First and 10: Georgia finally has a QB. Which begs the question: If the Dawgs don't win it all in 2021, will they ever again?
1. I don’t want to get on a soapbox, but …
It’s March, and already Kirby Smart can’t avoid it.
Georgia is loaded. After near misses in nearly every season since Smart returned to his alma mater, this might just be the year the Dawgs break through and win the whole damn thing.
“The more that the mantra or message out there is you’re going to be great,” Smart says, “the tougher our job becomes internally to motivate.”
Forget that coachspeak. While it might be legitimate, it’s also impossible to deny that Georgia is on the verge of something great.
That’s what makes this spring, and the 15 practices that typically are reserved for developing young players, so important for everyone on an uber-talented roster. Everything is set up for a magical run, for this Georgia team to bring home its first national championship since 1980.
Smart doesn’t want to hear it. He wants to talk about the process of becoming a great team, and the hard work it takes and the commitment that comes with it – and everything you’d expect him to say.
You get what you put into it, he says. It’s a simple formula. And he’s exactly right – only he’s avoiding the critical denominator: the quarterback.
After three seasons of not enough, Georgia has a player that can deliver in the age of pass-happy football. Fourth-year junior JT Daniels, once a can’t-miss recruit in a class that included another 5-star guy you’ve heard of (Justin Fields, more on that later), is healthy and the clear No.1.
No more trying to play an overmatched try-hard guy (Stetson Bennett), no more forcing a dual-threat guy because he’s a dual-threat (D’Wan Mathis). Smart has a true thrower, a quarterback who fits the offense and who can do things in the pass game that previous quarterbacks at Georgia under Smart couldn’t.
Daniels is surrounded by elite skill players (it’s an NFL money year for WR George Pickens; watch how he breaks out), and there’s genuine intent to do things differently on offense.
The defense will be nasty again, and despite having to rebuild the secondary, Georgia will have one of the top three talented teams in the nation when it opens the 2021 season against Clemson. And that’s been the plan all along.
When you recruit better than anyone other than Alabama and maybe Ohio State, you expect to have the players who can win a national championship. You expect to be secure in replacing starters with 4- and 5-star players who have waited their turn to play.
Just like Smart’s mentor, Nick Saban, does year after year.
“I realize the standard of excellence that’s been created here, and the expectation,” Smart said. “We never shy away from (championships) being our goal. But it’s not something we have to talk about every day.”
There’s a formula for this type of program, one that recruits among the top three or four programs in the nation, and one that has a driven coaching staff. You get close, then you get over the top with a couple of impact players.
Georgia got close in 2017, and but for a coverage bust in the secondary on 2nd-and-26, might have won the national title. The plan stopped the following year at the critical point in the season because Jake Fromm had hit his ceiling in 2017.
Fromm had a fine 2018 season – heck, he had a very good Georgia career – but he never became elite. He never became, in the booming age of the passing game, the quarterback who could make every throw and make every defense pay for mistakes like Tua Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence.
Daniels doesn’t have to have special seasons like those three quarterbacks, but he has to be someone whose throwing ability and football IQ give the Dawgs a distinct advantage – like Mac Jones last season at Alabama.
“I saw him at USC when he was a freshman, and I remember thinking when he gets it, and it begins to slow down for him, he’s going to be one tough SOB,” one NFL scout told me. “Mac Jones in 2019 wasn’t close to the Mac Jones of 2020. He worked to make himself better. If (Daniels) puts in that same work, and the system at Georgia changes to reinforce that work, watch out.”
2. The big change
After a season where even his coaching counterparts in the SEC were wondering what in the world was going on at quarterback for Georgia, there is clarity heading into this season of expectations.
A year ago, this is what the Georgia quarterback room looked like: a new coach and offensive coordinator, a new system, three new quarterbacks (Daniels, Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman), freshman Carson Beck and two project holdovers (Bennett and Mathis) who had at least been around the program and understood the expectations.
Once fall arrived and Newman opted out because of COVID concerns, the quarterback room became a potential starter (Daniels) rehabbing a serious knee injury, a freshman who wasn’t ready, and Bennett and Mathis.
It took Daniels a month to get medically cleared to play, and by that time, Smart thought he could win with Bennett and didn’t know if Daniels had absorbed enough volume of offense to make a difference.
That’s why Bennett started and flopped against Florida, and why – once again – Smart was criticized for botching a quarterback competition after the loss to Florida essentially ended any hope of winning the SEC and playing in the College Football Playoff.
Compounding the problem: a week later, Daniels started against Mississippi State (which probably had a better defense than Florida), and was nearly flawless.
Was the criticism fair? Absolutely. We’ll never know what Georgia could have done against Florida had Daniels started (the Gators had 38 points at halftime), but the way Daniels played the following week made it clear Georgia had a winner.
Daniels’ elite arm strength and football IQ give Georgia its first real threat at the position since 2018, when Fields spent a season backing up Fromm – the quarterback who was a play away from winning a national title, but in the end, did more to stagnate the program.
