I get the angst and overreaction to Saturday. I really do. But in response to the deeply analytical suggestions of “Schottenheimer is pathetic!!!” and “why not play Bauta?” many of you have offered, you might want to consider something.
Greyson Lambert’s 2015 game log.
Lambert has started five games at Georgia. In three of those, he has generated passer ratings of 220.37, 245.48 and 278.64. The technical term for that level of performance is effing great.
I know that the opposition in those three games was anything but stellar. But if it’s so easy to pull that off against crappy defenses and Lambert is hopeless, then we should expect his predecessors to have done better. To the stat cave, Batman!
- Hutson Mason, 2014: three games with 200+ passer ratings
- Aaron Murray, 2013: two games with 200+ passer ratings
- Aaron Murray, 2012: five games with 200+ passer ratings
- Aaron Murray, 2011: two games with 200+ passer ratings
- Aaron Murray, 2010: one game with 200+ passer rating
- Joe Cox, 2009: two games with 200+ passer ratings
- Matthew Stafford, 2008: two games with 200+ passer ratings.
Gosh, maybe clearing 200 isn’t as easy as we thought. And remember, Lambert’s done what he’s done in only five total starts, after showing up less than two months before the beginning of the season. (Also remember that Lambert’s best showing as Virginia’s starter was a 165.79 he posted against Richmond.)
Yes, he wilted under the bright lights Saturday. True, it wasn’t Schottenheimer’s finest hour. However, it’s amazing to see so many people write both of them off after one poor day. Bobo and Murray – note that 2012 performance there, peeps – got years to build resumes much of the fan base came to dislike.
I don’t know if resurrection is in the future of either, but it’s a little early to bring out the tar and feathers.
Get The Picture 
These guys know what they’re doing, man. Richt knows QBs.
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And Richt definitely knows how to pick a team up after a humiliating loss, too. Read that however you like.
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I commented on Bauta yesterday simply to state that I thought (given his supposed work ethic) that he deserved a series or two in the blowout, and understood if he was frustrated by being left on the bench. He obviously does not have the talent to earn more than that.
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I was with you Chunky, but its obvious that Bauta doesn’t have the skill level that the coaching staff is looking for. If he could only borrow Ramsey’s arm…
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Senator, ratings are one thing. Ratings against good competition are another. An out of body experience like Lambert had in one game is still another. No one expected that to happen again – that is a once in a career kind of day, and you simply celebrate that and move on. But his fear and inability to throw in coverage was palpable. And was, in my view, one of two major contributing factors in our humiliation Saturday – the other one being, how we got our butts whipped up front. This game was another annual face plant. And I have resolved myself that as long as Mark is our coach, we can expect that every year. Worse, we can also expect other losses and no sense of domination. I have to balance that with what I say on good days – that Mark is an outstanding leader of men, and I give him full credit for that. Geez, I just wish we could have both – win like Saban and lead like Mark. What a combination that would be.
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Really, I love you guys.
Name a starting Georgia quarterback who hasn’t suffered a face plant against a good team at some point.
I’m not predicting Lambert’s turning the corner Saturday. But I am saying that based on what he’s done so far, he deserves some benefit of the doubt. So does Schottenheimer.
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That’s fine, but if he walks into Knoxville and craps his pants we’re burnin this mother down.
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Lord please no
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I think that was the larger point he was making, the fact that this happens to Georgia every year.
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Then Lambert and Schottenheimer fit right in. Still doesn’t justify the sense of panic I’ve seen here and there in the past three days.
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Then that would be an indictment of Richt 🙂
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That’s a subject for a different post. 😉
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A post that you always seem to tiptoe around but never really get to the heart of.
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I wouldn’t consider a Vandy a good team
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They have a good pass defense. That said, the only team to perform worse against them than Georgia so far is Austin Peay.
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If we don’t bitch slap Tennessee I don’t think you’re going to see a whole lot of benefit of the doubt being extended.
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“win like Saban and lead like Mark”
Saban face-planted against Ole Miss! He lost to a lesser team than did CMR.
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Saban hasn’t lost more than 3 games in a season since his first one, and he’s only done that once. He’s won 4 SEC title titles his first 8 years and a national title one year when he didn’t win the SEC. So, you know, there’s a reason he gets the benefit of the doubt after one big loss.
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I get it. Richt ain’t Saban. But who is?
Head coach envy. Coordinator envy. QB envy, Rinse and repeat.
