Kirby Smart knows he can’t keep a good thing going too much longer. Kinda, sorta, anyway.
This much is clear: Georgia will play two quarterbacks on Saturday, against an overmatched Nicholls State team that should allow the opportunity. There could even be three quarterbacks who get in the game.
After that, however, the picture is murky, with mixed signals coming out the past few days.
Senior Greyson Lambert, who started the opener against North Carolina, appeared to be first in the pecking order on Monday and Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, as the media period ended (45 seconds early, leaving the media on the field) it was Jacob Eason who was going with the first team.
It may be a case of simply giving both a liberal amount of reps in preparation for playing. It could be something else.
Earlier on Wednesday, head coach Kirby Smart hinted during a radio interview that it’s getting time to focus in on one quarterback.
“We’ve got to make some decisions as we go. It’s hard to get two guys enough reps, more or less one. So we’ll have to make a decision,” Smart said on XM Sirius Radio, adding: “I can’t say right now which way we’ll go on it.”
Can’t or won’t?
Get The Picture 
That’s just code for saying Eason has to get good enough to take the job outright. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Lambert takes the job and Eason get’s no game reps. It’s not just that he’s the future, he’s too good of a talent to leave on the sidelines.
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Let’s be honest as fans, the coke bottle in me says it’s more acceptable to lose with Eason than Lambert if it comes to that.
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I would still rather win with Lambert and Eason than lose with Eason too early. 😉
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I skipped ahead and read the last page of this book. I know how it ends.
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Would prefer we use last game’s strategy until after the Mizzou true road environment, doesn’t hurt a thing and that should/could be the last training wheels ride required. If Eason handles the road noise and stage in Columbia next week, let it rip in Oxford. I just don’t see what it matters about Lambert taking the first dozen snaps of the next two games and give Eason time to see what the defense is doing before coming in. No downside for UGA, and an easing into action for JE. Kirby should not get stampeded by fans who carry the Lambert hate to ridiculous lengths.
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This. Although I don’t think Kirby gives a rats ass about those fans or what they think
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No,neitherdo I. He didn’t the first game, and doubt he will for this week. If he puts Eason in at the start, it would probably be because he thinks it is best. I just worry that we overlook the road game, particularly if we have a major surge in the passing game this Saturday.
Mizzou is still a defensive minded team and the fans will be stoked for the first SEC game of the season. Patience, lad, ignore the roar of the loud voices for another couple of weeks and make certain before turning over the keys. It worked well last week, and we are in no rush to force this inevitable event.
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I don’t know how excited their fans are going to be next week. WV whipped them soundly last weekend.
Mac, I agree with you. I trust Kirby is going to keep the current rotation until Eason proves he’s ready and deserves to start. Kirby isn’t going to set the young man up to fail especially if the season’s goals are all in front of us. That would be coaching malpractice.
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Agree with both your posts and up until now I drew the same conclusion. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. But I just looked at the Mizzou depth chart again and they are once again loaded with redshirt juniors and seniors on defense. I think they just were not ready for West Virginia. Plus they spread em out.
My conclusion now is that Eason should start and play most of the game this weekend. We are going to have trouble in Columbia if we go with Lambert and try to attack the middle of the field. We will need Eason to open it up. And if we are going to need him in week three it makes no sense to me that we don’t get him as ready as possible in week two… which is basically a scrimmage. And we definitely will need him in Oxford.
But then again bringing Eason in after a couple of series is a great idea if we can give him an early lead. Which goes to whether or not we defer or take the ball on the opening kick off. I can see us deferring the next two weeks… but we can’t afford to give Ole Miss a fast start like they got against free shoes.
We get to learn a lot more about Kirby and Chaney with this decision. I think it’s more than just waiting till Eason is ready. Same with Sony. It’s nice to be playing chess instead of checkers.