How, you ask, can a great teammate and winner stagnate a program? Because Smart was so obsessed by Fromm’s ability to lead the Dawgs to the national title game as a freshman, he didn’t stick to his steadfast rule of “best player plays” — and continued to force Fromm into the lineup despite the rare talent he had in Fields.
Look, you don’t go from sitting on the bench and not having a “grasp” of what Georgia wanted to do on offense, to nine months later beginning your second season at another program and eventually throwing 41 TDs against 3 INTs at Ohio State, completing 67% of your passes and averaging 9.2 yards per attempt if you can’t “grasp” an offense quickly enough.
Also, it’s not like Jim Chaney’s offenses have ever been mistaken for complex.
Fields didn’t play at Georgia because Smart chose Fromm, who played exceptionally as a freshman – but never grew into an elite player. Georgia blew a 10-point lead the following season in the 2018 SEC Championship Game because the offense struggled in the second half against an Alabama defense that later allowed 44 points in a national title game loss to Clemson.
The opportunity was there, the offense simply didn’t seize the moment. And now here we are, with another opportunity for Smart to seize the moment.
He won’t choose poorly this time.
3. The big change, The Epilogue
How does Daniels get better, and become the difference-maker in the offense?
It may be as simple as timing.
He arrived at Georgia at the same time as new offensive coordinator Todd Monken. The pandemic season impacted everything and was an unavoidable obstacle to Monken installing an offense that was significantly different than what Chaney ran.
Not only was Daniels rehabbing his knee injury, but he was also trying to absorb his third offense in three years (two different coordinators in his freshman and sophomore seasons at USC).
This season, everything is different. He’s the clear No. 1, and he’s running offseason throwing sessions and developing chemistry with the receivers.
He’ll get No. 1 repetitions throughout the spring and in fall camp, and Monken will work with him over nine months in the offseason as the team’s No. 1 quarterback. That one-on-one teaching and development is critical.
That’s how Mac Jones went from game manager in three starts to finish the 2019 season, to the best quarterback not named Trevor Lawrence to finish the 2020 season.
And – as hard as this is to hear – that’s how Fields went from a quarterback who couldn’t grasp a system, to a player who will likely be a top 5 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.
That’s why this offseason is so important for Georgia, why a loaded team is primed to take the big step they’ve missed on the last three seasons.
They have the quarterback now. Everything else falls in line.
4. Saban’s steal
There’s still a buzz around the coaching fraternity after Alabama coach Nick Saban convinced former NFL head coach Bill O’Brien to join his staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
O’Brien isn’t a washed-out NFL coach, or a college coach trying to reinvent himself as some of Saban’s coaching projects have been. This is a man who won 4 division titles in 7 seasons with the Houston Texans.
“Bill could’ve been an OC with any number of (NFL) clubs,” an NFL scout told me. “And then a year or two later, he’s back as a head coach with another franchise. Owners in this league don’t pass over guys who have won division titles. When you win division titles and playoff games, that’s a big deal. I’m shocked that he went back to the college game.”
Saban’s close relationship with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick greased the hire, and it came with an unintended benefit: Alabama needed an offensive line coach, and O’Brien brought his best friend and former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, with him to coach the Tide offensive line.
Two guys who coached NFL clubs in 2020, two new assistants for Saban at Alabama.
“Nick is at the top of his game right now,” another NFL scout told me. “I truly believe he’s the most successful and respected coach in football right now.”
5. The Weekly Five
The top five quarterbacks at Alabama under Nick Saban:
- 1. AJ McCarron: Two national titles as a starter, another as a backup. 36-4 record as a starter, TD/INT ratio of 64-15.
- 2. Tua Tagovailoa: One national title, greatest pure passer in school history.
- 3. Jalen Hurts: One national title (with help from Tua), and the greatest leader at the position under Saban.
- 4. Mac Jones: One shot as the starter turned into a national championship dream season.
- 5. Greg McElroy: Forget about “game manager” label. He was deadly in the two games that mattered (Auburn and Florida) in 2009.
6. Your tape is your résumé
An NFL scout breaks down a 2022 draft-eligible prospect. This week: LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr.:
“This is a big year for him. This is where you make your first contract money. He was fantastic as a freshman. Fearless. Fast. Aggressive. Everything you want from a shutdown corner. And then it all changed last year.
“The defense wasn’t the same, and the pass rush definitely wasn’t. And that affected him. He played with hesitation, something I hadn’t seen from him as a freshman. When you hesitate, everything is different. You play stiffer, he did. You’re not as aggressive, and he played off a lot. All of that impacts your technique, and you get sloppy. He got sloppy.
“Now, all that said, I expect him to have a big season. He’s a natural at the position, and that whole team was engulfed by the poor play from the defense. I want to see the old Stingley. The fearless and aggressive Stingley that can run with anyone.”
7. Powered Up
This week’s Power Poll: ranking the SEC’s offensive coordinators.
1. Florida: Dan Mullen: The head coach is the offensive coordinator, play-caller and quarterbacks coach. It’s the one thing, three years into Mullen’s tenure, that has zero problems.
2. Texas A&M: Darrell Dickey: The play-caller is coach Jimbo Fisher, the system is Jimbo Fisher’s. Dickey is the man who runs the room and organizes practice.
