Tweaking continuity

I don’t want to make too big a deal about this.  Then again, it shouldn’t be underestimated, either.

In each of tight end Jeb Blazevich’s first three seasons at Georgia, he had to adjust to a different offensive coordinator. Last year, there was also a new head coach and a new position coach.

That’s why continuity on Georgia’s offensive coaching staff for the first time since 2014 has lightened the burden entering spring practice, which began on Tuesday.

“It saves me a lot of studying, a lot less stress,” the senior said. “Just time spent away from here learning it. In terms of practically what it can do for the football team, we’re able to take bigger steps forward.”

You can say the same thing about every offensive position group — in fact, even more so for the offensive linemen, running backs and wide receivers who went through multiple position coaches before Smart’s arrival.  It’s kind of hard to get into a groove when you have to unlearn some old things as fast as you take on the new.

No, I don’t expect to see Georgia transformed into a top ten offensive juggernaut overnight as a result.  I do expect that familiarity should make it easier to progress up the 2017 learning curve, though.

15 Comments

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15 responses to “Tweaking continuity

  1. Why shouldn’t this offense be a top 30 unit? An experienced and immensely talented QB, a stable of running backs, two proven tight ends (with others who are talented) and an adequate group of receivers should be able to move the ball if given the opportunity. Yes, I understand the question marks in the offensive line, but Pittman is supposed to be one of the best in the business. Time to earn your money, Sam.

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    • Atticus

      Agreed to a degree but a soph QB who still has a lot of development, several big OL questions and no real elite WRs….that is still a lot to have happen right, but I think we should be able to score 28 a game and the defense should hold below that. But I think by midseason you should be correct or else Cheney will be gone.

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  2. paul

    If we can’t expect Georgia to be transformed into a top ten offensive juggernaut overnight what are going to complain about?

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  3. Blazevich still gets my vote to be one of the best blockers;
    best route runners, & best pass catchers on the team.
    If the OL comes thru, I do expect a top ten Offensive Team.
    More so this year than next year. I Blame Bobo.

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    • paul

      Nothing rolls off the tongue like ‘I blame Bobo’ does it? I miss those days. What are we going to say about Chaney? The alliteration of ‘blaming Bobo’ was just fantastic. Chaney’s choking? It just doesn’t have the same cachet. But we’ll have to come up with something.

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      • W Cobb Dawg

        How about ‘Chaney sucks!’

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        • Down island way

          Recall all those dropped passes on 2nd and 8, 3rd and 5 in 2016…..should our soph QB be of the elite nature, he should make our WR group better. Recall the one time A.J. Greene and how he padded our QB numbers with elite receptions. Not defending the OC here, just sayin’ if he’s gonna’ wear twice the clothing, then he should be twice the coach! GO DAWGS!

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  4. Derek

    I’ll take offensive competence. After the last two years, anything approaching competent will look like the 1999 Rams to our eyes.

    Open holes, block pass rushers, catch the ball. If we just did that stuff we’d be much improved.

    After all we don’t have to be great to win the east, we just have to play at a level somewhat commiserate with our talent.

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    • Silver Creek Dawg

      Commensurate instead of commiserate.

      Nice Freudian slip. I see what you did there…

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      • Derek

        Completely unintentional. Just stupid. Wish I could blame spellcheck, but it really looked right to me at the time.

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    • 92 grad

      So, so true. In my musician days I learned that to be a “pro” you mainly just do the easy stuff really well. So yeah, do the fundamentals reliably and things work out the way they’re supposed to.

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  5. dawgtired

    I’ve never really understood the ‘continuity’ impact on a team, but it is obviously something real because so many programs talk about it each year. It has always bothered me how a kid’s window-of-opportunity can be negatively effected by bad luck circumstances (like coaching changes or injuries). Here’s to hoping the continuity makes a HUGE impact on the team this year…for the kid’s sake of course.

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  6. Russ

    I think this is one of the biggest reasons for optimism, and probably the only reason I could think of for keeping the current offensive coaching staff together.

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  7. South FL Dawg

    3 offensive coordinators and 3 quarterbacks in 3 years – Blazevich is a nice guy to put it that kindly.

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  8. Tlkdawg

    I expect UGA’s offense to rule the earth!!! Is that really too much to ask?

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