Are you willing to dump him to take the chance on the next hot coach/coordinator? How’d that work out with Muschamp, Malzahn, etc.? I think Richt is figuring it out. Probably a little slower than many of us would like. I think he’s got the right coordinators and coaching staff. It took him a while to figure out the “undersigning” and his “loyalty to a fault” was a fault.
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By my comments here since last year, I think it’s pretty apparent that I’m ready to try someone else. And frankly, I think the cautionary tale argument is bullshit. If you still have faith in Richt, congratulations, you’re still in the majority, but spare me the “it didn’t work out for University X” junk.
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I hear ya Rickus. And it obviously angers most folks that want Richt gone to hear the “cautionary tale argument”. However, it is a legitimate counterargument. Good programs with rich recruiting bases make bad hires and suffer for years. You are ready to see Richt go and ready for the University of Georgia to roll the dice and hope for something better. I understand, but don’t discredit the argument that there are risks involved.
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Of course there are risks. I don’t think that’s sufficient reason in itself. I get that some people want to give the changes more time to take effect and see what happens, but I’m tired of it. If Georgia had done anything since Pruitt was hired to make me think the kinds of performances like Saturday were behind them it would be one thing, but I’ve yet to see any evidence that anything is changing.
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One would hardly call a one TD loss on a fluke play a face plant.
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Face plant, loss…last time I checked they count as one in the loss column. Correct me on that if needed. This weekends game counts more in my opinion. Been saying that all year. Can’t let Ut off the mat.
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I’m not sure I’d call Ole Miss a faceplant, they were in it until the end. Yes they had many errors, and errors that are not common at Bama. It is not a trend. Bama doesn’t turn the ball over, they win, it is that simple. How often does Bama win the turnover battle? It is actually rather amazing given the turnover margin that Bama was still in it.
How often does UGA give up plays of some sort on special teams (return, block, squib, directional), a QB go 0 for in completions or 0 for on 3rd down?
I read on another blog something to the point of, would you have rather lost to Bama by 3? To that reply yes, if UGA didn’t have a blocked punt, QB play was solid and the D looked in place. I had rather go down to Bama in a close one where the stats are more less even, especially if the other team pulls off some amazing play like Ole Miss’s off the helmet pass, Why? it shows progress against the elite of the CFB world, it shows the staff has progressed the team. I’m not so much surprised or upset (I’d get over that) that the L column has a mark in it, as how it played out.
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If you gonna have a bad day, do it against Alabama. Lambert isn’t the first quarterback to struggle against Alabama. I don’t know how much we can take from that one performance, it’s a small sample size to just say the guy sucks. Just sayin.
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My goodness! Stop making sense and letting facts get in the way of a bad narrative!
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My God, that 2012 offense.
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But but but he can’t beat ranked teams senator! !!!!!! And we have a bunch, wait just one? maybe? in Florida?, left on type the schedule.
Folks are schedule is pillow soft. We could easily 2011 our way to the Georgia dome. If We get there however, yikes, you thought last Saturday was ugly.
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Our schedule was soft last year and we managed to not win the east. SOS doesn’t matter for Georgia. We can shit the bed against the bad teams just as well as the good teams.
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I’ll have none of your facts, you apologist.
Nice perspective, Senator.
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Can’t you let us be like those town rubes in ‘Hoosiers’ for just one week?
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It’s the other two games that are worrying me.
Personally, I think Lambert is the best we got. It’s going to get rough at times, but there is no savior on the bench and no magic bullet play set to get him back in his groove.
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This^^. Play the best we’ve got and Lambert is it. BTW the real reason the score of the game got so one-sided was CMR put Ramsey in the game and he threw 2 picks that led to Bama TDs. Without those the score is 24-10. Still nothing good but no where near as embarrassing.
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were you trying to channel your inner Dennis Miller here?
“Yes, he wilted under the bright lights Saturday. True, it wasn’t Schottenheimer’s finest hour. However, it’s amazing to see so many people write both of them off after one poor day. Bobo and Murray – note that 2012 performance there, peeps – got years to build resumes much of the fan base came to dislike. “
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Schottenheimer may or may not be good. Lambert may or may not become consistent. The jury’s out on that stuff. I still don’t think this team will win anything as long as Richt is the head man. Any happy horseshit that comes out of the next couple of games (which I expect Georgia will win convincingly) won’t matter in the grand scheme. It’ll be fun to watch them drive another nail into Butch’s coffin though.
