I’m not sure I’m in the minority on this, or if it just feels like I am because the other side of the take on JT Daniels’ health last season has been so vociferous, but I never felt like anyone outside of the program has a real understanding of why it took so long for Daniels to get his first start.
Given that, I’ve always found it of interest when I hear any of the decision makers involved touch on that subject, even indirectly, which Kirby Smart did last week at SEC Media Days.
Learning the offense and the mental side of the game, however, isn’t where Daniels has made the biggest leaps this offseason. According to Smart, the biggest area of growth has been on the physical side.
“I think physically he has improved himself with strength, weight, mobility,” Smart said in a meeting with the UGA beat prior to taking the stage at SEC Media Days. “Those are the things that he’s really grown in since the end of the season.”
Big, if true. If he has fully bounced back from the knee problems — which, remember, weren’t fully disclosed at the time — that should have a significant impact on his deep ball mechanics and his ability to escape the rush. One thing’s for sure: it won’t take very long for us to find out.
Get The Picture 
39 days, 10 hours, 18 minutes
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And counting…
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I think he had to have had some serious setback. I don’t think Kirby was tied to Mathis or Bennett enough to not play JT if he were healthy. I can’t see this as a Joe Cox 2010 or JT3 2006 situation. Like you I hope that his mechanical issues were related to being less than 100% in the games we saw him in last year.
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I don’t get why some people cannot accept this comment coming from JT’s own father (who would know him and his physical abilities/inability best, save an orthopedist) post MSU game last season?
Steve noted that he personally observed JT before the season and could tell his son wasn’t game ready.
“I was out here in August and saw JT in a scrimmage, and you could tell he wasn’t 100 percent,” Steve said.
“You could see it in JT’s throws, he wasn’t able to get the same velocity on some of his passes, and that’s one of the things that separates him, is his accuracy.”
The number of under thrown balls and mechanics on how he tended to cast his right leg out gave the appearance, at least, that there still were some lingering effects from the knee injury.
Here’s to looking forward to a fully recovered version and the potential!
Go Dawgs!
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but yet when the critics (Kirby) read it, they kept blaming Kirby. Oh well, comes with the territory I guess.
Pay me 7 million plus a year and you can call me anything…..just don’t call me late for supper.
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A few on here were adamant they should have played JT from the start…I consider them clueless.
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And the weaker the clues, the more adamant the insistence that they knew more than JT, his family and the head coach at UGA.
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“look at me”…..no different here as it is in life, some just need the special attention.
just gotta tolerate & love’em I guess, maybe they will grow out of it.
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Fact — a one legged JT was better than Dwan or Bennett….at any point 2020.
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Hard to function on one leg….besides, don’t throw him to the wolves to risk injury that could end his career.
Just a WAG here, but thinks Kirby and staff handled things the right way. Would think other recruits and families see that and it helps…not hurts.
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I heard JT’s dick is so big that he actually can function on one leg.
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gurkha your knowledge in this area is interesting.
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Well, we are in the age of specialization.
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GurkhaDawg is an MD, so I’ll trust his judgement on JT’S pecker. He still ain’t putting his finger up my ass.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
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you misspelled “disturbing”
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Lol. No personal knowledge of JT’s pecker, but if you are going to lead this bad ass bunch of Dawgs, you better have a big one.
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Would agree Greg.
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All I know is that this year looks good and last year probably wasn’t “the year” with healthy JT all year anyhow.
And if we don’t lose to Florida, Mullen could have been fired which would be bad. Need that “5 star hearts, three stars who want to be here, development, etc.” kind of mentality down in Gainesville as long as possible.
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Daniels was still a boy when he showed up at UGA. A very talented and injured boy. With rehab, proper nutrition and weight training he has become a Man. A year makes a big difference at that age.
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Yes it does.
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Very true, especially when I think about how much I grew up alcoholically in just a year in Athens.
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they worked miracles with Chubb…..and I am guessing that Daniels was not as bad.
I trust…
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True, but think about 2015, 2017 Chubb and compare that with 2016 Chubb. Even the hardest working seemingly indestructible guys get laid low by knee injuries.
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And yet, Nick went on to the NFL and has done really well! GO DAWGS!
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He’s what, 6’3″ and 210? That’s about the size Joe Burrow was. IIRC JB was a handful to get on the ground and made a bunch of plays after the D had gotten hands on him.
Lawd have mercy if we see that against Clemson…
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Preach it, brotha, preach it
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When JT announced his transfer over a year ago, there was an analysis YouTube video from his time at USC. He had mechanical issues his Freshman year on deep throws. He didn’t fully stride into them, pre-knee injury either. I think he’s gotta overcome his knee recovery challenges and work on his natural mechanics.
The interesting part of his deep throws last year is that they were often underthrown, but largely were still completions. They didn’t allow his receivers to catch the ball and continue for additional yards, but they were completed at a much, much higher rate than Stetson’s and D’wan’s.
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“…they were completed at a much, much higher rate than Stetson’s and D’wan’s.”
As Buck would say, “Boy Howdy!” I watched the first half of last year’s game with Alabama, and was stunned at how many times Stetson just completely over threw or under threw a wide open receiver. On the last TD of the half, Pickens accepted the challenge and made a spectacular circus catch. On 4th and about 1, Stetson managed to draw Bama offside, which was good, but then on the next two plays threw two passes to wide open receivers that were about 4-5 feet over their heads. No one has that much of a vertical leap in them.
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We had two QB’s prove that having just wide assed open personal running downfield in Jacksonville does not work. Without a capable QB to target them and throw the ball within a catchable range you’ll lose to even a Tood Grantham defense.
