A Real look at 2016

Normally, this blog is an outlet for me. I know some people read it, but in all honesty, I write it for me.

However, this fall has been busy. In mid-October we moved into our first home, and since then, things have been at warp-speed. It has been great, but there hasn’t been as much blog time.

After Georgia’s loss on Saturday to Tech, 28-27, giving Tech a two game winning streak in Sanford Stadium, I had to wake up early this morning to get this out, or I might not make it through the day.

One year ago today, Mark Richt was fired. I didn’t want him fired, but no one asked me what I thought, so I guess they didn’t care what I wanted. I was skeptical about Kirby Smart because of his lack of head coaching experience, but once he got the job, I was on board 100%.

The excitement around the program built from signing day which was better than expected, to the spring game which was historic. The entire Bulldog Nation was as excited as we have been in a very long time going into the 2016 season.

Now, that excitement is completely gone. If you look at this season objectively, this was Georgia’s worst season since 2010, and probably the second worst season in the past 20 years.

There is nothing positive to take out of this season. The questions we had coming into the season, some of which we thought were answered at times during the season, still persist following yesterday’s game.

Is Jacob Eason the guy we thought he was?

Can Kirby Smart be as good of a head coach as he was a coordinator?

When will Georgia stop losing to inferior teams?

Why is Sanford Stadium not a home field advantage for Georgia?

In fact, those questions that existed at the beginning of the season have now grown to include the following:

Is Jim Cheney the right choice at Offensive Coordinator?

Does Georgia have an offensive line?

Why don’t our receivers and tight ends get open?

Will either running back return to school next season?

What are we going to do if they don’t?

Ok, let’s take this one step at a time.

I have to be one of the most optimistic Georgia fans on the face of the earth. So much so, that when people ask me what I think about a season or a game, I see that they are taking my words with a grain of salt, because I’m too optimistic. So if my optimism about the program is in question, we have some real problems.

Any examination of the program has to start with Kirby Smart. A quick public service announcement: If you are on social media calling for Kirby Smart to be fired, please do the following. Get in your car. Drive to Wal-Mart. Buy a 5-gallon gas can. Go to the gas station and fill the gas can with gas. Drive to any of the numerous wildfires burning in the South. Get out of the car. Dump the entire 5 gallons of gas over yourself, then walk directly into the fire.

Anyone who says Kirby should be fired is an idiot. Anyone who says Georgia will win a National title under Smart is also an idiot. Remember what I said earlier, Kirby hasn’t even had this job for a year. Here is the reality of major college football, if Kirby Smart goes 8-4 in 2017, he will be on the hot-seat in 2018. Georgia did not hire Kirby Smart to win 7 or 8 games and Mark Richt’s success over the 15 years he coached in Athens (10 wins per season), will be the low bar for what is acceptable for Kirby.

As we saw again yesterday, Smart is still learning how to be a head coach. I have no clue what role Kirby has in either play calling on the offense or clock management, but he should have been involved as Georgia was up 13 points with less than 7 minutes to go and we are calling pass plays. When he hears the play called, he should over-rule Cheney, and run the ball, if for no other reason than to simply run the clock.

Also, let’s be honest why Georgia lost yesterday. Georgia lost because the defense, which has been the highlight of this team all season, got absolutely gashed with big plays on the ground and through the air. Kirby is a defensive coach and his defense has to play better than that, specifically in the secondary where he is the positional coach. It is “Option Football 101” that you would try to hit some big pass plays to surprise the defense after running it over and over again. Tech scored a touchdown on a drive that seemed to take about 1 minute going the length of the field because of two big pass plays. That can’t happen.

There have been some big questions about play calling throughout the season, and whether on offense or defense, Kirby is going to have to be more involved in those decisions, or he is going to have to improve on making those decisions in 2017.

The verdict isn’t in on Kirby Smart as a head coach, but so far, it hasn’t looked great. We know he is a great recruiter and he is going to bring in a fantastic class in February. We know he is a Bulldog at heart, but that simply isn’t enough. We know he has the pedigree, but there is a difference in watching greatness and achieving it yourself. I am less confident in Kirby now that I have been since he got the job. That doesn’t mean that I think he is a flop or that he should be fired, but he has to improve, quickly.

To close the book on the Kirby part of this, can I please put one thing to rest. There are going to be fans out there, perhaps fans that are reading this, that are going to reference the fact that Nick Saban went 7-5 in his first season at Alabama. Please, for the love of everything, stop comparing Kirby to Saban. That would be like comparing a freshman running back to Herschel. It’s not fair on any level. The Kirby/Saban comparison is actually worse, because Kirby is a first year head coach. When Nick Saban took the head coaching job at Alabama, he had already been the head coach at Michigan State, LSU, and the Miami Dolphins in the NFL. He had won two SEC titles and he had won a National Championship. That was who took over at Alabama. The issue that Kirby is facing is whether or not he can be a great head coach, and no, a great coordinator doesn’t automatically become a great head coach. They are two different jobs. If you are the Director of Operations in a Fortune 500 company, it doesn’t mean you can be president and CEO of the same company. You might be able to do both jobs, but being good at one doesn’t directly translate to being good at the other.

The real comparison we should be making is not to Nick Saban, but to Mark Richt. Richt, like Smart had no head coaching experience and struggled in his first season. The burden on Kirby will be what Richt did in his second season. Georgia went 13-1 in 2002, won the SEC title, and the Sugar Bowl. You want to make a comparison, there you go.

Outside of Kirby Smart, there will be no bigger question going into next season than Jacob Eason. After two years of hearing how great he was going to be, the season was full of up and downs for the freshman quarterback. Eason played like you would expect a freshman to play, but by the end of the season, you would have hoped there would be more improvement. He did seem to make an improvement on throwing the deep ball, which he struggled with in the middle of the season, but his touch on the ball seem to get worse as the season went on. He footwork and mobility improved, but his pocket presence never seemed to get better. It is obvious that he has the short memory that you look for in a quarterback, and there is no questioning his ability to make big plays late in the game. 

Georgia will have another young quarterback coming in January named Jake Fromm. Fromm will probably red-shirt, putting two years between himself and Eason, but he will get a chance to compete for the job. I think Eason is the guy, but he has to get better. Eason has talent and potential, and now he had experience. In 2017, Eason will have to be the reason Georgia wins games, and not just avoid being the reason Georgia loses.

A big part of Eason’s success will hinge on the decisions made by Nick Chubb and Sony Michel as it pertains to their future and the NFL Draft. There are so many levels to this decision, I am thankful I don’t have to make it for them. First of all, we have to be honest about a couple of things. Neither Chubb nor Michel is Todd Gurley. Gurley was a unique back, and his draft status demanded that he leave school early. He was going to be a first round pick and you always leave school if you are going to be a first round pick. There is no chance that either one of Georgia’s current backs will go in the first round. The other factor to consider is the depreciation of value that running backs have experienced in the NFL Draft. Last season, there was one running back taken in the first round, one in the second round, two in the third round, and three in the fourth round. Seven running backs in the first four rounds. That was a huge drop-off from the year before when 12 backs were taken in the same time frame. In 2014, 14 backs were taken in the first four rounds. When you look at the draft rankings right now, Chubb is ranked anywhere from 5^th to 10^th and Sony is ranked from 9^th to 16^th.

It won’t be a disaster if both go, and I wish them all the best because they have been fantastic players and representatives for the University, but if either decides to come back next season, it will take a lot of pressure off Eason.

The final point I want to make is about Tech. I have said for the past few years that Georgia should never lose to Tech. I believe that with all my heart, but let me explain why. Really, there is only one reason, Paul Johnson. Johnson believes he is the smartest guy in any room he walks into, and his insistence on running an arcane offense puts his team at a disadvantage. Georgia has been criticized for running a “pro-style” offense, but that beats the heck out of having to watch the triple option every week.  Additionally, Tech doesn’t recruit well. Johnson doesn’t go after the most highly rated players on offense or defense. I’m not sure why, but he apparently doesn’t believe that talent is something that is needed. I get that his offense needs certain types of players and maybe that would affect the recruiting rankings on offense, but not on the defense. It is not an exaggeration to say that Georgia has twice the amount of talent Tech has, and we still lost yesterday.

