I scarfed this off a message board post, so I can’t guarantee its provenance, but it purports to be one of those Athlon anonymous coach’s quotes you see every preseason, in this case about Kirby and Georgia:
“I think its fair to say Kirby got Georgia to that Alabama level faster than Nick Saban got Alabama there. They’re ready to roll. Obviously they lose some guys, some wideouts but on offense Kirby’s recruiting already has this program in a reload mentality. It’s scary how fast they’ve recruited. There is a few spots you can look at where they need someone to step in, center & receiver . At tight end they got hit with another early declare to draft (Nauta) and a transfer (Luke Ford) but there’s competition at every spot…. The 2 young RB’s James Cook & Zamir White, they look exactly like what you expect in a UGA backfield. They might not miss a beat….. I think with Jake Fromm coming back & Jim Chaney leaving they’re going to throw the ball a little bit more. I think they will spread it out a little bit more in their base stuff. …… The biggest question mark is James Coley as a first time play caller in the SEC. That’s going to be scary at first. And in that situation the responsibility is soley on you if it goes bad because the talent is all over the field but Fromm helps you out there. He’s comfortable with his stuff……. This is the best roster both both in talent & depth in the division & the first or second best in the league with Alabama. They’ll develop the defense just fine. It comes down to play calling and that SEC title game.”
That it do.
Get The Picture 
…
Excuse me, I’ll be right back.
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Two years ago at this time I predicted UGA would win 12 games, which got be labeled here, elsewhere and amongst my friends as certifiably insane. Last year at this time, I predicted we would take a small step back and lose 3 games but would continue to build a rep as one of the top programs in the country.
This year, I’m predicting a national championship and a 14-1 record, and hopefully I can keep my streak going. This is the best UGA team – on paper anyway – ever, and I’ve been looking forward to this season for several years. Now, we will drop a game somewhere – either during the regular season or in the SECC, but overall this will be a very special season for us.
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I hope you are right 3rd. The problem is the SEC schedule. How many teams get the week before they play the Dawgs off without Georgia getting a bye week too? Is it 4? That’s a recipe for losing games foisted on us by those Bama loving suits in B’Ham.
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I hear ya but who cares. I believe all of those games are against SECE foes, and I don’t see any of them touching us anytime soon. And, if I’m not mistaken, we too have a bye before two of those four games you mentioned, (I believe UT and UF, our two most important SECE games), so it’s not all that bad really.
I also don’t see any conspiracy either, as Bama has bellyached for years about all their rivals getting a bye before their games against them. If you want to nitpick, however, just look at Mizzou’s schedule this year and next. We better make sure we don’t lose against them, as they could slip in given their joke of a SEC slate. In terms of the Big 4 from the SECW (TAMU, Bama, AU, LSU), they avoid all 4 teams both this year and next. So while we are playing TAMU and AU this year, along with AU and Bama next year, they get MSU and Ark, etc. Huge, huge advantage for them.
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Dude…..you’re making my very point in your second paragraph. The SEC sets these schedules. Mizzou is going to be more difficult than most think and is the biggest threat to the Dawgs in the East. Plus, Georgia could beat Mizzou and Mizzou could still win the East. The games that scare me the most are Auburn, Mizzou and ATM in that order. The Dawgs can and will can take care of FU.
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Agree with this being the most talented UGA team I have seen going into Fall Camp. Don’t know about the chemistry yet, and injuries are impossible to project, but depth is there to cover most every position group. My concern is more with DL than receivers, we have too many options to throw too for major concern, imo.
I also see one loss, but think it happens during the season; odds just say you stumble somewhere. I think we win the SECCG by beating either LSU or Bama, and that is always my goal. Won’t predict the playoffs (how can you when you don’t know who is in them or what condition all will be in then?), but I feel we can play with anyone in 2019. Think we were that way in 2017, but we were a little short last season, even though we gave away the SECCG in the 4th.
I am not a person who lives or dies by MNC titles; win the East, the SEC, and everything else is gravy. Such a great time to be a UGA fan and considered by all to be among the very best teams regularly, that is all you can wish for. No one will ever know who is “the best”, but you do know the contenders each year. Hang with the best often enough and you will get some titles. 2017 was my favorite UGA year ever, this season has that same potential with an even better schedule.
