SEC StatCat has some advice for Todd Monken, based on last year’s statistical story:
To which I’d say:
- Wary is one thing. They’d best be trying to figure out why Daniels’ accuracy dipped running play action and fix that.
- Being better on first down is a legit concern.
- This one reads like a bit of a stretch. One poor game — a bowl game with a patched-up offensive line, to boot — doth not a trend make.
Get The Picture 
Any thoughts on play action? Most high school QBs now don’t really handle the ball in true play-action. They run a lot of RPO stuff but not real play-action where they have to sell linebackers and safeties on the run. It would seem that it’s sort of a lost art for QBs who are generally taking a shotgun snap. I would really like to hear if we have some coaches who comment here on my impression.
Combine that with the fact that Daniels was running an Air Raid offense before his injury at USC where there’s even less true play-action.
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Not a coach. But my $0.02 is that running play-action 1) gives a new QB more things to “think” about and 2) requires the QB to take their eyes off the field to sell the fake before resetting eyes downfield on the defense and receivers, and finally 3) gives a QB less time to get rid of the ball.
A full set of spring and fall practices should bring more comfort and trust in terms of executing the fake and trusting his receivers are where they are supposed to be when he resets his eyes downfield. His mechanics and overall comfort behind his O-line will likely determine how he does on #3.
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I really think quarterback ball handling is a lost art. Gone are the days where a David Greene truly turns his back on the defense to carry out a fake with the ball on his hip or hidden from the defense. In the shotgun, the only play-action is the fake on the inside zone or a quick fake to a running back in the pistol. Finally, you have to trust that your offensive line is going to do their job to allow the fake to develop.
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should be natural by the time you are at the college level. it’s taught at the middle school level on through HS……just not executed too well at the college for whatever reason.
More to do with the OC than the QB and RB imo……not emphasizing it enough. I’m sure there is good reason, just not sure what it is.
David Greene was one of the best, it is a lost art that I would love to see more of……you also rarely ever see a RB carrying the fake out throughout the play anymore.
It freezes the LB, the DB and the lineman can’t pin their ears back and GATA…..buys time.
Another thing that drives me nuts is watching a RB raise the wrong arm up to take a handoff, or having it in the wrong arm while running……or not having the ball “high and tight”.
little things (fundamentals) have been lost through the years, seems the same with men’s BB.
Would rather watch the women’s, they play it the right way.
BWTFDIK…
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Fundamentals. Hitting those free throws, man.
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Certainly no coach here.
But it occurs to me that the RPO is the new play action.
With the running game being centered largely on zone reads when the quarterback is under center, the RPO more closely mimics the run (given that it actually might be a run) and threatens the linebackers.
From there, as mentioned previously, working from the shotgun makes for a rather awkward play action, as the quarterback had to take a lateral or even forward step to feign the handoff. This has to be disruptive to the momentum of the quarterback in comparison to the usual drop back style where the quarterback is retreating to the throwing position and passes by the running back on the way.
It’s probably part of why we see more quarterbacks throwing flat-footed or even falling away at times, just depending on arm talent.
Football seems to be increasingly migrating toward Arena Football at this point, and I don’t think it’s going back anytime soon.
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*not under center
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I’m in the minority here but I’m not sold on Daniels as the savior yet. I know, he’s the best we have w out a doubt. But his mechanics are certainly exacerbated by play action. And his miss state game may also be an outlier. Hell the greatest game of all time in college was what’s his name under center vs South Carolina! Seriously he played at UGA and I can’t remember his name anymore.
Excited to be wrong but there’s enough warts on JT that I’m not buying a ticket to the national championship game yet.
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Joe Cox
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Colorado…
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Greyson Lambert
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That was Lambert’s Day of Days. It came at the best possible time against the one who needed it stuck up his ass the most.
SOS. Spud. Spurrier. Sayonara and suck it ya shithead.
Lambert should get free drinks from Mountain City to Miami.
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The fact that it WAS Grayson Lambert that made the ol’ Ball Sack quit is even better in my book. If it was some all-world Heisman QB that did it, it would seem like just a force of nature that Spurrier couldn’t overcome. But the fact that it was Grayson Lambert, a unheralded transfer from the ACC, just makes it a little more humiliating for the ol’ Ball Sack.
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The worst part about that day is I thought we had Joe Burrow with the following 2019 season coming. I am usually not that big a sucker, but man, i was was all on board.
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Good news is JT has an entire spring with Monken to work on mechanics. Also there are not many QB rooms in the SEC I would trade for ours, which is a welcomed change.
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1999 called and it wants that site design back. Jeez.
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LOL
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He left his footwork in California and I am waiting until he shines against the top SEC competition before I pass the mantle.
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Spread point is legit. I think the mechanics and footwork are coming more from the injury than anything else. I expect a big jump in both this year. And… Don’t get caught up to much in play action.
I think your going to see less of that from Monken anyway. Play action’s purpose is to slow the pass rush. Georgia is going to slow the pass rush with quick slants and outs to the back. The ball is going to come out of his hands quicker and quicker this year. It will force the defense to change they way they defend Georgia. Loading the box will not be an option, like it has been now really since Kirby arrived.
This will be a very different offense this year folks. The pass is actually going to open lanes up for the run.
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So I read all that stat geek shit and then read it again. That’s not insignificant data even if goes whoosh! by me. I’m confident Kirby’s platoon of analysts are on the mutha and will plan accordingly. Good is not good enough.
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One would think that the David Greene film reel in the QB study room would be worn out? Seriously, JT needs to watch Greene and I hope that there are more under center snaps. Play action fakes really need to be better than good.
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No. 2 has been my concern for the last three seasons. Stop running into stacked boxes on first down without ever having the benefit of a lead blocker. It’s stupid. It’s counterproductive. It’s idiot caveman-thinking on offense.
Even Jim Brown had a lead blocker when he ran into stacked boxes. Kirby refuses to recruit fullbacks and we don’t use the i-formation anymore on offense. So stop running into stacked boxes on first down. Throw it!
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Very insightful Corch. I’ve never heard that we run into stacked boxes. You might be on to something that we have all missed – keep at it.
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Given that the stat guys keep agreeing with me, you’re gonna keep hearing it. Either from me or from them.
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Repeating it over and over is pointless.
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That puts into words an itch I’ve been trying to scratch.
Play action requires a QB to take his eyes off the defense for at least a split second. Or at least limit his field of vision as he fakes the handoff. Some QBs really struggle with adding it to their drop (mechanics and rhythm of their targeting radar). Play action looked awkward for him, and those stats bear that out a bit.
Georgia was 1 out of 11 on 3rd down versus Cincinnati. I’m not ready to dismiss that as an anomaly, although I recognize the combo of a talented opposing defense and a total line reshuffle has to be taken into account.
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A QB that doesn’t trust his o-line will be shit on play action passes because he does have to take his eyes off the defense and trust his line to make it work.
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My take away is his boss said deliver X number of words on UGA today or you don
t get paid. No insight just click here. Im totally confident our OC and Kirby know what we need to do to win championships.Now what we need and never seem to get are the right breaks at the right time. Every NC has a game or play that needs to go there way. Sometimes it`s just staying healthy for key players. Whatever that is we are way overdue.
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