Georgia has kept Paul Johnson in his job because of the Tech wins in 2014 and 2016, but when Johnson is gone, Tech will have a chance to be more competitive. As for now, Georgia should NEVER lose to Tech, no matter the circumstances.

I can usually find a silver lining in just about anything, but I’m not seeing it in Georgia’s 2016 season. For every step forward, like the Missouri win, we took a huge step back, like the Ole Miss loss. By the way, Ole Miss just went 5-7 and missed going to a bowl game. Yeah Georgia beat Auburn, but when you lose to Florida, Tennessee, and Tech the Auburn win gets forgotten. Worst of all, we have another season where Georgia loses to teams they should beat, like Vandy and Tech.

I am always going to be a fan, and I’m sure by the time September 2017 rolls around, I will be predicting a SEC title for the Dawgs, but right now, one year after the program hit the reset button, the future is one big question mark.

I think it is fair to say that 2017 will be the most important season Georgia has faced in a very long time.

As always, Go Dawgs!

Another Disappointing Season

It's been a busy couple of weeks, and a lot of things have happened. The optimistic feeling surrounding Georgia to start the season has faded. There is an all too familiar sense of doom and despair that has taken over the Bulldog Nation. The people still on the bandwagon, are left looking at each other, and wondering what is going on.

Ok, so we got blown out by Ole Miss. The Tennessee play was a complete fluke, but it's the kind of thing you learn from. Then we lose. At Home. On Homecoming. To Vanderbilt.

All of a sudden I'm hearing people opine for Mark Richt. I see people questioning Kirby Smart as Georgia's head coach. Even more people questioning Jacob Eason.

Here we are leading up to the biggest game of the season, the biggest game of any season, and I think most people aren't just giving up on this season, but I think a lot of fans are starting to wonder if Georgia will ever turn it around.

Let's start with reality. At the beginning of the season I said the bar should be set at 10-2 and playing for the SEC title in Atlanta. I still believe that goal was realistic, but obviously, Georgia isn't going 10-2 this season. I would consider this season to be a disappointment, which means this is the fourth straight season where Georgia has underachieved.

When you really look at it, Georgia won at home against Nicholls by only two points, and needed a last minute drive against Missouri to win that game, so 4-3 could easily be 2-5.

The offense has been inconsistent. The defense, while solid, has seemingly had one or two lapses each game that has allowed big plays that have come back to haunt Georgia. I would call the special teams a crap filled dumpster that has been lit on fire, but that would be an insult to crap filled dumpsters that have been lit on fire. Even writing this now, you can kind of start feeling like there really isn't anything to be positive about.

Then you look at the rest of the schedule.

Georgia will probably lose to Florida. Then we go on the road to Kentucky, who beat Vanderbilt, so you never know. We host Auburn, who seems to have turned their season around. I feel good about ULL on November 19th. Then we host Tech. With the way this team has played, you can't tell me you feel good about any of those games, other than ULL.

This season could get really ugly. At this point, I think 7-5 is about the best we can do, with loses coming to Florida and Auburn.

Ok, enough with the bad. Here is the good.

I am still 100% confident that Georgia will not only be okay under Kirby Smart, I am 100% confident that Kirby Smart will win a National Title at Georgia.

Smart has never been a head coach before, but he is as prepared to be a head coach as any person could be. He coached for Saban for 8 years. He coached at Georgia with Richt for 1 year. He played at Georgia. He has a great relationship with Coach Dooley and Coach Donnon. He won 4 National Titles as a defensive coordinator on teams where defense was the strength of the team. He is a fantastic recruiter.

Kirby Smart, and Georgia, are going to be fine. Just not this year.

The people who want to think Mark Richt would have done better with this team, I disagree whole heartedly. The offensive line issues that we have would have been the same for Richt as it is for Smart. You could argue that the reason the line is where it is this season is because of Richt's misses in recruiting. I think Richt's team would have beaten Vandy, so maybe they could have gone 8-4, but is that so much better than 7-5? Richt would have been fired if he went 8-4, and Kirby would probably have been unavailable because he would have just taken over at South Carolina.

I will have more on the Florida game later this week, but please, in the mean time, just remember, we are starting over with Kirby, and while this season has been both disappointing and frustrating, brighter days are ahead for Georgia.

Not Yet

What a wild ride.

I sit here, two hours removed from the horrific end of a great football game, and I think I have had enough time to obtain perspective.

I have a heavy heart and a tweaked ankle. When Jacob Eason hit Riley Ridley to take the lead with 10 seconds to go in the game, I was jumping up and down and low-key screaming because the baby was asleep. Harrison, who was upstairs getting ready to read his bed-time story, heard the commotion, comes to the top of the stairs and asks, “Daddy, did Georgia win?” My answer was telling. “Not yet,” I said. He laughed and said, “Daddy is so silly.”

Not yet.

Of course I couldn’t foresee what was about to happen, but there is something inside me that is trained to not believe we had won a game when we are up 3 with 10 seconds to go. To modify a line from Harvey Updike, there is just too much Georgia in me.

I had a friend, who is not a Georgia fan or hater, describe the ending to tonight’s game as “The most Georgia Georgia that ever done Georgia’d.” Well, said.

When the game ended, I walked outside. I sat down on the sidewalk for a minute. I didn’t cry, which is surprising. I took a few deep breathes, went back inside and began to process.

I was about to write my blog. You see, I have gotten really good at writing this particular blog.

LSU 2009.

Alabama 2012.

Clemson 2013.

Auburn 2013.

South Carolina 2014.

Tech 2014.

Tennessee 2015.

I didn’t start writing the blog until 2009, but if I had been writing it before 2009, you could have added:

Tech 2008.

Alabama 2008.

South Carolina 2007.

Florida 2006.

Auburn 2005.

Auburn 2005. That one deserves two mentions. Tough beat and Taco Bell screwed up my order after the game.

Florida 2005.

Tennessee 2004.

LSU 2003.

Florida 2002.

Auburn 2001.

No research guys, these are from memory. You know why I remember them? Because these were all games Georgia could have, should have, might have, but didn’t, win.

I’m good at this blog.

Here is how it goes:

I couldn’t be more proud of this team, the crowd, and everyone involved with the program. After embarrassing themselves last week, Georgia played with fire and energy for four quarters.

I’m proud of the defense, who in reality gave up 20 points, excluding the Hail Mary and the defensive touchdown by Tennessee.

I’m proud of the running backs, who finally were a factor, even without their best player.

I’m proud of the offensive line, yes, even the offensive line, who didn’t play a perfect game, but they played one heck of a game against a talented and experienced defensive front for Tennessee.

I’m proud of our kicker, yes, even the glasses wearing, good for almost nothing kicker, who actually made a field goal!

Most of all, I’m proud of our freshman quarterback, who struggled at times in this game. I’m proud that after a terrible mistake on the fumble, that gave the opposing team the lead, and a poor pass that resulted in what seemed like a game ending interception, this 18 year old kid stepped up and delivered a beautiful 47 yard touchdown pass that ignited Sanford Stadium in a way that has not been heard since the end of the LSU game in 2013.

See, I told you I was good at this blog.

All of that is true. But there is something else that is more true. There is a dangerous truth tied to how I feel tonight.

The truth is this:

None of that matters because I’m tired of losing.

You are tired of it too. Be honest with yourself. Who convinced you that feeling proud of the team after a loss was an acceptable response to failure? Who decided that at Georgia, we should settle for coming up short and almost getting big wins? Who told you that we can’t do what other schools do?