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This isn’t to say Ramsey should be the starter because, well, the fact of the matter is neither side can make a solid case for their guy. Anyone who believes either guy is better as a fact has their head in the sand about one to multiple things.
From the little I’ve read (I struggle dealing with the meltdown ghar-baghe’ after tough losses so it could be that I’ve missed this), though, it does seem that the Lambert camp is leaving out a lot of info. Lambert is supposed to be a game manager. But if you go back and look at his games against the better defenses (Top 25 in scoring or passing defense) over the last two years, his average stat line is:
20.6 Points/Game
56.08 Comp %
143.4 Passing Yds/Game
5.54 YPA
3 TD
6 Int
Those are the average stats for UCLA, Louisville, Florida St., Va. Tech, and Alabama.
I don’t know who should start, but regardless of who it is, I’ll say this. If UGA gets to the dome, Pruitt will have been the most underpaid coach in the conference.
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His Virginia stats aren’t particularly useful since they have considerably less talent and worse coaching.
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As well as a qb this year who has better stats across the board facing better defenses on average.
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Johns and Lambert had similar stats a year ago, and while Johns has been fine this year, he has one so-so performance, one good one and one bad one against the good teams they’ve played.
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Good post. Had no idea. That sucks.
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I have always thought UGA fans in general had much higher standards and expectations for the offense than the defense. It’s why in the past we’ve seen great levels of hand wringing over play calling in 38-35 losses. With that said Schott really opened himself up with that non-sensical commentary on the QB situation you posted below. Based on what I have seen Lambert is our best-option because Ramsey is an active liability but in all fairness to Lambert’s predecessors, with the exception of Mason, they were implementing a more aggressive and riskier passing game than Lambert has been asked to implement. If you go back and look at the tape I guarantee Stafford, Murray, and even Cox’s 200’s were a lot better then Lambert’s in terms of throws made and fear struck into the hearts of opposing DC’s in terms of what we were capable of offensively.
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Hmm. I wish Lambert would always overpass on the long ones. Malcolm Mitchell is fast. And if you miss, it can’t be picked. Looks like Bill Walsh’s offense, lot of short passes, it can work. Would it be better if Lambert had throw a few 40 yards bombs for completions? I ain’t lying, sure. But better to play to his strengths than mismatch on scheme. There were guys open, he didn’t have the time to find them. Gotta get that passpro fixed up, not all on the quarterback.
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I’m not criticizing the way Lambert has been used, I am just saying if Stafford or Murray had been asked to do no more than what Lambert has been asked to do their efficiency numbers would probably look a whole lot better BUT those offenses they played on would have been a whole lot less scary for opponents.
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I don’t think you compare quarterbacks. You build your offense around what each does best. Stafford you go long ball. Mason and Lambert, you go with ball control. The exception is guys that got the arm, but don’t protect the ball, or can’t read defenses as well, like Ramsey has been prone to do at times, those guys don’t start games. Lambert is smart, graduated in 3 years. I think CBS stayed with what gave him the best chance to win the game. Weather just derailed the whole thing.
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I don’t disagree with you. I am just saying not all 200 passing efficiency ratings are created equal.
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Murray also had the best set of wide receivers ever. Jammed with 5 future NFL stars from Orson Charles to Marlon Brown, Kris Durham, AJ Green, and Tavarres. Lambert ain’t got nuttin close to that. That’s why you can’t compare quarterback to quarterback.
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Murray threw to AJ Green for part of his first season. The rest of those guys are not “NFL stars” and had varying levels of success at Georgia due to injuries and what not. Brown, for example, had one good season that was cut short by an injury.
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Gotta play the hand your dealt. Lambert is in UGA’s hand and has to be used. I don’t think he is terrible at all though. Given protection and halfway open receivers he broke the damn NCAA pass efficiency rating. That is damn near impossible to do just in practice with no defenders.
What I don’t get is throwing in Ramsey for a series or two. I just don’t understand that logic. Changing QB’s mid-stream during a game makes subtle changes everywhere on the offense. I get if Lambert is struggling that Ramsey could/should come in. But if Lambert’s passer rating is 150+ next week in Knoxville for godsakes keep Ramsey out of the game.
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We’re nothing if not consistent. We had the same reactions to Bobo, Mason and Murray when they face planted. And honestly, much of the vitriol results from the repetitive and predictable nature of these losses. I don’t think a lot of fans are responding to individual performances as much as they are a perceived lack of mental fortitude that seems to permeate the entire organization year in and year out. Don’t get us started on Joe Cox. I need to get some work done today.
