It sounds like Jim Chaney’s heart isn’t in HUNH-land.
“I think I’d like to see us ultimately block better,” Chaney said on National Signing Day. “I think that blocking is a lost art sometimes. We play fast and we do things like that and that’s how we strategically attack defenses nowadays and in a lot of today’s college football but inevitably you have to line up and block somebody. I’d love to leave spring feeling like we’re a much better blocking football team.”
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, and, as the article points out, Georgia did show some improvement along those lines as the season progressed.
That was something that appeared to get better as the season wore on a year ago. With a third offensive coordinator and line coach in as many years, the Bulldogs averaged just 4.1 yards per carry and 167.5 yards per game for the first eight games of the season. The final five games of 2016 saw UGA rush for over 5.2 yards per carry and 219 yards per game. The Bulldogs also had a 100-yard rusher in each of those final five games.
Pass protection also improved. After allowing 19 sacks in the first eight games, the Sam Pittman’s crew allowed just five sacks in the final five games.
Good news: no changeover at offensive coordinator or offensive line coach for the first time in four seasons.
Bad news: Georgia has to replace three starters on the offensive line.
Good news: The 2017 schedule isn’t exactly what you’d call front-loaded in terms of formidable defenses. Before Florida, the offensive line will face one team that was in the top 20 in total defense last season, Appalachian State.
With the size that’s been recruited in Georgia’s last two classes, there appears to be help on the way. Can it get on the field and contribute fast enough?
Get The Picture 
I’m confident that Kirby has masterminded a recruiting class of Blue Chips that will make Pittman’s job a lot easier.
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Sigh.
Look, man, I’ve tried to be tolerant of your schtick, but it’s worn thin. If you don’t have anything else to contribute except snark about recruiting across multiple threads, I don’t see any reason to let you continue commenting. Whatever point you’ve been trying to make, consider it done.
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Agree, recruiting isn’t the solution, we’ve had solid recruiting over the last 16 seasons, averaged a top 10 class. As we know from playing GT every year, size on oline is no excuse for a mediocre rush offense, GT adapts blocking scheme to undersized personnel. Chaney tried to go all NFL Pro style with an undersized line and got his lunch eaten. You saw how the Patriots did fine with undersized WR’s. For good coaches, size is no excuse. It’s about the ability to adapt to personnel.
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I look at the Falcons game plan last night. They ran a dozen times outside before they attempted to go between the tackles. It worked. The only problem was at the end of the game when they needed to go between the tackles Shanahan just couldn’t rein it in and get conservative.
Chaney and it seems Kirby think that they have to pound the middle from the start in order to open up the rest of the field. Ass backwards imo and if we do that this fall again then I expect the same results. Hopefully Chaney’s comments about freshening things up means what we all hope it means.
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Yep, Kiffen at Bama made a living swinging wide early to tire out defenses open up the run middle game in the 2nd half.
The patriots just crushed the Falcons on number of plays and wore out the defense who had no gas left in the 4th quater and OT.
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I have no idea what point you’re trying to make with this.
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My point was:
For good coaches, size of recruits is no excuse. It’s about the ability to adapt to personnel. GT runs a scheme with smaller oline and still generally run the ball very well, Patriots pass well with smaller WR’s, you adapt scheme to personnel (recruiting won’t fix core issue : coaching which did not adapt to personnel). We had a small oline and small wr’s and used that as an excuse.
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Whack! Bad horse
Whack! Bad horse
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Above all else.. BEAT FLORIDA!
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HUNH football and good fundamental blocking aren’t mutually exclusive. You can play grown man football and not huddle before every snap. You can try not to run into 8 and 9 man fronts consistently. It’s not against the rules to score 40 in a game.
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The schedule may be the best news. Even with improved talent, it’s going to take some game experience for these guys to learn to play together and trust each other. I think I’m beginning to look forward (cautiously) to 2107.
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I can’t wait 90 years for them to block better!
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Why the hell not bro? Many commenters who frequent here already have.
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That would make me like 146 years old, I’m in pretty good shape but that prolly ain’t in the cards!
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Was standing next to Solomon Kindley a couple of weeks ago. I am a pretty big fella. I looked like a 6 year old standing next to him. If he gets his meat hooks in you….well it’s not gonna be fun for DLs.
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Who, outside of Auburn, in those last games had a defensive front that makes us feel better about having a 100 yard rusher? On the plus side, I think we will be better along the OL in 2017, another year to be stronger and better talent stepping in than what we are losing. We will be better at tackle and center, imo. Most discouraging part of the article is Chaney is still on board and talking like he does not intend to do the “honorable thing”.
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I’m hoping our big junior college recruit can make some noise this spring at one of the tackle positions. Maybe a couple of the underclassmen will step up this spring too to fill the other 2 spots. Freshman starting on the offensive line seems to only work at Alabama.
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The big man was a disappointment last year overall, but with a year behind us there has to be improvement on the coaching nd playing end this year.
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Good thing we have a couple of tune up games before that app state game.
Right?
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I understand Pittman responded by saying ‘the fat man had better stick to QB coaching and playcalling.’
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We recruited some hogs last year who I believe we’re red shirted.. Is there any new to report that they will contribute this Fall?
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I think we didn’t play a top 25 run defense, so the rush stats ought to have been off the charts. Looking at the last 5 rush defenses, Kentucky was terrible, Auburn had a top 30 rush defense, TCU below average, GT average, and the LLaf. TN. NC, SC, Mizzou, Ole Miss were horrible. Vandy was average. Florida and Auburb were the only 2 rush defenses faced that finished in the top 50, should have been a record year with Chubb and Michel and 11 of the 13 opponents average or below average in rush defense. Florida & Auburn were the only 2 top 25 scoring defenses Chaney faced. He sucks.
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I get that Kirby couldn’t get anyone better than Chaney his first season because he was tied up acting as Bama’s DC trying (successfully) to win the 2015 nattie and the best OCs were all hired by the time Kirby started paying attention to hiring assistant coaches. OK, that happened in 2015. But someone please explain to me why we are stuck with Chaney for another year. There has been plenty of movement in the assistant ranks after this past season and we certainly could have gotten an upgrade. Chaney’s a loser who has bounced around every team in the SEC it seems and he’s never accomplished squat. How about ripping off an OC from a top flight team and replacing Chaney now that recruiting is over? Dangle dinero in front of somebody and get it done ASAP!! If you want to keep Chaney let him be the quality control guy and make him work for the payout he’d get if the Dawgs fired him. Sorry if I am coming across harshly but the guy is holding the team back. Be gone!!
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Afraid this is all true. Chaney wasn’t his 1st choice, neither was Tucker.
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I’ll give him another year. Not like I have much choice.
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Bad News: Jim Chaney is still in Athens.
Bad News: Pittman was unable to scheme the 2016 OL to fit their ability
Bad News: while CJC doesn’t prefer HUNH, the teams that have had the most success vs. Saban has been those that get 75+ snaps on offense.
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