Three Observations
3. NFL Takeover. From a recruiting standpoint, I don’t think Georgia fans realize just what last year’s NFL Draft meant for this program. The Bulldogs set two draft records: most defensive players taken in the First Round and most players selected in one draft. Fifteen Bulldogs were drafted. Compare that to the ACC, which as an entire conference had 21 kids drafted.
Recruits all over the nation watched that first round in which basically every sixth name was a Bulldog. Travon Walker started the show.
I have done my fair share of recruit interviews. I can say for a fact kids have told me that they didn’t like the process Alabama was selling, but they liked the results. They weren’t making friendship bracelets for Nick Saban. They were scared to death of him. But the narrative was that if you go the Full Metal Jacket route for three years under Nick, well, you’d get drafted.
The recruits would tell me how much they loved Mark Richt as a man and a coach. They’d eat glass for Jon Fabris or Thomas Brown. They’d run a mile over hot coals to play for Mike Ekeler or Bryan McClendon. They had closer relationships with Mike Bobo or John Lilly than anyone on the Alabama staff. But even the glass chewers and blister-footed too often found their way to Tuscaloosa. Why? “I love Georgia but Alabama puts more players in the NFL.”
Like size matters, it was an ugly truth.
But now Georgia is filling up the NFL. And Cincinnati had more players drafted last season than the Crimson Tide. Granted, that was Alabama’s “rebuilding year.” As for what happened this year, Bama fans have more excuses than your first husband.
Next spring Georgia will again have some nice draft picks. Let’s look at possible first round candidates.
Jalen Carter and Kelee Ringo are two of the best in the nation and will go high. Nolan Smith, Broderick Jones, and Chris Smith could be taken IF they do really well in the combine and meet the needs of specific teams.
Darnell Washington is a physical anomaly that some NFL offensive coordinator can turn into a Geneva Convention violation. And with the success of Jamaree Salyer, I can see scouts giving Warren McClendon and Sedrick Van Pran a hard look.
2. Freeze warning. Georgia had a dress rehearsal on how to play in the cold last week at Mississippi State. On Saturday, the real test begins. Kickoff will be in the 30s and conditions will only get chillier as the sun sets. It’s going to be colder than an Amber Heard deposition.
But Georgia’s equipment team has a plan. You saw earlier in the year how they actually brought their own air conditioning. They’re bringing heaters. They have cold weather gear. Even the little things like hand warmers and muffs for quarterbacks and kickers will be there.
The players will be forced to focus on stretching, as that is paramount in frigid temps to avoid injury. They know what worked last week and what to do this time.
This should be their last outdoor game of the year.
1. Lesson Learned. The last two weeks have served as on-the-job training for Kirby Smart and company when it comes to game management at the end of the half.
The coaches were worried about giving Tennessee another possession so they didn’t use their timeouts. That caused them to run out of time and they had to kick a field goal instead of getting a shot at a touchdown.
Last week was more frustrating.
Despite the miscues, that was the first punt return for a touchdown given up by the Dawgs since 2010.
Two Questions
2. What will we see from Kentucky on offense? Mark Stoops is on his third offensive coordinator in three years and is raising hell about sacks and red zone woes. The Wildcats have given up an SEC-worst 39 sacks. In comparison, Georgia has given up seven sacks. Will Levis gets sacked more than a Georgia Tech cheerleader on date night.
Kentucky scores a touchdown on 56% of its infrequent trips to the red zone. The Wildcats are having a harder time getting it in than Tennessee’s playoff hopes.
I look for the Wildcats to go as vanilla as pear salad, trying to pound the ball and shorten the game like Stoops did the last time Georgia played up there. Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez has Kirby Smart’s attention.
When asked about Rodriguez, Smart was candid.
“He seeks and cherishes contact. And it's that time of year when you watch defenses across the country turn down contact. They turn down hits. … tackling gets worse and worse and worse. Are we going to be bit by that contagious bug of lack of a willingness to thud and tackle people, especially a guy that loves it? I mean, he seeks it. He wants to hit you.”
I am told that on Monday and Tuesday, Smart really emphasized tackling techniques and swarming the ball carrier. He’s seen teams coast. Smart has seen them tackle high or just thud in the cold. My sources tell me he is not having that complacency. There will be tackling if nothing else.
1. Can Kentucky stop the Dawgs? The Wildcats have not been very good at stopping the run. With the expected wind and cold, look for Georgia to have more play action and success running the ball than what we saw against the blitzes of Mississippi State and Tennessee. Last week I wondered if they were going to let Stetson Bennett run it more. He has shown what he can do in the open field to help Georgia on the goal line and in short-yardage situations. I have been saying all year how good the Bulldogs' play action can be when Georgia takes a run-first approach. Maybe we will see it in the next two weeks against more conventional defenses.
One Prediction
P. S. It wouldn’t hurt to drop a prayer that none of your starters get hurt.
3. NFL Takeover. From a recruiting standpoint, I don’t think Georgia fans realize just what last year’s NFL Draft meant for this program. The Bulldogs set two draft records: most defensive players taken in the First Round and most players selected in one draft. Fifteen Bulldogs were drafted. Compare that to the ACC, which as an entire conference had 21 kids drafted.
