Parrish Walton highlights a moment in the bowl game that caught my eye when I saw the play live.
Really, a still shot doesn’t do that moment justice. The reason it grabbed my attention when it happened was because Michel, if not exactly frantically waving, was certainly making every effort to let it be known by his quarterback that he had a substantial amount of open real estate in front of him after what would have been a simple pass in the flat.
Now it’s easy to say that Eason has to get better at reading the entire field and the simple matter is that he does. (Michel was far from the only open man Eason didn’t see that game.) And let’s not forget that the play did result in a completion to (an open) Nauta that set up a touchdown on the next snap.
The hard part is that there are several factors in play behind Eason’s shortcomings. The biggest one, in my humble opinion, was a lack of trust in the offensive line’s pass blocking. There is some justification for that; Georgia finished with 24 sacks allowed, which was a middle of the road finish by SEC standards, but a considerable drop from the 15 allowed in 2015. (Of course, there’s a certain chicken and egg factor here. How much of that can be blamed on a tendency to hold the ball too long?)
There are other things, too. The transition from playing in a shotgun spread attack in high school to a pro-style offense may not have been quite as jarring as what Brice Ramsey was asked to master, but it was significant in its own way. You also have to wonder how the emphasis on avoiding interceptions, something Eason did a respectable job of as a true freshman, may have restricted his decision making.
The point here is that the burden to improve for next season is as much on Eason’s surrounding cast, including his position coach, as it is on Eason himself.
Get The Picture 
We were screaming at the tv………granted I didn’t have any defensive linemen trying to take my beer away.
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Jake Fromm should be on campus soon…..let the competition begin.
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G-Day is going to be a hoot around here.
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Can’t wait to see folks naming Brice Ramsey the starter because his G-Day QBR was 0.3 points higher than Fromm.
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and we need to move Eason to punter.
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Ramsey has a new job as holder.
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I don’t know how someone could look at the issues Eason had because he was a TRUE FRESHMAN and want to go through that same pain again next year. With Fromm we may actually have the luxury of not having to start him too soon…I know none of us quite remember what it’s like to have a groomed and ready to play RS Soph or Junior rather than a green freshman or a stopgap senior…but let’s not underestimate the importance.
I mean think about the last few starting QBs…
2016-Eason-True Fresh
2015-Lambert- (1 year eligibility)
2014-Mason- Final Year
2010-Murray- RSFreshman
2009-Cox-Final Year
2006-Joe T -Final Year / Stafford-True Freshman
2005- Shock -Final Year
2001-Greene-RS Fr
1998-Quincy Tr Fr
I mean…do you guys realize that other than Lambert…who I don’t really count because he was a transfer…that the last guy to be the “starter” at QB for UGA that wasn’t either a freshman OR in the final season of eligibility was stinkin’ Mike Bobo? Someone feel free to correct me if my history is off here.,,and let’s all hope and pray that Eason is good enough to hold off Fromm and maybe that we can get some sustainable stability at QB.
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2016 – throwaway year [/end sarcams]… if you find the Vanderbilt game (it used to be on Youtube) check around the 1:22 (one hour, 22 min mark), Chaney isn’t happy that coming off a 1st down, the next play wasn’t called sooner, thus, a timeout was called or (dare I say) burned.
Then dial up to to 1:33 mark and see where Eason misses the wide open Staley… you can see Kirby dancing at the bottom of the screen pointing to the wide open Staley, even Dave Neal, on the replay, was giving an incredulous sigh… Even color guy Matt Stinchcomb seemed to bristle at that.
Either way, that wasn’t the first game of the season for UGA/Kirby/Eason/et al, and hopefully, 10 will be adjusted to the speed of the game for 2017. Hopefully. Or the QB competition will be savage, amirite?
Also, in the Tech game, Eason seemed to be throwing behind receivers all day. On Tech’s last drive, they intercepted a ball that was thrown behind Godwin, who would have (shoulda/coulda) made a first down. Instead Tech gets the ball and scores on that drive.
Are these nitpickings? Sure. Yet for someone coming out as ranked as high as he was… someone may (and I can’t stress that word enough) been over-rated or wasn’t coached up or who the hell knows?
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seems like overcoaching to me. kid is afraid to make a mistake.
