Chip Towers makes a factual point about why we need Jacob Eason on that line.
But if the Bulldogs are to get back to where they traditionally have been offensively — that is, atop the SEC in points scored and total yardage — they have to resurrect the passing game. And Eason represents the best option for doing that.
When Georgia was annually among the leaders in scoring in the SEC, they always had a dynamic passing game. From 2007 to 2014, the Bulldogs always put up at least 2,500 yards passing, and usually well over 3,000 yards. Even when Georgia was rolling with its run game behind Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall in 2013, the offense threw for 4,085 yards.
Last year that slipped to 2,406 yards. So did scoring, to 26.3 points per game.
Yeah, last year was definitely anemic. But even over the time Towers reviews, there were ups and downs to Georgia’s offense as a whole. Look at Georgia’s conference ranking over the last eight seasons in yards per play.
- 2008: 2nd (6.70)
- 2009: 6th (5.94)
- 2010: 4th (6.15)
- 2011: 4th (5.63)
- 2012: 1st (7.09)
- 2013: 5th (6.66)
- 2014: 1st (6.79)
- 2015: 5th (6.03)
The worst average comes from the year of no running game, 2011. The lowest ranking comes as a result of a Coxian turnover margin. The three best years all came when the offense combined solid running games with experienced quarterbacks. (And 2013 would have been right up there had it not been for the run of injuries.)
So you tell me — assuming Georgia’s running game is great again, is Eason special enough to match what Stafford, Murray and Mason brought to the table as experienced starters?
Get The Picture 
If we get Michel and Chubb back early on, and one of the others (Holyfield?) contributes as well, then Eason is the best shot at having a dynamic offense. If we don’t have a good running game, then I think Eason is all we have in terms of an offense.
The only reason I’d play Lambert is if I’m scared of losing and want to just pack it in behind a good ground game and try to grind out wins. Unfortunately, that may be the route Kirby takes.
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I still have a glimmer of hope that the new staff can break down the offense in a way the Ramsey can digest. Remember Smart’s 1st hire was Schumann who according to early reports specialized in implementing Saban’s complex system into something a college kid understands. Ramsey’s knock was he didn’t do the film work.
I’m not sure if you can shake Lambert’s poor execution when hurried the least bit. But that is not to say, A good OC can do amazing things most people forget how Borges turned Campbell around at Auburn. Further I don’t want Eason learning bad habits to survive, granted UGA’s OL should be far better than what Lambert had at UVa.
The new staff has experience in the college game and making these decisions. In my opinion Schott’s greatest weakness was not having experience bringing along a college QB, and possibly being stuck on his diamond in the rough. The goal for ’16 is to set up the long term, and if it costs UGA the UNC game so be it… and unlike most UGA fans I would normally be more upset at an Out of conference loss than a rival. I’ll give this staff some time before drawing any conclusions.
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Seriously? We have a 6’6″ 245 lb cannon armed phenom on the roster. Who was more fun to watch, Stafford as a freshman or Mason as a senior?
I say put the big rookie in there and let him throw it around. Just the fact that he can throw it past the linebackers will open up the run game for whoever we end up with in the backfield.
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To be fair, I’m sure some of the same things were said of Lambert and Ramsey when they first got to college.
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Maybe. But I don’t remember BR being quite as highly touted as Eason. As for Lambert, I really had high hopes (Based on what I couldn’t say, hope maybe?)
It could be that a couple of seasons of milquetoast QB play has me hankering for a downfield pass or two.
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Packing in the ground game given, UGA’s young RBs, and the best looking QB being a true Fr. against a UNC D that gives up yards might be the plan to win the game but I do get the point this should not be long term at all.
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Have y’all figured out who Eason is going to throw to? This reminds me of USCe fans the year after Clowney took the Michigan player’s head off.
