I thought this would make the subject of a fun post for you guys.
Today, we’ll look at the offense as it pertains to 2016.
So here we go – my predictions sure to go wrong.
• Greyson Lambert will start at quarterback against the Tar Heels but Jacob Eason will play in the game and take over the starting job by Week 4 at Ole Miss.
• Nick Chubb will not start against North Carolina. He’ll play, but only get four or five carries as coaches will remain very cautious with him to start the year.
• Sony Michel will surpass the 1,000 yard mark for the second straight year. While he will come close, Chubb won’t quite reach 1,000 yards but will surpass 1,000 yards in total offense.
• After catching just 28 passes between them, Georgia’s tight ends will triple that number with Jeb Blazevich, Isaac Nauta and Charlie Woerner catching at least 20 balls. Bulldog tight ends will also contribute at least 10 touchdowns.
• Terry Godwin will lead the Bulldogs in receptions, say 50 or so, but sophomore Jayson Stanley and freshman Riley Ridley will finish second and third, respectively
• Tyler Catalina will win the battle to become the team’s left starting left tackle. That will push Isaiah Wynn to left guard, with Brandon Kublanow at center, Dyshon Sims at right guard and Greg Pyke at right tackle. Freshman Ben Cleveland will work at second team left guard but will push for a starting job – probably at right guard – before the year is complete.
• Georgia will finish top three in the SEC in total offense.
• For the second time in his career, Isaiah McKenzie will return a punt and a kickoff for the touchdown in the same game.
• Walk-on kicker Mitchell Wasson will handle field goals and extra points for the Bulldogs, with Rodrigo Blankenship handling the kickoffs.
Weirdly enough, of all those, I feel most confident about his Nick Chubb call.
I’d like to say I feel good about the prediction of increased tight end production, but we heard that last offseason and we saw where that got Georgia’s offense.
Speaking of which, how’s this for a spot-on preseason call?
So, how do you feel about this batch for 2016?
Get The Picture 
Top 3 in the SEC in total offense seems like a very, very tall order.
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I mean, it’s Anthony Dasher, who is second only to Barnhart in the “Mr Conventional Wisdom” moniker…
If Eason starts UNC, something’s gone wrong and we’ve made a horrible mistake
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1). Chubb will not see the field until the midpoint of the season…if at all.
2). Eason will be our starting QB no later than week 4.
3). I do not get the Terry Godwin love. He is a solid player, but I did not see the 5 star potential. 379 total receiving yards is not impressive, even with the QB struggles and the offensive game plan.
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I don’t think its fair to say he can’t be a great player based on one stat from his freshman season. Either that or you and I must not have been watching the same Terry Godwin. Athleticism is off the charts and I think we are going to see a breakout year from him in 2016.
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You driving drinking early again today.? .I do that at times myself.
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Don’t get the Terry Godwin love? Lambert was the QB last season, virtually all season. I’ve defended Lambert here before, but you still have to take that into account. We don’t win that bowl game without Godwin. Plus, he and Malcom were all we had last season. I expect Chaney to use the TEs, and the three receivers mentioned to good effect. I think top 3 in offense is doable.
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Well you certainly live up to your name if nothing else. Must suck to not enjoy something as fun as college football though.
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no way our TE’s get 10 TD’s
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1) The only way Eason doesn’t start against UNC is if he’s injured. That is the only way.
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If Lambert starts against UNC i will poke my eyes out. (or to be safe, I’ll just close them) Too painful to watch
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The whole “Eason starts Week 4” stuff doesn’t make any sense to me. The two games that matter least are UNC and Nichols St and while neither will be a cake-walk, Ole Miss seems like a much harder place to make your first road start than Mizzou. (Although…Ole Miss is likely to be either 1-2 or 2-1 with the former making for a desparate crowd and the latter a hyped crowd with a probable top 10-15 ranking…and have mercy if they are 3-0 with wins over FSU and Bama)
Anyway, I think if Eason is going to be the starter, he starts either in the Dome or in Game 2.
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Agreed, 4th series in Game 1 or fully in game 2
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Ding ding ding. UNC matters only insomuch as we think we’re making a national title run. In kool-aid land where that might happen, we could lose that game, make a crazy run through the SEC and still make it. Starting him at Ole Miss for the first time against probably the best team we’ll see on the road all year just seems like a horrendous mistake. Significant play time at least in UNC and either starting or playing 75%+ of game 2 seems like a much better way to see if he’s ready or not. If the answer is yes, start at Mizzou. If the answer is no, then at least you know before the road trip.
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^^^^^
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Yep, nailed it. Let him cut his teeth against UNC and Nick State. That kind of TE production would be incredible. I feel like Chubb is either ready by UNC or he isn’t, I don’t get the 4-5 carries against them.
