Hmmm…
Maybe the coaches had their reasons to start Fromm in 2018.
Daily Archives: April 2, 2021
“So he said, ‘I think I want to go to the fan portal.’”
I hope you’ve got a subscription to The Athletic, because this story ($$), about a nine-year old Tennessee fan who’d had enough of the Vols and decided to change allegiances, is fucking hilarious.
The gist of it is that he, with the help of his father, decided to write four SEC head coaches (Orgeron, Saban, Kiffin and Heupel) in the hopes that one of them would recruit him to support their program. Here’s a sample:
Saban responded. So did Coach O. Amazingly, Tennessee didn’t.
But Junior was the winner.
And then, the phone call came.
“I got a message that said, ‘Coach Kiffin would like to recruit Landon. Is he available for a phone call?’” Justin said. “I thought maybe it was going to be an assistant or somebody saying they’d send us a shirt or a hat or something like that.”
But not long after, Kiffin was on the phone.
“Landon answered the phone and it was Coach Kiffin on the other end,” Justin said. “It was shocking to both of us.”
Read the whole thing, if you can. It’s a hoot.
Chess match in the opener
We’ll see some first rate defensive minds at work this September, when Georgia faces Clemson.
Brent Venables met with the media for the first time this spring and had a lot to say about his defense. For me, the most interesting comments were his look back at what went wrong in Clemson’s last game:
— On what went wrong vs. Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl:
“Wasn’t anything worth a flip… the preparation, the game plan. You burn it all. We did a poor job of having our guys prepared. We got physically worked on the line of scrimmage. They got after us on all three levels. We were out-physicaled. They established the run early and set up play-action. We let guys run by us and through us. We didn’t set the edge all day. We got knocked off the ball.
“It was a humbling experience. A lot of self-evaluation. I think the most important thing we do in the out-of-season and what we’ve tried to emphasize in spring ball is improving our physicality at all three levels.
“We have to improve our ability to stop the run. Improving our run fundamental is where it all starts. I think we are going to be stronger up the middle of our defense this year. I’ve seen that improvement, probably the most improvement I’ve seen from any two guys on our defense is Tyler Davis and Bryan Bresee. They’ve had terrific springs. If we are going to be what we all hope we can be going into next year man, it starts with those guys.”
— On alignment/pre-snap stuff vs. Ohio State:
“There were a few times we didn’t get lined up fast enough, but I think more than anything else they were more physical and we didn’t set the edge and we got knocked off the ball. When our safeties started getting over-aggressive, they threw it over us. We didn’t stop the run and did a poor job containing the quarterback. Guys trying to do too much. It was a bad night in every way. Every way.”
No doubt they looked bad. No doubt Venables will use that to motivate himself and his players to redeem themselves in Charlotte.
Also, no doubt Smart and Monken have looked at that game and very much want to establish the run. We’ll see who gets whom.
Speaking of not setting the edge, here’s an interesting Xs-and-Os discussion from Smart about how he and Venables deploy their inside linebackers. Note how he uses an example of an Ohio State running play to make one of his points:
Nick Saban practices his sense of humor.
“I want to be clear here. All these offensive coaches on here, I wish I could look at you when I say this to you: you guys are all part of the Taliban, man. Aight? You’re a part of Al Qaeda,” he said with a wry smile. “You have changed our game and made it so hard to play defense for all of us poor defensive guys. I can’t sit in church without shaking my leg because I’m worried about what you guys are going to do next. I do respect you, but I still think you’re part of the Taliban.”
Yeah, that seems a bit awkward. I wonder if he conveyed that directly to Junior and Sarkisian. Oh, what am I thinking? Of course he did.
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UPDATE: Speaking of Junior and Sarkisian…
Filed under Nick Saban Rules
“I know it’s going to be different than Australia.”
Chip Towers’ interview with Brett Thorson, the Aussie punter who just committed to Georgia, is everything you’d hope it would be.
“As far as the football goes, I know Georgia is as big as it can get,” Thorson said. “It’s like a religion to them. They just love football. I’ve watched all the videos and been told it, but I don’t think I’ll truly understand the scale of it until I’m there in person and see it myself.”
Amen, mate.
Filed under Georgia Football
The fine line between arrogance and cluelessness
Shot.
“We’re asking [Congress] for a framework within which we can do what we want to do,” Emmert said Thursday.
“What I’ve heard about the conversation with Mark Emmert is a clear sign of lack of leadership,” Sen. Richard Blumenthall (D-Conn.) said earlier Thursday during a media call with a player-led group. “He says he wants Congress to help him—well, we’re going to give him hell.”
Whatever they’re paying Mark Emmert almost three million dollars a year to do, reading the room clearly isn’t part of that.
Filed under The NCAA
Early buzz
Per Jake Rowe, there’s some talk emerging about player development midway through spring practice. Digging through it, there seems to be a pretty clear line you can draw between the older players on the list and the young ‘uns, which is hardly surprising.
The problem is that Georgia really needs help in the secondary and at offensive tackle and there isn’t really much experienced talent to draw on in those areas. A sample:
- Jalen Kimber: “Georgia really needed a cornerback or four to get off to a fast start in spring drills and Kimber did that. He still needs to get bigger and stronger but he has some natural instincts for his position. His speed allows him to run with receivers and he doesn’t panic when the ball is in the air. His frame puts him at a disadvantage when it comes to the 50/50 situations but those who’ve seen him in action are impressed by his ability to consistently put himself in position to battle for the football. If he stays on the same trajectory and gets bigger and stronger in the offseason, he may find himself starting in the season opener.”
- Kelee Ringo: “The No. 1 cornerback in the 2020 class still has a long way to go. He has only gone through seven practices as a Bulldog but the raw tools really stand out. He’s not yet comfortable in the defense and he’s not playing as fast as he will down the line, but sources who’ve seen him work say Ringo is one of the top overall athletes on the team. He’s extremely fast and has gotten more physical with every practice. The further he gets from the shoulder surgery last August and the more he learns what to do, the more comfortable he’ll be in the defense.”
- Broderick Jones: “Georgia wants to move Jamaree Salyer inside to left guard but it’s going to need someone to step up at left tackle. Blaske is trying to make a move but so is Jones, who may be one of the most gifted pass protector on the team. He has held his own on the edge against some really talented players but he do more than just keep that up. He has to get better. He also has to grow as a run blocker and that comes with developing the right mentality and getting stronger. Word is that Jones has consistently improved this spring but he hasn’t yet overtaken Xavier Truss for the first-team left tackle spot. Can he do that before G-Day? More importantly, can he do that before UGA meets Clemson in Charlotte to open the season?”
I know it’s a long way between April and September, but those are three players who need a lot of bigger, stronger and comfort in the scheme to become major contributors by the start of the season. And those are ones getting buzz!
Filed under Georgia Football
In Knoxville, the more things change…
It wouldn’t be Tennessee football without a vapid catchphrase.
Tillman added that the new staff has implemented an “EATS” slogan, which is short for effort, alignments, toughness and smarts.
Feels like home.
Filed under Because Nothing Sucks Like A Big Orange
Get The Picture 