Quarterback Battle Do-over

I already wrote this blog. It was weeks ago honestly, and it seemed apparent to me that the much talked about race to be Georgia’s starting quarterback was down to two choices. It was going to be the experienced quarterback that could come in, run the offense efficiently, and give the team a chance to depend on the vaunted running attack to win games, or it was going to be the talented new comer who had the fan base’s hopes as high as they have been in a decade.

That blog ended with me drawing the conclusion that both quarterbacks would play in the first game, with Lambert starting. I figured that Eason would play well enough to become the obvious starter by the time the SEC schedule rolled around at the end of September. It was a good blog.

Now, just a couple of weeks into fall practice, I am ready to post that blog, but there is a problem. The third guy in the quarterback race, Bryce Ramsey, has not only avoided being eliminated, but if you believe reports from Georgia’s first scrimmage, he may even be the favorite to be the starter.

The reasons I discounted Ramsey are numerous. First, Ramsey was more effective last season as a punter than he was as a quarterback. As the most experienced returning starter heading into the 2015 season, it should have been Ramsey’s job to lose, and perhaps it was. As August of 2015 rolled along, more and more the transfer from Virginia, Lambert seemed to be outpacing Ramsey. There were multiple reports that the difference in the two quarterbacks came down to their work in the film room, which translated onto the field. To put it simply, Ramsey didn’t want to do the work off the field that it took to be a starter in the SEC.

Secondly, with Eason’s arrival, most believed it was simply a matter of when rather than if he would become Georgia’s starter. We all saw Lamberts limitations last season, so there is no reason to sit a talent like Eason just to have him take his lumps next year as a first year starter. If Eason is going to be the man, why not let him be the man from day one, or maybe day two if needed. Ramsey is just a junior, and if he won the job, that meant that Eason could, theoretically, not see the field until his third year in Athens.

Finally, in the brief time that we saw Ramsey at quarterback last season, he seemed overmatched. If you think back to the Alabama game, Ramsey came in to a standing ovation as Georgia’s offense was desperate for a spark. On his first possession under center, he threw a terrible deep pass towards the end zone that was easily picked off. In watching the replay, Ramsey seemed to have decided that he was going deep in the huddle, because if he would have looked down field before making the pass, he would have thrown the ball away. This type of error, of which there are a few examples, speak to Ramsey’s lack of preparedness. His career stats are underwhelming to say the least. He has completed 45/74 passes in his career for 582 yards, with 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Mediocrity at the quarterback position is something that Georgia fans are all too familiar with after the past two seasons.

I have always thought that this race would come down to the guy with more talent versus the guy who as the safe pick for a first year coach, but it could come down to the guy in the middle. Ramsey’s arm is better than Lambert’s, but not better than Eason’s. Ramsey has more experience than Eason, but not as much as Lambert. While Ramsey might not offer the big production long term, maybe he offers more production with less risk in the short term.

Following the first scrimmage, Kirby said that no quarterback had been eliminated from contention to be the starter, but that the coaching staff would have to make some decisions following the second scrimmage this past weekend. It is vital that the quarterback be named soon so they can take the snaps with the first team offense in the two weeks leading up to the UNC game.

I still feel that Eason will be the quarterback at some point this season, but this staff seems much more dedicated to putting the guy who has earned the job on the field. Middle linebacker, Tim Kimbrough left the team last week because the coaching staff wouldn’t give him his starting job back. As much as I hated to lose Kimbrough, I’m glad this staff isn’t giving anyone anything.

I may be in the minority, but I think Nick Chubb is going to be close to 100% when it comes time to play UNC, and I think Sony Michel will play as well. The quarterback will need to make some plays, but they won’t have to win the game on September 3^rd.

Kirby has done everything right so far at Georgia, but this decision will be the first real test of Kirby Smart the head football coach. Will he name a starter for week one? Will he name a starter for the season? Will he play more than one guy? Will he play more than two guys? We truly don’t know, and I don’t think the coaches know either. Kirby, like Nick Saban, is good at coach-speak, but the reality may not fall too far from what Kirby is telling the media. None of the quarterbacks have won the job, and none of the quarterbacks have lost he job.

The transition at Georgia has been a smooth one, but if this quarterback battle lingers into the season, it could spell disaster for the 2016 campaign.