Mark Richt was a great man, and a great coach, but the worst thing that ever happened under his watch was we decided to be proud of the team for trying.

Dammit, we are Georgia.

There are more players in the NFL from the state of Georgia than any other state in the Union. There is more talent in this state than in Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky combined. We don’t have to settle for almost.

You know how I know we don’t have to settle for almost, our coach said so after the game tonight.

“I don’t believe in moral victories, and I’m sick to my stomach that we lost that game.”

-          Kirby Smart

The bar just got raised guys.

This coach doesn’t feel good about almost. This coach isn’t making excuses. This coach understands that he is the coach because the last guy didn’t win these games. This coach understands and accepts the fact that if he doesn’t win these games, there will be another, new coach.

I’m proud of some of the individual efforts this afternoon, but I’m done being proud of a losing team.

We have got to do better.

My expectations for the rest of this year are as simple as can be. Win the rest of our games. I don’t care about style points. I don’t care about point spreads. I don’t care about inexperience, home or away, division or conference games. 

Win the rest of the games.

Before this season I said this team should go 10-2. Well, they are 3-2, so win the rest of the games.

Tennessee is going to lose to Texas A&M next Saturday, and Alabama the Saturday after that. They will probably win out, go 10-2 themselves, and win the East by winning the tie-breaker because of a last second Hail Mary on our field. I don’t know if we are good enough to play with the West Champion, but I want the shot to find out.

This feels like 2004 and 2007, where we are close to something special, but come up just short.

I'm sick of feeling this way.

Please don’t misread my tone. I’m as loyal as ever. There is no bandwagon in my house. I’m just tired of not being able to tell my son that Georgia won the game when we score a touchdown to take a 3 point lead with 10 seconds to go. 

The Biggest Game of the Year

Another busy week, another last-minute blog. Being an adult sure has its struggles.

If you go off the reaction to the Ole Miss loss last week, Georgia might very well lose the rest of the games they play this season. I was shocked (sarcastic voice) to see some people on social media who began questioning whether Kirby Smart is the right man for the job.

Loyalty ain’t what it used to be.

Today’s game could not be more important. If Georgia wins, I would expect them to win the SEC East. If Georgia loses, I still think they can have a solid season, but I would think they might drop one more game this year, going 9-3, which in my opinion would be a disappointment because I think this team with this schedule could have gone 10-2. Not a huge disappointment, but a disappointment still.

Now I’m going to say something that may be a little controversial. Georgia will not miss Nick Chubb, who is out with an ankle injury.

Let me explain please.

Chubb is a great running back. He is like a boulder that runs over people as it comes rolling down a hill. I am more of a fan of Nick Chubb than any of the other running backs we have had in recent memory because of his work ethic and his humility. As a player, Chubb is great at shedding tacklers and picking up yards after contact once he reaches the second level. The one thing he doesn’t have, is the ability to make a guy miss. Chubb is a north/south, downhill runner, but he has to get going to be effective. With the offensive line issues that Georgia has, Chubb’s style of running isn’t a perfect match.

If the line were giving him decent holes, Chubb can handle linebackers and safeties who are coming up to make plays. However, the line isn’t giving him great holes, and he doesn’t have the quick first step to be able to make a cut and create a new running lane.

There is also the fact that Georgia’s depth at running back is excellent. We saw last season that Georgia won 10 games despite losing Chubb for the season. Tenneessee is likely to be missing three starters on defense, including their defensive captain, Cameron Reese-Maybin. Trading Chubb for three defensive starters is a good trade for Georgia.

This entire game will come down to Georgia’s ability to further expose Josh Dobbs as the mediocre quarterback I believe he is. He is a great runner. He is a great leader. He is an average to below average quarterback when you make him stand in the pocket and read a defense.

The key to the game will be whether or not Georgia can be gap sound and disciplined on the line of scrimmage. If you get up field on Dobbs, forcing him to scramble, he is a better quarterback than he is when you just make him throw from the pocket. The outside rushers for Georgia have to make sure they contain Dobbs within the pocket, and when they get to Dobbs, they have to finish the job by getting the sack, (I’m looking at you Lorenzo Carter… we are all looking at you).

The reality of this game is simple. Georgia is not a great team, but neither is Tennessee. I watched the second half of the Florida/Tennessee game last week and the Vols were spectacular in the second half. But I have also watched the Vols struggle against App State and look inept for the first half of both the Virginia Tech and Florida games. Tennessee is flawed, and Georgia needs to take advantage of that.

I expect energy, focus, and discipline from the Dawgs today. It might surprise a lot of people when Georgia wins, but it won’t surprise me. We aren’t the number 10 team in America, but we aren’t 25 either, and Tennessee isn’t a top 10 team.

The home crowd will be the difference, and Kirby will be a genius again.

Georgia 35   Tennessee 32

Weekly Review: September 24th

Biggest Story of the Week: Everyone is Flawed

The talking heads on TV won’t tell you the truth, but I will. As great as this season has been so far, and it has been really entertaining, you can’t confuse great games and great teams. At this point in the season, there are no great teams in college football.

Start at the top with Alabama. They have a true freshman quarterback and suddenly, a lack of competent running backs. There is no way they go undefeated.

Louisville has a great player and a scum bag coach. No one should be crowning them after one win at home against a Florida State team that we don’t know much about.

The reality of this season is that by the end of the year, there may be a couple of great teams, but at this point, there are legitimate questions about every team in college football. No one has proven that they are good enough to play four quarters of great football week after week.

If I had to pick who I thought would be the best team by the end of the season I would go with Clemson. They have the best quarterback in the country to go along with a balanced team with weapons on offense, play makers on defense, and a manageable schedule with some big tests, but not the gauntlet that other teams have to navigate.

Even though I don’t believe anyone is great at this point, I think this season has been, and will continue to be, great. If you look ahead to the next three or four weeks, there are multiple games that you would say are “Must-See” and there are going to be more upsets due to the parity in college football.

Biggest Win of the Week: Tennessee

It had been 11 years since Tennessee beat Florida, and no one would have thought the streak was about to end as the two teams headed to the locker room at half time. Tennessee wasn’t just trailing 21-3, they looked inept on offense and they looked vulnerable on defense. I have never been a fan of Josh Dobbs, and he made me look like a genius in the first half.

Then something changed.

If you were watching the CBS broadcast, you know that Gary Danielson, who is of course the smartest person in the world (just ask him, and he will tell  you), believes that there was a pass in the third quarter where the Tennessee receiver made a great catch that turned the game around. I don’t think that turned the game around for two reasons. One, the reason it had to be a great catch was because Dobbs nearly hit the defender in the back with the pass. It was an awful pass. The second reason is because two plays after the “game-changing” play, Dobbs through a terrible interception.

As much as it might bother someone as smart as Danielson, all that changed was momentum. Dobbs hit two long passes on busted coverages, and Florida got tight. The Tennessee crowd got into the game, and the Tennessee defense dared Austin Appleby to beat them. They pinned their ears back and brought pressure for the entire second half, and Florida wasn’t able to respond.

Not to sound like a broken record, but both of these teams have serious flaws and flawed teams aren’t going to be consistent. From week to week and sometimes quarter to quarter, you aren’t going to get the same team.

Now, Tennessee is in the driver’s seat in the East. However, they travel to Georgia this week, and follow that up with games against the best two teams in the SEC, Texas A&M and Alabama. If Tennessee loses to Georgia they will lose three straight and probably drop another game this season, finishing 8-4 and probably causing Butch Jones his job. If Tennessee can win in Athens, then they probably will go 10-2 and win the East.

Either way, ending the streak of 11 straight loses to Florida was a big monkey off the back of the program.