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It could be nitpicking if we went through every game and emphasized all the missed opportunities, but it is fair to say this is a very large area for needed improvement. And it was particularly troubling to see it continue throughout the season. Now it is fair to point out that he wasn’t a total failure, that he made many good throws and decisions, and he was a true freshman. But many are too willing to give him a pass on this season, he wasn’t near the top of first year starting QBs, or even true freshmen.
I expected him to have the usual freshman head scratchers, but I have trouble giving him above a C or C+ for what I saw from start to finish. The issues weren’t just not seeing the whole field, I have even more concerns about the accuracy issues that displayed themselves on virtually every long pass he threw, especially along the sidelines. Many point to the number of drops, but most of those were off target enough to make the catch a 50/50 proposition (yes, there were some straight out muffs.) I do feel he will get better at getting rid of the ball earlier to reduce the number of sacks and at
handling/disguising the ball on play action passes. I have to give him credit for being better on the two minute drill execution than I would expect for a new QB.
Bottom line, he will have to improve significantly next season for us to achieve at least an East title. The good news is he has the potential to do so, even if he had a slower than expected start. The other good news is we MAY have another QB option in 2017, one that will be on campus next week and that looks further along than Eason was last January. Eason has a one year start so he should be able to hold onto his #1 spot but if we were to see another SC type game next year I would expect to see the hook. It will be great to watch the competition this Spring and Summer. I just want to see better QB play next fall, and it doesn’t matter the number on the jersey.
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The blind faith that Fromm wouldn’t do freshman things is just astounding.
We’ve all talked about Stafford’s numbers….
89-144, 1,141 Yds, 61.8 %, 11 TD, 6 INT
Those are Peyton Manning’s numbers his freshman year.
Go look at Murray’s numbers, David Greene’s, whoevers…they ALL missed open receivers, they ALL underthrew and overthrew guys, they ALL threw bad picks…99.9% chance that Fromm would do the same thing.
All of this isn’t to say that it is a given that Eason will get better…but it sure would be a shock if (a) he didn’t or (b) that his getting better and not that Fromm wins the starting job is the best case scenario for UGA in 2017.
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Agreed. How could anyone conclude that Fromm is farther along than Eason was last January? Did he move into his dorm quicker? Seen alot of practice time already?
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Eason didn’t play GEORGIA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL!!!!
That’s why DeShaun Watson was ready day one…errr…I mean Dobbs…doh…Lambert…hmmm…Mettenberger…derp…I mean Hutson Mason…welp…
Freshmen do freshman things…even if they set GHSA records their senior year.
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Work on your reading comprehension, Fletch. Isn’t blind faith, and no one said there were any guarantees. You guys willing to accept that there is only one savior, and that he is already on campus are much more willing to believe blindly.
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I just think your whole premise is wrong. It DOES matter that he was a true freshman. History shows us that over and over and over and over and over and over again…and this idea that another true freshman would come in and not do the same true freshman things is akin to blind faith….it’s like putting a down payment on a house because you think you are winning the lottery.
And the idea that Fromm is ‘farther along’ because he played in Georgia instead of Washington is fool’s gold, too. There is no evidence anywhere that high level high school football in Georgia is like minor league development for QBs.
Again, I’m not saying Eason has proved that he is THE ANSWER. I’m not even saying that Fromm won’t have the better career. Eason’s got to improve. But the odds of him improving are heavily stacked vs. the odds of Fromm coming in and not doing Freshman things. Any people that say otherwise are fooling themselves.
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I think we all hope the light comes on and the game slows down. He was still a freshman all year. We should see some major improvements from today to the start of next season. Aaron Murray as a RsF had a big jump in vision and quickness of decision making from year 1 to year 2.
I think the issue for all of us is remembering back to Stafford and how the light turned on by the Auburn game and he never looked back. I was hoping/expecting the same.
Also doesn’t help to have a true freshman QB in Tuscaloosa win SEC offensive player of the year. Granted, they have a slightly more competent offensive line.
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“slightly”
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🙂
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Stafford’s sophomore season was pretty mediocre. Here’s his game log if you don’t believe me:
http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/matthew-stafford-1/gamelog/2007/
The team was very good, and it mostly made up for his flaws. Unfortunately, when he finally came into his own as a junior, the team lacked whatever magic they found down the stretch in 2007.