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I doubt Chubb will be ready against NC. But if he’s even 80% he’s good for decoy duty. If he’s 95 to 100%, you don’t tell anyone. You put him in and make it look like “decoy duty” for a couple of plays and when NC thinks he’s a not factor, hit him with a screen pass for a long touchdown.
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Top 3 in offense in the SEC likely means we are doing pretty well.
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Eason is talented but I do not think it will bode well for the season if he is named the full-time starter any earlier than the Vanderbilt game (Game 7)
Lambert has a lot more talent and experience than JTIII did in 2006. I think Stafford at 18 was a bit more talented than Eason is today. Stafford didn’t become the full-time starter until the 8th game in 2006. He only started the Colorado game because of JTIII’s injury against SC. Cox only started against the Ole Miss game because Stafford had struggled so badly against Colorado and Cox bailed us out for the win. Neither played well against the Rebels so JTIII was back as the starter for UT and Vandy. It was only after we had lost those two game which essentially made winning the East impossible that Stafford was named full-time starter.
I know this was under a different coaching regime but I just cannot see this coaching staff taking such a risk with a freshman at QB early in the year. Since our 8th game this year is the Cocktail Party, I think that would be a bad idea to put the freshman in for a full-time start. If we lose early to UNC, Ole Miss and UT then Eason might be the starter sooner. But for as long as we contending in the East, I think Lambert is the guy.
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The game has changed. Watch tape of the kid from UCLA. These kids are so prepared coming in compared to the old days. They go to so many camps etc…..you can’t teach arm strength and accuracy and he has both.
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The game has changed but go and look at Stafford’s hs highlights.
Look at his Senior season stats and compare them to Eason.
Stafford was the most talented and prepared to start as a freshman in the modern era.
It was correctly predicted that Stafford was a future first pick of the NFL draft before he even had played a game.
I don’t think it bodes well for us if Eason is starting early this season. Just my opinion obviously …
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Kirby has made it clear that he’s going to start the player that gives us the best chance to win now. As a fan, that’s all I can ask whether that’s Lambert, Eason, or Ramsey. If the season’s goal (which should be to get to Atlanta) is gone, at that point, it’s time to start Eason to prepare for ’17 and beyond. Until then, Eason will get spot duty and then only if he has beaten out Lambert or Ramsey for 2nd team (remember Murray and Mett never got close to playing in ’09).
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I do wonder, though, how Kirby would switch starters mid stream, if Lambert does his usual “not terrible, not great” routine, when do you bench him in favor of Eason? In 06, Stafford got the call because of some injuries to Joe T but really because it was so apparent that Joe T was, sadly, not an SEC caliber QB. But Lambert is better than that and as folks point out, the schedule heats up by week 4, so when do you pass the torch and under what justification?
I think you have to pick a guy and plan to keep him starter for the season until he really proves otherwise and I don’t know where that line is with Lambert or how Kirby could pre-determine that switch.
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Baylor ran for a bowl record 600+ yards against UNC without any QB at all. That D surrendered more than 70 points to ECU (E C U) two years ago. Chizik made it functionally competent, but it’s still a very thin and reactive front 7.
If Georgia has to throw more than 10 passes in that game, I will be shocked.
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What if we get the improbable but possible surprise of Lambert starting and playing lights-out…doing everything like a post-grad senior should and running the offense at a high level?
Would we want to see Eason keep his red-shirt and hope he stays at UGA through his senior year, or will we still want to see Eason play enough to season him for the future?
As much as I’ve been a critic of Lambert, I believe he has the skills to do just that with the right offensive scheme and coach. I’m almost willing to say it will happen, because, .after all, he really is greatly experienced and should be at the top of his game this year. One can hope.
That would be a tough call to make…but would really be the best situation for the program. It would make everything better down the road. Recruiting receivers would be easier with the prospect of playing for two or maybe three years with Eason at QB.
Any way you cut it, we have a good situation at QB with three guys who are physically talented.
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Eason will not stay 5 years at UGA. Period. If he redshirted his freshman year, Fromm would reconsider his commitment, Trevor would sign elsewhere, and we’d be much worse off.
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Bet the house that Kirby is starting the future against a rag tag NC defense that can not come close to stopping the run. Let Eason hand it off and throw dump passes until we are comfortably ahead, then turn him loose. Seen enough of Lambert o knowhegwts mop up duty.
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GA will play 12 regular season games. They will win more than they lose. That is my prediction for the year.
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How is it out on that limb, Alamosa??
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Already on record for thinking Eason & Chubb will not start until the Ole Miss Game. Then they start the rest of the season. I basically agree with
everything in this Blog. Go dawgs.
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Predictions? I predict Kirby will say ‘no comment’ when asked what he thinks about Auburn when the Gus Bus has 4 flat tires, no spare tire and a recently fired coach.
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For GOD sake dive Easton the ball and get the hell out of the way!!!!
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