The biggest flaw Tennessee has, and they have a few, is their head coach. He is a cliché machine, but I don’t believe he really knows what he is doing. He continues to talk about building their program. This is Butch Jones 4^th season in Knoxville! How long does he expect to get to build something? It’s smoke and mirrors. The team might win this year in spite of Jones, but he is big on talk and short on substance and Tennessee will not compete for titles on a consistent basis as long as he is the head coach.

Biggest Loss of the Week: Notre Dame

There were some serious candidates for worst loss this week. You could look to Michigan State who got blown out at home against Wisconsin. You could pick Georgia, who looked totally outmatched by Ole Miss. My runner up was LSU, who couldn’t get the offense going, yet again, and somehow managed to not be prepared to run a last-second play when the officials had spent four minutes discussing a penalty. They were the runner up because Les Miles is running out of time very quickly.

All Hail to the Victors of the dubious “honor” of worst loss of the week, and that goes to the storied golden-domers at Notre Dame. Notre Dame is quite possible the greatest college football program of all time, but for the past 10 years, they have struggled to be relevant. Somehow, they maintain their status as an Independent with their own network tv deal with NBC, but on the field they have underwhelmed for the better part of a decade.

I’m not going to pretend like the loss to Duke at home was the worst loss in the team’s history, but as a three touchdown favorite at home, the loss tied for the biggest upset of an Irish team of all time.

There have been rumors that there are issues between head coach Brian Kelly and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. After the game, Kelly called out his players by saying it didn’t matter what they had done in the past, if you want to play for him, you better bring some fire and passion.

To me, Kelly sounded like a burnt-out teacher at the end of their rope, trying one last time to crack down on the class before they lose all control of the situation. Kelly may keep his job because I don’t know where Notre Dame would go for a head coach, but Irish Eyes aren’t smiling this season, and I don’t see this program turning things around any time soon.

The College Football Playoff if the season ended Today:

1.      Alabama

2.      Louisville

3.      Ohio State

4.      Clemson

5.      Michigan

6.      Texas A&M

7.      Wisconsin

8.      Stanford

Three Things to Watch for Next Week:

1.      Clemson/Louisville: Lamar Jackson is the star of the young season. Deshawn Watson was the returning favorite for the Heisman trophy. Clemson hasn’t managed to impress so far this season. Louisville has put themselves in the talk for a spot in the playoff with their total destruction of Florida State. Prime time in Death Valley. Next Saturday night is going to be amazing.

2.     Wisconsin/Michigan: Michigan comes into this game ranked in the Top 5, and I have no clue as to why. Jim Harbaugh has turned the perception of Michigan around with his off-field antics, but he has yet to make a statement on the field. Wisconsin has already beaten Michigan State and LSU in the young season, so they are battle-tested. Time for King of Khakis to put up, or for the love of all things holy, just shut up. I’m pulling hard for Wisconsin.

Stanford/Washington: The Pac 12 got left out of the playoff last season, in part because of attrition in the league. If I was a Pac 12 guy, I would be hoping for a Stanford win, because I think they have a better chance to make the playoff than Washington. Chris Peterson’s Huskies have quietly become a legit contender, but can they stop Christian McCaffery? This game is on Friday night, so get the weekend started with what should be a great game.

Georgia/Ole Miss Preview

Georgia’s season continues today at high noon in Oxford, Mississippi as the Dawgs take on the Rebels in what can only be described as a game where we are going to get a lot of questions answered.

A poet person might say that this season has been A Tale of Two Teams. In Athens, it has been the best of times as Georgia has managed a 3-0 start despite not playing a brand of football that has been pleasing to the eye or the blood pressure of anyone in the Bulldog Nation. In Oxford, it has been the worst of times, as Ole Miss enters this game with a 1-2 record after blowing 20+ point leads to both Florida State and Alabama in the first three weeks of the season.

Let me start by saying that it is completely ridiculous that this game is being played at noon, eastern and 11 am local time. CBS decided to take Florida and Tennessee, which makes sense, I guess. However, with all the television options the SEC has now, there is no reason this game couldn’t have had a later kickoff. My indignation is totally selfish, as I will be watching the game on delay after I get off work, so please don’t text me any results and ruin my day.

Believe it or not, this game is going to be all about Ole Miss. They are the more experienced, battle tested, and talented team coming into this game. They are at home. They have already played in two very big games this season. For a team that had hopes of winning the SEC and perhaps making the playoff, their entire season is on the line today. A 1-3 September would be near a tragedy for Ole Miss fans, not to mention the players and coaches.

I have gone back and forth on this game all week. I could see Ole Miss coming out, fired up, getting out to a two touchdown lead, and blowing Georgia away. The Rebels have the talent to do that.

I could see Ole Miss coming out, getting a lead, Georgia making a comeback, and the Rebels folding like a cheap lawn chair because that is what they have done against Florida State and Alabama.

I could see Ole Miss coming out flat and lethargic knowing their dreams for the season are all but unattainable and playing a sloppy game that leads to Georgia winning by 10.

I could see a lot of things happening, but in the end, no matter how we get there, I think Georgia is going to pick up their first loss of the season today in Oxford.

I can’t see a Hugh Freeze team coming out flat and laying an egg today at home. He is going to have his players fired up, so the early part of the game is going to be important. I think Ole Miss will come out of the gate like a cat with its tail on fire. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rebels get a two touchdown lead before half time. Then I think Georgia will get back into the game, the crowd is going to think, “here we go again,” and the players are going to get tight. The difference in the game will end up being Chad Kelly’s ability to scramble and make a big play with his legs. As good as Kelly is with his arm, and he may be the best in the conference, the X-factor is his ability to run the ball. I think Kelly makes a big play with his legs late in the game and Ole Miss wins a one possession game.

Now I need all the Georgia fans to take a deep breath. I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest with your answer, and please, answer with your head, and not your heart.

Do you think Georgia is good enough to go undefeated and win the national title this season?

Ok, unless you are completely mental, the answer to that question is no. Georgia isn’t going to win the national title this year and at some point, they are going to lose, at least, one game.

Guys, Ole Miss is the best team left on Georgia’s schedule and this is a road game in the SEC. There is absolutely no shame in losing this game, and even if Georgia loses this game, they can still win the SEC East, which is probably the ceiling for Georgia this year.

Most logical Georgia fans would have taken a 10-2 season in Kirby’s first year, but when its game week, no one is ever comfortable with the idea of losing a game. So how can you be ok with a team going 10-2, but never be ok with a team losing a game?

The answer is of course that the word fan comes from the word fanatic, so logic can pretty much be thrown out the window. Before and after the season most fans are capable of some level of perspective, which allows for a more logical assessment of the season. There are going to be people who read this blog who actually believe Georgia can win the national title this year. There are going to be people who read this blog who will post negative things about Kirby Smart or Jacob Eason if Georgia loses today. Thank you for taking the time to read the blog, but you are an idiot if you do any of those things.

No matter what happens today, Georgia fans have a ton of reasons to be encouraged.

First and foremost, we have found our quarterback. Eason won the job last Saturday night, and now everyone on the team knows he is the man for the rest of the season and beyond. Eason was magnificent on third down throughout the Missouri game. He kept drive after drive going when the running game couldn’t do anything. The fourth down play to score the final touchdown reminded me a lot of the David Greene pass to Jasper Sanks in Knoxville in 2001 on the “Hob-nail boot” play. Green was a freshman playing in Mark Richt’s first season on the road in the SEC.

Another reason for optimism is that Georgia’s defense seems to have picked up where they left off last season, which means they are pretty stinking good. I was encouraged by the half-time adjustments made by the defensive coaches against Missouri. The Tiger’s offense looked completely different from the first half to the second half, and you should give Georgia’s defense the credit. You see, it’s all about how you say it. If you say Drew Lock threw three interceptions in the second half, then it seems Georgia was the beneficiary of bad quarterback play from their opponent. If you say Georgia forced three crucial turnovers in the second half, then all of a sudden the defense won the game.