3. Bill O’Brien, Alabama: I don’t know how Saban convinced a successful NFL head coach (four division titles with the Texans) to coach his quarterbacks and call plays, but he did. O’Brien will turn Bryce Young into an All-American. Quickly.
4. Georgia, Todd Monken: Handcuffed last year in Year 1 with quarterback uncertainty. That all changes this fall with JT Daniels under center from Day 1.
5. Ole Miss, Jeff Lebby: Some in the coaching fraternity believed he was the leader for the UCF job before Gus Malzahn accepted the position. He’s one more big season with Lane Kiffin from getting a head coaching job.
6. Mississippi State, Mike Leach: Has been his own OC, play-caller and QB coach everywhere he has been. Why change something that works well?
7. Arkansas, Kendal Briles: Did a masterful job in reconstructing Feleipe Franks, and will have a big job this fall with a wide-open quarterback room.
8. Missouri, Eliah Drinkwitz: He got the job (both of his FBS head coaching jobs, actually) because of his offensive mind and work with quarterbacks. Watch how QB Connor Bazelak improves in Year 2.
9. LSU, Jake Peetz: Former LSU pass game coordinator Joe Brady recommended Peetz and D.J. Mangas to LSU coach Ed Orgeron, and Orgeron hired both. Peetz has a strong reputation in the coaching fraternity and will run an RPO-based system like Brady did during LSU’s 2019 national championship season.
10. Auburn, Mike Bobo: A smart SEC-centric hire for new coach Bryan Harsin. Can Bobo find a way to mix his SEC style with Harsin’s unique system and schemes from Boise State?
11. Kentucky, Liam Coen: If this sounds like a broken record, it is: another young OC, a meticulous organizer and play-calling vision.
12. South Carolina, Marcus Satterfield: Has spent a majority of the last decade with Matt Rhule (Temple, Baylor, Carolina Panthers), and has a unique understanding about successful rebuilding projects.
13. Tennessee, Alex Golesh: Has one season of experience as an offensive coordinator (at UCF), but Iowa State coach Matt Campbell raves about his former assistant, who developed into an elite recruiter and was a significant factor in the Cyclones’ growth in the Big 12.
14. Vanderbilt, David Raih: Got his start as an unpaid intern for Rick Neuheisel at UCLA in 2009. Another in a (smartly) growing line of inexperienced play-callers getting their chance because of their depth of knowledge in the pass game.
8. Ask and you shall receive
Matt: There’s no way Florida runs off Dan Mullen. The guy wins, and that’s all college football is about. They put up with you until you don’t win anymore. You’re living in a dream world. Give me a scenario where Mullen gets fired.
Hank Petersen
Charlotte, N.C.
Hank: Mullen winning 29 games in his first 3 seasons (and going to 3 straight New Year’s 6 bowls) is the reason he’s still the Florida coach. Period. If he were averaging 7 or 8 wins a season, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The question: How much stress did last season cost on both sides?
Mullen has 3 years remaining on his deal, something that has been a sticking point for him. If you’re Florida, you’d like to extend the deal to get him to 4 years just for the optics with recruiting. But do you extend the deal after he put the program on probation, and after multiple mid- and postgame antics he pulled last season?
The NCAA probation has been wildly overlooked because we’ve reached the point in college football where the narrative has changed to paying and/or greater support for players (which I have been advocating for years). But probation is a big deal to the Florida administration, as are the antics that damage the Gators’ brand. If you extend the contract, you’re rewarding that behavior. There’s no other way to look at it.
Maybe it’s as simple as Mullen learning to work within the framework of a mega job, and realizing there’s a time and place to be quirky or get heated. And there’s never a place for cheating, especially when you know you’re breaking a rule — and do it, anyway.
9. Numbers: 6.0 and 5.7
In the pass-happy era of college football, South Carolina has averaged just 6.0 and 5.7 yards per attempt in the last 2 seasons — numbers that placed them among the worst 30 teams in the nation. Compounding the problem: a combined 20-16 TD-INT ratio, and a completion percentage of 58. Welcome to the world of new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, with very little experience in the quarterback room. And that may be a good thing.
10. Quote to note
Florida coach Dan Mullen on new quarterback Emory Jones, and how he’s different from Kyle Trask: “His athleticism, not just talking about quarterback runs, but his athleticism to scramble, extend plays and see things the defense really can’t account for because it’s kind of out of the scheme. That’s a huge plus that he brings to the table.”
IMO Mac would be number two for Bama.. I also don’t see why you would say Hurts got help from Tua to win the NC then just list Tua as winning a NC when he didn’t actually win one as a starter…
Agree with both points. As a Georgia fan I remember all too well how Hurts returned the favor for Tua in the SEC championship game in 2018.
if the entirety of the Alabama team hadn’t completely collapsed against Clemson in 2018 he would have, also, the 2019 Alabama team gave LSU its best game all year, if they would have won, Tua couldve gotten his title
Yet they didn’t beat Clemson or LSU… If the Vols didn’t lose so many games each year they wouldn’t keep firing their coach…
Yeesh. Nova was not taking a shot or provoking you but yet you got heated and made a dumba$$ comment. Typical. Nothing new.