First offensive play vs UNC:
“Eason, the center, lines up over the ball. He snaps it to Eason, who fakes the handoff to Eason, just in time for Eason to pick up the blitzing linebacker. Eason spots Eason breaking free down the sideline and lays it in there perfectly to score an Eason. “
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I still get googly-eyed when I see that 2012 YPP number.
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Take out the Vandy game, when Murray had no one left to play with, and the two games when Mason started, and Georgia’s 2013 YPP was 7.18.
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I think I need a cold shower.
Remind me again why people hated Mike Bobo?
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Play action pass 4th Qtr USCe ’07. He could however win a box score.
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2007? I think Bobo grew into the job a little as time went on.
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Taking the foor off the gas Arkansas ’14. Running into a wall WLOCP ’14 and letting Mason throw it after the game was out of hand. He had flashes of brilliance (USCe ’13?) but I still don’t trust him with something on the line.
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*foot
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See, this is what I mean when I talk about the irrationality of Bobo complaints. 2014 Arkansas? Huh?
Georgia won that game by two scores after Arkansas made some noise in garbage time. It was 45-26 midway through the 4th quarter, essentially ballgame. Arkansas scored. Georgia punted. Arkansas scored. Georgia ran out the last five minutes of the game. Then the game was over. As it had been the entire second half. Fire the man, I guess? If anything, blame Pruitt for Arkansas scoring all throughout the second half.
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If you’re going to get mad at Bobo for Arkansas making a vague game of it after getting destroyed in the first half, then get mad at Saban for Georgia only losing by two scores in 2008.
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UGA’s fan often shuffles blame for the game over to the DC. Grantham gets called out for Bama SECCG which, yes he was run over but Bobo does not share his part of the blame for going 3 and out especially on the 2nd to last possession.
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Again also on the Arkansas, the D gets blasted for it becoming a game when the offense was going 3 and out in the 2nd half. Half of UGA’s 2nd half possessions were 3 and outs but the defense gets all the blame for not keeping it a blowout.
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You didn’t really address any of my points.
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You did make one of my points by posting, blame Pruitt for Arkansas scoring all throughout the second half.
An offense can’t call off the 2nd and leave all of the work to the defense. Half of the 2nd half possessions were 3 and outs, and the defense delivered turnovers in the first half as well.
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He can if that’s what the head coach instructs him to do.
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The play action pass, roll out disaster vs. USC in 2014 is what always gets me. That play should not have been in the playbook that week. I can only hope that it was something Mason audibled to.
Overall, Bobo is a very good OC. Like too many OC’s they can be too cute on occasion.
See Lane Kiffin calling for a pass from Sims to OJ Howard in the 4th quarter vs. OSU. What???? That cost Saban another trophy right there.
The guys still does a very good job, but the creativity can lead to out thinking yourself. I know I’ve done it.
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I hated the call when it happened, but when I watched the replay, I saw that USCjr had 11 players, a couple coaches, some rows of students from the student section, the cheerleaders, and a pretzel cart vendor stacked in the box on the play. Gurley is awesome, we all love Gurley, but that was not a terrible time to go away from Todd having to go 1 on Everybody. Hutson just screwed it up.
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My problem was never that he didn’t give it to Todd. My problem was that it put Hutson on the move, one on one with an unblocked OLB.
I was fine with a pass. I was fine with a P/A pass. I wasn’t fine with Mason trying to out run a SEC OLB. Not smart.
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The Bobo complaints boil down to individual examples, mere trees from the forest. Helpful hint: One can find bad examples for every OC.
Shoot, I remember some certain posters on some certain blogs trashing Bobo for not “adjusting” in 2013, noting that Gus Malzahn certainly could if in a similar bind. Oh yes, Gus did a lot of adjusting last year.
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And frankly, it wasn’t the calls, it was the results. All OCs are geniuses, or bums, every game. Only those fans who expect zero adversity and 100% execution will love an OC throughout his career. Bobo was damned good, as an OC, a coach, and a recruiter. And we paid him half of what some other OCs were getting paid. Good luck to him, and would be good riddance to see McStupid hit the road.