For me, the most encouraging thing I have seen in the first three weeks of the season is a 180 degree change in coaching philosophy surrounding Georgia, especially on the offensive side of the ball. To set this up, please permit me a moment to look back at the previous coaching staff.

Too many times under Richt, Georgia seemed to have no “Plan B” if “Plan A” didn’t work. I’m thinking of games against Tennessee and South Carolina in 2007. Against Florida in 2008 and 2009. Against Alabama in 2008 and 2015. Against South Carolina in 2012.

In all of those games, Georgia failed to run the ball early, and Georgia lost the game. In most of those games, Georgia got blown out. The stat under Richt was dramatic. Georgia only lost four times under Richt when we had a running back run for over 100 yards. I don’t have the stat, but I would be scared to see how many times Georgia won when we had a back fail to get 100 yards.

I get it, we like to run the ball at Georgia. I am all for running the ball. Even in 2016 when some schools are throwing it all around the field, I believe in the running game. But you can’t run the ball ineffectively and not change the game plan.

Last Saturday night, Missouri decided early in the game that they were not going to allow Georgia to run the ball, and they were going to make Jacob Eason beat them. You don’t have to be a great team to take away the run or the pass from the opposing team. You have to be a great team to take away both, but Missouri stopping the running game was simple numbers. If they put 9 or 10 guys in the box, Georgia can’t run the ball. Period. If Ole Miss, Tennessee, or anyone else Georgia plays this season puts 9 guys in the box, Georgia is going to struggle running the ball.

But, last week, and moving forward, Georgia has a plan B.

If you were sitting in coaches’ meeting last week and you told Jim Cheney that he was going to call nearly 60 pass play for his true freshman quarterback in his first road game in the SEC, he would have laughed you out of the room. If you could have convinced him that you were telling the truth, he would have put down his plate of doughnuts and he would have been sweating powdered sugar because Eason throwing 60 passes would have been a sure fire recipe for failure.

But in the course of the game, it was the only logical choice, and Cheney took it. I’m not sure past Georgia teams would have won that game, because I’m not sure the coaching staff would have been willing to adapt mid-game the way Cheney did.

Georgia beat UNC by running the ball. Georgia beat Missouri by throwing the ball. Georgia beat Nicholls by the grace of God. Three wins, three different ways.

Cheney’s offensive philosophy throughout his career has adapted to his personnel and what opposing teams give him. When Drew Brees was his quarterback, Cheney threw the ball all over the field. When Cheney was at Arkansas and Tennessee coaching great running backs, Cheney ran the ball all over the field. He isn’t singularly focused on one style, he is focused on scoring points, any way he can. And let me tell you, that is, without a doubt, the greatest offensive philosophy you will ever see.

Georgia has a ceiling this season. The offensive line isn’t very good. The receivers are young. The kicking game is the equivalent of a flaming bag of crap thrown on your front porch. None of those things are going to improve dramatically throughout this season. Georgia is flawed, but so is Tennessee and so is Florida, so Georgia has as good of a shot as any to win the East.

This year isn’t the year for unreasonable expectations. That comes in 2017.

Today’s prediction: Georgia 27   Ole Miss 31

Glory, Glory

No More Quarterback Controversy

Wow.

I could stop there and everything would be said.

Georgia is undefeated after a dramatic 28-27 win on the road against a Missouri team that I underestimated.

The first half was a shoot out; the second half was a defensive struggle.

There are still questions for Georgia to answer. Is the offensive line good enough to hold up for the entire season? Is Georgia’s defensive line good enough? Can Georgia find another receiver to go along with McKenzie?

However, just before midnight on September 17, 2016, one question has been answered and it will not be asked again. Georgia has a starting quarterback in Jacob Eason.

With less than 2 minutes left in his first SEC game, Jacob Eason won the game. Missouri stopped Nick Chubb and dared Jacob Eason to beat them, and that is exactly what he did.

There will be more to say over the next couple of days, but tonight, all that needs to be said is Glory, Glory to Old Georgia!

Show Time in the Show Me State

Even though the season is only two weeks old, it feels like Georgia fans have been through a lot. The nerves leading up to the game against North Carolina were replaced by the total adulation of watching our guys come back from 10 points down in the third quarter to win the game. The abject apathy of the build up to last week’s game has been replaced by confusion, disappointment, and worry over who this team actually is following the nail biting, mind-numbing 26-24 victory over Nicholls.

Tonight, Georgia opens its 2016 SEC schedule against Missouri, and, much like two weeks ago, there are more questions than answers.

In the Richt Era, it would sometimes take an entire season to figure out who a team was. There would be great performances backed up by games when it seemed the team didn’t even understand what a football was.

Take 2004 for example. The biggest game of that season was LSU coming to Athens. LSU was the defending national champs who had beaten Georgia in Baton Rouge during the previous season, and then beaten Georgia again for the SEC title in Atlanta.

In what might have been the most impressive victory of the Richt Era, Georgia smashed LSU 45-16 between the hedges. With an experienced team, and a manageable schedule, the Dawgs were in position to challenge for a National title. Except one week later, at home, Georgia lost 19-14 to Tennessee. Georgia scored 45 points against a Nick Saban defense, only to come the next week and put up two touchdowns on a good, but not great, Tennessee team.

2007 is the best example. Georgia lost at home to South Carolina in a game where they didn’t score a touchdown. A few weeks later, Georgia traveled to Knoxville and lost to the Vols 35-7. By the end of the season, Georgia was heading to the Sugar Bowl as the #3 ranked team in the country and perhaps the hottest team in the country. Georgia would have won a national title in 2007 if they would have won either the South Carolina or Tennessee games.

2016 will have to play itself out, but I think we should focus on what we do know.

We know we have a great running back in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel is coming back this week, fully healthy.

We know we have a solid defense that seems to be picking up right where they left off last year. Georgia is rotating players just like Alabama has done in the past, which means that the defense should actually get better throughout the season as young guys get more playing time.

We know that Georgia has talent on offense, even if we haven’t seen it yet.

We know that both Lambert and Eason are going to play, because Kirby has said they will both play moving forward.

We know that if this game, or any game at this point, comes down to us needing to make a field goal I would be more comfortable taking a guy or girl out of the stands than thinking that our kicker will actually make a field goal.

Last year, Georgia beat Missouri 9-6 in what could have been the ugliest game I have ever watched. Even if Georgia gets dominated by their opponent, like the Alabama game last season, at least one team plays well. Georgia and Missouri made me not like football for 3.5 hours last season, but I don’t expect that to happen again tonight.

Missouri comes into this game 1-1, having already lost to West Virginia in week one. Missouri has a new coach, Barry Odum, who was the defensive coordinator for the past few seasons. They have a talented quarterback who can throw the ball all over the field, but their defense isn’t quite as good as it has been in the past, especially on the defensive line.

Missouri is going to run a lot of “RPO’s” or Run/Pass Options. This is where the quarterback is in the shot-gun, with a running back beside him. When the ball is snapped, the quarterback will read one defender, typically a defensive end, and either hand the ball off, or throw it quickly to one of his receivers. The reason the quarterback will have to throw it quickly is that the offensive line doesn’t know if the quarterback is going to run or pass, so they are always run blocking. So, if the quarterback were to sit in the pocket looking for a receiver downfield, he would get demolished by blitzing linebackers.

The system works for two reasons. One, your quarterback doesn’t have to do much. You answer one question, then run the play. In a pro-style offense like Georgia runs, the quarterback has a lot more to do, before and after the ball is snapped. The other reason this offense works is because it can take advantage of the defense’s over aggressiveness. It is almost impossible to get pressure on the quarterback because the offense is based on primarily short passes. So your linebackers who love to get sacks (Lorenzo Carter) have to accept that they aren’t going to get to the quarterback, because rushing hard up-field at the quarterback will only open more holes for either the running back or a receiver who is catching a ball  yards from the line of scrimmage.

