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.
Georgia offense stock report: Elite front, breakout backs have Bulldogs soaring into 2022
System
Posts: 11,468 admin
Georgia offense stock report: Elite front, breakout backs have Bulldogs soaring into 2022
ATHENS — Kirby Smart usually lets the “G” on his team’s helmets do the talking, but this offseason the Georgia head coach has been particularly insistent the Bulldogs’ offense is better than some realize.
Comments
Mike Griffith:
STOCK UP! - didn't refer to SBIV as a former walk-on
STOCK UP! - didn't mention SBIV is 25-26 years old
STOCK UP! - didn't mention SBIV as a former 2 Star Prospect
STOCK UP! - didn't mention SBIV wasn't a 2021 Team Captain
STOCK DOWN! - still can't write an article about the offense that doesn't mention JT Daniels.
In all seriousness, it is quite a moment to see MG indicate the Quarterback position is "Stock up." Am seeing some personal growth here! Go Dawgs!
Agree! MG stock way up... this may be one of my favorite articles of his in a while as it is really unbiased, detail-filled, and enthusiastic without being over-the-top or unrealistic. I also think his mentioning of JT was spot-on, because it was a very relevant point to the analysis of the QB room, IMHO 😁👍
Kudzu, how is a player who is no longer on the team relevant to the current Quarterback room? MG's only mention of a player no longer on the team is related to the QB room. No mention of Jermaine Burton or all the offensive linemen that have transferred since the end of the season (as two examples).
No mention of Tate Ratledge? Did I miss something?
How do you omit Ratledge??
Stock down:
People who insist on SB IV being greater attention/accolades than similar QBs merely because he won a title at UGA than someplace else. Some examples.
Craig Krenzel. Ohio State. 2002: no one talked about him at all. Team won due to running game and defense.
Matt Mauck. LSU. 2003: see above
Chris Leak. Florida. 2006: everyone is convinced that Tim Tebow was the starting QB that year
Greg McElroy. Alabama. 2009: see the first two.
Cardale Jones. Ohio State. 2014: see above
Jacob Coker. Alabama. 2016: see above
SB IV was no more important to UGA's title than any of those guys. Not only that, several of them were objectively better. Mauck and especially Krenzel were actually quite good at running the read option (for which SB IV is too small). Chris Leak set several SEC and Florida records. Coker was one of the best "vertical pass off play action" QBs Alabama ever had. Yet none of them received the Heisman, All-American or NFL draft chatter that you all want SB IV to get.
The reality here: UGA had a historically great defense last season as well as an offense filled with 4 and 5 star upperclassmen (plus Bowers). That allowed UGA to do a "play it safe and punt" strategy. They could do that all day because Davis, Dean and company would force threes and out, generate turnovers and as a result give SB IV better field position than he had before. Folks, that's how UGA is #10 in scoring offense without a single player that had 900 yards rushing or receiving, and indeed only had a single player to reach 500 yards receiving. The defense did all the work.
You folks want everybody to go nuts over SB IV when he barely threw for 200 yards a game last season. To treat him as this elite dual threat QB when he had 1 rushing TD (and 250 rushing yards) in 14 games, and the main reason why he had so much room to run in the first place is because all those future NFL players on the OL was pancaking everybody.
Yes, to UGA fans SB IV is a legend. But to everyone else in college football, he was merely an average QB on one of the most talented teams in modern history: 15 draft picks in 2021 and will have at least 10 more in 2022 (and no, SB IV will not be among them).
Tate Ratledge is still on the mend -- but should have mentioned. Guarded optimism he could be available for the opener, but 100 percent could take a bit. Hard to get a read, Kirby isn't real transparent or even sometimes forthcoming with injuries (Darnell Washington and Tykee Smith foot injuries last season, JT Daniels injury in opener).
Lots of great competition on that line, so deep and talented.
ThaDec, can only assume you're commenting on one of my posts. My apologies if not. I'm not enamored with SBIV (at all) in the way you describe below. Most people aren't I don't think. Most people are just happy to have a Natty and with "those that brung it."
I also recognize the defense carried the offense a lot, or should I say, set the table so the offense wasn't stressed much during 2021. However, some credit is due and a certain amount of respect has been earned by SBIV. My post (though certainly sarcastic), is to congratulate MG for writing an article about the offense (and specifically QB) where he doesn't make what are clearly (unneeded) negative digs at SBIV as he's so regularly done in the past - though he still couldn't resist a shout out to former player, not in the UGA QB room, JT Daniels. Perhaps that assessment is off-base, I don't know. But I will make supportive comments about SBIV because he did perform well in 2021 and it is CLEAR that the coaches deemed him to be the best QB ingredient for that team. Do you (or anyone) actually think the coaches, particularly CKS, would purposefully start a QB they didn't think would win or would tank their season. How dumb would that be? As it turns out, they were absolutely right.
SBIV will either perform in 2022 (good for him) or not. At which point, I will support whatever CKS choses to do - because no one (sports writers included) knows what's better for UGA football than the coaches.
Go Dawgs!
@MikeGriffith
Good analysis Mike. I only took issue with a couple of things.
I think you underestimated the impact Kearis Jackson is going to have and over-valued Burton's production. I wouldn't call Burton explosive, but, he was reliable. Jackson hasn't shown his explosiveness since the 1st half of the 2020 season, possibly due to injury. But, from what I observed in the G-Day game, he appears to be back to being what made him a go-to guy in 2020.
I thought it was obvious, that the reason UGA's offense was so effective against BAMA in the 2nd half of the CFCG, and ineffective in the SECCG and 1st half of the CFCG...was the running game.
They were unable to move the ball on the ground against BAMA in the SECCG, which put pressure on the passing game. In UGA's 2021 offense, an effective running game was essential to the passing game model. Same issue in the 1st half of the CFCG.
It all changed, once they moved Salyer to RG and installed Broderick Jones at LT. Once the running game started working, the passing game picked up steam.
UGA only had 109 yds rushing in the SECCG, and that included 11 yds by Bennett. In fact Bennett had the longest run in that game with 14 yds.
UGA had 140 yds rushing in the CFCG, most of which came in the 2nd half. That includes -24 from Bennett, mainly because of that big sack in the 4th qtr.
When I got to your comment, "Arguably the best position group on the team"...I was taken aback. Most media outlets and my opinion, had the TE group as the best in the Country...possibly ever in College football.
After reconsidering, you're right...they could very well be the best group on the team and in the Country. But, it could be a tie between the Offensive Line and the Tight End groups. How wild is that?
Man, UGA's more loaded on offense, than I've ever seen them...with an All-Star Coaching and support staff. It will take a complete meltdown or QB injury for them to lose a game this year.
Just for the record, I don't think BAMA is going to near as dominant this year as everyone seems to think. They are weak at offensive line and average in their RB & WR Group. Their defense is going to be stellar and may be able to carry the offense, much like UGA's did last year; however, they don't have the depth. QB is the only bright spot for them on offense, but, a pocket passer (Young) cannot carry a team. He will need the skill players around him and the offensive line, to improve mightily in order to get back to the CFP.
Just my opinion...good article Mike. Food for thought.