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Georgia football hopes history repeats with top D-Tackles returning
System
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Georgia football hopes history repeats with top D-Tackles returning
ATHENS — Georgia fans can only hope history repeats itself where the return of defensive tackles Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson are concerned.
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SO glad that Stackhouse and Brinson are returning. That really helps our defensive outlook this season. I was a bit shocked when Bama came in and dominated the LOS during much of that SECCG. They pushed us around on both sides of the ball. We've got to correct that. Like I've said ad nauseum, containing the edge, a havoc-producing pass rush, and better play from the LB group are keys to really stepping up our game on defense. Our secondary should be rock solid, so I'm not worried about them.
Outside of Starks there are a lot of questions in the secondary as well. But that is the nature of CFB where a new team has to be discovered/ constructed every year.
UGA needs an OLB (or 2) to step up badly. That will allow the coaches to finally play their best ILB at ILB. JWalker needs to be a full time ILB this season.
“Stackhouse is hoping he can do the same, recently sharing in a Players Lounge interview the reason he decided to return rather than be a late-round NFL pick in the upcoming draft.”
Stackhouse is saying all the right things when he explains the reasons for his return. Athletes in their age-range can experience significant physical and mental growth from one year to the next. There was tremendous value for Davis and Wyatt in returning for their final year, and it could be the same for Brinson and Stackhouse as they take advantage of another year of development in the best college football program in the country.
GO DAWGS!
Agreed that secondary and OLB are the big question marks.
Losing our third, fourth and fifth best DBs naturally creates gaps. I'm particularly concerned about the lack of a lockdown corner. Lassiter had the effect last year of shrinking the area that opposing QBs could target.
But pressure on the QB should be better on account of DT/NG being stronger next year. Losing only Logue and Jefferson and adding McLeod, while Stackhouse, Brinson, Hall, Miller and Jarrett bring a year more experience, is easily net positive. Seemed to me that Stackhouse and Brinson caused more havoc last year than Logue -- especially Brinson late in the season.
ILB may not be as deep with experience but we've got serious talent in those positions. Together with a better inside DL, this means the middle should be pretty stout on runs and disruptive on passes.
But that disruption also depends on containment on the edges, which remains a bit of a question. If Mykel plays more like an OLB, he could have a huge year, plus he immediately improves depth at that position, because Damon Wilson, M'Pemba and Chambliss would mvoe down a rung. That leaves DE somewhat thin though -- even if Mykel toggles back and forth. That won't be a problem if Jonah-Ajonye has an outstanding freshman year -- a distinct possibility but one we can't bank on.
Freshmen overperformances aside, this makes me think the could use transfer help at DE/OLB, CB and strong safety. I offer my sage advice freely to Kirby -- won't charge him a bit for it! 😆
“Smart’s suspicion last spring that the interior Georgia defensive line lacked difference makers proved correct.”
The 2021 DL had Davis and Wyatt, the 2022 DL had Carter, these guys forced the opposing OL’s into double team situations. When the defensive lineman are getting double teamed, it creates an opportunity for the ILB to stop the run or get to the QB. The 2023 DL didn’t see nearly as much double team action and that freed up blockers to take on the ILB’s. If one (or two would be better) DL emerges as an absolute game wrecker the way Carter did, it will not only make the DL better, but we will see a significant improvement in the ILB’s.
GO DAWGS!
Agree. Good comments. IF the Defensive front and LBs can get Enough pressure up front it will relieve the Secondary greatly. I Understand they won’t get a stop every single snap or even every other but IF they can get a majority it will help the guys in the Secondary.
In my humble opinion we need Much better production from all those guys up front, DTs, DEs, ILBs and OLBs. If they can sack the rival QB enough times and/or cause him to have to throw to quickly, it should affect his accuracy, thus making things easier on our Secondary.
You know when the QB starts feeling those phantom footsteps that may or may Not even be there !! Throws the ball off target just to get rid of it. That’ll cause INTs or a Miss or a broken up pass !!
The SEC coaches didn’t rank Lassiter in there because allot of teams avoided as best they could throwing in his area of responsibility. And no mention of Javon Bullard a very, very solid player.
AnyWho, IF the Defensive Front can improve significantly I think it will greatly compliment the Secondary, allowing them to make the plays they need to when the ball IS in their area of responsibility.
I kept hoping for a breakout up front that with exception of KY, Ole Miss, and the Orange Bowl pretty much never came. I might be missing a game where the D front Did perform dominately, but those three games are the only ones that stick in my memory.
Let’s hope we’ll see a Much more dominant front. Hard for the QB to throw the ball laying on his back !! 😀. Go Dawgs !!
No mention of Ingram-Dawkins in the article or posts. I expect him, if he stays healthy, to make a big leap this year and bolster the D line.