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Ah yes – the timeless nonsense that one single data point (in his first full season as OC, no less!) is somehow more compelling or meaningful than the remaining entirety of his body of work. Sounds like a Bobo complaint to me.
What about the masterpiece against Kentucky in 2014? That was one of the most efficient offensive performances in Georgia history. How about the Auburn games in 2007, 2011, 2012 or 2014? How about the South Carolina games in 2009, 2011, or 2013? How about that Arkansas game in 2009? Shit man – what about that Georgia Tech game in 2012 where the only thing that prevented Georgia from gaining eleventy billion yards was they kept crossing the goal line? LSU in 2008 and 2013? Florida in 2007? Those are just some of the great offensive performances I can think of off the top of my head right now during the Bobo era, but I’m certain there are many more.
But you’re right – that one time he had a play call fail in 2007 was clearly the canary in the coal mine on the Bobo era.
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I said he had some brilliant games but would turn around and wet the bed just as bad.
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CMR gets an assist for that.
Had he played KM in 2006 (as the entire team said he was the best RB that year) then Bobo rides him into the endzone on those two drives (I think 2) where we went FG inside the redzone.
I also recall Michael Moore had a horrendous drop on the goal line or in the endzone in that game.
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CMR and Bobo were a team. I do find it interesting that when the Senator asked what would be a successful season and bed wetting/head scratcher games come up but Bobo is praised when his offense was part of the instance posters are looking to avoid.
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I think Eason is going to be a dynamite player. I went back and watched 93K Day when the SEC Network was replaying spring games this week. I just don’t think he’s going to be that player on September 3 in the Dome.
Using the years that the Senator posted, I don’t expect him to play in 2016 like next year’s #1 overall draft pick (2008), the SEC’s most prolific QB (2012-3), or a 5th year senior who knew the offense and had a great ground game behind him (2014).
I’m preparing myself for Murray 2010 or Stafford 2006 – an unbelievable play followed by a bonehead freshman mistake the very next play. Hopefully, the defense doesn’t stink up the place like Grantham’s 1st defense did, and the light comes on for Eason later in the season like it did for both of them.
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I agree. I think the fan base is being completely unrealistic regarding a true freshman QB no matter how talented he is.
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If Dobb’s is being touted as a “Heisman Contender”, my answer would be Eason will be beyond special!
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So you tell me — assuming Georgia’s running game is great again, is Eason special enough to match what Stafford, Murray and Mason brought to the table as experienced starters?
To me the answer is no – it really can’t be because experience counts – but I would add that I think you’re asking the wrong question. The only question that is relevant right now is whether he brings more to the table than Lambert or Ramsey because those are the choices. Of course, that is up to the coaches, but these old eyes say he brings a lot more to the table. I just hope that psychologically he can stand a little rough treatment early on because he’s going to get that from defenses until he shows he can play.
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I agree with you on what’s relevant in the here and now, which I why I have no clue who starts in the Dome. The comment you highlight was in response to Towers’ point about the offense being prolific again, though.
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If Ramsey could pull it together, he’s got the physical skills to get the job done until Eason is ready. This is what a lot of people are overlooking…a well prepared, studied, practiced, more mature and prepared Ramsey could give UNC headaches. CMR couldn’t seem to motivate him, but maybe CKS has made some progress with him. For his Ramsey’s sake, I hope so. It’s a nice thought.
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I would like to see that because I really don’t like the idea of throwing a true freshman into the fray, but I didn’t see much to think that the light had turned on yet for Ramsey at G-Day. Clearly Ramsey has some talent, but he has to put the whole package together.
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Without using G-Day as a measuring stick for who should start at QB, Ramsey outplayed Lambert and was as solid as Eason. He looked good running the offense in my opinion.