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You know…I am not sure Ole Miss has what it takes. With the shit- storm raging around them, this last weekend’s fast start, I think, was as much about spiting everyone than anything else. That is not sustainable over a whole season…or even 2 halves apparently. I don’t think there is any way they don’t lose focus at some point. And when it does–it could get ugly. And ugly couldn’t happen to a more deserving dude than Freeze.
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Bet he will the first time he screws up and hears about it.
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The offense “looks different” and the defense has to respect the arm, so the Dline isn’t stacked when Eason is in there. It can’t be just me that saw that last week. Heck, Fedora admitted it too. (sigh)
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“Dline isn’t stacked when Eason is in there.”
Doesn’t matter. 😉
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I get a bit of a giggle and a measure more frustration with internet coaches who make definitive statements about – well, I was going to say who should be starting or playing at QB, but really I mean anything Georgia football-y. The coaches know what they’re doing. Let them do their job. If they f it up, then we can get all proclaim-y and judgmental. Or just mental. But methinks we’re already there.
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Several UGA beat writers have opined about the pressing need to start Eason NOW. I believe that starting Eason for his first time isn’t exactly risky vs Nicholls, but if Lambert gets one last start this weekend, it won’t be the end of the world. On another note, I’m certain Ronald Ollie (from Last Chance U fame) will have at least one face to face (on the ground) with our QB on Saturday. That kid is FAST!
Chubb will surely get his 100+ and sit out the rest of the game, while our young RBs get a chance to shine. Eason should get lots of chances to throw the ball all over the field on Saturday – can’t wait to see Nauta, Ridley, and other newcomers make some completions.
My Bulldawg glasses are always rose-colored this time of year – and why not? Our team showed a kind of grit and resilience last Saturday that has been missing for many years under CMR. I cannot help but think a Richt-coached team would have lost last week.
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Richt has been gone for 9 months now… no one knows what a Richt-coached Georgia team would have done last weekend. This fantasized comparative analysis of what Richt-Georgia would look like now is so tired. Please give it a rest. Richt is in Miami, Kirby is our coach now and we won game 1. Long way to go, but Kirby’s dawgs definitely showed some grit and resilience last week.
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Amen
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Good point. What do you think Richt would have done with regard to Eason/Lambert?
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That one is easy, Eason would be starter from get go.
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Stafford was heading for a redshirt until his dad said… and I quote,” we didn’t sign up for this”. Stafford played after that.
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Yeah… but didn’t you have the slightest tinge of “huh… so now you score 70?” when you saw Richt’s squad roll up FAMU?
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Not really. I wish CMR a successful career with the Canes but beyond that I don’t care much what they do.
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Mine was more “…so NOW you cover the spread…”
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a zillion
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“+”
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Amen
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Richt would have lost last week. You know it and I know it.
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Pretty sure Richt made his mark by making bigger comebacks against better competition but let’s not let that stop the rhetoric. People that make this comment are the very same people who claim a Smart coached team would never allow a kick 6 that got us down in the first place. Richt had his flaws, sure. One of them being that his success created these expectations and fans who poor mouth him
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This x 1million!
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Don’t care, beat Mizzou.
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You people are like a fourteen year old kid with a new sports car setting in the drive way waiting to get your learners permit. It’s going to happen.
Georgia’s offensive system is Pro Style and therefore much more complex as far as the QB is concerned. This ain’t a Chuck and Duck Gun, even in the shotgun there are check downs and Eason missed some wide open ones. The worst thing for the team is for a Stafford (bless his heart) Gunslinger to throw long just because he can, not because it’s open. Our WR’s need to figure out if they are next level guys and if they are they need to get some separation. If they get the separation Eason will more likely than not put it on the money. Patience Grasshoppers.
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Werd. Who ever starts here is a non issue, what our qb’s see and progress to….the eyes in the coaches box will be grading each segment of the game plan….and then we’ll have to see the film to make any assessment. GO DAWGS!
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Isn’t it basically a foregone conclusion that Eason will take over the job once they think he’s ready…or ready enough? In the meantime, the rotation will continue. I don’t see that being a real problem until the Ole Miss game, and maybe not even then if the defense holds up.
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