You may recall that, going into this season, Georgia ranked second in blue chip ratio, at 80%.
It’s great to be balls-out on the recruiting front, but in the playoffs (and the SECCG, for that matter), everybody’s got studs. What you do with them once you get there makes a difference.
Get The Picture 
Yep, we have the Jimmies and Joes. Now to tweak the Xs and Os so we can close the deal. Otherwise I worry the Jimmies and Joes might start to drop a little.
Also, in aOSU’s case, Jimmies and Joes don’t overcome SEC officials.
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There was only one bad call (the fumble) and the on air official said it would be overturned. The roughing the kicker and targeting were correct calls.
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Don’t confuse us with the facts. 😉
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Agree, and that fumble dispute is 50/50 to me, and many others. Slam bam judgement calls happen all game long. Several went the other way and Clemson can dispute those. ohio blew a game they should have won, but squandered. No one to blame but themselves, players and coaches.
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“Georgia Football; doing less with more for 30 years.”
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40
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We did pretty well from ’80 to ’85, then the Jan Kemp thing knocked our talent way down until Donnan got there and got recruiting going again.
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Spot on. Elite QB play (which means passing the ball too) is what separates contenders from pretenders when the talent is close. Kirby can steamroll the East on talent, but he needs good X’s and O’s to win titles. We’ll see if he learns that lesson this off-season.
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Indeed. I get that Kirby wants to go balls-out on recruiting to the point that recruiting ability seems to dictate staffing hires/decisions, but at a point you still need to have tacticians in key places on your staff, namely at the coordinator positions. I think it is a worthwhile “risk” to give up a little in the living room presentation skills at those positions in order to effectively deploy the wealth of puzzle pieces the rest of the staff- and HC, notably- provide.
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Teach the coordinators how to talk to recruits and send the best recruiter/position coach along for the visit. If we win a nattie the kids will be lining up like fish jumping into the boat anyway.
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I’m betting “no.”
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Burrow’s was ‘the’ difference in the SEC Championship Game – make no mistake about it…
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And an elite WR or two.
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We were only able to put up 10 points on them. I did not realize Joe Burrow played defense as well.
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No one questions the “jimmies and joes” playing a huge role but I do think too many feel the rankings and ratings system is a science. We have all seen major errors in the 5 years after HS players are rated, and the attrition, and the wrong fit/scheme. Too many factors, including coaching turnover, failing to fill all the key pieces, etc. I don’t think the difference between the top 10 teams’ recruiting classes is as significant as many feel. A factor, yes? But not a guarantee. I think this will be Clemson’s first #1 class, maybe their first in the Top 3.
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On average, 5 stars turn into NFL players at a much higher rate than 4 stars. And 4s at a much higher rate than 3s.
But a 5 star asked to do things he’s not elite at is going to play like a 3 star, and a 3 star asked solely to do what he excels at is going to excel.
Nauta was a 5 star tight end. He was never a centerpiece at Georgia, and he showed up at the combine at the low end of the 40 times and low end of the bench press. Slow and weak with average numbers as a receiver is a bad look for an early entry TE. And he barely got drafted. Even that surprised me.
Did he lack the work ethic needed to turn that high school dominance in college dominance and a high round draft salary? Was it coaching? I have no clue.
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If he was a 5 Star coming out of HS and he didn’t develop in college that is on the coaches IMHO.
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They don’t all develop.
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Star rankings coming out of high school are largely based on potential and athletic ability. Yes it’s up to coaching to develop that but it’s also up to the player. You know… you can lead a dog to water n all
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Clemson does a hellava job coaching up their players. Just on defense, nos. 11, 10, 19, and 47 were all mid 3 star recruits on the composite. No. 24 that made the game clinching interception didn’t even have a star rating.
Oh, and guess who comes in at 79%, good for number 3 nationally, on that list?
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And Florida State comes in at #5 (one ahead of Clemson.) And USC is #7 (one ahead of Penn State.) And Michigan #9 (two ahead of Oklahoma.) The recent performances of those teams, top and bottom of the range, sort of gives the lie to the whole thing, no? The margins between championship contenders and disappointments are so thin they’re invisible to the native eye.
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“naked” eye. Dammit.
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I don’t buy that just in general it’s QB and passing game. To be sure you gotta have a good QB and you can’t just run the ball. But to me the bigger thing is you gotta have at least that one guy who is just totally dominant, in addition to a lot of other reliable playmakers. Doesn’t necessarily have to be the QB, but if it is it really shows.
