Chip Towers manages to sum up neatly where my head’s been at with the quarterback battle:
Here is what I think: Ramsey is going to be the first quarterback in for the Bulldogs. And I believe it’s his job to lose thereafter.
This is Ramsey’s time. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound product of Kingsland was recruited to Georgia with the intention of him taking over at this point, after Aaron Murray and Hutson Mason had moved on. I think the coaches are disappointed that Ramsey hasn’t stepped up and owned the position the way they would’ve liked him to at this juncture. But the fact that there hasn’t been enough separation between the three quarterbacks makes me believe they’ll fall back on Ramsey by default.
That’s how it feels to me, too. And what happens if the coaches choose the default position? Ramsey’s high school coach thinks that’ll be the ticket for his former player to take control.
And every indication I get is that it is in actual games where Ramsey will distinguish himself. Jeff Herron, Ramsey’s coach at Camden County who is now at Prince Avenue Christian School, told me that Ramsey is one of those athletes that simply needs to play to truly show his wares. He’s a proverbial “gamer.” Not that it would sway Schottenheimer one way or another, but Herron has shared those insights with the Bulldogs’ new offensive czar.
Herron thinks Georgia should start Ramsey and leave him in the game so he can fall back on his instincts and do what comes natural to him. Let him make some mistakes and learn from them, he said, and not be looking over his shoulder for the hook to come from the sideline.
Regardless of whether his faith in Ramsey’s make up is valid, I couldn’t agree more with that last sentence, no matter who gets the nod to start. And I’m not going to deny that I’m a little worried it may not be how things transpire.
In the end, the best remedy for quarterback nervousness is a killer defense. No pressure, guys.
Get The Picture 
Mark needs to quit projecting such a wishy washy approach to this decision. I think he hurts the program when he says he really doesn’t know. Because whether he doesn’t know or not, it says he and his staff aren’t capable of seeing the future and his team needs to know sooner than now what the future looks like. For goodness sake, it is not like they are playing Bama in week one.
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Don’t you think his past results regarding quarterbacks speak for themselves without him having to worry about what image he is projecting?
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Agreed. Richt has always been a great QB coach. I want a starter named so that guy can get more reps and get in a better groove with the WR’s. Naming someone to get it over with and show you know the future doesn’t make sense.
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I think your ‘s is a much more valid concern. However, this year’s early schedule may allow a little more flexibility in that area than year’s past.
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I think you are a cockeyed optimist.
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I’m just a simple country boy.
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Mark Richt and his staff “aren’t capable of seeing the future”…..?
Really? Who is exactly able to see into the future?
We need the season to start so all the crazies can complain about play calling, as in, Shotty is an idiot every time the play is not a TD.
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It’s not that hard…all you need is 1.21 gigawatts and a flux capacitor.
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…and a DeLorean.
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Jus run the daum baw, Rick! Gawd!
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So that’s been the problem the last 15 seasons … he doesn’t know what he is doing because he cannot see the future.
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There’s an easy fix for that problem. Add a push cart and a duly licensed operator
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Anyone seen a phone booth with George Carlin in it?
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That’s Mr. Mark to you, thanks.
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He hurts the program or he offends know it all blog posters who just can’t deal with not knowing who the starter they will be watching is?
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Meh.
He can leave it for 3 more weeks, honestly. Let it play out. He’s not worried about what you or I think; he’s working the heads of two 20-somethings.
It never ceases to amaze how much stock one puts into public statements by football coaches. They aren’t going to say anything really, so quit reading tea leaves and making judgements, pour a stiff one, enjoy the game.
It’s going to be OK.
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I’m guessing all the “discussion” is in his head a bit. Let him play and grow into the starter position. There are enough early games for him to play the butterflies away.
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Saw a post on Facebook from reputable source that listed them today as 1 Lambert 2 Ramsey and 3 Bauta.
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Debbie, take that for what it’s worth.
I can tell you I’ve been told more than one scenario from a person who claims to have real inside knowledge that says each of the other two leads for the job.
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Mr. Conventional Wisdom was on the airwaves this morning saying his “sources” say Lambert is the guy. The thing that makes me laugh is that there’s belief that Ramsey doesn’t watch enough tape or do the necessary prep work. Right. These guys are forced to prep.
Everyone has a source for this stuff, but unless it’s one of the offensive coaches it’s probably not valid. I’m thinking we’ll see two of the three early in the season.
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Well, that’s not the same thing though. Everyone might be required to go to the film room or view a certain number of All 22 clips each week, but that doesn’t mean they’re learning as much as they can from it.
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One would think that Ramsey would have picked up some of Murray’s habits in preparation during his redshirt year, but who knows.
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Tony Bagel’s “sources” are no Einsteins?
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They later clarified that was the rotation today, so no news.
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If the qb competition does come down to one guy winning it because he’s the guy Richt thought would be the starter a few years ago instead of the guy who really separated himself from the others in practice, we might be in for a long season or two.
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But nobody’s separated himself to this point.