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https://www.dawgnation.com/football/team-news/hilarious-video-lampoons-the-hard-life-of-a-georgia-fan
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Too funny…too true. Thanks for posting I think.
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Some interesting game analysis lesewhere. Lambert simply wasn’t reading beyond the first guy unless he got forced out of the pocket, and there were a lot more open WRs than I realized (though in some cases good throws were required, but he’s made some good throws). Otherwise, he made dump off throws, or forced throws into tight/double coverage.
How much this is correctable via coaching remains to be seen. It’s certainly partly a reflection of not getting good coaching at UVA, and PTSD from UVA. How much of it is also just based on his whatever you want to call it (football IQ, mental capacity, ability to read defenses) also remains to be seen.
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This is what I’ve been saying about Lambert from Day One.
Honestly, I feel like he’s farther along than I expected. But Schottenheimer still has his work cut out.
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I’m with you. He is farther along than I was expecting for this point into the season (and inarguably I would have taken 4-1 if you offered it to me). Alabama was unfortunate (in a number of ways; I get the sense you are some amount of disappointed that the Defense isn’t farther along, or am I misreading?). But we’ve got over a half a season left. There will be more struggles for Lambert, hopefully increasingly minimized/schemed around. And I believe there will be more good performances too.
If it was me – and I’m not an expert – if I was going to get snaps for a second QB against Tennessee it would be Bauta because he gives me options with it’s feet. But I think there’s a reason we haven’t seen him before Ramsey. I think there are multiple reasons, point of fact, and anyway I’m still not an expert despite all that typing I did between now and the first time I pointed it out.
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On the defense, I was pretty pleased with how they played the run.
But I am concerned about the defense giving up big plays.
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I don’t know anyone who feels Lambert should be shown the door and feel he is our best alternative at this point, and not a bad alternative to have. Some of the horror show at QB can be blamed on the run being shut down so decisively in the first half, some on the handling of a wet ball, or inability of receivers to get open off the snap. Yes, they both played in wet conditions but there is no doubt that factor favored one team more than the other.
I am much more worried about what happened to the OL than Lambert. If you have so little control that you cannot cock your arm with a wet ball, you have to know there was less than optimal ability to make a solid throw from that same grip. What concerns me more than Lambert is the continuing trials given to Ramsey without a sniff for Bauta. I have not seen anyone suggest FB be given the start, just the opportunity afforded Ramsey.
realize CMR is a QB guru and unlike any of us, has seen all the practice reps but how can a QB that: 1) offers an alternative, dual style QB, 2) knows the playbook/system, 3) has the respect of the players and,
4) reportedly can make the throws necessary to operate all but the extreme length passes not be given a series or two. It wasn’t us who said this was a close competition and that all competitors brought something to the table that made them a viable leader of the offense.
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My concerns are both lines. Period. The team has little depth and the OL is very light. Looked like a high school team next to Alabama. Inconsistent recruiting along the trenches and an erratic S&C program have come home to roost. Bama can exploit that advantage like few teams can, but the UGA lines aren’t good enough to beat them.
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I am sure Bauta wishes he had transferred and likely he will be gone after the season. He has graduated so he can play immediately at another D-IA school. But I think he only has one year of eligibility left. If he could come up with a sixth year…….
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My main issue is not Lambert starting. It is Ramsey #2 after we were told this was a three man race in summer and after Ramsey’s effort on Saturday.
My second issue is CBS’ ridiculous quotes yesterday.
My third issue is Lambert continuing to start if he can’t generate the internal moxie to hold his head high, fight for four quarters, and be the spark plug of the offense no matter what is happening around him. AM had that kind of day in SC 2012, so I am not saying pull the kid. But if he keeps crawling inside himself when trouble comes, then yeah, I would consider that worthy of serious review. Maybe I was seeing something else than the rest of you, but that is very important imho.
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I have to do a mea culpa on #2 above – I either misread or misinterpreted some of his quotes.
Thoae of us who were annoyed that CBS said Ramsey was going to play regardless of his performance should re-read the quote. CBS meant Ramsey was scheduled to play regardless of Lambert’s performance.
I am still aghast with the decision moving forward, of course… 🙂
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Tell the team GL is the guy and work with him on his progressions. Work with the receivers on being more physical and beating press coverage.
You can’t appease everyone and win.