This has nothing to do with Tennessee but talk ya sh*t
Come on, man! We don’t need that. Diesel was expressing his opinion, and respectfully so. Personally, I think Clemson just outplayed Bama in 2018. It’s gonna be okay, Time. Slow, easy breaths. It’s gonna be okay.
Diesel spent the entire season on Bama articles bashing Bama and their players.
He deserves any Garbage that gets thrown at him..
BamaTime, you got called out by a fellow fan. If that doesn’t prove you wrong, I don’t know what will. Quit trolling like a dumba$$
You need to figure out what trolling actually is… You do plenty of it..
My post was just fine. I do not care who calls who out.
Diesel…a Vol fan talking about an in-game collapse…Isn’t that Tennessee’s specialty…but you guys have not been in any type of Championship Game for how many years ?
You got that right Nova! One of the few times I was truly disappointed in the effort that Bama
I give a big “F*CK OFF” to Matt Hayes, Chris Wright and the other Gator grads that write the tripe posted on this site. Blow Me.
Don’t hold back, 417. Tell your true feelings.
“Jalen Hurts: One national title (with help from Tua).
Yeah, a little help… like every one of our 26 points.
Tua won that NC in one half of play regardless of who started the game.
Barring injuries or other unforeseen factors, Georgia should be competitive with anyone next year. To say it’s Natty or never time when we’re replacing the entire defensive secondary is a stretch.
With Clemson as our game 1, we’ll know soon enough.
I agree and can see why it might, on the surface, seem like a “now or never” situation for Smart, but to think the team in 2022, 2023, and 2024 will fall off the face of the Earth and not compete for the SEC Championship is a stretch. Sure, looking at the returning players for the likes of Bama, Clemson, Ohio State, etc. looks like they’re all going to regress offensively, but can never really tell how players will grow from year to year. Case in point, look at LSU from 2018 to 2019. They weren’t expected to be among the primary title contenders entering 2019 and yet finished as arguably the best team of all time. All am saying is, yes, UGA has a great shot this year, but it’s definitely not a now or never type of thing. Too many factors outside of a program go in to winning a championship.
Go Dawgs!
It seems like GA offensive scheme has been really run heavy which is a bit old school. Is that because of the QB?
I think GA has all the talent it needs. I just think QB is the biggest question mark. Daniels is just one year away from not being able to cut it in the PAC10.
“When you recruit better than anyone other than Alabama and maybe Ohio State, you expect to have the players who can win a national championship. You expect to be secure in replacing starters with 4- and 5-star players who have waited their turn to play.”…… and yet……1980
“Just like Smart’s mentor, Nick Saban, does year after year.”
Safe to say Smart ain’t no Saban
Maybe Google what a double negative is and come back to us.
Improper grammar does not change truth. UGA “aint no,” National Championship contender and Daniel’s will crumble under the pressure. He will lead the league in picks. I love commenting about the fear that lies deep in the minds of UGA fans.
That would explain the obsession.
Using a double negative changes your point completely. Saying “UGA ain’t no National Championship contender” literally means UGA is a National Championship contender. I thought UF was supposed to be a good school…
At least we won’t have an embarrassing loss caused by an idiot throwing a shoe. Way to coach them up Dan!
@JTF you are right. I am obsessed with pointing out the most delusional fanbase in college football. It is very clear from these boards on SDS whose fans are more concerned with their rival. UGA trolls and normal UGA fans as well flock to UF’s comment section like fleas on a dogs arse. You know the truth. The infatuation continues…
@UGA2012 keep up the semantics if you want. You know the truth. Some things in life are never changing. Life, death, taxes, UGA pre season hype and Natty let down. Same sad song. And yes UF is a much better school academically that UGA.
@Roman65 sure there is nothing embarrassing about Coach Bangs jumping around the sideline like a little leprechaun with that look of confusion on his face. Or maybe players on the sideline squirting opposing players with water bottles. Or maybe losing Fields to Ohio State. What a joke…
It’s also very clear that your last 20 odd post are focused on UGA. In fact you post about nothing but UGA. So, who exactly is more concerned or infatuated about their rival than you?
BTW, your obsession with Coach Smart’s hair is disturbing. You see someone about that.
should*
2Bits-It’s not semantics when you are making the complete opposite point of what you intended. Thanks for trying though, that UF degree seems to have been wasted on you.
UGA2012 it’s hilarious that you still don’t get it. So I will oblige again, dummy you ain’t got no clue
@ JTF
You are wrong about 2Bits. Even if his last several posts are about UGA I bet most if not all have been in a Gator article responding to the legion of Georgia trolls that infect our site. Oh and this is not a UGA article don’t get confused.
The UGA obsession with everything Gator is very real and obvious to anyone with open eyes
@JTF I have no beef with you. In fact it is shocking that you would make that comment. I think I have had some really good commentary with you about the rivalry. I by no means would say that you are a troll. I comment on everything Gator football. The only time I speak on UGA is in response to ridiculous claims from troll like characters on our boards. I have said it before and will say it again. I take up for my own. I could care less about UGA unless it is cocktail week. There is really never any surprising news from that camp. It is the same thing every year and pre season. The hype train rolls on. JMO. The only thing I am obsessed with is calling out delusional trolls for what they are. I also truly believe and I think activity shows, that UGA fans are weirdly infatuated with our program.
