Kirby tried to tell us what’s coming.
Offensive line coach Sam Pittman has put an emphasis on size at his previous stops, including having the biggest offensive line of any NFL or Power 5 team for two-straight years.
Team/Year LT LG C RG RT Total Arkansas/2015 6-5, 340 6-5, 334 6-3, 322 6-5, 312 6-10, 331 1,640 pounds 2014 6-10, 326 6-5, 350 6-3, 315 6-5, 337 6-7, 314 1,642 pounds 2013 6-6, 318 6-4, 315 6-5, 315 6-7, 330 6-5, 345 1,623 pounds Tennessee/2012 6-6, 329 6-5, 310 6-3, 310 6-5, 324 6-6, 323 1,596 pounds
One thing the above offensive lines have in common – they led the SEC in sacks allowed per game. In 2016, even though Georgia was 10th in the SEC in pass attempts, the team was just seventh in the SEC and No. 47 in the country sacks allowed per game.
Georgia/2016 LT LG C RG RT Total Starting lineup 6-6, 314 6-2, 285 6-3, 293 6-2, 301 6-6, 325 1,518 pounds
That’s some difference there. Pittman prefers to work with beef and it’s pretty clear that size was lacking across the middle of the offensive line last season.
Then, there’s the issue of a change in approach. I don’t want to get too in the weeds about what was different about Georgia’s blocking schemes in 2016 from the previous season, but if you want to get a flavor for that, here’s a nice post outlining the differences between gap, man and zone blocking.
Bottom line, Georgia’s getting the personnel Pittman prefers and should see its linemen buying into his approach over the next two seasons. I just wonder if Georgia quarterbacks will know how to act if they’re getting consistent pocket protection.
Get The Picture 
Beef!
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One of the best post I have seen.
Outstanding job Senator.
Perhaps this is a factor the decisions of Chubb and Michel to stay for their senior year.
Plus it points out how coaches have to network with high school coaches to find talent at certain positions.
Some high schools have good O line coaches. Think Pittman knows who they are.
Not all sacks are the fault of the O line. Sometimes receivers do not run good routes, get more separation, or have the size and strength to get to the ball. Check Clemson’s last game.
Or the QB misreads the defense or holds the ball too long or does not move his feet and set quickly enough.
And sometimes the schemes.
But for sure the stat on sacks is going to be tested in the next 12 games.
Just maybe that stat gets broken at UGA for Pittman.
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Heartwarming article
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I hope we see improved offensive line play. Otherwise, Dantzler and others will be talking about another throwaway season because we don’t have the players Pittman prefers.
Sure, you have to have the right players to do what you want to do, but eventually, offensive line play comes down to quality coaching and operating as a unit. If one guy fails to execute his assignment on every play whether due to physical skills, poor development of technique, or a missed assignment, the play doesn’t go anywhere. 2 of those 3 are on coaching and not recruiting.
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I believe our OL issues were compounded by the turnover in OL coaches over the last few years.. continuity will help tremendously. Looking forward to improvement in 2017
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“Pittman prefers to work with beef …”
There’s gotta be a joke in there somewhere considering the relationship between Pittman and Chaney.
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Probably more like pork
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We’ve had big lines before; I think it was 2010 when our offensive line was heavier than any of the professional lines. Its the coaching that counts.
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It was 2011 we had the largest line in football, and Boise State ran all around us in the Dome.
Size matters, but coaching REALLY matters.
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I’m gonna suggest that Chubb + Sony in their fourth year is better than Crowell in his first college game but sure coachin’.
We did win 10 straight that year didn’t we? Was that because coachin’ or despite coachin’?
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Dang, I need a cold shower. 😉
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Holy crap…it seems we are all missing the throw away line in this post …Sure Pittman prefers to work with beef (aka huge lineman) but for god’s sake he has had them in the past and everyone of those huge lines has given up the most sacks in the SEC. Really!!! So does it not look like he is just repeating history. So we are getting new, young , huge lineman coming in to fit the Pittman/Chaney system and it looks like the one adjective in that phrase that might be encouraging ,huge, hasn’t helped this Coach produce winners in the past .I hope we can get Chubb, Sony and Eason some decent insurance. Son of a —– ,I was just starting to feel good about next year because of this recruiting class and than frickkin facts and history raise their ugly heads. So why did we hire Pittman again? It looks like it was to recruit large humans who can not pass block. Why not recruit smaller humans who can. No more throw away seasons.
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You’ve read it bass ackwards. Arky gave up the fewest sacks in the conference under Pittman. Really.
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Well….didn’t Arky just run the ball back then with virtually no passing attack? Wouldn’t that account for being #1 in sacks allowed? Just sayin.’
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Arkansas threw the ball more than Georgia did in ’14 and ’15.
Also, Tennessee threw the ball more than Georgia did in ’12.
It’s possible that Pittman is a competent position coach. Just sayin’.
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WHATEVER DISNEY DAWG!!!
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Sarcasm, or did you misinterpret number 1 in sacks?
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Reading is hard, ranting is much easier
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I’ve been waiting a long time for posts like this. This is the kind of dawg cool aid I can binge on.
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May be the only one but 300+ pound linemen should be a minimum of 6′ 3″, or taller, to me. I don’t think that much weight on a 6′ 0″ OL is a plus at all. The emphasis on Pittman’s preference always seems to be on weight but look at the height in combo with weight on that chart. The ability to move that weight is more important than the weight itself, and I seem to recall some fire-plug looking guys at UGA, even on our heavy lines.
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Bottom line is Pittman has had success with his philosophy, both in terms of the type of players he looks for, and how he coaches them.
To play devil’s advocate, while Arkansas was the best in the SEC in terms of fewest sacks allowed per game and 10th in the nation in 2015, Georgia was right behind them, finishing 2nd in the SEC and 14th in the nation.
It’s not just about getting big guys. The challenge is getting big guys who have the overall athletic ability to play their respective positions effectively (duh). Big and good is ideal, but big for the sake of big is not. Thankfully, Pittman seems to be able to identify big and good, and of course the recruiting services agree with him.
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