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Dwight Phillips Jr. showing Georgia he can be more than a speed guy for RB room
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Dwight Phillips Jr. showing Georgia he can be more than a speed guy for RB room
ATHENS — Georgia running back Dwight Phillips has always been known for his speed.
Comments
Cool story on him. He would have been better off going to a small school where he could be a star and get some NIL funds. Good luck and hope he can contribute down the road!
While the article is about Phillips (and a good one, at that), the thing I really noticed was the maturity of Greene in his comments and insights. Gives me hope we'll have a finely-tuned O-line this season with on-the-field leadership like that :)
I expect Phillips to make a significant jump in production in '26. However let's not get carried away. Last I saw Phillips still weighs 180 lb. Over use as a RB especially early is a sure recipe for not having him available when needed late in the year.
UGA sacrificed its offense in '25 by playing Cash Jones at its 3rd down back over Phillips. Certainly stunted Phillips development. Phillips will bring more to the role this year.
Fyi....James Cook is only 5'11"/190....and he's in the League.
I like what I'm seeing with Phillips. He's always been....(what I thought)...was the Dawgs' most "talented" RB. He just needed to add a little meat to the bone and pick up some blocking skills....imo. Looks like he's done just that...and improved year-over-year. You can't ask for more than that....considering.
If all things are GO with DP, when the Season starts...he will probably make a similar, if not greater impact than Cook did in is final Season. That wheel route Cook feasted on, should be there all year. Lol
However...all things being equal....UGA's loaded backfield, will make it difficult to get enough reps, to "stand out". They ALL know that. Meaning....the competition is gonna be "on"....from Game 1 to the CFP.
Should be, one helluva Football Year for all Georgia Sports Fans.
Go Dawgs!!!
Once again you assume (wrongly) that because 2 players are the same size roughly (they're not) that they are equal football players. I seem to recall you said the same thing about Jake Pope (remember him?) and Scott Woerner.
Phillips and Cook have completely different running styles. Phillips is a 1 cut turn on the jets RB. He has zero Barry Sanders in his game. Cook on the other hand is much more elusive as a runner. Cook is a thicker player. I'd be surprised if Phillips isn't closer to 170 than he is to 180 lb.
Phillips will have a role. 3rd down or change of pace back. He is not UGA's "most talented RB (unless you equate speed with talent)". He is a 1 cut speedster. That's not a RB talent. That's a track talent. We have not seen him do anything else yet. Phillips has 3 receptions for 18 yards in 2 seasons (18 games) at UGA. He needs to prove he can catch the ball and hold on to it.
As for comparing CFB workloads for Cook vs Phillips the numbers are revealing. Cook played 4 years at UGA. For the 1st 3 years on campus (while building his body up) he averaged 39 carries /season. Or about 3 carries a game. Certainly not overused during his physical development period. The Bill's Cook is not the James Cook UGA had from '18 - '20. That extra 20 lb's of muscle and physical maturity is significant between the 2 players.
One of the reasons Cook has had success in the NFL is because he wasn't overused (beatdown) at UGA. Based on Phillips's usage in '25 (35 carries in 12 games) UGA seems to be following the same utilization approach w/Phillips that they did with Cook. For Cook's 4th year at UGA he averaged 7.5 carries/game. I would expect something less than that for Phillips this year unless the RB room is hit hard by injuries.
Lol...okay, there Dad. We'll revisit this in a few months.
And...for the record...you know I don't like the way statistics are used in today's game. Great statistics don't always make for a "great player"...or team, for that matter. And, middling statistics don't mean ya got a bad one, either. The only statistics that really count for a RB....are Yards Per Touch and assists. Play-by-play evaluation is the only way to go, for RB's & WR's...in Programs like UGA's/Smart's.
For instance....you can pick up a pitcher playing for a middling baseball team....stats are atrocious with a 5.00 era and a 4-9 record....put him on a team that can field and provide run support with a competent Bullpen....all of a sudden he's pitching like a Cy Young Winner. What!!!??? Oldest story in the book. All great players don't get to play for good....or even decent teams.
UGA Players are very fortunate...and, to most NFL Organizations....are some of the most respected & prized CFB Players available for the Draft every season. And, they're gaining NFL respect more and more every year....with all the success some of the Non-Drafted UGA Players are having. Just sayin'.....James Cook wasn't even a feature back....yet he has mad respect around the league and in the booth. Just ask Nick Saban.
IMO....Other people and factors....such as field position, the opponent, the Coach, the venue noise, weather and other 10 players....determine scoring and clutch opportunities. Players don't control the opportunities for statistics in a 4 or 5 man backfield. Only a feature back can do that.
Like Herschel used to say...."if I gain 1 yard...you haven't stopped me". That's what he had in mind....every time he approached the LOS. I don't remember him being "stopped" very often, either. Lol
What you want to do...is determine what he does, with the opportunities he has. I'd say Mr Phillips has figured it out. He'll be playing on Sundays.
I notice some HC's around the league, leave their Award seekers and potential Heisman Candidates in the game....far longer than Kirby Smart. You do what you need to do to Win, today and move on. The coaches that ride the stats, do so to justify & validate....nothing more. Kirby doesn't play that game. Doesn't "need" to, either…imo.
To be clear....Statistics have plenty of value in " planning and strategizing"....IF used properly.
Btw...@ugadad20....remember what I said about a certain Falcon RB? 'member what you said? Keepin' up with current events? Lol....I don't know why you doubt.…but our boy Phillips will make Dawg Fans proud this year. Mark my words...again.
Wow that was a lot of ….words …..that said very little. If I had to guess I'd say you ate some funny mushrooms and were mesmerized by thoughts of an undulating, speeding red blur wearing a red #20 jersey cascading, past and through stationary tackling dummies. Just back from the desert with a sack full of peyote buttons?
If you meant that you expect 20 to have a good season. Then I agree. IF he stays healthy. "I expect Phillips to make a significant jump in production". His stat's will probably be more than '25 (obviously). His impact is TBD. UGA coaches will try to maximize his season long impact by picking his spots and not using him in a way where he takes a beating.
Are you getting up on your soapbox over Cash Jones? Really? Wait let me guess. He's white and a RB so he's……..Christian McCaffrey? Here is how Cash Jones's NFL "career" is going to go. First he will be a preseason body so that the guys that are going to make the team don't get hurt playing in preseason. He will play on special teams and maybe even make the Falcon's for a year or 2 as a ST player. More likely he will sit on the the Falcon's practice squad a a couple of years.
Lol....just reread your post from last night. I'm not sure, that you and I disagree. Sounds like we're both trying to make an argument for the same thing.....coming from different angles.
This, absolutely could be, one of the top 5 Offensive Backfields of all-time.…imo. Particularly, if a couple of the younger guys live up to expectations. And, I have no reason to doubt at this point.
Fyi....Cash Jones is a Falcon. Just sayin'....Jones definitely got the most out his engine and frame, while in Athens....after Kirby did a rebuild on the chassis and gave him some jet fuel injectors. He's only one of many. I believe CKS never stops pushing.
Imo....Phillips will succeed, because of his attitude & effort in CKS's Program....not his natural abilities, though he has his share of those, too.
Go Dawgs!