You think Richt can get the season postponed until he’s really, really sure? 😉
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I think that’s the whole point. We’re less than two weeks away from the first game and none of them seem to be really stepping up. The last time we saw Ramsey, in the Prestigious Belk Bowl, he didn’t exactly look like the second coming of Peyton Manning. Bauta looked good in the Spring game, so what. No one has seen Lambert at all but I have a hard time getting excited about an ACC retread.
If the selection is based on who Richt thought would be good three years ago and that guy can’t get any separation from two that aren’t exactly phenoms, I’d say that’s cause for some concern at the qb position.
I’m not sure postponing the season would be any help. Unless of course we could bring in another qb or two to throw in the mix.
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I’ve never seen Lambert play a down, but it’s worth mentioning that Russell Wilson was “an ACC retread” when he got to Wisky.
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You’ll excuse me if I don’t think a UVA qb who had as many ints as tds is a fair comparison to Russell Wilson.
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Wilson’s passer ratings at NC State:
2008: 133.9
2009: 147.8
2010: 127.5
Lambert’s passer ratings at UVA:
2013: 81.15
2014: 115.74
I probably don’t have to mention that Wilson never lost the starting job.
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Well, now, he kinda was asked to leave NC State because his coach went to Annapolis and was tough and wanted commitment to the program and… is out of work now?
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It’s actually really interesting to me…it’s just rare to have transfer QBs with as much playing time as Wilson or Lambert.
Sam Keller, Ryan Mallet, Garrett Gilbert…there are a few, but even the few I wouldn’t call ‘comps.’
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Worth pointing out that two kids around him in the recruiting rankings…Wilson and Lindquist…are starting at Washington and Utah this year? Goes back to something I said about Ramsey…most people felt he had the talent to be a starting QB. I don’t write off Lambert’s stats on the field…but at the same time, I wonder what Ramsey’s stats would look like if he was forced to develop on the field in a UVA offense. I’m just not sure how relevant they are in predicting future performance.
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Maybe Coach Richt should just ask you JC. After all you watched practice once and seem to know ever turn about everything.
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I’m glad you’re happy with the qb situation. If picking the starter is best done by choosing the one you thought was going to be the starter three years ago, we will be in fine shape at qb.
I don’t have any idea how they look in practice now, but the article was about Ramsey being the probable starter because that’s who Richt thought would be the starter when he recruited him. If Ramsey is the best option because he is playing better than the other two, fine. If he’s not, I think qb may be a weak spot on the roster if Ramsey is still named the starter because Richt thought he’d be good three years ago..
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“If picking the starter is best done by choosing the one you thought was going to be the starter three years ago, we will be in fine shape at qb.”
The fact that you think this actually has a sniff of reality to it tells me all I need to know.
The point is not that Ramsey will start because they thought he would be the starter….the point is that you don’t recruit top 100, 4 star QBs without an inkling that he might be good enough to start and be very, very good. Everyone….from other coaches to recruiting services…thought he had the tools to be one of the top QBs in the country when he came out of HS. He was rated higher than Dobbs, Jeremy Johnson, Kyle Bolin at UL, Conner Mitch at USCar, Ryan Buchanan at Ole Miss, and right behind Bateman who is battling for the job at Bama.
Now you could make the argument that UGA has had 3 blue chip QBs and they are all terrible (Park, Lambert, and Ramsey) and basically that we’ve got no shot…but the more likely scenario is that they’ve all been good but no one has separated themselves from the pack. In which case, going with the guy who has the highest upside that you not only identified 3 years ago but that you’ve seen for the past two years in practice (and in games) by default seems like a pretty reasonable and smart decision.
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Yes, maybe the worst thinking exhibited here in all my reading of the comments. The guy is so whipped into a frenzy to find a new way to attack the program he jumps on a stupid train of thought and goes all in. Must be related to Thomas Brown the fool poster who now spews his hate from his own blog. Getting desperate, things are looking too good for the Dawgs. What will he do next to surpass this level of moronic thinking? Richt, the guy who knows nothing about QBs or football, or genius JC and all his credentials? Which way should we lean?
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Don’t get why making a decision just to have a decision is such a big deal. Let one guy clearly win the job – even if it goes into the season. Better for the rest of the team that one guy clearly wins too as there are almost certainly guys that are closer to one of the potential QBs than the others and have their own favorites. In a perfect world, as many as possible believe that the starter is truly the best.
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I was surprised by Richt’s comments about being more confused than ever after the second scrimmage. Richt has been like Fort Knox when it comes to information getting out, and then all of a sudden he tells the media it’s muddled and confusing. It seemed like an odd thing to say. Now, I have no idea why he would say that if it were calculated. It could mean any number of things (a message to one player, to the team, or total misinformation). But it struck me as odd. For someone who’s been so secretive to let that out seemed off.
The narrative forming around Richt wanting Ramsey and Schotty favoring Lambert has a sense of “truthiness” about it. It certainly sounds like it could be the case, but honestly no one (who is talking) seems to know.
I do agree with the Senator, though. I think Ramsey is the guy who starts and he gets to win the job for good, but should he slip up Lambert can take it. It’s not an ideal situation, but it appears no one has “won” the job so much as they haven’t lost it.