@UGA2012 you are just trying to sidestep the point of the conversation at hand by using the “rules of grammar,” on a football site. I understand what you are saying. You are correct about double negatives. Good for you! The truth about UGA football in the preseason vs. the post season remains. Also, you have more of an argmuent for UGA football than UGA academics vs. Florida. Google tells all.
And I have no beef with you. You are obviously a good fellow. But, you came on here and took a totally unprovoked shot at Daniels and UGA. Why?
I try not to make those types of comments unless: 1.) They are provoked or 2.) They are in jest. I try not to start the fight but I love to finish it. I thought Cojones made a good point that Smart should not be compared with Saban and that UGA is not a National Title contender. Daniel’s is mostly an unproven QB (Daniel’s never personally provoked me but his numbers also do not impress me in their totality). Then @UGA2012 decided to attack his grammar skills on a football site while totally side stepping the point. Which is exactly what I said in response. I also believe that UGA fans fear that Daniel’s will turn the ball over if UGA gets pass happy. To much pressure for the young man. 41 years is a lot to tote on those shoulders. If I am wrong about it, I will be the first to admit it. But it wont be on UGA forums. They are not the team I root for on Saturdays.
You don’t think UGA is a “contender”? OK. The Saban/Smart comparison is taken completely out of context. You don’t see that? Surely you are smarter than that. Daniels probably will throw more picks this year. He appears to be a gunslinger. Risk/Reward. (41 years, nice shot, but I doubt he worries much about it).
I am not sure about the context. I could be wrong but it seems that the article is making the comparison, which is fine. I think they are very comparible when it comes to recruiting. Smart is an outstanding recruiter and competitor. But honestly, I think the age of a defensive minded coach winning a championship is over unless you can catch lightning in a bottle and get a Joe Burrow or Mac Jones on your team. Even Saban is realizing this and has adapted. I think UGA is set in their ways offensively, which might be better than the alternative, for this year at least. If they are going to open the passing game up, I do not believe that Daniel’s is the QB to do it IMO. I really wish the best for him but I think letting him have the reigns is a big mistake. I think they would have a better shot at feeding those 4 monster backs and letting him work off play action, at least for this year. In other words it should be a slow transition. Maybe it will be. The 41 years was not designed to be a shot, I just think more players and coaches are aware of it than you think. It becomes a curse and then a mental thing. Lot’s of pressure. But what do I know. I am a gator fan, not a dawg fan. Just an outsiders perspective.
The comparison of Saban and Smart clearly says they both have talented rosters. Seems even the haters agree with that. Cojones not recognizing this is not surprising. With you, it is.
I agree that they have talented rosters (stated previously about appreciating his ability to recruit) and I also have a lot of respect for Coach Smart’s (Bangs) fiery competitiveness. I do not think these are the arguments from my viewpoint. It is rather, that they both are comparible in roster talent but not in success or player development. That is the entire rub with Coach Smart. That is all I was trying to point out. I can not speak for Cojones.
The writer make no mention of development. Perhaps you could read it again and we can move on.
@JTF we can certainly move on but if you read the whole first section it seems to insinuate that UGA is “loaded,” once again and that spring is important for “player development.” The rest of the article then centers on the hype of a run to the Natty this year. There is a clear underlying problem with UGA not winning the big one. It is not a far stretch to then connect that lack of winning it all with player development. Just look at draft numbers in the SEC. There is a whole narrative being created about not winning a Natty at UGA. It exist for a reason. Being in the top 3 in recruiting every year is a gift but also a curse if you do not win it all. With recruiting classes like that you know as well as I do, if it is not the players…it is the coach. If you have recruited the best players and do not win then you probably have not developed or used them properly. But we can agree to disagree. I suspect that would and will be the case most of the time between a UGA fan and UF fan.
You are moving the goal posts on me. This whole thread is based on the troll job by cojones implying that the writer felt that Smart was as fine a coach as Saban. You defended the comment.
“You expect to be secure in replacing starters with 4- and 5-star players who have waited their turn to play.
Just like Smart’s mentor, Nick Saban, does year after year.”
So, simple question. Is that a true statement or not?
“Cojones not recognizing this is not surprising”
Hey JTF I know Kirby has one of the most talented rosters and has recruited some of the best players in college football. I do recognize it and I also recognize that is the only thing about Kirby that is comparable to Saban.
I also recognize that is Kirby’s problem. He can’t win it all or even make the playoffs with some of the best players in the nation. Most objective folks recognize this as well. If telling the truth is trolling in your book, so be it.
@UGA2012
It’s sad that you still ain’t got no clue
@JTF I disagree with you. I can’t explain my feelings about Kirby and UGA any more clearly than I have in my previous post. Not intending to confuse or deceive.
You will get the last word on this because you just can’t answer my question. I give up.