JT routinely under threw passes down field last season. At least they had a chance to be caught. With his knowledge of the offense and a year to improve if he hits them in stride this offense will be record breaking. If any defender turns his back to the of scrimmage very often he’ll have tire tracks across his back courtesy of RBU.
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This is unfortunately true. I’m by no means a QB mechanics specialist, but he did not drive off that back foot pre injury in his HS or USC tape. I think any other hiccups JT had last season were likely due to rust. But the deep ball thing is consistent with his tape previous to the injury. Hopefully CTM and Buster Faulkner can help him out.
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I’ve always considered Kirby and Monken’s timing on Daniels very reasonable and understandable. He was obviously not even close to ready in the pre-season (as a medical technicality). Once you’ve lost pre-season reps, as a June transfer with no spring practice and a pandemic lock-out, you’re behind the 8 ball on getting to QB1 in a massive way. When the season starts, the team doesn’t have time to prep a guy who is at best “trending” toward recovery and readiness. That’s a massive risk on time allotment with a recovery / physical readiness that was anything but predictable from a timeline standpoint. And that’s before you even consider the ethics of playing a guy who could risk further injury, which I’m proud we have a staff that is in tune with that.
When you consider the season began in late September, having him ready after not getting reps (throw in the Jamie Newman debacle) in the preseason and a November start date is about as good as it was gonna get.
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NEWMAN!! How’d that work out for you?
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I still like the pundit who criticized Daniels with praise: “He turned several touchdowns into 40 yard gains.” He didn’t say JT turned touchdowns into incompletions or interceptions. Almost goes in the “Nice Problem to Have’ department.
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Yeah, until you play Cincinnati and throw for 392 yards, with a 68.4% completion rate and only one interception…but almost lose the game because of an inability to punch it in.
JTD is a thrill to watch, and I am excited to see where this offense takes us next year, but the pundit you’re referring to has a valid point.
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Look at the play-by-play for that game.
Down 0-7, JT throws a 51 yard bomb to Pickens…then gets picked off 2 plays later.
Down 0-7, 38 yards to Washington and 16 yards to Pickens gets us in the end zone.
Tied 7-7, 55 yards to Arian Smith and 17 to Kenny Mac…field goal
Down 21-10, 20 yards to GP to get us in the red zone…JT fumbles.
We get a TD on a short field after a Cinci fumble, then miss the 2-pointer
Down 16-21, 42 yards to Kearis, 23 yards to GP…field goal
Down 19-21, 10-15 yard throws to several guys, but a string of incompletions leads to Pod kicking a damn •53 yarder• to win it.
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Hmmm… I guess I’ll need to go back and watch. I do not remember a “string” of incompletions
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Just a bit of linguistic color. There were consecutive incompletions on 2nd and 3rd which led to the kick.
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Let’s place a little blame on our D not keeping Cinc from scoring. The QB get most of the praise and most of the scorn but he’s not playing Defense.
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Please don’t forget those picky or phantom drive-killing ref calls that kept the first half from being a Dawg blow-out. The D only gave up that initial blown assignment long run TD the entire second half.
Still disappointing, but a win.
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I listened to an interview his father gave after JT had started two games. His own father said his son was not ready to play when the season started. The reporter pressed a little and asked when was he game ready and dad quickly replied he’s still not fully recovered.
After listening to his father my take not his words they did not expect him to start games last year. This was their target season when he signed with Georgia.
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That there is any interesting in rehashing the hash left over from last years hash indicates it must be mid-summer.
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His deep ball mechanics were the same in high school and at USC. it’s how he throws
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His hero and QB role model is Arron Rodgers. Ever watch how he throws, it’s identical. The most important thing about how a QB throws is his accuracy, if he can throw 50% as accurate as AR, I think we will be just find.
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I didn’t see a whole lot in the spring that led me to believe that JT was much better mechanically than what he was in the Peach Bowl. I’m optimistic overall, but I kinda feel like he has at least one 4 interception game in him that will come at the worst possible time. He got away with A LOT of poor and ill advised passes last year, and that has to catch up eventually. Just my 2 cents ..
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Damn dude. I can’t disagree with what you’re saying, but damn.
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Escape rush no prob. But he didn’t need to be 100% to get rid of the ball sooner to avoid sacks. That’s not a mechanics problem, but the mental clock that hopefully can get fixed…
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Off topic but I bought the 3 game ticket pass yesterday and need two more Kentucky tickets. My buddy and his family are coming to town. He is a native Texan and UT fan but overall a swell guy and purple heart “winner.”
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Good luck finding those tickets for your buddy. Wish I cold help. I had to think before I typed. His getting hit? I take that kind of personal even though I don’t know your buddy. Y’all were out laying the hate and doing the deed while I was fat, dumb and happy back here smokn’ dope, listening to Mick Jagger and bad-mouthing the government.
I never could stand watching somebody else do the work. Gotta get used to it I reckon.
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Ha. Thanks.
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He asked if he can wear Texas stuff at the game. I told him it was fine as long as it wasn’t Florida and that there were only so many asshole Georgia fans and that the likelihood we would be near one when he’s there with one of the biggest ones was pretty slight.
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Texas apparel at a Georgia game? Talk about zigging when he should be zagging…
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My thought is that the Kentucky game should be important and take place on a potentially perfect Fall day. That combined with the sights and sounds of Athens will convert him at least temporarily.
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Shee-it. We can tell burnt orange from dumpster fire. Plus, UT handed our ass to us last time. Welcome to the SEC, ‘horns…put your big boy pants on…
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