Mathis, kinda, but he transferred and came back. Fields chose Penn State, so you know that they beat themselves up for "losing Fields". We got Mathis simply because of the Fields drama (otherwise he stays at Ohio State). USC lost Daniels. Wake Forest lost Newman. Plumlee was ours, but heck, he's now the 2nd string at a crappy Ole Miss team.

Fromm was die hard UGA and we gave him the reigns. Eason chose us and we gave him a solid year and Fromm proved better as a Freshman than he did as a Sophomore. Keeping Eason wouldn't have helped.

It's easy to pick and choose the scenarios that benefit you the most, but it wasn't like we had a QB that was dedicated to us and stayed with us and then was forced out.

Hey, maybe you could argue that Lawrence (Georgia native) should've been "ours" since we were the first Camp and school visit he did way back in 2014, 8 months before he visited any other school.

E_Roc

https://forum.dawgnation.com/discussion/comment/493818#Comment_493818

My point is that you seem to be referencing games that were essentially scrimmages for him to get comfortable with the offense as proof that the offense was better with him than with Fromm that year. The fact that he didn't play more against better competition probably had a lot to do with the fact that he tended to look like a freshman when he did. I'm not saying that's his fault; he WAS a freshman. But there was a visible lack of chemistry, cohesion, whatever you want to call it while Smart was looking for ways to get Fields involved in more meaningful moments. He had to make a decision FOR THAT SEASON and go with it, and once he started going more definitively with Fromm, the offense started looking better. If there was nothing much to play for that year, then I'd absolutely agree that it was a big mistake not going with Fields. But in a year with championship aspirations, I don't see how you can fault him for going with the quarterback who seemed to have a firmer handle on running the offense. Fields' performance in 2019 and beyond has nothing to do with what was happening in 2018. I've never disputed that he's ended up being the better quarterback... why would I?