Half way through camp there seem to be several narratives taking shape. Some good, some not so good. My thoughts on some (would love to hear others' feedback):
The Good:
Trent Thompson sounds like the real deal at a position of need. That's awesome.
Malcolm Mitchell seems to be fully healed. There will always be a sense of impending doom when he makes a cut, but so far so good.
Marshall/Sony both seem to be ready to roll. Both have what we'll call the Mitchell (or JSW) scare factor, but both seem to be good to go.
The Not So Good
QBs, obviously. And you can look at this through pessimistic or optimistic lenses, but it seems to me UGA lacks anything special no matter who wins the job. It's almost immaterial. The real concern I have is not that either QB is average. We had that last year and did okay moving the ball. The problem is we don't have an option who knows the system and the checks and calls on the line. So we're going to make many wrong calls and we'll turn the ball over much more, which hurts every aspect of the team.
Second string OL is an issue. Injuries happen. It's almost inevitable. If we're already weak at QB, suffering any drop in our money maker (OL) is huge. Guys need to step up, simple as that.
WRs are an issue. Show me a team depending on several freshman WRs, and I'll show you a weakened offense.
The Biggest Worry For Me
Schotty as an OC is a major concern. He wasn't a particularly good OC in the pros, and his mentality is that of most NFL coaches: Conservative, scared, complicated. NFL playbooks don't work in college. Kids can't absorb them and it slows them down. Yes, Schotty could be an outlier and get the differences and the nuances of the game at this level, but it's far more likely that's not the case. In college at a school like UGA, it can be as simple as "run left, run right." That goes against every instinct of an NFL coach. I'm not saying Schotty will definitely be a negative, but I do go into the season highly skeptical of his ability.
The Good:
Trent Thompson sounds like the real deal at a position of need. That's awesome.
Malcolm Mitchell seems to be fully healed. There will always be a sense of impending doom when he makes a cut, but so far so good.
Marshall/Sony both seem to be ready to roll. Both have what we'll call the Mitchell (or JSW) scare factor, but both seem to be good to go.
The Not So Good
QBs, obviously. And you can look at this through pessimistic or optimistic lenses, but it seems to me UGA lacks anything special no matter who wins the job. It's almost immaterial. The real concern I have is not that either QB is average. We had that last year and did okay moving the ball. The problem is we don't have an option who knows the system and the checks and calls on the line. So we're going to make many wrong calls and we'll turn the ball over much more, which hurts every aspect of the team.
Second string OL is an issue. Injuries happen. It's almost inevitable. If we're already weak at QB, suffering any drop in our money maker (OL) is huge. Guys need to step up, simple as that.
WRs are an issue. Show me a team depending on several freshman WRs, and I'll show you a weakened offense.
The Biggest Worry For Me
Schotty as an OC is a major concern. He wasn't a particularly good OC in the pros, and his mentality is that of most NFL coaches: Conservative, scared, complicated. NFL playbooks don't work in college. Kids can't absorb them and it slows them down. Yes, Schotty could be an outlier and get the differences and the nuances of the game at this level, but it's far more likely that's not the case. In college at a school like UGA, it can be as simple as "run left, run right." That goes against every instinct of an NFL coach. I'm not saying Schotty will definitely be a negative, but I do go into the season highly skeptical of his ability.