Cojones was trolling, as he constantly does on UGA articles. No one compared Saban/Smart overall Coaching abilities. His comment is the very definition of trolling. Yet, as someone who complains about UGA fans posting on UF articles, you defended him. I see that as hypothetical.
Have a nice evening and good luck in the Tourney.
@JTF I think there are multiple discussions going on but I am certainly not to proud to answer your question. As far as the quote that was pulled yes I do believe it was taken out of context but I do believe the article compares the two coaches throughout so I do not think taking that comparison to next level in the comments is a blatant troll job especially when speaking about the similarities in recruiting, athletic ability, championships and player development. Those topics def connect with the overall main idea of the article IMO. Also, I was not defending Cojones particularly on that comment. I was more taking issue with someone correcting his grammar rather than approaching the discussion. Either way, it was not directed at you. I was more interested in having a civil objective conversation about Smarts ability or lack there of to develop players and win a championship. I do not think that is trolling or defending a troll job. I certainly don’t find it hypocritical and think it is a valid discussion (and a popular one) in college football. Either way, I didn’t mean to offend but simply defend a fellow gator fan against something silly like grammar technique and or sentence structure.
OK. Fair enough. I apologize for some of my comments. For what’s it worth, I would never have responded at all except for your response. I do not respond to trolls like cojones, bamatime, DOW, and others. But, you are definitely not a troll.
As far as the development of players. The knock on Smart is not fair and mostly something opponents have latched on in an effort to try and damage his reputation. Obviously, it’s not working. Saban has cost Smart at least one and possibly two titles. No shame in losing to the GOAT. If you don’t read the Athletic you should. They just did a big article on it. Unfortunately it is not free.
“Georgia players drafted under Kirby Smart: How does UGA’s player development stack up?” is the title. People who read this have to change their opinion.
@JTF I should be better at not responding to the trolls as well. I always feel the need to right a wrong but on these forums that is pretty much useless. I also need to do a better job of delineating between UGA trolls and your average diehard Dawg fan. I try to be a little more respectful to those who are obejective and open minded to conversation. Sometimes I am to harsh with my opinion. Need to be better about sharing it in a more respectful manner. I am always glad to have open conversation about Kirby or Mullen. That is part of the fun of the site. I just get frustrated when when trolls ruin a perfectly good forum. Only time will tell with Kirby and or Mullen. They both have strengths and weaknesses. The one that can overcome the weaknesses will be the next to overcome Alabama and win a National Title IMO.
Look it here some UGA smart a$$ complaining about the use of grammar in a football comment section. Safe to say you ain’t got no clue.
But seriously now, the article says what everyone knows. UGA has the players, the army of 4and 5 stars Kirby has accumulated over the years. Supposedly now they also have the QB. What’s missing? Coaching and player development.
It is now or never for the perennial pre season best-ever team
You just said I have a clue. I see you aren’t a quick learner either.
UGA2012, yep and you obviously ain’t the sharpest tool on the shed.
One day you may be able to comprehend sarcasm, or the purposeful use of colorful language in a sports blog. Until then, you ain’t no Einstein fool
Jesus, you still can’t even type out one coherent thought. Everyone in your life failed you from your parents to your teachers to your friends… everyone. I really do feel bad for you to have to go through life as you.
@JTF we can certainly move on but if you read the whole first section it seems to insinuate that UGA is “loaded,” once again and that spring is important for “player development.” The rest of the article then centers on the hype of a run to the Natty this year. There is a clear underlying problem with UGA not winning the big one. It is not a far stretch to then connect that lack of winning it all with player development. Just look at draft numbers in the SEC. There is a whole narrative being created about not winning a Natty at UGA. It exist for a reason. Being in the top 3 in recruiting every year is a gift but also a curse if you do not win it all. With recruiting classes like that you know as well as I do, if it is not the players…it is the coach. If you have recruited the best players and do not win then you probably have not developed or used them properly. But we can agree to disagree. I suspect that would and will be the case most of the time between a UGA fan and UF fan.
Still playing tether ball with Georgia, huh, Gatorboy? Got shoes?
UF probably did better in the 2020 SEC Championship against Alabama than UGA did in 2018, just being honest.
Safe to say that Mullet ain’t no Spurrier or Meyer. And safe to say that Spurrier and Meyer aren’t no Saban. Saban’s in a class by himself. But Kirby will win more NCs than Spurrier did. And maybe more than Meyer. We shall see. He’s only 45. At 45, Saban had zero NCs to his name too.
You can’t really guarantee that. Smart’s teams have often shown an inability to win on the biggest stage.
2017 NCG
2018 SECCG
2018 Sugar Bowl
2019 SECCG
2020 UF vs UGA
Sure the guy can recruit and coach a defense, but can the offense put enough momentum together to win a national title?
Good Article. Thanks. I think UGA will always be around the top. They dont have a coach that will get them over the hump. Perhaps nobody does? but with the brand of football in the state and just recruiting alone will keep the around the top.
You stick around the top enough you get over the hump now and then.
good point, but it hasn’t happened with UGA. With frequency anyway.
LOL. Oh Matt Hayes, you Floriduh ‘turd.
The pressure builds. Every expert agrees the only way UGA fails to win it all is if Kirby chokes again.