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His numbers certainly were better in 2008, but got to remember that it was in this stretch that Bobo was coming into his own as a OC, rules were relaxed allowing for more scoring across the board, and UGA was starting to open up the playbook. Measured against today’s standards, that was not a year to remember at all, but at the time, 2500 yards and around 20TDs was about the standard for UGA’s offenses, give or take a year. Joe Cox at one point tied for most TD passes in a season in UGA history. We ran the ball, threw it some, and tried to play Junkyard Defense.
2008, 2011, 2012 were years where our offenses really took off in a big way.
To put it in perspective, Eason threw it 30 more times this year than Stafford did in 2007. and only around 10 times less than Stafford as a junior.
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The fog of time may be clouding my memory, but I surely don’t remember Stafford getting this amount of scrutiny from the fan base. Am I wrong about that?
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Meh, it was pretty had after that 3 int game vs MSU and also vs Kentucky that year. The difference is that when it clicked, it was obvious to everyone that he had it under control. Until Eason gets more accurate and throws on time, it will remain as it is.
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What I remember about that Kentucky game is that Stafford was nearly killed. He was one tough hombre, though.
As for Eason, he does need to step up this next season and I think he will. Competition from Fromm will certainly help both of them. I just hope the coaching is equally improved. Eason seems to have the right demeanor as he doesn’t seem to get rattled. Or maybe, when he’s throwing late/behind receivers, that’s the indication of being rattled. I don’t know. I do know he stepped up and made some clutch throws during the season, as well as missed some wide open receivers.
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Ditto Stafford. He also played behind some bad OLs (it’s like that’s a theme).
Eason has 2 problems to me: 1) he’s really inaccurate, which is probably footwork related, but still, and 2) he has to recalibrate his definition of “open”–guys are not going to be as open as they were in high school, which goes back to being accurate. He has to be willing to throw into small windows because he knows he can put it where he wants it.
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After the game, CMR made Stafford stand in front of the OL so they could see what happens when they miss blocks.
From what I hear, (re: Eason) it’s a leadership / assertiveness issue. Fromm will either push him or pass him.
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Yep, I agree completely.
I wonder how much Kirby/Chaney is in his ear about mistakes and if it’s got him playing tight. Maybe he needs a little Joe Cox to say “what the hell” and just throw it.
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Maybe so, but Eason’s year was better than Stafford’s but most any objective measure. I just wonder why so many fans are less patient now than they were back then. Is it just different times we live in where patience is even more laughably short than it was back then? Do the emotions related to coaching change figure into it some way? Does the fact that there is a highly ranked freshman on the way (Fromm) make all the difference? I’m honestly perplexed.
And aren’t the people who are absolutely convinced Eason is no good the same people who thought Murray was no good? And aren’t the people who are convinced Fromm will be 100% awesome the some ones who will be pimping whatever freshman is on the way when Fromm proves to be less than 100% awesome?
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Gee whiz, I need an editor…
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All of the above. In 2006, a lot of our fans felt more optimistic about the program. We were coming off of an SEC title and were with LSU, kings of the mountain. 4 NCs by Alabama, 2 by Florida, 1 each by LSU and Auburn, and now Clemson playing for one again changed some things. Everyone got tired of driving a car with 200,000 miles on it while their neighbors bought new BMWs.
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I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. The general mood of optimism around the program during Stafford’s time probably gave him a much longer leash than Eason will ever have.
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There wasn’t any optimism after they got frog-stomped by Arian Foster, I can promise you that.
My memory is that optimism was a slow burn in 2007 until JAX and culminated in the Blackout of Auburn…it lasted up until the Sturdivant injury in the preseason the following year.
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I was speaking in relative terms. I think it is fair to say that the fan base was more optimistic (or at least unified) in Stafford’s freshman year, than it is right now.
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True…two SEC championships in 4 seasons builds a little bit of trust.
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Exactly
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Stafford did not play as much as Eason did his freshman year.
Matthew shared time with JT3 and Joe Cox so most of the fan scrutiny was on Coach Bobo and Coach Richt deciding on a QB.
Bobo’s fault 😉 according to most of the fans.
Stafford ultimately won the starting job and finished strong, but still had 13 INTs (vs. 7 TDs) in his limited playing time. Eason had only 8 INTs (vs. 16 TDs) in nearly twice the playing time.
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great post. thank you.
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Would he have overthrown him even if he did see him?