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The record cannot be argued, I think the analysis has to go beyond that. What should be expected of a good to VG team (talent wise), against a great team? I think Bama is the gold standard for quality talent and depth, give them a 10. UGA is a 7-8 against that standard. Based on that, it is more inexplicable that Bama ever loses, or gets pushed if your expectation that better teams should not lose. Fact is, they do, but good to VG teams are going to lose more often, especially since the margin of difference is closer.
Last year Bama lost to a decent Ole Miss team, a VG, but not great, ohio team, and got pushed to the limit against average Arkansas and Auburn teams. Those would be considered “fails” by many of our fans using the same standard we want to hold our staff too. And over the years, that loss to LSU in 2011, the OU Sugar Bowl loss, the Kick 6 loss, the ULM, Utah, SC losses were to teams they were as much better than we were to SC and GT last year, and other misses.
My point is a team rated 10 losing, or narrowly escaping, a loss to a team rated 6 or 7 is as bad as us losing to a team rated 5 or 6. It happens to all teams, almost every year. Look at the games last week with Ole Miss, UCLA, or even ohio/Indiana, or Michigan St/Purdue. No team plays great every week, but we go ballistic about every misstep or stumble. Saban is a great coach, imo, but even he doesn’t get the best effort out of his players every week (he did this past Saturday and that is why he was so ecstatic…it surprised even him.) But he does have a much larger margin for error than anyone else because he simply has the the best talent available and that changes the evaluation process…or should.
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Lambert did play great against those lightweights. I wish I was ok with that being the measure of greatness. Murray, Cox, Stafford, Greene, Shock or Mason ever had as bad as a game as Lambert did. That’s what worries me, because from here out, there’s more good teams than cupcakes and Lambert failed the first test worst than any Georgia quarterback in the CMR era. My friends tell me that too “Man, he played great against Louisiana Monroe”. I get that. He did. Big whoop. It means nothing really.
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I actually tend to agree with this. Murray’s rating was certainly as terrible in the 2012 South Carolina game, but he was under constant pressure, too. Lambert had all day to throw for much of the first half.
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I didn’t see all that time when I re-watched the film. I think Danielson noted that you only have to hurry the QB a half-count to throw the QB off his timing with the play, and the receiver. He said the sack count is not the best indicator, sometimes it is just seeing a different colored uniform breaking free in front of you to signal a hurry up message to your brain.
I think the reason Lambert looked so bad and indecisive was the lack of time for the deep receiver routes to open up and the superb job Bama’s backers did to cut off the underneath, short throws.
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I watched the game. i know he was rarely pressured and held the ball way too long on several occasions when he wasn’t checking down to people who weren’t open.
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Asking why Bauta he can’t get a look in a game isn’t throwing anyone out. As for that passer rating, if the other QB’s didn’t achieve that many games with 200+ then it’s not a stat I’d hang my hat on. Sheesh. Saturday can’t get here soon enough.
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Y’all can debate QB’s and OC’s all you want. I’ve seen what happens with great QBs and OC’S with Richt at the helm and it makes no difference. So I don’t really care who starts or who calls the plays. Until we have a new head coach it amounts to squat.
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He’s been bad against the 2 good Ds he’s faced and good against the bad Ds. The batted passes, for a guy his size, are really the most frustrating thing about him for me.
Sure, the coaches know what they’re doing but you can only get so much out of a kid.
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Meh….different people, different opposition. How about something with more consistency, like bed shittings per year? I would guess we are so consistent people might say coincidence? Nah.
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Piss on UT!
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I don’t think I can endure another boat racing like that again. Hoping we poop our pants again this season at least twice more, so that CMR can’t embarrass us AGAIN on national tv. Really, that’s not asking too much is it?
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Not at all. I’d rather us get blown out five more times so Richt can be shown the exit door rather than limp in to another 2nd place finish where the sunshine pumpers can serve the “next year” kool-aid for the umpteenth time and have to go through this whole cycle again next year. I’m tired of it.
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So many of the people you are referring to in this post had their torches, pitchforks, and keyboards all ready to go well before we kicked off on Saturday. I wonder if some didn’t almost hope for it to happen so they could hop right back on their anti-Richt, anti – (insert offensive coordinator) soap boxes again.
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I was a pretty big CMR apologist until Saturday, actually. I thought it was embarrassing on several levels…I am just kind of sick of listening to CMR’s bs, to tell you the truth. It’s just noise.
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WOW! Are we sensing an evil Cosmic?
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I think you are just naive to how many staunch Richt supporters finally had enough after Saturday.
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