I remember them showing him on the sidelines in the national title game: there was sweat beading on his trembling upper lip. He was terrified. The moment was too big. And He let the team down by calling a terrible second half and handing the win to Saban.
What the hell are you talking about you idiot. Bama had so much more talent on their squad in that game it wasn’t even fair. The fact that UGA took them to overtime and was one play away from winning is a huge credit to Kirby and his team. Your coach is a clown and will never win the SEC. He’s off to the NFL first chance he gets.
Your coach has no loyalty or allegiance to your school. How do you root for a coach that doesn’t give a hoot about your school? Mullet is a mercenary. Kirby absolutely loves UGA and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
This is a pretty ridiculous question. Georgia can easily win in the future even if they don’t in 2021
As can most of the usual suspects in the top 10 most every year like Florida, LSU, OSU, Clemson, TAMU, even Auburn or some Big12 team if the stars align, heck even USC if they had Urban Meyer. Any blue blood program CAN win in the future but when you are the top recruiting team for the past few years, one of the most talented teams in the nation and keep coming short. What is missing?
Um. Literally said in the article what was missing.
An Impact QB.
“I ain’t no cracker and I ain’t broke.”
conjoneslicker
A coaching staff can recruit for recruiting class rankings or it can recruit for need. Recruiting for rankings can produce a star-studded class but it will leave unfilled “needs” that can and will be exploited by modern offenses. And, despite all of the click-bait prognostications, football is played on the field and the outcome any game will be affected by coaching decisions, injuries, weather, referees and penalties, player attitude and the impact of “handlers” on whether players with NFL potential exert or coast. That’s why watching college football has always been so entertaining. Bring ‘em on!!!
@ jay, you’ve had more than your fair share of 5 star QBs yet Kirby hasn’t been able to develop any of them into an impact QB. Whose fault is that?
@ Dumbs. I like to use “ain’t no” in this “3rd rate sports blog” and even doing that I still sound more coherent than you do
okie dokie crackhead
There you go. Haven’t heard the crackhead in a while
I think the problem may be coaching. Smart can recruit, but he hasn’t put together a great offense, virtually a requirement to win in today’s game. The Monken/Daniels combo may be the perfect storm
Monken ain’t no Brady
Daniels ain’t no Burrow, no Jones and no Trask
We dont know that yet. Burrow was just a game manager until 2019, Same with Jones in 2020. Trask had not even started a full season yet(though he looked great in a few games during 2019, which is why he was my preseason Heisman pick)
TheRealcojones, Mister2Bits, mrtruth are present and accounted for.
All we need is nash and nature then we would have a complete middle school girls basketball team.
Funniest post of the day, Greatness!
If you are amused by the ramblings of a 40 year old with the brain of a toddler then so be it.
And my apologies to all toddlers
I do have a good jump shot. Can not dribble to my left though…
That’s a killer unless you can hit the 3 with regularity.
“If the mullet and the Turds don’t win it all in 2020, will they ever again?”
There, now we have a headline based on reality and actual program trends
Considering how J T Daniels is already a better QB than Vandergriff or Stockton or any other QB that Smart will ever sign, not to mention Daniels will be playing on the best team of the entire Smart era both passed or future, yes, it’s now or never. We UGA fans need to just enjoy this 2021 season for whatever it has to offer, because this is the best it will ever be.
But maybe none of that is really set in stone? And no matter what 2021 will bring, Kirby may actually field a better team, or even teams in the future. Maybe Vandergriff or Stockton or both will turn out to be the two most talented UGA QB’s to ever wear the R&B?
This fake (not based on anything relative) now or never narrative is comical.
“Considering how J T Daniels is already a better QB than Vandergriff or Stockton or any other QB that Smart will ever sign”
That was sarcasm or satire, right?
TDOWTheGreat Yes.
jones. Did you read anything more than the first paragraph?
There is no reason to even ask the now or never question. Not based on the trajectory of the program. Which is showing signs of getting better. Not declining…
Timmy not a good look pretending to be Nostradumba$$, I suggest you leave that silliness to your real Moron half brothers like Dumbs, Corch or Negan. No one knows how good Vandergriff or Stockton will be. And to say Daniels is already better than anyone else Smart will ever sign in the future is very asinine. Sorry to break it to you but the jury on Daniels is still out
“I ain’t no cracker and I ain’t broke.”
Nobel Laureate CojonesLicker
You ain’t no laurate and you ain’t getting no Nobel, dummy
The top part will be beaten like a dead horse for many more weeks to come… I’m really interested in people’s thoughts on the OC rankings which I thought were fascinating… As much as I hate Mullen as a person and think he’s somewhat overrated as HC, I will say he’s a heck of an OC! But this list was impressive and hard to rank. Jimbo has a NC as an OC, HC, and is building another program in the SEC. Lane has OC NC’s and his offenses have been lights out most places.
The SEC has some of the best offensive minds in all of NCAA Football. Even our middle tiered teams can beat some of the other Power 5 top schools like Ole Miss beat # 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl.
ESPN talking heads claimed the SEC was down in 2020, Wow what an observation! Could it be that we only played other SEC teams?