You’re more likely to have one or two of those on your team if you recruit a bunch of 5* kids, but it’s not guaranteed. We didn’t have one this year. All the depth in the world doesn’t give you one of those guys, and only 11 players take the field at a time.
That top, top end talent is required. Clemson has Lawrence, Ohio State had that LB and Fields is almost that level… LSU has Burrow.
In 2017, we had reliable Fromm managing the game well and making plays here and there…. some very good receivers and a solid line, but the two absolute stud RB’s were the stars on O, and Roquan Smith caused havoc on D; no good call on offense was immune to the Roquan effect. Better team than this year; less talented on average. That year Bama had Minkah on D, and (as it turns out, damn it) Tua on O. Auburn’s championship season they had one each way; Newton and Fairley were unstoppable machines. They didn’t have that much else, but the other guys were reliable.
There were other issues for sure, but nobody emerged as “that guy” this year for Georgia. Fromm’s probably capable of being it as a senior if the O staff can get some things straightened out. He sure looked like he was on his way to being that guy his first two years. Maybe Zeus becomes that guy after another off-season of healing and growth. Maybe somebody on D steps up.
I don’t think you can win a championship with a bunch of B+/A- players. You’ve got to have an A+ guy or two.
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You have to coach them up and allow them to play – we seemed to have failed on both.
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For sure on offense. Coaches/scheme can stifle top flight talents, and count me among those who think that was the biggest problem this year. Every single position group played below expectations – that’s coaching.
But the D was pretty damn awesome for having zero major stars. Still, there were lots of guys with NFL futures, but nobody the other OC had to account for every play… hence LSU, a great O with a dominant player, scores 37. It was a D good enough to go all the way….. if you also have an offense. We didn’t.
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I’m willing to lay it all on the coaches. What’s to say that our team doesnt already have a heisman player on O and another Roquan on D? I’d bet that there are a couple already in the locker room. Burrow, Fields, Young, Jefferson were all just average players 18 months ago. Whatever Coach at LSU that coaches their offense made it all happen for them. Nearly every throw that Burrow made against OK went to a receiver that was 1.5-2 yards away from the defender. Burrow knew who to throw to based on knowing who the defender was matched up with. They played smart. None of our games this past season looked really sharp on offense, they never appeared to have been prepared by matching particular players to particular defenders they would likely be assigned. Exploiting matchups and being flexible enough to adapt? Nah, I think Kirby needs to get an effective OC.
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While this is true. It is notable that the one position (receiver) we didn’t have the talent is the one we all so fall apart in the SECCG.
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Flip LSU’s receivers to Georgia back in the spring and vice versa.
You really think we have LSU’s year? This offense hangs 49 on Oklahoma in a half?
I don’t.
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I do. We had a top 10 offense by S&P with just Cager.
Add in 2-3 more dependable talented WR’s and I think we are still playing football
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Well, of course, we ARE still playing football.
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Totally disagree.
You think Kirby is going shotgun empty backfield on 3rd and 2?
We’re assuming the difference is entirely personnel. It’s not. LSU’s scheme gives their pass catchers advantages and space that Georgia’s does not. Georgia actually has more 5 star receivers than LSU.
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Yeah. Unfortunately, we’re example #1 that it takes more than talent. How OSU lost triggered my PTSD. Too willing to settle for FGs and losing even though you converted on more scoring opportunities. Also, the QB throwing bad interceptions and taking inexcusable sacks.
Ryan Day openly stating that they dumbed down the offense for Fields reminded me of Coley and Smart, even though why we’d do it with a 3 year starter at QB is beyond me. They opened it up a little later in the season but it was too late. Young WRs, sure, but that doesn’t stop a lot of programs. Maybe Fromm just isn’t as good as I thought, idk, but it seems obvious that he took a big step back and I have to assume that’s mostly on coaching. This is why I think whether or not he returns is 100% subject to what Kirby plans for 2020.
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After the way they babysat a 3 year starter at QB lead offense, I can’t imagine how Kirby will handle the offense if we’re trotting out a freshman QB next season.
And there will be even more elite freshman WRs demanding PT. New OL and a new OL coach who likes the undersized guys. I’m down on the O but next year is a new year and opportunity to change and get better. It’s all up to Manball.
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Looking back I can’t remember a game we won because we out schemed anyone. We won because we had better talent. Games where the talent differential wasn’t a factor we sort of struggled.
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Games where there is not a talent differential should be competitive.
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