Urgency. It’s what’s for Georgia’s breakfast, served up by the national media in the preseason.
What makes 2019 particularly urgent? Beats me. If you listen to Barrett Sallee in that audio clip, he admits that the program was actually ahead of schedule the past couple of seasons. Kirby Smart is recruiting like nobody’s (well, other than Nick Saban’s) business and I think it’s fair to say that Georgia’s joined the “reloading, not rebuilding” club at this point.
I’m not even sure the biggest potential threat Sallee and others cite — Fromm leaving for the NFL after his junior season — is that looming, as next year’s NFL draft projections for him are all over the board.
I imagine Kirby’s response to the question would be something along the lines of “every year is urgent” coachspeak, but is there anything special about 2019 to justify the nascent media narrative here?
Get The Picture 
Two things: Is it Fromm’s last year? And that other narrative about how hard it is to win it all if you don’t do it in your first few years.
Not buying either. Don’t see us anywhere near the point of now or never.
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Thank you. Seems like everyone forgets that 2 years ago the Dawgs played of it all with a 1st year starter at QB. This can happen again. Even if we lose both OTs, Safeties, and our starting RB. The coaching staff has been recruiting to this eventuality. That’s what quality programs do.
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Dabo took a while, seems to have managed ok
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It took Saban and Sweeney 8 or 9 years to win their first National Championship – but it’s ‘urgent’ for Kirby to win his first class has graduated.
OK…
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Saban was a nobody starting off in coaching and never would have won a title had he stayed at his first job. No Comparison
Sweeny was hired to rebuild Clemson and make them competitive again. No Comparison ….
Kirby is starting out at a great program that averaged 10 wins a season for a decade and half
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Fourth year and Kirby has built a program with high expectations because he’s demanded a lot, and received it, from everybody around him. With Fromm and Swift still around 2 draft eligible tackles nobody wants to hear about next year anymore. Who knows what the roster might look like in 2020?
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We already know what next year’s roster will look like. It will be loaded with more blue chippers than any SEC program outside of Tuscaloosa.
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Agreed. However I think upperclassman leadership with plenty of starts helps in a championship run. This team sets up really well for this year. Not saying it’s now or never but this team is loaded with upperclassman at some pretty critical positions. Several of the juniors will have a choice to make after this year. Hopefully they will be deciding between a NFL paycheck or a back to back NC. I have a feeling life changing money would be too hard to pass up where several are projected and I wouldn’t blame them either.
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And how is any of that different for programs like Alabama or Clemson?
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In fairness only Alabama has been able to change QBs and not miss a beat, but even they couldn’t overcome Blake Sims.
Clemson won big with Watson and Lawrence. Not as good with the other guys they’ve started.
You can get double digit win totals on the strength of solid recruiting, but you’re going to need a qb if your want the big championship trophy.
Not saying it’s impossible to win one without Fromm next year, but the margin for error is much much smaller as we’ve probably have 1 L in the schedule built in at Tuscaloosa. Just don’t see a fresh face QB going in there and winning.
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Bama will have a new QB next year too…
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That’s pretty much an automatic.
He will be at home though.
We haven’t exactly lit up opposing qbs in SEC West stadiums lately….
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Hey, we have a two game winning streak on the Capstone!
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Should be 4…
2 fumbles inside the 10 in a 10-0 loss in 1991 and then we blew a huge lead in 1994. Most miserable night ever….
I had a good time down there in 2002 and 2007 tho.
Since 2007 we’re an ugly 0 fer 4…. In 3 of those we had 4Q leads….
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Clemson and Bama have head coaches with more years leading a program through the transition of team leadership.
It is nice that UGA is getting mentioned with the current elite programs.
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Barrett Sallee is current on Dawgnation, pointing out Smart is a 4th yr head coach and Dabo/Saban have a decade long head starts on building their programs. Further Dabo and Saban were not winning national titles in the 4th year as a head coach.
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No different really. Breaking new ground as a UGA fan to see it happen where we reload without missing a beat.
I will point out that Clemson benefited greatly last year in that their entire D line returned. We got to see how that worked out in 2017 when all the guys came back for their senior year. Guys coming back for senior seasons definitely help.
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I think this is a key. If just one from Mecole/Ridley and one from Nauta/Hollifield came back, we’d be a possible pre-season #1. Mecole, particularly, is going to be tough to replace because he could break open a game – be a big play machine.
We did have Baker stick around last year, but that’s not quite the same as Nick/Sony. I don’t think we lose at all if Roquan stayed and that’s the type of player we need to make that decision. It’s a lot to ask.
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No to your 1st paragraph, but dead on in your 2nd. Smith on defense would have been enough for last year, but if all Juniors returned from 2018 team we would still be 3rd going into 2019 (outside shot at 2nd over Bama.)
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Would not be surprised if we would have more.
