Perhaps you disagree, but at least on paper, I see Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly as the best quarterback Georgia will face this season. So I got a little excited when I saw this blurb:
Does QB Chad Kelly have enough talent around him to reach or exceed last year’s numbers?
“He has enough at the skill position, but what he has at left tackle is a big question mark and could greatly impact his game. Kelly was much better the second half of last season. [Emphasis added.] His turnovers were down, his decisions were better, and he ran the ball more. Two things happened: He grew into his position, and he added a potential No. 1 overall pick at left tackle in Laremy Tunsil. Tunsil, suspended for the first seven games last year, is now gone, and the starter could be a redshirt freshman or true freshman.
“Laquon Treadwell is gone, but the Rebels have recruited well and have guys I think will make plays at wide receiver that most folks haven’t heard about yet. Kelly will be more poised and comfortable, but they’re going to have to do some things to buy him time until they become settled at left tackle.”
Great, hunh? Except when I pulled up Kelly’s game log from last season, that’s not the story his passer rating told. To start with, his most impressive performance of the season may have come in game three (mid-suspension, in other words) against Alabama, against whom he averaged more than ten yards per attempt and racked up a 171.35 rating, sixteen points higher than his season average.
Tunsil’s first game back was against Texas A&M and that may have been Kelly’s worst game of 2015. He wasn’t particularly stellar against Auburn the following week. In those two games combined, he threw five interceptions. He did have some good games down the stretch, particularly against Arkansas (although Ole Miss lost) and Oklahoma State, but overall, I don’t see the dramatic improvement claimed in the above quote, either.
Now that being said, if Ole Miss starts a true freshman at left tackle, that may indeed pose a problem, but I don’t see where Laremy Tunsil made Chad Kelly what he was last season.
Get The Picture 
That Alabama game was a game of flukes that kept coming up Ole Miss though. Like that tip drill long TD pass to Treadwell, would he have such good numbers without that play?
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Still counts, though.
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But not replicable. Throw that pass 100 times, and it’s a pick 60 times and an incomplete 39.
Add the 3rd and 1 70 yarder to Engram with a guard 8 yards into the secondary. That’s not Kelly. That’s a great play call and Steve Shaw.
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“and Steve Shaw”, perfect.
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Who was the backup left tackle last year?
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Not to kiss your ass, but that’s good stuff. Primarily, because it pulls the curtain back on what most sports columns consist of, which is finding a million different ways to explain why teams/players are good or bad.
That article would really make a lot of sense and seem super-insightful if it was supported by iron-clad proof (avg. passer rating 40 pts. higher, Ole Miss going undefeated against equal/better competition after Tunsil returned, etc.). Sadly, sports don’t follow scripts or trends, so columnists would do well to stop trying to force the issue. But, there’s really only so much they can write about before they must do that, I suppose.
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+1
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It got me thinking that Catalina’s progress may determine who starts at QB. for us.
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Suddenly, my lips’ virginity with the Senator’s ass have a funny taste as well. Agree completely with Dave for it’s revealing content that otherwise would have been an independent read resulting in being too cocky about our OM game.
Thanks for the get and it’s about time you made yourself useful. 🙂
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With Kelly improving “down the stretch”, you have to assume he’s better acclimated in his second season as starter.
The good thing is they play bama the week before us. Instead of having UGA circled on their schedule – like seemingly so many opponents do, we’re an afterthought. Win or lose vs. bama, they’ll be coming off a bruising game.
The bad thing is there’s a fair chance they’ll be 1-2 when we hit town, and desperately needing a win.
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