The second reason the system works is because your cornerbacks can’t go straight into their drop each play because they have to worry about a quick pass being thrown in their direction. If a cornerback gets too aggressive, you will see the quarterback make a quick throw that ends up with the receiver streaking down the sideline for a score because the one cornerback on that side of the field played the run rather than the pass, and there was no safety helping.

The key for Georgia defensively tonight will be one very simple concept: discipline. Against North Carolina, Georgia was excellent at being disciplined, but in the third quarter, they lost contain on two running plays in a row, and it cost them a touchdown. Georgia will have to do a great job of playing assignment football, which requires guys like Carter and Sanders to be more disciplined and less focused on making plays.

Offensively, nothing really changes. All I have heard this week is that Georgia’s offensive line is a big problem, because they didn’t play well against Nicholls. I am going to chose not to worry about the offensive line, and I’ll tell you why. If the line is truly as bad as it looked last week, then Georgia is going to lose 4 or 5 games this season. The reality is that the line might not be the best in the nation, but they are far better than they showed last week, and I’m sure they have heard a lot about what they need to do better in practice this week.

I think Eason will start, and I hope Lambert doesn’t play. Nothing against Lambert, but I think the longer Eason is on the sideline at crunch time, the more it’s going to be in his head that the coaches don’t trust him with the game on the line. Eason needs to be our quarterback, and we have to take the good with the bad. The only way he gets better at the end of the game, is by, you know, playing at the end of the game.

Look for Georgia to have more success passing the ball the next two weeks than they have for the first two weeks of the season. I would expect Georgia to get more receivers involved, especially the tight ends because Missouri’s secondary is average at best.

This will be the third time Georgia has traveled to Missouri since the Tigers joined the SEC in 2012. In 2012, Georgia won by three touchdowns on a night where Jarvis Jones simply took over the game and became a star. In 2014, with Todd Gurley suspended, Nick Chubb ran the ball over 30 times for nearly 200 yards in his coming out party as Georgia defeated the Tigers 30-0.

Georgia has never lost in Columbia. The two previous games have been breakout performances by great players. Tonight, I’m predicting another breakout performance from the one player who the entire Bulldog Nation has been wanting to see a breakout performance.

Georgia is going to blow Missouri out of the water tonight, and while Chubb will get his (150 yards and two touchdowns) and Sony will get his (100 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown) the story will be Jacob Eason who will finally get his (over 300 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception).

Coming off that pathetic performance last week, we are going to get the best Georgia team we have tonight. This team is going to look a little Jekyll and Hyde this season, tonight we get to good one.

Georgia 42      Missouri  16

Go Dawgs

Nick Chubb Returns and Carries Georgia to Victory

What a night in Atlanta.

Let’s start in the only place to start. Nick Chubb is absolutely amazing. It was less than 10 months ago that he sat on the sideline in Neyland Stadium with his knee taped up, and tears in his eyes. He dried those tears, worked his tail off, and tonight, he is the reason Georgia beat North Carolina and started the Kirby Smart Era with a win.

I don’t want to be a victim of the moment, but there aren’t enough words to describe how much I love Nick Chubb. Two years ago tonight, Georgia opened their season with a big win over Clemson in Sanford Stadium on a night where Nick Chubb was the third running back for Georgia. He trucked a couple of defenders that night, but the story was Todd Gurley and Sony Michel. Tonight, the story is a young man who has done nothing but represent himself, his family, and his university with the utmost class in his three years in Athens.

32 carries. 222 yards. 2 touchdowns.

I am tearing up thinking about how much I admire that young man. His humility is so uncommon with the modern athlete, his work ethic is commendable, and his talent is unbelievable. Enjoy the pleasure of watching Nick Chubb for the rest of this season, and I hope he gets drafted as high as possible next April, because no one deserves it more than Nick Chubb.

Ok, now for the rest of the game.

I thought Georgia looked like the superior team in the first half. Defensively we were flying to the ball and making plays. Offensively, we were running with authority.

The second half kickoff was a bit of a letdown, but the real concern came on Georgia’s next offensive possession. Georgia was so unbalanced offensively, they made an average defense look great against a great running back. No one can run when the opposing defense knows you have no interest in passing.

After Georgia fell behind 10 points, it was telling that the coaches chose to go with Eason. Kirby deserves a ton of credit for making that decision, because I wouldn’t have done it. Down 10, biggest drive of the game, and you give the ball to a freshman. If he throws a pick on that drive, Georgia loses.

That drive needs to be remembered by Georgia fans, not only because our coach made a brave choice, but because Jacob Eason showed you why he isn’t the starter on that drive. The TV coverage did a great job of showing a missed check-down early in the drive, but the bigger issue was the decision to twice throw deep on third down into double coverage. Both times, UNC bailed Eason out by committing pass interference, but both of those throws were terrible decisions. Tonight it worked out, who knows if it will work out next time.

After the penalties, Georgia scored the touchdown, then got the safety on UNC’s next possession. Then we got to see why Jacob Eason will be the starting quarterback for Georgia very soon. Eason was poised and effective leading Georgia down the field for an eventual field goal to take the lead for good. The long pass down the sideline to McKenzie was the best pass from a Georgia player since Todd Gurley threw a touchdown against Vanderbilt in October of 2014, and I’m not kidding. As good as that throw was, the most encouraging thing I saw out of Eason tonight was on a throw into the flat to Brendon Douglas for about a 9 yard gain. The touch that Eason put on that pass was better than the touch Matt Stafford had in his sophomore season at Georgia, let alone his first game as a freshman. Eason can throw it a mile, but to truly be effective, he has to know when to take a little off, and it seems like he understands that, and has the ability to do it.

Eason will need to continue to grow and develop over the next couple of weeks, but I hope he can win the job by the time Georgia goes to Oxford at the end of the month. The two quarterback thing is ok, but at the end of the day, there needs to be a guy, and that guy needs to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he is the guy.

There were some big concerns tonight. Georgia got no pass rush for almost all of the game. Maybe it was a scheme thing against the spread offense, but it was concerning for me that the UNC quarterback could have sat down and had a sandwich in the backfield and still had time to complete a pass.

The penalties have to stop. The first game of the season is often a bit sloppy, but we can’t commit the stupid penalties all year and expect to win. Honestly, the penalties would have cost us more tonight, but UNC managed to commit more stupid penalties than Georgia.

The kicking game is a total dumpster fire. I officially take back everything I ever said about Marshall Morgan. He looks like Kevin Butler compared to the jokers we have kicking this year. Even the kicks we made looked like balloons deflating as they flew through the air. And why in the world can’t we find a guy who can kick the ball through the end zone on the kickoff? We didn’t return any kickoffs tonight, but they ran one back for a touchdown. Kirby said he was nervous about special teams, and I can’t believe he has slept for the past month of practice if that is how they have looked.

I love Isaiah McKenzie, but if he doesn’t learn how to put his hand in the air for a fair catch, I wouldn’t let him return punts anymore. He is either going to turn the ball over, or get killed.

It was a terrible decision by Kirby to burn a timeout early in the second half trying to draw UNC offside on a play where you had to run Lambert into the game just to try a hard count, because Eason hasn’t worked on a hard count in practice. It just made no sense.

It was great to get a win, but we have a long way to go. No one is more aware of that than Coach Smart. But when you look around the country tonight, not too many teams had a better first game than Georgia. I don’t care where we are ranked, that will take care of itself as the season progresses, but Georgia looked far better than any other team in the SEC East.

Tonight was the first win for Georgia in the Dome since New Year’s Eve 2006 when Georgia beat Virginia Tech in the CFA Bowl. We had lost three straight in the Dome. Hopefully we started a new streak tonight.

Enjoy the rest of the night and the rest of the weekend. The world is better when Georgia wins, so let’s enjoy a long weekend and what should be a fun, stress-free homecoming for Kirby next Saturday between the hedges.