I can’t wait for the SEC 2021 season to start, I think we will see some great high scoring closely contested games all worth watching.
Can we get top 10 Quarterbacks in SEC History tomorrow? Would like to see that.
This article is so long it must have been written by Bobby No Brain Negan. Don’t even have to read it to answer the headline. NOPE, not happening as long as Kirby Shart is the head ball coach.
The Gators won’t ever win the SEC again much less a Natty. Not with the ultimate nerd clown coach you have now.
“Never” is a strong word. lol
You must have missed the second half of the sentence which said “as long as Shart is the head ball coach”.
You Gaturds are scared of Kirby. Mullet is a complete clown who was inches away from being shown the door last season. That’s why they had all the Mullet going to the NFL news. Mullet would have left in a second but no one called because they know he’d fail in the NFL. Just like Spurrier did.
Gtr4life, Let me see if I can give you perspective. It sure is funny that gator fans constantly tell UGA folks that we need to replace Kirby. On the other hand, UGA fans mostly want UF to keep Mullen forever. That makes it abundantly clear that UF fears Kirby staying at UGA & well……. you should be able to figure out the rest on your own.
Please hang on to Mullen at UF as long as you can.
SDS and their UF writers and editor can completely FOFF with that headline. The Gaturds won’t ever win $hit with HC Dork Gator.
It’s not as though there aren’t other teams out there equally loaded and just as well-coached. If they don’t win this year it’s not because they aren’t a good team. They will have a good defense, a difference-maker at quarterback, and some decent skill players to work with. I think they’ll win the SEC East, but the West should be strong this year with Alabama, A&M, and LSU all looking as though they could stack up against the winner of the East.
100%! So nice to see posts that actually logical. Football has so many variables that one person (QB, WR, RB, Coach, etc) doesn’t domintate like they would in basketball. Its a puzzle, a combination of talent, chemistry, philosophy, and luck. People are saying Trevor Lawrence is the best QB prospect in a decade maybe more and he has 1 title. There are so many things that go into college football. That’s what makes it great!
BamaTime, you got called out by a fellow fan. If that doesn’t prove you wrong, I don’t know what will. Quit trolling like a dumba$$
You have posted more about me than you post about Auburn… You’re just another one of my b!tches that I can set off with a single reply…
Matt
As a Gator season ticket holder, I’m inviting you to sit next to me for a game this year (section 57 row 59.) I want to tell you that I know that you secretly want someone else besides Dan Mullen as our head coach. God knows why. We both graduated from UF but your judgement on him comes across as being both completely wrong, and pretty snarky. I’m the AD at Florida, Dan Mullen gets a sizeable contract extension, and YOU get to continue you’re puzzling obsession with moralizing about him.
Go Gators
John from Cincinnati
John, How can I help you get the UF AD job locked up? Is there someone I can call? I would love for Dan Mullen to get the Jimbo Fisher treatment with a 10 year contract. He is the perfect coach for UF from this UGA fan’s perspective. He is good enough to keep the UGA/UF game mostly competitive. He does snarky better than anyone. He has a Darth Vader costume & is willing to wear it to to press conferences. He don’t mind mixing it up in a brawl or demanding a full stadium in a pandemic. Dan Mullen is just wonderfully entertaining. PLEASE KEEP DAN AT UF!!!!
So, Newman was a Heisman caliber player even though the previous year he played at Wake Forest. Then Daniels, who lost his job once he got hurt, had to leave schools when he couldn’t get his job back at a Pac-12 school, is now the savior for Georgia. Got it…
You never know until the season starts. We can give examples from the past all day… Like Trask being a career benchwarmer until Franks got hurt, rumors that Mac Jones wasn’t even gonna start this past year, Joe Burrow not beating out Haskins at OSU, and the list goes on and on. Things can change quickly! Got it???
Well I just have to ask. Who would you rather have under center for your team this fall, if you could pick, Emory Jones with the current UF surrounding cast or Jonathan Tyler Daniels with his offensive teammates?
I would trade Emily Jones for JT Daniels Christ as of now
could we please get some actual journalists on this site? Lazy drivel like this is all we see here now.
Georgia has to get past bama to get there. Auburn and LSU had to do that. Unless you can do that, you have little chance.
What I read: “NFL coach hires for college ARE GOOD”.
Glad Coach Drinkz got the memo.
UGA recruiting and the quality of players from the state , will always keep UGA near the top.
Kirby finally got out of his own way and let the offensive coaches coach. Better get my 1980 jokes in now.
Two mentions in this article I’m over-1/Justin Fields and 2/”Jake Fromm was never elite”. After last season, with all the hype Newman got, Dawg fans were excited at the prospect. 30 days out or so from season’s start, he opts out. I appreciate and liked the job Bennett did. Did I like the FL, AL results? No. Now in 2021 there is certainty. Have to give credit to Burrows, Jones for their great seasons. With us losing our great wide out Pickesn-that hurts. Now GA is trying to use the LSU, AL blueprints of and older team, with continuity. With JT Daniels coming back, it motivated lots of older players. We’ll get an early test with Clemson at their place.