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Every QB misses open receivers at times. My concern for Eason is his touch. Most of his issues are correctable with a good QB coach but does he have a good QB coach?
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Answer: no
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I’ve wondered if the hesitation to throw an interception is holding him back. Kirby has drilled the “no turnover” idea into his head so much that I worry that he isn’t willing to make that throw to anyone he doesn’t see as open immediately (and yes Sony was open immediately as my wife pointed out to me at the time). He has to be able to take some risks to make those game changing plays. I know how important turnovers are, but risks have to be taken sometimes.
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Wasn’t the first time Eason never looked to the wide open check down running back in the flat. Two things… Eason seems to make up his mind where he is going before the snap… usually to his roommate #18. Second… All it takes is a little coaching to remind Eason that he has excellent backs as check downs that are usually wide open. Don’t underestimate the part about coaches reminding him before the play to be aware of Sony… just as the kick coverage unit should be reminded before every kick off to not be off side… details.
Coaches can not take things for granted and assume that just because the kids are taught things in practice that they will execute them in games. That is the height of vanity… makes me recall the captain of the Exxon Valdeze.
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it’s hard to look to the check-down when you’ve already thrown the ball elsewhere on an earlier read.
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Perhaps our best player should be more than the occasional first read. Especially when it works… as you mentioned below. And perhaps we might want to change up Eason’s progressions to make our passing game a little more unpredictable. Maybe Sony is the first read in the right flat… and Chubb is the second read in the left flat.
We clearly have a lot of options. The question is whether or not we will once again score on average less that 3.0 touchdowns per game in 2017.
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What about the play on 3rd down where he hit Sony 6 yards behind the first down line and Sony scored a TD?
You just equated Chaney to the Exxon Valdez captain because Eason completed a 6 yard pass but didn’t hit a check-down that he never progressed to (because he’d already thrown the ball).
Everyone needs to calm down a little.
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Staafford’s position coach was a guy who had been there done that and an excellent teacher of mechanics and execution. Eason’s position coach is well, probably watched a lot of film. Those expecting Fromm to beat out Eason will be in for a real surprise to see how much better Eason will be vs a true freshman.
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Maybe … maybe not. Either way, I’m damn sure looking forward to some more competition at QB.
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Seeing the game live, I had the same thought. But watching the replay, Sony is clearly a check down and an earlier option was open. Maybe there’s some defense reading that he’ll grow into, but I’m not mad at that play.
I’m actually surprised how many folks in UGA-land are upset at Eason’s performance. With squat for an O-Line and often only having only two receivers in routes, he barely turned the ball over (a couple of those INTs were tips or end-of-half type throws), and provided some incredible end-of-game fireworks.
Eason’s potential is as high as it ever was, and I wouldn’t trade him for anyone. But let the “HERE COMES FROMM” talk begin, I guess. So it goes.
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You may see another available option as a bad thing but I have trouble understanding that position. Everything doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition, just as it isn’t at other positions. People are excited about getting Swift in as a running back, and should be, and this goes for several other positions as well. It was truly a one option plan at QB this year, and that was unfortunate as we were forced to throw Eason in the fire before he was actually ready. If you look around the SEC, and certainly around the country, you will see that QB was a weakness for UGA, even when compared to other first year Qbs, including true freshmen.
As said earlier, I have no vested interest in what jersey number lines up at QB next year but we need help. Fromm may not be the answer for 2017, but he comes in with the potential to strengthen UGA at the position in the event that the light doesn’t come on for Eason. None of us know how that turns out yet but I am not married to one over the other and I certainly hope the staff has more than one viable choice. I don’t think they did in 2016.
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Man if this is needing help then we are in amazing shape. But to your point, you’re right that having Fromm will be a good thing. My issue isn’t with that, it’s with those who see the sky falling because Eason didn’t lead us to the playoffs and get a statue built in his honor as a freshman. Restated, he had a great year for a freshman but a lot of people don’t want to see and appreciate that. I don’t get it.
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We all hope Eason makes a great leap in Year 2, we may just disagree about the grade we assign to his 1st year. You say he had a “great year for a freshman”, the facts just do not support that as has been pointed out by several measurements, but subjectively we can all assign our own grades. I respect your right to say “great”, just disagree with it. I hope we all agree that level of performance needs to improve considerably next fall.