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Totally agree, based on GDay alone. I am not anti-Lambert at all, he clearly can be very effective when his feet are planted, but he had his shot last year and hit the ejection button too quickly. Ramsey has also blown a shot but didn’t get nearly the number of chances Lambert was given.
It would be a decision between Ramsey and Eason for me based on what I think we need at QB. Perhaps a better OL would make me lean toward Lambert but I have wished on that star too many times in the past. Content to let the coaches, who see every practice rep, make that decision, I am OK with any of the three for the UNC start.
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I expect Mr. Kirby to be a much more decisive and aggressive HC. I hope that becomes a favorable factor in end of game decisions particularly in his first year. We’ll all see.
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A frequent complain by some fans against Bobo is the perception that he changes calls too early even when it’s working leading to problems in the game outcome.
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that may be true but most the people I ever heard yelling about Bobo were the mouth breathing fans that blame the OC when the punter drops the snap, etc.
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Remind me again just what Mason brought to the table other than being a 5th year senior
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Enough to run the sixth best offense in America.
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But but that was all Bobo, so again remind me what he brought other than being a better game manager than Lambert and 5th year senior
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I was VERY much a Mason h8er when he was here, a lot of which was reactionary because I was sick of Cobb County Hutson homers demanding that he start forever and be inducted into the UGA HOF whenever Aaron Murray would throw an interception.
But for the most part he was…fine. Handed the ball off, didn’t throw interceptions, completed 2/3rds of his passes. You’d be boned if you had to rely on him to make a big comeback COUGHFLORIDACOUGH but otherwise, you could do a lot worse. Like 2015 UGA!
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I’m not usually a proponent of starting a freshman QB but I’m all in and why is equally split between what we have returning and what I think he brings to the table. Maybe toss in the coaching changes and I say why not.
Also, I’m not for giving him a watered down playbook. He seems like a smart kid and a lot of this fresh for everyone. The blame for any struggles will be equally distributed. Lol. Really, though….hampering the offense out of fear goes against the whole point of running off the old staff. I expect struggles but I’d rather see us give it our all.
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It will be interesting to see if Smart ever really turns it loose considering the “conservative” offenses his mentor had.
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You have a Freshman unproven 6’6″ 245# gunslinger who according to the experts has all the tools needed to perform at this level and beyond.
You have a Senior 6’5″ 220# scared, deer in the headlights under pressure, unable or unwilling to throw deep. Will never go beyond this level.
You have a RS Junior believe 6’3″ 220# who has been unable to comprehend or just to lazy to comprehend the position, and can sling the ball albeit to the opposing teams defenders. May go beyond this level as a punter.
Most will agree other than the Richtolytes that this is Kirby’s year to get a pass being a new HC and new job. Why not go with the Freshman gunslinger and pin your hopes on year 2 or 3. Nothing to lose other then the critical cries of the Richtolytes who’s only bar is 10 wins and a mediocre bowl appearance.
🙂
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Bashing other Georgia fans is weak and, frankly, embarrassing. Otherwise, I agree.
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jaboo, they not bashing. Did you not see the emoticon?
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Georgia Fans or Richt Fans?
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I always come back to the LOS. Kirby seems light years more concerned with the LOS than was Mark. If your LOS is powerful you can wIn National Championships with mediocre QB’s must less 5 *s. Alabama proved this time and time again. Remember that doctors are not the only ones that should first do no harm, QB’s should make that their motto.
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^^This. To paraphrase Bill Clinton: “It’s the O-line stupid.”
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Mike Bobo’s offense is better in every facet than what Jom Chaney has done.v
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Stafford Murray and Mason 😑?One of these things is not like the others.
Seriously, the statistical difference between Mason in 14 and Lambert last year is negligible. The only glaring difference is that Mason threw 9 more TD’s, but he also had Conley and Bennett.
In summation, if Eason can’t hit the ground running and at least be better than those two, I’ll be a little worried.
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