when it comes to Georgia’s linebacking corps, man, what a difference a year makes.
No losses (unless you want to count Ray Drew’s rumored move to defensive end) from last season and some impressive new talent at OLB coming in the fall adds up to perhaps Georgia’s best group ever under Richt.
Get The Picture 
Damn it senator! don’t jinx us, you know how areas of supposed strength turn out. But seriously, this linebacking corps is night and day different from the days of jancek when outside of rennie linebacker was where talent went to die.
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Boy, you are right. It seems every single time we get singled out for having one of the best “units” in the country, we stink it up in that area. Recently we have been expected to the best OL in the country, or have the best Special Teams, and whiffed ij both areas. I am content to have the best overall team and not stand out in any one particular area.
But I have to admit, when we shine at either LB or DL we do seem to be competitive with everyone we face. Here’s to the LB’s earning the title on the field.
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Looking over the projected roster for a moment it appears we’ve got about 14 LB’s on scholarship, including the recruits. Since there’s 4 starters that’s 3+ deep at each position. So most of the LBs are going to be sitting on the bench or contributing to STs. Then I counted 7 CB’s, not including Mitchell, which also translates to 3+ deep since there’s 2 starters. Once Commings and Smith return, most of these guys will be riding the bench. It just makes the Mitchell switch appear unnecessary once we get past the first 2 games, and one of those games is Buffalo, where I’d expect subs to get plenty of playing time.
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Thus far we have no reason to believe he will be playing both ways past the Mizzou game. It won’t hurt having an extra good player around that position and ready to go for the rest of the season.
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Sorry to disagree C, but it most certainly could hurt. Look at how devastating the suspension of AJ was to our offense a couple years ago. We’re already breaking in new starters on OL’s, TE, maybe RB, and kickers. So we’re going to handicap the O further by limiting the play of our top WR threat?
Switching him for the Buffalo game makes no sense. And I’d argue he’d have more of an impact against mizzou on offense than on D, where Smith & Swann can likely handle the CB chores. But I suppose throwing MM out there occasionally for nickle duty isn’t too much to worry about. What could possibly go wrong?
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Smith may not be available for the Mizzou game. Or did they announce he will only have a one game suspension?
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I believe I read that CMR was waiting on all the facts before he announces the exact punishment. One game is the minimum so I am guessing it depends on what the officer’s report says, along with Smith’s honesty and attitude.
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Don’t think we can lay all that on a missing AJ, Ex: Colorado game. There were other problems that exacerbated that situation. I would pleasantly disagree about more impact on O than D because of a Mizzou #1 WR target who could be up to speed after their first game. We have plenty of targets for Murray in the Mizzou game w/o Mitchell with King, Brown, Conley, Bennett plus at least two other known producers at WR. Throw in Lynch and Rome and I think the help Mitchell can give on D outweighs the leg up he gives us on O in that game.
The injury to Franklin has taken a little pressure off the Franklin to Green-Beckham combination that worried me the most.
Worrying about injury extends to O as well since Mitchell was out 3 games last year. I worry about it for all players, realizing that playing for extended periods heightens the possibility. Not to play him against Mizzou could increase measurably their chance of winning. It’s just a choice of which drother outweighs the other.
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I absolutely hate the move of Mitchell to corner and agree that it’s unnecessary. What is more bizzare is the fact that Richt makes it sound like it is permanent. Fool hardy. I have looked at this a 1000 different ways and none of them make sense. Dollars to doe nuts, somewhere mid way through the season, the offense will have been bogging down, Richt will realize that we miss his play making ability, and snatch him back to offense.
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Mike, I don’t think Richt means to have him available only for D. He already has proven a place on O, but he’s needed to fill in for Cummings while he is out two games. Would you have us lose the Mizzou game because we have no one to cover WR Green-Beckham ? It will be dicey enough with a good throwing QB against us, but to let them team up for free reign against a D set at all other positions? I think not. My understanding is that when Cummings returns, most of Mitchell’s playing time will be on O. Where do you get this “miss his play making ability, and snatch him back to offense.” crap?
If your remarks were sincere then I hope this explanation fills in the blank spots. If you are a troll then go to hell.
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I think the coaches want a big time playmaker at corner, period. While Commings is smart and athletic, he can’t seem to close the deal on the big play by coming down with the int. smith made a spectacular over the shoulder int on an overthrown, or mis thrown, ball last year, but he is often caught not looking for the ball at the time when he should be aware of the position of the ball and aggressively skying toward the point of attack ala Champ…Boykin was pretty good at it, too…Obviously, they think very strongly that Mitchell can often make that play if the ball is thrown his way….and it will be early on as he is untested and may be an irresistable match up as an attack point…..I think the NFL values a shut down cover corner with big time playmaking skills as more valuable than a wide receiver with excellent skills and speed….MM should give us that and more….and it will be easier to put him in for offensive plays from the defense than it would be for him to be an occasional contributor on D….He could still make huge plays on O and if other receivers rise up this year, maybe we won’t miss him as badly as we are now thinking….but, I think they want that explosive and sure handed shut down corner on Greene, Rogers, Patterson and others…..with his ability, he could be scoring regularly from the D.
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Good post and good info.
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