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You were surprised because you didn’t see the second scrimmage. If you saw the scrimmage, you would understand his confusion.
Bauta went 5-14 for 206 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs. He had trouble reading the defense and kept staring down his receivers, but the was chucking bombs deep.
Ramsey was 13-18 for 71 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT. He went to the check-down early and often.
Lambert went 2-4 for 17 yards, No INT, but he did have 146 rushing yards and two rushing TDs on 26 carries while running the read option. He lost one of three fumbles.
Tim Kimbrough, the heavy hitter, just came back to practice from when he got trucked by the 189 lb “Slinging” Sammy Vaughn on a delayed draw.
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Did you chart those stats yourself?
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My tongue and my cheek were in very close proximity while I was typing those stats.
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Just as long as:
1. Ramsey keeps the ball on the zone read
2. Bauta hands the ball off on the zone read
3. Lambert doesn’t run the zone read
then I’ll be happy.
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I think you might have that backwards. Bauta should probably be keeping it and Ramsey should be handing it off. Faton has the best wheels of the group.
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Unless, Zone Read (Play action) Jump Pass
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you make decisions when you need to make them. We need a starting QB by the time game prep starts for Game 1. The rest of this is just angsty speculation. CMR knows how to identify and develop QBs. Assuming no injuries/dead arms/Mudcat’s car type stuff, the coaches who have seen these guys practice every day will be able to pick the starter who gives us the best chance to win.
I’m probably going to wait until they pick someone and I see that guy play a few games before I panic. It’s a course of action I highly recommend.
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In Richt and Schotty I trust. The coaches are no more interested in our choice than having new UGA-to-be Que anoint the new QB with a leg lift salute. But all this breathless speculation does help pass the time to the 1st kick-off. Now I’ll go back to watching Chubb highlights on YouTube. 🙂
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What I want to know is where he hasn’t stepped up or separated himself. Leadership, knowledge of the playbook, passing ability, all of the above….what? More and more it’s looking like what most imagined- the D [hopefully]carrying until the O and Qb [hopefully] gel and get better.
I predict a lot of wringing of hands, gnashing of teeth and coaching from the stands until Ramsey has his coming out party against Row Tad Row.
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Of course the coaches couldn’t care less about who we think should be QB. But we are fans and the Senator is kind enough to let us express our opinions here. I am not a coach and have no sources, but from what CMR said about no one doing the things he feels are important on a consistent basis has me worried. CMR was clear that none of the three are playing at the level that he and CMS expect. I just want someone to get their ass in gear before the SC game or our season may be over before it really gets started. Having said that, I do think someone will step up and we’ll be in the playoff picture going into the SECCG.
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Pretty sure the coaches see it as, we have a cupcake, followed by one of the worst Vandy teams in years, then get a questionable at best SC. Now if Bama were game 2, then I would think they would have some clarity at this point just to be getting good reps on someone.
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Ramsey will start and be fine by South Carolina.
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I know nothing; I think this is the case.
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Maybe all 3 are getting better as this goes on-Maybe this competition is the closest pressure to a real game, hang in there fellers -we are getting close.
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1) I’m as curious as anyone. I’d love to know the inside scoop.
2) But I don’t have the time to worry about it 16 hours a day.
3) Richt has more than earned the benefit of the doubt in this area.
Calm down, fellow Dawg fans. Panic later if you must, but I can’t really see why anyone should panic right now.
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1
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Are you sure about that? Because when they said assume battle stations, I thought we had to keep the masks on for the entire drill
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You Fly Guys! Who’s the guy in the dress?
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Team Bauta
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Let’s just hope the Ramsey we saw in the bowl game isn’t the Ramsey we see this season.
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As long as #27 is on the field why worry?
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Actually, I think that should be the response to everything.
NICK CHUBB.
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If Ramsey can give us something even remotely resembling Hutson Mason’s 2014 and Malcolm and the receivers stay healthy (miss you already, JSW) I think that might be enough with the running backs we have and the tight ends we have.
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Killer defense, killer running backs, and killer tight ends will help smooth this transition.
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Actually, I just want them to make a decision so we can get on bitching about it.
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Basically, we just need a QB who can hand the ball off, throw a good screen pass, decent enough zip to hit TE on curls and slants, and enough of an arm to make DBs think twice about creeping up too much. I think all of the QBs have better arms than Mason, and even he met all of those except the deep ball.
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We have problems at the quarterback position. That’s the only reason a starter hasn’t been named, the coaches have been tight lipped, and we accepted Lambert as a transfer. Richt ‘s comments after the scrimmage are coach speak for “these 3 guys suck and none of them rightnow are playing at level needed forus to be competitive in the sec”.
To think that the race has been so tight and secretive because all 3 guys are just tearing it up is delusional.
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You are 100% correct. My feelings exactly. I’m just hoping one of them gets their shit together.
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What would y’all say if you could, right now, guarantee Aaron Murray’s sophomore year stats out of the QB?
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I would say I hope the QB holds on to the ball against S Carolina better than Murray did that year, for one thing. 😉
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