June 21, 2019 · 7:05 AM

Imagine the possibilities

You know, for a guy who is routinely criticized for poor tackling, Richard LeCounte’s name sure seems to crop up a lot in stats like these.

No, he’s not as good as Delpit.  But, down the road, he could be.

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17 Comments

Filed under Georgia Football, Stats Geek!

17 responses to “Imagine the possibilities”

  1. Jim
    June 21, 2019 at 7:17 AM

    Will be interesting to see which of our draft eligible juniors declare after this season. Especially after last seasons mass exodus with what I thought were pretty disappointing results at the combine and in the draft

    This year guys like LeCounte III should probably return and can help themselves by doing so. Both tackles and Swift should be first rounders. Who knows on Fromm and some of the other linemen

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  2. Bright Idea
    June 21, 2019 at 8:10 AM

    I saw LeCounte’s biggest issue as misjudging balls in the air and poor pursuit angles to runners. Many of his tackles were made when he attacked the LOS before the runner got in the open field. He was poor as the last line of defense in the open field regardless of what the stats say.

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  3. Corrected Visionaries
    June 21, 2019 at 8:14 AM

    I think LeCounte is aware of his tackling issue. I believe he has concentrated on bulking up a bit in the off-season to increase his strength. That should help.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Anonymous
      June 21, 2019 at 5:20 PM

      The problem isn’t his strength; his problem is that he doesn’t get square to ball carrier and strafe into position. Instead, he runs by like a bat out of hell while missing an arm tackle.

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  4. Greg
    June 21, 2019 at 8:34 AM

    “for a guy who is routinely criticized for poor tackling”

    that’s cause some don’t know what the hell they are talking about, they read it and they think it is true. Can he improve…yes. But so can every player.

    All you have to do is watch him play, he is always around the ball. Nobody can make every play, but it seems he is always there with a chance to make it happen. All players are not like that. I love the guy & think he continues to get better.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. willypmd
    June 21, 2019 at 8:42 AM

    I think Lecounte is a first rounder this year.

    He’s fast as hell and looks 15 lbs heavier.

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  6. Derek
    June 21, 2019 at 9:33 AM

    LeCounte gets way too much criticism. He covers a lot of ground, fast and is a willing tackler.

    I’d take this guy over the one before that let 6 get behind him in OT every time. You probably have to go back to Sean Jones to find a better FS at UGA than LeCounte.

    Reshad Jones may have had more upside, but 2 isn’t waiting for the NFL to play like it like Reshad did.

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  7. Russ
    June 21, 2019 at 9:54 AM

    Lecounte is a very good player and a good tackler, but he thinks too much. He (rightly) avoids the kill shots that would draw a penalty, but sometimes it costs him in just making the tackle. He will learn and be a great one.

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  8. Huntindawg
    June 21, 2019 at 10:02 AM

    So I may be putting my ignorance on display here: Is it a good thing that a safety is responsible for a lot of stops? Doesn’t that mean that the first and second line of the defense didn’t make the stop? Or that the corners didn’t break up the pass play and make the stop? I guess my understanding is that the safety is the last line of defense, and if he is getting a lot of work that means that the lines of defense in front of him aren’t getting it done. Obviously my assumption doesn’t account for plays where the safety is designed to be the player to make the stop – for example, a safety blitz.

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    • Derek
      June 21, 2019 at 10:15 AM

      You don’t want safeties to have the number of tackles Reed and LeCounte had last year. The problem was at ILB.

      If your safeties stat lines look like a corners in terms of ints, pbu, tackles etc… then you’re probably a sound defense. When things are going as they should, your front 6 (because we’re in nickel so much these days) should make the vast majority of the tackles in the run game.

      That being said, you do want safeties who are willing and able to tackle when necessary. If you want to see a play where a safety’s lack of tackling acumen gets exposed see Swift’s long TD run vs. Auburn in the SECCG in 2017 to our us up 28-7.

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    • Bright Idea
      June 21, 2019 at 10:23 AM

      No hard line answer here. It depends on the scheme and defensive call and of course the offensive formation to ultimately determine the safety’s responsibilities. When LeCounte was responsible for fitting into a gap versus the run he was pretty good near the LOS. I’ll stick to my contention that he needs a lot of improvement when he’s responsible for a deep half or middle and ends up being the last line of defense versus a runner or a deep pass. I don’t hate the guy but he needs to improve. There’s a reason Otis Reese started getting lots of snaps in his spot last season. I agree that he also may be thinking too much which could indicate a lack of confidence or instinct. If Inside Linebacker play improves, so might LeCounte, but his numbers might actually decrease.

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      • Cojones
        June 21, 2019 at 10:49 AM

        As a 5* he didn’t play right away because he had work to do. Now that he is a Senior, the pressure becomes more to show his stuff or slowly get woven into 2nd team. I love him for what he did for our first class under Kirby and think that Kirby does also, but if there is someone better this year… …

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