Recruits all over the nation watched that first round in which basically every sixth name was a Bulldog. Travon Walker started the show.
I have done my fair share of recruit interviews. I can say for a fact kids have told me that they didn’t like the process Alabama was selling, but they liked the results. They weren’t making friendship bracelets for Nick Saban. They were scared to death of him. But the narrative was that if you go the Full Metal Jacket route for three years under Nick, well, you’d get drafted.
The recruits would tell me how much they loved Mark Richt as a man and a coach. They’d eat glass for Jon Fabris or Thomas Brown. They’d run a mile over hot coals to play for Mike Ekeler or Bryan McClendon. They had closer relationships with Mike Bobo or John Lilly than anyone on the Alabama staff. But even the glass chewers and blister-footed too often found their way to Tuscaloosa. Why? “I love Georgia but Alabama puts more players in the NFL.”
Like size matters, it was an ugly truth.
But now Georgia is filling up the NFL. And Cincinnati had more players drafted last season than the Crimson Tide. Granted, that was Alabama’s “rebuilding year.” As for what happened this year, Bama fans have more excuses than your first husband.
Next spring Georgia will again have some nice draft picks. Let’s look at possible first round candidates.
Jalen Carter and Kelee Ringo are two of the best in the nation and will go high. Nolan Smith, Broderick Jones, and Chris Smith could be taken IF they do really well in the combine and meet the needs of specific teams.
Darnell Washington is a physical anomaly that some NFL offensive coordinator can turn into a Geneva Convention violation. And with the success of Jamaree Salyer, I can see scouts giving Warren McClendon and Sedrick Van Pran a hard look.
2. Freeze warning. Georgia had a dress rehearsal on how to play in the cold last week at Mississippi State. On Saturday, the real test begins. Kickoff will be in the 30s and conditions will only get chillier as the sun sets. It’s going to be colder than an Amber Heard deposition.
But Georgia’s equipment team has a plan. You saw earlier in the year how they actually brought their own air conditioning. They’re bringing heaters. They have cold weather gear. Even the little things like hand warmers and muffs for quarterbacks and kickers will be there.
The players will be forced to focus on stretching, as that is paramount in frigid temps to avoid injury. They know what worked last week and what to do this time.
This should be their last outdoor game of the year.
1. Lesson Learned. The last two weeks have served as on-the-job training for Kirby Smart and company when it comes to game management at the end of the half.
The coaches were worried about giving Tennessee another possession so they didn’t use their timeouts. That caused them to run out of time and they had to kick a field goal instead of getting a shot at a touchdown.
Last week was more frustrating.
- The screen on the first down was a good call, but if you don’t make the first down, let it go. Mississippi State only had one timeout and Georgia was going to get the ball to start the second half. So sure, try the screen and if it isn’t successful, so be it.
- Run it on second down. Force them to use a timeout.
- On third down, if you call a run with a built-in pass in case of pressure, run it anyway.
Despite the miscues, that was the first punt return for a touchdown given up by the Dawgs since 2010.
Two Questions
2. What will we see from Kentucky on offense? Mark Stoops is on his third offensive coordinator in three years and is raising hell about sacks and red zone woes. The Wildcats have given up an SEC-worst 39 sacks. In comparison, Georgia has given up seven sacks. Will Levis gets sacked more than a Georgia Tech cheerleader on date night.
Kentucky scores a touchdown on 56% of its infrequent trips to the red zone. The Wildcats are having a harder time getting it in than Tennessee’s playoff hopes.
I look for the Wildcats to go as vanilla as pear salad, trying to pound the ball and shorten the game like Stoops did the last time Georgia played up there. Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez has Kirby Smart’s attention.
When asked about Rodriguez, Smart was candid.
“He seeks and cherishes contact. And it's that time of year when you watch defenses across the country turn down contact. They turn down hits. … tackling gets worse and worse and worse. Are we going to be bit by that contagious bug of lack of a willingness to thud and tackle people, especially a guy that loves it? I mean, he seeks it. He wants to hit you.”
I am told that on Monday and Tuesday, Smart really emphasized tackling techniques and swarming the ball carrier. He’s seen teams coast. Smart has seen them tackle high or just thud in the cold. My sources tell me he is not having that complacency. There will be tackling if nothing else.
1. Can Kentucky stop the Dawgs? The Wildcats have not been very good at stopping the run. With the expected wind and cold, look for Georgia to have more play action and success running the ball than what we saw against the blitzes of Mississippi State and Tennessee. Last week I wondered if they were going to let Stetson Bennett run it more. He has shown what he can do in the open field to help Georgia on the goal line and in short-yardage situations. I have been saying all year how good the Bulldogs' play action can be when Georgia takes a run-first approach. Maybe we will see it in the next two weeks against more conventional defenses.
One Prediction
- Georgia takes care of business and gets a solid win.
- The Dawgs finally take care of the damn ball.
- There aren't any boneheaded plays in the kicking game.
P. S. It wouldn’t hurt to drop a prayer that none of your starters get hurt.