Glory, Glory

North Carolina Preview

It has been a long, long offseason. We have seen a great coach leave town. We have seen a beloved Dawg return home to unite the Bulldog Nation. We have seen over 100K turn out for 93K Day. We have seen a top 10 recruiting class brought in by a new coaching staff, something that has not been done in the modern SEC. We have seen the return of our star running back, and the injury to our other star running back. We have had players dismissed from the team. We have had transfers late into fall practice. We have heard about quarterback battles until we are ready to jump off the 600 level of Sanford Stadium. We have speculated, prognosticated, and analyzed every single aspect of the coming season, and I am happy to say that we are finally ready to stop all the noise and just play some football!

Here, finally, is your preview of the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game: Georgia v. North Carolina

These early season matchups between two good teams are such a coin flip. Anyone who tells you with any degree of certainty what will happen on Saturday is either a fool or a troll.

Georgia has a completely new coaching staff. North Carolina lost a ton off of their offense from last season. North Carolina brings back a lot on defense, but their defense was pretty bad in 2015, so that might not be a good thing. Georgia has a senior quarterback that no one actually wants to watch play quarterback tonight. North Carolina has a great running back that didn’t show up in the big games last year. Georgia has a running back coming off a knee injury, and another running back who may or may not actually play on Saturday.

So, as I begin this preview let me start by simply saying, I’m just guessing here people.

With that said, here is what I think is going to happen on Saturday.

Georgia is going to run the ball all over North Carolina. While there has been a lot of talk surrounding the quarterback position, if Nick Chubb is healthy and ready to be Nick Chubb tonight against a soft North Carolina defense, it won’t matter who is at quarterback. I could take a snap and hand the ball off.

First bold prediction of the year: Georgia will run for more than 300 yards on Saturday, with Chubb going north of 150. I think he could break 200, but if Georgia gets a lead, they may rest him late in the game. I think Sony will get about 10 carries, but the breakout star of the game will be freshman running back Elijah Holyfield who will go for more than 100 yards.

North Carolina allowed nearly 1300 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns in their last three games in 2015. They averaged allowing 247 yards rushing for the season and opposing running backs averaged 5.1 yards per carry.

The common thing you will hear from talking heads is that North Carolina is going to stack the box and make either Grayson Lambert or Jacob Eason beat them, but they can’t stop the run. You don’t think they stacked the box in those last three games last season? You can put as many bad players as you want near the line of scrimmage and it won’t change anything.

Unless North Carolina has improved exponentially, they won’t be able to stop Georgia’s running game, which means Georgia will be able to use either quarterback off of play action, giving them plenty of time to make decisions and one on one coverage to throw into.

I was obviously surprised to hear that Georgia was going to start Lambert. I think we should all trust in Kirby until he gives us a reason not to, but these are the types of decisions that coordinators don’t have to make, but ultimately define head coaches. If Lambert plays terribly, then you go to Eason who brings the team back but just short of victory, Kirby looks bad. If Lambert plays well, then you insert Eason so he can get some reps, Eason throws a pick, then Lambert comes back and plays poorly, and Georgia loses, Kirby looks bad. Kirby could also look like a genius if Georgia wins, Lambert is solid, you get Eason some reps, and we are talking about a cupcake home game against Nicholls State next Saturday.

My biggest concern with starting Lambert is that when Eason gets in the game, he is going to force the issue trying to “Wow” the coaching staff and prove that he should be the starter. This will most likely lead to him making some bad decisions, which will lead to more Grayson Lambert, and I was done with Grayson Lambert last year.

I have an expression I use sometimes at work, “missing in the right direction.” Jacob Eason struggling on the job and getting better throughout the season is building towards something. Any mistake Lambert makes is just a waste, because everyone knows Eason is going to be the starter sooner rather than later, so what are we waiting for? Does Georgia have to have a season  like we did in 2006 when the team lost to Tennessee and Vanderbilt in back to back weeks, before Matt Stafford became the starter? Let’s hope not.

On the other side of the ball, North Carolina should be effective to a certain extent running the ball against Georgia. I think Georgia’s defense is going to be a great strength for this team, but I think it’s going to take some time for everyone to gel. Carolina will feature running back Elijah Hood who ran for over 100 yards 6 times in 2015. To hear local radio guys in Athens tell it, new Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky could be the second coming of Tim Tebow, but in reality, he is going to take some time to come into his own.

Kirby has emphasized creating turnovers defensively and I think Dominick Sanders will continue his ball-hawking ways with an interception at some point in the game, and when he gets a pick he is always looking to score.

The biggest question mark for the Dawgs is going to be the special teams. Kirby is on record as saying that special teams scare the heck out of him right now, because he doesn’t have any proven guys kicking or punting. Don’t be surprised to see Georgia miss a field goal or two, because this is going to be an issue all season long.

At the end of the day, Georgia is more talented than North Carolina. I would expect a close game in the first half, with Georgia’s defense making some good adjustments in the second half and the running game of the Dawgs’ wearing down the Carolina defense in the fourth quarter. It might not be the prettiest game Georgia plays this year, but it will be a win, and that is all that matters.

Georgia 27    North Carolina 16

Enjoy the greatest opening weekend of college football in history, and just remember, it will be over before you know it, so enjoy it while you can.

Glory, Glory

National Preview

While I love writing this blog, I don’t particularly love trying to predict everything that will happen in a season. More often than not I feel I have a pretty good idea about teams in the SEC and to a certain extent, the ACC, but I depend too much on the talking heads on TV for what is going on in the Big 12, Big 10, and Pac 12.

Despite that, here are my sure to be wrong national predictions, including my picks for the college football playoff and the New Year’s Six games. Hope you enjoy.

ACC:

Everyone is talking about how Florida State and Clemson are the teams to beat in the ACC, and I am very confused as to how FSU is even in the conversation. Sure FSU has a great running back and a solid defense, but they are going to start a red-shirt freshman at quarterback. I’ve heard multiple pundits point this fact out and then go on to say that Jamies Winston was a red-shirt freshman the year FSU won the national title. What does that have to do with anything?

For me, the ACC is all about Clemson. Sure they have some pieces to replace on defense, but their offense is going to be so good that they will simply outscore most of the opponents they face. Their schedule is very manageable, although I do see them struggling in the first game of the season on the road at Auburn. I think they will win, but it’s going to be a 7 or 10 point game. Watson is a great quarterback and he will be in the Heisman discussion all season, but don’t sleep on the Tigers ability to run the football with a stable of very good running backs.

I think Clemson wins the Atlantic and goes on to beat Miami in the ACC title game.

Big 10:

It is a three team race in the Big 10. Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State are head and shoulders better than the rest of the conference and they all play in the same division. So whoever wins the Big 10 East will most likely win the Big 10. I think each team will take at least one loss, but in the end, I think Ohio State beats Michigan at the end of the season to win the East and goes on to beat Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game.

Big 12:

There is no conference in America with more question marks than the Big 12. Oklahoma has been terrible under Bob Stoops when they come into a season with big expectations. The Sooners are the prohibitive favorites, but they have non-conference games against Houston to open the season and Ohio State in Week 3. TCU has to replace a lot of key players on offense, which means they will be reverting back to their roots by depending almost solely on their defense to win games. Baylor turned into a dumpster fire this offseason and lost their head coach in Art Briles. Although they still have some talent, I don’t see how they could compete with everything they have had going on.

That just leaves Texas. The team that the entire conference was built around has turned into an after-thought since Mack Brown left a few years ago. Charlie Strong is on the hottest seat in America, and the Longhorns will be tested right off the bat with a home game against Notre Dame this Sunday. If Texas can manage to win that game, they could get some momentum heading into the meat of their schedule, but if they lose to the Irish, the season could get out of hand very quickly. My guess is the latter will happen and Strong will be gone by season’s end.