As for the hope that Fromm is what we are now hearing about him, all UGA should be excited about that as well. Primarily because we need a quality back-up, and secondly because there is no guarantee that JE will overcome both those “freshman issues” and accuracy concerns. Fair to say he should definitely be better in Year 2, the unknown is, how much.
Fromm’s performance is a total unknown, but all reports seem very encouraging, including those coming out of San Antonio this week. None of us know, but there is no reason to not be very excited about what he brings. My observation is that the gap is closer than many think, mostly because we were starved to get some relief from 2015’s QB concerns.
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BTW….this seems more reasonable to me..I really don’t think we are that far apart other than you seem to want to downgrade Eason’s year while I tend to think under the circumstances he played pretty well and we completely disagree on whether Fromm could be a realistic option for a good season in 2017.
I think the bad finish to the Tech game is really making people downgrade his year too much. He played really well against UNC, Mizzou, Tennessee…it wasn’t his fault we lost to Vandy, that’s for sure…..I just don’t understand how folks can choose not to be bullish on the kid because there was a LOT of evidence he can be great. Other than the Tech game, the kid played far and away his best football in the 4th Quarter….in situations where the game was tied or it was a one score game +/- he threw 265 times…what other true freshman was asked to throw that much in close games that mattered this year? He completed 57% of his throws for 12 TDs to only 3 INTs (with two of those against Tech) in those situations. That’s ice water.
And you know what…I’m going to dive deep here…the Auburn game on paper just doesn’t jump out at you. His rating was low because he didn’t throw any TD’s and only threw for 208 yards…but I think that might have been his best game all year. 31 attempts without an INT. In the first Q he had the 40 yard completion to Wims called back because of a hold and the ball taking out of his hands after the 57 yard strike for the Goodwin pass attempt. Then he has multiple third and longs and doesn’t force any picks. He was in third and long all afternoon and made some really nice throws and didn’t[ have the mental mistakes…and frankly, you give the ball to Goodwin to throw twice in the redzone that ends up in a Missed FG and an INT…Eason deserved better.
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True that the primary difference is the grade of his 2016 performance. I am very concerned with three areas: 1) his accuracy, especially down the field, 2) the inability to sort through options and find/choose the best one quickly (this may be the easiest to see progress in), and 3) the lack of improvement during the season…after game 4, or 5, he really isn’t a true freshman any longer as he has significantly more experience than a RS freshman would have. I never said he could not improve, I think he will do so and hope he will, but he has to make quite a bit of improvement to make us successful in 2017. My biggest concern is his accuracy, especially under pressure.
I said Fromm MAY, and put it in all caps, give us another QB option if Eason didn’t improve. I accept there is no way to know that in advance. This started last August when I watched his performance at The Opening as he blew everyone away on Day I. I followed him all season and the only reason he didn’t break Deshaun Watson’s passing record is his team failed to make the playoffs. He was one game away, and would have had 3 to do so. His performance per game exceeds Watsons. This week in San Antonio has only confirmed what I had seen from him. Suggest you go read the numerous write-ups and comments on what he has done in the past few days. His leadership, decision making, and accuracy is off the charts against top talent. See how he grasped the offense and helped the other QBs understand. See what Swift said to coaches about only wanting to be in the backfield with Fromm as his QB because of what he brings. I look forward to seeing him perform tomorrow on TV, even though All Star games are often hard to judge, as we saw last year from Eason. I don’t think Eason won the starting job in AA game last year, not that this factor alone is major significant, but it is another data point.
And lastly, I am not a Georgia homer and only support Ga HS players for UGA to go after. But there is a big difference between the athletes you face in 6A Georgia HS games than mid-level Washington HS league. Like the difference between facing SEC defenses versus the MAC or Conference USA players, perhaps even more. Most of my favorite players at UGA this century have come from out of state: Murray, Stafford, Knowshon, Gurly, Chubb, Michel, Musa, AJ, IMac, etc. And great players come from all levels, but they are better prepared to step up and more predictable to enjoy continued success.
So when I say the gap is closer than many realize, it is because I am convinced Fromm will be ahead of where Eason was one year ago, but that is just my opinion. And I feel Eason was more of a C+ guy in 2016, not a B or B+ again, just my opinion. Therefore, the gap is closer. Doesn’t make me right, but it isn’t “blind faith”, and it isn’t tainted by a bias to Georgia players. Whomever is taking snaps next fall is MY QB, and I hope they do well.