@UGADad20...With Starks, Humphrey, Everette, Jackson, and Aguero all experienced and good plus stud KJ Bolden and a few other inexperienced but very talented guys then I think we will be fine in the secondary. The competition in the Spring should be pretty fierce. Like I said below, no matter what, we've got to improve in the pass rush and havoc areas. If we do that then we take more pressure off the secondary as well. If we don't improve on the LOS on both sides of the ball then we won't make it through the playoffs anyway. We can't be manhandled like we did against Bama and expect to survive the season the way we want to.
The return of both of them is important. But these two are not those two. We need fresh blood to step in, Hall, Jarret, Miller, and play big. The biggest return this year is Beck. So, I wouldn’t say there’s much parallel.
Don't forget that #1 CB [Ellis Robinson ?], coming in this year, too. He'll be expected to make an immediate impact, as well.
They are stacked on defense and now they've got one of the best Defensive coaches in the game [T-Rob], helping out 3 of the other best Defensive Coaches in the game [Smart, Muschamp and Schumann]....in recreating the '21 monster....with a Defensive backfield for the ages, IMO.
The Dawgs are gonna have talent all over the field, at least 2 deep at every position. I see no need for worry...unless...you are on one of the other 15 SEC Teams. Lol
IMO...Stackhouse and Brinson are outstanding DL's. They weren't afforded the liberal substitutions that Davis, Wyatt and Carter received, during their time in Athens [specifically, '21 & '22]. UGA wasn't as deep on the front end, in '23, as they were in previous years. The "Bear Alexander & Trez Marshall transfers", slightly disrupted that plan....on top of all the dings & injuries.
Kirby did the best he could, with what he had....in '23....utilizing Freshmen, i might add. Freshmen that will enter this season as veteran Sophomores with talent. I expect massive improvement, in '24, with what they have, coming in...on top of all the talent they've been stockpiling & developing over the last few years.
The way I see it....Nothing has changed in Athens...except, maybe their focus and attitude headed into the '24 season. The way '23 went down for the Dawgs, should give them all the fuel they need....to propel them to excel, in '24.
I love defense and it wins games. Look at the teams in the NFL who excelled on defense in the past. They had names like The Steel Curtain, the Fearsome Foursome, the Purple people Eaters. Monsters of the Midway, etc. Offenses rarely got names. The only one that readily comes to mind is Air Coryell.
And we had the Junkyard Dogs.
Losing 2nd (22), 3rd (3) and 4th (23) DB's to the NFL is a lot to replace before losing #1, #4. No doubt a DB's best friend is a good pass rush. The question is where will that come from. We didn't see it last season. Like I said guys will have to step up. It can be done but you can't assume it will be done. People assumed it was going to be done last year and it wasn't. 78, 97, 93 have all been here for multiple years w/o displaying All-SEC level skills. To expect them to make a big jump is unrealistic. There were clips of Jalen Carter pushing starting C Trey Hill 10 yards back when he was a freshman. The level of player of that caliber is evident quickly. You can't expect to have a freshman like that every year. Hall and Miller taking a step up this year is more likely.
I think it would be a mistake to move Mykel Williams to OLB. He is potentially the best DE pass rusher on the team. Why would you move him unless the other 4-5 guys that you already have there at OLB aren't developing? Is Williams as good an athlete in space as the other, smaller OLB candidates are? Flip flopping him back and forth means he is not getting all the reps he needs at 1 position to maximize his improvement. TID (#93) has flashed potential (at DE) but has a foot problem that has lingered multiple years. Can't be counted on. McCloud bailed on SC to preserve his redshirt. Essentially a freshman I am not counting on.
Some people want to count on freshman. What we've learned is that you really can't count on more than 1 or 2 freshman to make a significant, starting level impact on O or D. It is rare. People mention Ellis Robinson as an example. Just like they did AJ Harris last year. Harris didn't step up like some expected. The UGA D is complex and HS players have a lot to learn before they are capable of playing the mistake free ball that CKS demands. Even seasoned, experienced DB's can and do fail to be on the right page in coverage. See 2nd and 26. CB is also a position that requires more mature physicality and the ability to support the run. Typically more than can be expected from most HS players. Robinson might be ready to be a significant factor by the end of the season but probability says not before.
IF there is 1 freshman that you can project it would be Bolden. Because he has to be force fed and trusted to play through the learning curve. DDS, JThomas, DJackson, Rhett have not shown that they can play to the UGA (starting) standard after multiple years of development. If you recall, Lassiter (3*?) , Bullard (3*) and Starks demonstrated early that they could contribute and would be factors later. It still took Lassiter and Bullard 2 years to become starters. But like Jalen Carter they showed up as players early. Almost from day 1.