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Kirby is now a victim of his own success. The media are now measuring a 43 yo HC in his 4th year against the revisionist history that Saban and Dabo had amassed national titles at the same point in their career.
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As much as I think Fromm is enjoying his time in Athens and is a DGD, he’d be potentially leaving a substantially amount of money on the table by returning. I’ve seen him as high as the #1 pick, and if he waited another year, he’d have to compete with Lawrence, a sure fire top QB pick.
Hope I’m wrong, but if Fromm goes pro, the window for a Natty shifts a few years out unless we can get a big QB pick up in the new free agent transfer portal.
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If our RB stable develops as anticipated, would it take more than a serviceable QB to win?
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… Fromm leaving for the NFL after his junior season — is that looming, as next year’s NFL draft projections for him are all over the board.
Not sure when he goes, but he is going to be Tom Brady’s replacement at New England. You heard it here first.
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Somebody should notify the concerned writers that this isn’t Richt’s UGA – we don’t hang it all on 3 year recruiting cycles anymore.
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I feel urgency because there’s a good chance we lose Fromm, both tackles and both safeties after the season.
If so, there’s a good chance that the 2020 team is not as good as the 2019 version and that may primarily land on the QB position. We might not notice it vs. the east but we’re rolling into Tuscaloosa in 2020…
I have an “if not now, when?” attitude about this year. By all appearances this should be our year. Until Fromm’s successor proves worthy, I won’t feel the same optimism I do about 2019. Never been more bullish on UGA than I am about this year’s team. We need to get it done NOW!
Hopefully, Fromm stays no matter what. I really don’t want to show up in T-town with a newbie qb. Could get ugly…
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Would everyone lay off the expectations so that we can enjoy this year, one game at the time? Thank you.
Let’s don’t have any “expectations” that can cause a ruined season in our minds when or if we lose the first difficult game. Get out onto the field and get ploughed a few times by one of our D linesmen, latch onto the reality that everything and every game isn’t a foregone conclusion/has to be earned then lay back with the drink of your choice in or out of Sanford Stadium/Dooley Field and enjoy.
After the season’s over we will have plenty of time to speculate how some young men will choose to plan their futures without our expectations thrown into the fray. Go Dawgs!
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You know, that used to be kind of cliche’ talk for me (enjoy the journey, every game, etc)…….not anymore. Not after the Sugar Bowl. If forces beyond my control–the meeting of the free market and the human minds of fans, players and coaches alike–dictate that there are only 3 post-season games worthy of a pulse, then WTF are we all doing anyway ? And I mean “we” being anyone who loves college football. So it must mean that an Auburn game between the hedges or neyland or Jacksonville must be quantitatively and qualitatively better in our minds, hearts and souls than the catering of my brain towards what happens in December or early January. And I’m OK with that.
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Get maximum performance from every team regardless of expectations.
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It conveniently fits the narrative of “SMART’S FIRST THREE YEARS EERILY SIMILAR TO RICHT’S.” If Smart continues to “mirror” Richt, he’ll never win. He must do it now.
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“but is there anything special about 2019”? Maybe, because if we get close and gack another one up against Bama then we’ll officially have a problem.
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Not to me. We have a great team this year but back end of the schedule looks tough. As always, it will take a little luck to win it all.
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If we don’t win one with Fromm, it might be time to start taking a look around at other coaches.
CKS was brought in to win NCs, not win 10 games and be a good guy.
I hope we name streets after him when he wins his third NC, but if he fails the next two years to win it all, its probably time for him to go.
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smh
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Fuck that noise. I believe Kirby is one of the better minds in college football. With a few years under his belt I’m thinking he’ll be fine. He needs time.
I’m enjoying this unprecedented UGA dominance of the SEC East.
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This team needs to play better in the fourth quarter.
Some of the problem last year was related to depth (especially on defense). Some of it was leadership. Some of it was the level of competition in the first half of the season and the false sense of entitlement.
Call it urgency if you want. Coach Smart knows something is missing. On-field leadership and ‘want-to’ has been a theme in the off-season. Solving this problem is as important as the adjustments to the new coordinators.
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Good comment, and backed up by the way the 2017 team conducted themselves all seaon long. They did everything, including outplaying Bama in Atlanta in January. Sure, the coaches may have cost us the game with the 2nd half offensive calls (plus not resetting the defensive scheme on 2nd and 26 with a timeout) but we even that wouldn’t have happened without 4-5 undisputable, blown calls in th 2nd half…specifically the incredible offsides call on the blocked punt. So I am not a MNC or bust guy for 2019. Kirby has passed that test, the 2019 team has to put themselves in that position, they have the talent and opportunity to be in the playoff. Yes, they will still need aa break or two, every team does. With good health, they will be in Atlanta with the chance to play the West winner to get a spot in the Final 4.
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This coaching staff has earned my trust and patience.
I’d prefer that the Mathis/Beck G-Day battle happens in 2021 but if it takes place in 2020, so be it. We’ll be fine.
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