Be skeptical of the offensive line’s progress, if you must, but Chubb isn’t.
His first season back from a season-ending knee injury played a part, but so did an offensive line that underwhelmed in the run game.
This spring that has changed as the Bulldogs are getting surprising push from a unit that lost three starters.
“It’s kind of what I’ve been used to,” Chubb said Tuesday after practice. “It’s great for us getting back to what we once were.”
Chubb says he sees the holes open up and he hears the offensive line working together on their steps and pointing at their blocking assignments. It shows, he says, with the way they get off the ball.
“It’s a big difference,” said Chubb, who enters his senior season with 3,242 career yards. “From a running standpoint, I can see it all happening. The holes are there and they’re getting movement. They’re communicating a lot better and it’s obvious that they are making progress.”
Man, do I want to believe with you, Nick. A Georgia team with a competent offensive line could go places.
Get The Picture 
In Chubb we trust. Or at least I do..
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So I wonder. How much of the OL woes last year were ‘lack of talent’ or lack of communication? I hear people talk of ‘OLs gelling’ as a key to performance. Why would our communication falter? Is that another ‘coaching change’ issue?
Chubb mentioned “getting back to what we once were”. Commenters here suggest we’ve always sucked at OL. Apparently Chubb noticed a decline in OL support last year.
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Hell, I noticed a decline in OL support. I bet the running backs sure as hell did. The tight ends having to stay in and block noticed it too, I bet. The QB was too green to know any different. 🙂
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Guards(Wynn and Sims) playing tackle will be tough on any RB’s and will continue to need TE help. Interested to see who is with the #1 unit come G day. Hope Nick is right but anything would be an improvement over last year.
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Not to throw ice water on anybody’s party, but Georgia’s defensive line is a little depleted for the spring.
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What was the prevailing thought on our o-line this time last year?
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I remember being very optimistic, and was drinking the kool aid about transfer TC being super strong and ready to step into the left tackle position. My Old Man, much wiser than me, tried to temper that with “Don’t get your hopes up, if he was good enough to play in the SEC he’d already be playing in the SEC.”
After the NC game I was all ” I told you so” and Pop said ” Nah, they ain’t played nobody yet.”
Then there was Nicholls State and I was all ” Oh shit!” and Pop was all “I told you so.”
I learned a long time ago that I should listen to my Old Man. Even if it isn’t what I want to hear.
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Depends on who you listened to, we had all the pieces to win the East. 🙂
Again, I like that the current staff puts OL recruiting and play at a high priority but it takes time to turn around the OL. Ideally you want to redshirt many of the linemen to get them up to SEC strength and weight levels and have a solid defined 2 deep. Given the depth of the OL when Smart arrived in my opinion 3 years with no hiccups is the quickest you can have an elite OL squad (not just the 1st string and a half).
I do expect improvement over last year but it may not be better than a few years ago. Winning the East is the goal and it is possible.
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I certainly trust him but it is against our own defense. Beatings will continue into morale improves…
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From Nick’s lips to God’s ears.
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Not a lot of people in a better position to judge that than Chubb. Good to hear. Reminds me, though, that it would sure be nice to have Thompson back ASAP.
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Hearing it from Nick Chubb means more to me than news from any coach.
I’ll chalk up this comment on the “Optimistic” side of the board.
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Chubb has never criticized an OL in his life and never will. He’s a great teammate. He was last year too and the OL was still pretty terrible. Hope is all we’ve got until Game 1.
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Gotta believe O-Line play will be much improved this year. Line is shaping up to be bigger, in better condition, another year under Pittman, another year in w/ the same OC (jury out on Chaney, but continuity is typically good for an O-line that needs to be, well, coordinated), etc.
We have to replace some folks, but honestly, as woeful as the O-line play was last year, that’s not a bad thing.
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The Oline is like a dance team. Most of the other position groups in football can freelance some but if the Oline does it spells disaster. Changing coaches means the langue changed. Zone blocking maybe zone blocking but the way the coach teaches it maybe 180 from the last guy. This unit, even losing the guys from last year, is going to be better rehearsed this year for their dance recital that happens every week in the fall.
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This is all very true…
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So keeping Cleveland, Allen, Madden, Baker, Kindley, Hardin, Barnes, etc. on the bench in 2016 helped ready them for 2017. I’d like to hear the reasons for that move. It appears bizarre to this armchair QB. But hopefully it works out.
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Most OL coaches would likely tell you time in S&C without injury and fatigue from a season of getting ready for the next battle allowing them to focus on bulk and strength. Which is combined with time in practice to be coached up, hopefully avoiding in development of bad habits which are crutches when dealing with SEC DLs. Redshirting QBs is much the same logic on the 2nd point.
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We call backs (offensive and defensive) and receivers “skill” positions, but these are the positions where inexperienced talent can achieve the most. IMO, the line of scrimmage players benefit the most from a year of maturing during a red shirt season. Footwork, conditioning, technique, teamwork, all are critical to successful LOS play and take time to learn.
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Your right the term skill position really means that an individual can have the individual skills to succeed at these positions almost independent of others. Unfortunately if the QB can’t get the ball to the skill guys they can be a great WR and the team still sucks. WR’s need a QB and RB’s need a LOS or they don’t look very skilled at their positions.
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