I have no clue what to expect from the Big 12, so I’ll take TCU just because I don’t trust Big Game Bob.

Pac 12:

Again, I would not pretend to be a Pac 12 expert, but I love Stanford. All of the talking heads talk about parity in the Pac 12, but to me that translates to a lot of good teams but no great team. I don’t think Stanford is a great team, but they have a great player. I think the Trees will drop two games this season, but the Pac 12 is going to beat up each other so I think that will be enough for Stanford to win the North and then beat either USC or UCLA in the Pac 12 title game.

SEC:

Last season, Les Miles was on the verge of being fired. This year, I think the Tigers are going to win the SEC. They host Alabama on November 5^th in a game that will determine the division. I think LSU may drop a game somewhere along the way, but as long as they beat the Tide in Death Valley, they will hold the tie breaker and play in Atlanta. I assume Alabama will be good, but in reality, they have to take a step back. If any other team in America was replacing their quarterback, their running back, and their defensive coordinator, they would never be chosen to be number one in the preseason, but Alabama has earned that respect from everyone across the nation. I think this season is going to be like 2010 when Bama was good, but not great.

The East is tricky. For some reason everyone is expecting Tennessee to not only win the division, but compete for the college football playoff. Sure they have a lot of talent, and the media loves Josh Dobbs because he is an amazing kid, but he’s not a great quarterback. By definition you can’t be a great quarterback and not be able to throw the ball well, and for all his athleticism, he doesn’t throw the ball well. On top of that, he often makes questionable decisions when he does throw from the pocket. Tennessee has to play Alabama, like they do each year, they go on the road to A&M and they have to travel to Athens. They could win the East, but this is the same team that gave up leads in the fourth quarter to Florida and Oklahoma last season. I think Georgia sneaks in and wins the East, which says more about the East than it does about Georgia. Georgia has an incredibly easy back half of the schedule, and if they can beat Tennessee in Athens, they should play in Atlanta.

College Football Playoff:

(1)    Clemson v. (4) Stanford

(2)    Ohio State v. (3) LSU

New Year’s Six Bowl Games:

Peach: National Semifinal

Fiesta: National Semifinal

Cotton: Alabama v. Oklahoma

Rose: Michigan v. USC

Sugar: Georgia v. TCU

Orange: FSU v. Houston

Well now you know what won’t happen! The season kicks off tonight and even though there isn’t a marquee game, I think its worth watching Tennessee v. App State and Vandy v. South Carolina to get a look at three of Georgia’s opponents this season. Not to mention, we have been waiting a long time for the start of the season, we might as well enjoy it, because it will be over before we know it. 

A Second Chance for Georgia Fans

As I write this on Tuesday morning, August 30, 2016, Kirby Smart has not yet officially announced who the starting quarterback will be when Georgia opens their 2016 season this Saturday against North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

Let me go ahead and spoil the surprise for you, Jacob Eason will start Saturday for Georgia, and the reason, is quite simple. If Lambert was starting, why wait to announce it? What a dramatic moment for a first year head coach, “I am pleased to announce that our starting quarterback is going to be the senior who started last year and won 10 games.” That announcement would be completely unnecessary. Do you think North Carolina would be changing their game plan when they find out that the noodle-armed quarterback will be under center for Georgia?

No, there is only one reason to wait to announce the starter, and that is to protect the freshman from all of you crazy people for at least four more days. Eason has won this job. He has been taking the majority of the snaps with the first team offense for the better part of two weeks, and he is clearly going to be the quarterback at some point this season, so why wait?

Coach Smart can make this call because of the announcement he did make on Monday. Nick Chubb is fully cleared to play without limitations against the Tar Heels on Saturday. Meanwhile, Sony Michel is day to day, but then again, aren’t we all?

Again, spoiler alert, Sony will play, Chubb will be the Chubb of old, and we are all going to be very excited to see what the future is going to look like when Elijah Holyfield carries the ball.

While I don’t expect Eason to be the star of the North Carolina game, it is clear that he is about to be given a huge responsibility. Let me list for you the names of quarterbacks who did not start their first game as a true freshman at Georgia: Aaron Murray, Matt Stafford, DJ Shockley, David Greene, Eric Zeier. Technically, the last Georgia quarterback to start as a true freshman was Quincy Carter, however, Carter was 22 years old because he had spent 4 years playing baseball in the minor leagues before he got to Georgia.

In the last 25 years, no 18 year old freshman quarterback has started at Georgia, so the rest of this blog is going to be a public service announcement to Georgia fans.

Over the past two seasons, we have seen some of the worst quarterback play we have ever seen at Georgia. With all offense to Hutson Mason, Bryce Ramsey, and most importantly Grayson Lambert, watching these guys play quarterback over the past two seasons has made me want to vomit. It should have also given the entire Bulldog Nation some much needed perspective.

For four years, I had to hear ignorant Georgia fans (you know who you are) complain about Aaron Murray. Those fans begged for Hutson Mason, they begged for anyone who wasn’t Aaron Murray.

Outside of Lambert’s performance against South Carolina last season, which was impressive, there has not been one memorable performance by a Georgia quarterback since Murray got hurt at the end of the 2013 season against Kentucky.

Now, let me take you on a quick trip down memory lane and give you some of the memorable performances from Aaron Murray, the trash quarterback.

Kentucky 2013: Murray tares his ACL, but stays in the game to finish the drive and score a touchdown on the last drive he would ever play in Sanford Stadium. Dawgs win on senior night.

Auburn 2013: Georgia comes back from three scores down to take the lead on the Tigers, with Murray’s fourth and goal quarterback sneak finally giving Georgia the lead in the fourth quarter. After the Miracle at Jordan-Hare, Murray marched the team back down the field to give Georgia a couple of shots into the endzone at the end of the game, nearly being killed on the last play of the game as he tried to will the team to victory.

LSU 2013: Murray leads Georgia to an upset victory over the Tigers and former Georgia quarterback Zach Mettenberger.

Alabama 2012: Murray drives Georgia to within 8 yards of the National title game despite the fact that Georgia was severally outmatched by perhaps the best Alabama team Saban has coached.

Florida 2012: Murray fights against Florida’s great defense all game, and ultimately hits Malcolm Mitchell for the go ahead touchdown as the Dawgs upset #2 Florida.

Those were the memories I came up with. I did no research, looked up no stats, these are games that stick out in my mind when Aaron Murray either led Georgia to victory, or kept Georgia in a game where they had no business even competing.

Georgia’s losses were always hung around Murray’s neck, but the fact of the matter is that he is one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever wear the red and black, and he never got the respect he deserved from Georgia fans. Think about it this way, Murray led Georgia to the SEC title game twice. That is the same number of times David Greene led Georgia to the SEC title game, once more than DJ Shockley, and two more than Matt Stafford, Quincy Carter, and Eric Zeire did combined.

Why am I saying all this?

Georgia fans, you have a chance to be different this time. Jacob Eason is amazingly talented, but he is going to throw some interceptions. He’s going to make some bone-headed plays. He might even cost us a game or two throughout his time in Athens. BUT, at least he is going to be a viable quarterback who can make plays. Support him the way you should have supported Aaron Murray.

I’m not saying Eason will be the greatest quarterback in school history, but after the past two seasons, can’t we at least agree it is going to be nice having a guy in the pocket that could throw the ball more than 30 yards?

Be better Georgia fans. Remember Aaron Murray and remember the past two dreadful seasons at quarterback. Later this year, when Eason makes a terrible decision, remember how excited you are when he trots onto the field at the Georgia Dome on Saturday. He’s not going to be a perfect quarterback, but he’s our quarterback. Support him or be quite, but don’t bash him. He’s 18 years old with the weight of 36 years of disappointment on his shoulders. We can’t win them all this year, but we can show that we aren’t as stupid as we looked from 2010-2013 while we booed a great quarterback and a great kid.