Talking behind their backs

I keep saying it, but Athlon’s lost a few miles off its anonymous opposing coaches’ fastball since Tuberville left the SEC.  This is all the cattiness they can muster about this year’s Georgia team:

“They’re consistent, they’re talented, but they’re still figuring out how to be elite. Defensively they don’t throw as much at you as Alabama. I think a Georgia defense is more about making decisions and executing than throwing a lot of scheme at you, and they make great decisions.

“They have great edge play, guys who are true game-wreckers. Even more than Bama, you find yourself having to address their front and making concessions. In terms of pure physical talent, you’re always having to bring a back or a tight end in, you end up doing things to move away from what you want. They’re great at taking away what an OC wants to do the most.”

“Offensively they’re sort of adrift. What are they trying to do? Last year it was really muddy, and I think a lot of that had to do with betting on Jamie Newman, losing him, and then adjusting to JT Daniels in-season.”

“I think it’s fair to say they know they need to evolve, but they haven’t found the right way to do it. Having consistency and a returning QB is a good start, but they can’t get too conservative.”

“This is a roster better than anyone in the country except for Bama and maybe Clemson. They’re turning over most of their secondary and will probably be fine. They just have to embrace the future with their offense and they could win it all.”

I can read nastier shit than that on a Gator message board.  Hell, there have been times I can read worse than that here.

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An underrated asshole

There was something about that David Shaw complaint I noted a week ago about Fox daring to make his team play a noon game (“I am pissed at Fox for our kickoff time against Kansas State”), especially that bit about not caring about his student athletes, that nagged at me for some reason.

And then I remembered why.

So, he loves his players enough to get them through the physical pounding of a few more games a season, but making sure they wake up early on Saturday is a bridge too far for his tender loving care?

And this is one of college football’s more respected figures, supposedly.  Trust him.

“Hear me out.”

Speaking of offensive coordinators, Seth Emerson looks in Todd Monken’s toolbox ($$) and likes what he sees there.

You take the personnel you have and find mismatches, as Monken said, and here is what he has to work with on Georgia’s offense:

• Man-child tight end: Darnell Washington

• Hybrid tight end-receiver: Arik Gilbert

• Speedy slot and outside receivers: Kearis Jackson, Jermaine Burton, Arian Smith, Dominick Blaylock (once healthy)

• Potential star running backs: Zamir White, Kendall Milton

• Fast tailback-receiver: James Cook

• Veteran pocket quarterback: JT Daniels

Not listed: George Pickens, return date TBD from spring ACL injury, as well as Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, a tall wide receiver target returning from a foot injury, and underrated tight end John FitzPatrick, who by the way is also very tall (6-7).

A lot of college football offenses don’t have one unicorn to deploy and Monken has the possibility of having two unicorns at his disposal to mess with opposing defensive coordinators.

Georgia in 2021 has the potential to be its own, non-copycat offense. Two tight end-types moving around the field, speedy receivers playing off them in a vertical passing game (a la 2020 Florida), but with smash-mouth running backs to complement them (2020 Alabama).

The best comparison, problematic as it may be with one of them, might be when the New England Patriots had Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. Those were two athletic tight ends who created mismatches all over the place, and the rest of the offense played off them. (Georgia receivers such as Jackson and Burton could really benefit from the attention that Gilbert and Washington get, for instance.) Given Georgia’s offensive talent, the more one-on-one matchups that Georgia gets, the more mismatches it will create.

With regard to those one-on-one matchups, here’s a stat that illustrates how using Washington and Gilbert to create those mismatches could be an especially big thing with an injured Pickens not in the lineup.

Contested catch rate in 2020:

George Pickens – 9/15 – 60%

All other #UGA TE/WRs – 9/36 – 25%

Arik Gilbert – 8/14 – 57%

— Brent Rollins (@PFF_Brent) June 13, 2021

It’s easier to find an open receiver if the defense has to account for those unicorns.

The best laid plans of mice and offensive coordinators

Sometimes, it seems like you’ve got everything working — open receivers, a perfect pocket to throw from…

A three part-story brought to you by the Georgia offense prior to JT Daniels: pic.twitter.com/XxEfTaIiSr

— Kegan Reneau (@KeganReneau) June 12, 2021

… and it all comes to naught because your quarterback can’t hit the broad side of a barn.

What really sucks about last year’s Florida loss was that the Gators’ pass defense was such hot garbage.  Easily the most frustrating game I watched.