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Fair enough. Appreciate the good debate with a commenter I respect. Go Dawgs.
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I’m no QB, but as I understand it If you’re going through your reads and you see an open receiver, you throw it. You don’t keep reading to check if the next guy is also open. Am I missing something here?
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Yes. Jake Fromm is going to lead UGA to a Natty next year because Eason stinks and man you should see this kid in high school.
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This off-season is going to be TOUGH!
At least now we know 93k2016 truly did help recruiting.
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The process of “going through reads” is called a “progression” for a reason. Your first read is the one that the play is “designed” for. After that you go down the list until you find an open man.
I really thought that Eason’s main problem as the season progressed was not properly going through reads but not delivering the ball on time. Eason seems to have a tendency to “double clutch” the ball quite a bit which ends up throwing off the timing. This caused him some problems because he correctly identified the proper read but didn’t deliver the ball while the guy was open. He hasn’t developed the skill/trust/comfort level to throw with anticipation on a regular basis.
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I saw this live as well. In fairness he threw to an open receiver and if Sony was next in the progression…
The other thing is that there was no indication pre-snap that the defense would lose Sony so its not like he should have abandoned the progression.
I would also note that Eason looked worse not better as the year went on. He played bad against tech and not much better vs. TCU. My supposition is that they’ve put more and more on him as the year continued.
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not sure about that. In his last 4 games, only the Tech game saw his completion % dip below his average, and one of those INTs wasn’t his fault.
I think he was pretty consistent all year, and maybe even got a little better. Yeah, he started missing some open guys on those deep outs, but that’s the toughest throw in football.
http://www.cfbstats.com/2016/player/257/1078954/passing/gamelog.html
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His best passer rating was the first game and the only two games he averaged more than 10 yards a pass were the first two.
He just looked uncomfortable to me in those last two games. He missed more open receivers in those games than I had noticed before.
He didn’t get better statistically as the year went on although there were some substantial dips along the way.
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Kinda wary about bringint this up, but there’s been more than a little smoke since he got here about his love of downtown – even more than the average UGA student.
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it is physically impossible for Eason to love downtown and it’s “offerings” more than Stafford/Moreno. Stafford/Moreno loved them some Arch bar. Were often seen sleeping in the leather couch against the window well after last call. If you really want to know, both were seen passed out after last call on that very couch the thursday night/friday morning before the Bama game.
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Eason ought to follow Bobo’s path and stay away from downtown…and head over to Normaltown
Hi-Lo, Old Pal and Normal Bar….that’s where character is built.
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Eh, not the same without Allens / Fox’s.
Lots of beads, skinny jeans, and black frame glasses iykwim
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True. Much less likely now to get one’s ass kicked over there (male or female) than it was back in the day.
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Most QB’s will tell you how much the game slows down in year 2. Everything is happening so fast in year 1 that they can’t calm down and make the reads and plays. however, the entire game slows down in year 2. So, let’s give Eason an opportunity to improve and grow into the position. his Oline was brutal this year. An improved Oline along with the growth at QB should produce much better results next year. if he’s still not reading the entire field next year, then we’ve got a problem at QB.
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D Day said above its an assertiveness/ leadership issue. I’m thinking the learning curve physically and mentally from an A ball high school to the SEC is probably pretty steep. Eason is tough enough, which was my biggest concern. The season is over, now he gets to step back and take a breath. Now he knows what to expect, now he knows better how to prepare and practice for it.
Any improvement from the line will pay exponential dividends in his confidence, as will the experience he gained this year. I suspect we see a much improved #10 next season, and IMO he didn’t play badly at all this year considering the circumstances.
I’ve said it before and maybe it’s the Kool Aid, but I think next year will be something to see. I still don’t think 1 and 27 would have stayed if it weren’t….
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Washington State high school football ain’t GA high school football. Hell, maybe Bobo wasn’t so bad after all.
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I want to see a stat split with Eason under center and out of shotgun/pistol. He did not play under center in HS and it shows, Fromm appears to be shotgun only as well. Jalen Hurts wasn’t surveying the field very well against Washington as well. Eason is developing well and if he can get his footwork down from under center watch out.