@MontanaDawg There is a lot of potential. Aguero showed physicality and some coverage. Humphrey showed some coverage skills (tackling?) w/o interfering. Everette showed he can tackle but struggled in coverage. That is a lot of questions about 2 starting CB's and the starting STAR. Dan Jackson has not shown that 1) he is of UGA starting talent and 2) that he can stay healthy enough to play a full season. Even with limited reps. Daniel Harris played very little as a freshman after showing up at 168 lbs. That is your 3rd CB as of today. 2 of those 3 CB's had 1 foot out the door this offseason. Are they ready to do what it takes to reach the UGA standard? That is a lot of questions to me.
But those are the guys UGA is going to war with. The team is pretty much set. There may be 1 or 2 additions (and a handful of defections) in the spring TP.
People see select 3* UGA players being developed into high NFL draft choices and think it happens all the time. It doesn't. Not sure it happens any more than 5* UGA players that wash out (Sorey, Marvin Jones, MJ Sherman, Brenton Cox, BVG, AJ Harris, Trent Thompson, Orson Charles)
The ole Junkyard Dogs !!! Oh Yeah !!! Great Memories !!! Visualize Erk with blood running down his forehead !!! There was one game maybe you can help me remember, might have been the same game where he butted his forehead against the player’s face mask causing the blood.
But anyhow at half time he went in the locker room Dawgs were behind, told the players Listen, Yall hear that ? Their Laughing at you !! Dawgs D went back out and Completely shut the rival team Down !! Dawgs Offense caught up and they won the game. THAT’S the kind of Team not just Defense that I’d Love to see at UGA. But not sure any CFB team has those dynamics anymore. Those were great days !! Go Dawgs !!
"Let’s hope we’ll see a Much more dominant front. Hard for the QB to throw the ball laying on his back !! 😀. Go Dawgs !!" The word for next years D-Line, navydawg is DOMINATE and Stackhouse and Brinson form the foundation needed for Hall, Jarrett, Miller and Mcleod to show up and show out.....I am confidant that Stackhouse.....a moniker that Charles Dickens couldn't have bested.....will not only successfully accomplish the reasons for his return but will add to his reputation as a D-Line Force too be reckoned with......I echo the admonition CHDawg54 made....Defense wins games and in 24 The Dawgs have the names with potential to become legend.
THe defense hasn't shown it can affect the passer of the best teams without blitzing. Michigan did to Milroe what we should have done. MOst people who are in the know said Bama's O-line pushed our front four around. Milroe had time to survey the field. He looked deep first and if that wasn't there he checked it down. That's a problem. Even great passers when pressured become human. So-so passers when given time look like Joe Montana. Everyone knows the best way to beat UGA is through the air. We've only lost twice in the past 30 games or so, and both times it was through passing. HIstorically our DB's don't turn and find the ball(maybe they're not taught to) if they are they're not doing it well enough. I've watched the tape on Ellis and the kid is amazing! He looks like he's relaxing the day at the park when covering the best. He will start day one IMO. Offense is going to be a beast. We should break many records if the main players stay healthy.
Amen Bro !! DOMINATE !!!! I Hope so. I think it Can be !!! If So that will make life much easier for the Secondary, and there help enable them to make the plays when needed. It’s hard for even the best QBs to throw accurate when under Dominate pressure !! IF that occurs this Dawgs team will be a force through out CFB. Practice, Practice, Practice, Kirby Smart style !!
After being traveling for a while, I wanted to volley back on your interesting comment.
1) Yes -- I meant that we lost 2nd, 3rd & 4th top DBs (not 3rd, 4th & 5th). Sorry about the confusion.
2) I'm not saying we're gonna have a Davis, Walker or Carter on the DL next year. But I do think the increased experience among those who are coming back will combine with the additions to make for a better line than in 2022. No matter how many Dawgnation fans pooh-pooh Bear Alexander since he left us, his departure was a bit of a wrecking ball for our DL depth chart for a couple of years.
3) Interesting point about Mykel playing OLB. You got me thinking also about strength and speed training. Mykel's big for an OLB/Edge guy. While he's light at DE, he fits a particularly prototype of the mobile DE. So, sort of to your point, I suppose training and conditioning would push him in opposite directions depending on the position (e.g. more strength if he's gonna be at DE, more speed if he's gonna be at OLB), which means it'll be easier for him to be excellent if he sticks to one or the other. At times, he has looked excellent as a DE, but he was a bit inconsistent -- perhaps because minor injuries slowed him a bit.
Agree with you on DBs. There seems to be plenty of talent but experience is stretched thin.
To my eye, all this still points to a need in the spring portal to bring in an experienced, one-year S who has more upside than Pope, plus an edge type -- either OLB or DE, but preferably an OLB because that would push Mykel to his natural position. The problem is that we could use established talent in those positions, and I'm not sure we'll see much of those kinds of guys in this spring's portal. So we're most likely going to have to bank on a couple of guys breaking out (esp in the DB) and not a lot of injuries.