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Agree, Mac. The SEC is the best conference in the nation. Being SEC Champion is plenty good enough. Plus, being the champion of the best conference mean you are the best team. Period.
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Dawgs have recruited well. Hard to say you are at Bama’s level until you actually beat them, but they are very close.
Though I would put the DL as the biggest question mark on this team given the importance of the position and the depth/experience we have.
The other is WR. Clemson beat Bama by converting way too many 3rd and longs with WRs just making unbelievable catches.
Bama has been able to really reload on the DL and at WR. I dont think that the Dawgs are quite at the reloading level yet at those position groups.
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I agree about the D line. They have to show they can stop the run and do that havoc thing. That and minimal significant injuries might be the keys to success. I do believe the talent at receiver will overcome the lack of experience as the season progresses.
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To me, DL and Receivers are similar. Those should be areas of concern, but we have so many options at both, I think they will turn out fine. At least not liabilities. I think we have enough depth at everywhere but QB to handle a few injuries as well. Hopefully we don’t have to find out.
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A little misdirection… then blow them off the ball… some more misdirection… then blow them off the ball.
Combine that with a defense that attacks rather than the read and react and this season should be one for the ages. And we have the depth for the grind pretty much everywhere.
I’m stoked.
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If you attack rather than “read & react”, you’re gonna get burned. The issue is more about talent & depth on the DL (especially depth)….not what is being called. I believe we will be okay at backer & the DB’s.
It’s okay to be aggressive every now & then. But if you abandon the players reading their keys… you are gonna get smoked.
Hope to see the DL step up this season…
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Controlled aggression … R was the best at it. Rarely caught out of position and fundamentally sound.
There’s a difference between being aggressive at the line of scrimmage and blitzing on every down. We want them to be aggressive on every down while blitzing only as necessary.
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Joe Kines agrees. Seriously though I think the reason we didn’t play more aggressive last year is because our ilbs were just not quite there. This year will allow Kirby to take more chances because our ilbs will play much faster and be faster. Even if they just set the edge behind our five star olbs which are definitely planning on getting after the quarterback.
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LOL!!!….gotta “stay at home:
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Other than my rtdb bias, this is my assessment. Too much talent to lose a regular season game. The teams that can compete with us will come after the season is over.
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Going to be interesting to see how Alabama and Georgia use that season-ending bitter taste heading into next season and how long each holds onto it.
Winner of that match up in ATL will likely be the team that holds onto it the longest.
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Good point..
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Point is, you can’t just line up and attack every play. You first have to recognize the offensive formation and then adjust (read)…usually, it is the backer that tells the defense the adjustment to make.
The reason “R” was so good, is that he recognized his keys (reads). If he made a mistake, he had the speed to cover. That is why he was rarely out of position. When I say it is okay to be “aggressive” every now & then, I was referring to blitzing.
But when you blitz, you are leaving someone unconverted…..your front 3 or 4, along with the backers and whoever else is coming better get there in a hurry. There is probably a reason we didn’t get to the QB too often last year….and I do not think it was philosophy.
Football is an aggressive sport, but you have to also be disciplined & read. They all need to be that way.
My other point is, we did not have the DL depth a year ago, nor the overall talent to get it done imo.
The biggest thing that separated the Dawgs and Clemson and Bama was the DL.
I hope we catch them this year. It will probably be easier to catch Clemson than Bama though….don’t think they have them sitting & waiting at Clemson like they do in Tuscaloosa.
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I am just not that impressed with Scott coaching the D line. It may just be me of course but when Rocker left I just don’t think they made a good hire. That is one thing I loved about Spurrier if you didn’t do the job he would fire your ass. Ever since Kirby has been there that has been a noticeable weakness. In Ga’s losses the line play has been pretty bad.
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Concur….my guess is, this is the year that he needs to prove himself, or there will be turnover.
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All mondays should start with this level of dog porn.
Our season hinges on 3 factors:
1. Coley (cautiously optimistic about Coley at this point. Say what you will about Cheney, he has experience in the SEC)
2. Fromm staying healthy
3. Swift staying healthy
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