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This 100%. One of the biggest things going forward for teams wanting to use QB’s under center is lack of doing so in HS. The NFL is facing this in even a worse way. Think of a QB like Watson who hasn’t worked under center since 7th grade, but should be a first Rd. pick in the upcoming draft. Hell I have great grandchildren playing in the NGYFA 9u who rarely play a team with a QB under center. It’s were the game has gone, and the learning curve is sharp.
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So Shotty & Sale were far more productive with Lambert, than Chaney/Pittman have been with Eason. That’s been evident.
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Gotta love some UGA fans, hang em out to dry after one year. Bring in another true freshman and hang him out to dry. How bout giving Eason a shot at his second year. Look at some others that made vast improvement. Oh yeah, I forgot some of them did not play high school football in Georgia. Jeez, calm down.
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No no no no. No. A highly touted recruit must be perfect right out of the box. Hell, he had like 6 months on campus to learn the system, why can’t he complete every pass for a touchdown? WTF?
The next guy has to be better!
I’m with Alamosa on this one. CTFD, people.
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Based on this comment, it seems it is you who needs to calm down. Read it without the Red Bull and look at what you wrote. Has anyone been that far out on a limb?
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Yes eat our young for sure.
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What a bunch of overreactions because some people are not willing to put their eggs in one basket. How about a little balance to the thinking? Let’s hedge our bets until we know more.Do any of us know? No. Do any of us care which guy gets the job done? I hope not. It’s all opinions guys, yours isn’t the only one. And if anyone cares what number is on the jersey more than someone getting the job done at a high level, they are either a family member, or have a crush on one of them.
Eason certainly has the lead based on a one year head start, but if there isn’t more to offer than we saw by late summer, we should all hope the new guy can deliver the mail. I would say we were about 11th, or 12th in the SEC at the QB last year. I simply don’t want more of the same, we can’t afford it.
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Straw man argument – you keep saying that we care that Eason keeps the starting job is then make a plea for evaluating subjectively. Nobody is saying that – we are opposed to your analysis that Eason isn’t that good and opposed to the suggestion many are making that Fromm should or will win the starting job next year.
Many people think Eason had a solid freshman season, see a ton of potential and toughness, and want him to have the support of the fan base and coaches. IF Fromm is better, so be it, start Fromm. But we know that’s a huge hill to climb and would like everyone to have some perspective about what it would mean to again start a first year qb in 2017.
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A crush really-defensive much. This practice of tearing down our own players did not start with Eason. I remember it happened to Aaron Murray too. People put them on pedestals then tear them down when they don’t meet expectations. Fromm will be a true freshman too let’s all annoit him so we can tear him down later.
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Who the hell is tearing down Eason? Certainly not me. We all have different levels/grades of expectations so mine are as warranted as yours. Perhaps it is you who is defensive, or simply over served on the Kool Aide. You will not see anyone root harder for a successful 2017 for Eason than me, but I am not willing to anoint anyone, especially with what I saw this season. Average? Yeah, but that isn’t good enough to be what we all want to see. And AM is my all time UGA QB favorite so I was also one who never ripped him. He was also never average, and if Eason doesn’t improve, he will be average again.
BTW, my hopes and confidence for Fromm is based on what the experts are saying about him for the past 5 months, and my belief that he reminds me a lot of Murray, both his on the field talent and with his natural leadership abilities. He may not develop, but he is a pure winner and I am glad he going to be on board.
I will also be happy if Jacob Eason grows to be what you want him to be, but there is no way I will falsely crown him or sugar coat it for you. He has work to do, and the 2nd half of the season didn’t look any better than the first. Not awful, but only inconsistent flashes of what he could be. I have only said that he needs to show improvement or he will be challenged/passed, imo.
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Eason has developed some bad habits. He does not step up in the pocket on the plays were there actually is one. He has developed happy feet and who blames him given the pass blocking. His down field passing has not gotten better and he does not throw the receiver open. In the early games he made some throws that resulted in pass interference calls that were not close to being completed. Once the DC’s saw his lack of accuracy down field I think they basically told their DB’s to not hold, in short they were no longer worried about the long ball. He tends to throw the ball as hard on a slant over the middle as he does on a screen, 100 MPH. He has an arm but so did Jeff George. I’m with the guys that think the coach may not be good enough to teach him.
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I remember that play well. That is the same shot you got on TV. I saw Sony right off the bat and said “there he is” out loud.
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