It’s good to see the praise Todd Monken is starting to garner from the national media. When you consider that he’s got Georgia’s offense functioning at a reasonably high level (20th nationally in offensive ypp) despite the injuries, he’s had quite the year so far.
I continue to be impressed with his creativity when it comes to play design. Here are a couple of clips from Saturday that caught my eye as I watched them unfold.
Georgia’s first score of the game:
The clip doesn’t quite do the play justice. Yeah, Cook’s sharp cut back inside was excellent, and the formation helped spread space, but live, I could see that what really opened the field up was Washington’s route. (He topped it off with an excellent block in the end zone.) The play design is what got the score.
Speaking of Washington, listen to Dayne Young’s description of what occurred on this play.
This is the kind of stuff I refer to when I talk about how good Monken is at scheming receivers open. And one reason Stetson’s improved so much this season is that he’s started to trust Monken’s play design.
I’ll say it again: I hope Monken gets the chance to scheme with a full deck sometime this season. He deserves the chance.
Get The Picture 
Exactly…what would this offense look like with all the great players in place? I want to see that Dawg offense under Monken.
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Other than Pickens, I’m beginning to think the best players are playing..
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I’m happy with the mailman too and the freshman receivers, but
There’s a few more I’d like to see back…like
QB, JT Daniels (Lat) – Day to Day
RB, Kenny McIntosh (Hamstring) – Questionable
OT, Jamaree Salyer (Ankle) – Questionable
WR, Jermaine Burton (Groin) – IN
WR, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (Ankle) – IN
WR, Arian Smith (Shin) – Questionable
WR, George Pickens (Knee) – OUT
WR, Dominick Blaylock (Hamstring) – Questionable
OL, Tate Ratledge (Foot) – OUT
I didn’t include Arik…but he’s supposed to a baller too…there’s a couple defenders I’d like to see get healthy too.
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Getting some of these guys back…or the few walking wounded who played some last Sat (Salyer) getting healthy…I think that would be unstoppable in Monken’s scheming
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James Cook on an angle route should be illegal.
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My hope is that Monken wants to be the OC for a perenially winner and that we are happy to compensate him in order that he stays. Imagine what this offense will look like in year 3, 4, or 5.
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Current/future recruits will look at film, listen to their coaches or fellow recruits and say “UGA football is the place to go from good to really good, if not gooder”…
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Watch the inside receiver (can’t pick up his number) at the top of the screen. He spit the coverage and was open for a TD by fifteen yards.
And I think we’re only beginning to see what Cook can do. His confidence and drive are soaring going into the second half of this great season!
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Well, we really only have two receivers, one of the two dudes is the size of Danny Devito, so I’ll leave it to you to figure out who the other non-redshirt freshman is.
And you are absolutely right.
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I’m fully convinced Monken is the best playcaller in the country, and it’s because he’s not married to any one philosophy. He’s so adept at identifying where a D is vulnerable, and he schemes to attack that. He’s not trying to force anything just because he believes it’s what is best. Like it’s been said many times, he takes what the D is giving him, and he trusts his players to execute whatever is needed to make that work.
I only have one complaint about Monken. After every big passing play, we always go to a quick snap on the very next play……and just run it up the middle for 1 yard. Every. Single. Time. It’s a wasted down. My buddy is convinced it’s a long con and we’re gonna do it all season long, then finally in the NC game, pull it and hit a TE for the winning touchdown. LOL.
But man, we are so lucky to have Monken. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone.
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I haven’t noticed that tendency but I believe you are correct on both points. I thought that Kentucky’s defense played great but there was nothing they could do when we were in sync. Did you notice that Sayler played at guard with the freshman at left tackle the entire game?
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Salyer played left tackle.
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You are correct. I will also learn to spell his name.
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Watch next time we go with a quick snap. We did it on Saturday again. I think it was right before the FG we kicked to put as at 24. Long completed pass down to about the 11, then we hustle down, quick snap, run up the middle and stuffed for one yard. Wasted down, now it’s 2nd and 9 from like the 10. It’s EVERY time we go with a quick snap. You can bank on it. I don’t know if our big boys on the OL are tired from running down the field after the big play or what, but we never block it well, and it goes for right at one yard every time.
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I will pay more attention to that in the future, Monken has been great I really like the drive in the 3rd with all three TEs in. I was posting in the preseason what a threat Washington was with Fitz and the group is better than expected. They setup play action very well and can make you pay with a big catch when the other team sells out on the run. Cook is another awesome weapon taking snaps at receiver and still getting hard yards at RB.
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I hope Monken “gets the chance” for years to come. Kirby needs to “give dat man his munnee.”
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I said this yesterday but will say it again, remember when we thought Eddie Gran was going to be our OC? I get a cold chill thinking about that. I love me some Monken. Pay that man. Why do more OCs not do what he does in terms of taking what the defense gives them? Why the stupid, stubborn, misguided insistence on sticking to a philosophy regardless of whether or not the defense takes that away? That used to drive me crazy in the past. When they take that away they leave themselves open somewhere else. Why just ram into a wall over and over cause philosophy?
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On the second clip, imagine how that play ends if Bennett gets the ball out faster. Washington gets the ball and gets turned upfield before defense has fully digested the boot, plus Darnell has more room to work.
Not complaining, just noting that as good as the play result was, it still left money on the table.
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I can’t even begin to imagine the size of the lump in a DBs throat when he sees Washington head towards him with a full head of steam and no help behind him. It has to be terrifying.
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Darnell’s going to motivate a lot of business decisions
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I worry, probably excessively, about Washington blowing out his knee. He’s a long legged moose and just the way he runs, I can’t explain it. It just looks like his legs are going everywhere and because he’s so athletic, it’s just looks like the angles and pressure he puts on them, coupled with a low hit…(shudders)
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It’s just the Munson DNA that has become imbedded in all DAWG fans. We can find and worry about 1 in a million potential bad shit that others would never even think of. The chaser is that not infrequently, we can magically make it come true.
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Agreed. Low hits are my main worry with him. His knees are at everyone else’s waist! Can you be too tall to play tight end? I remember the Gronk and the Charles Grant hits to the knee. Turns my dang stomach. Practice that stiff arm big guy and keep em away from those knees!
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What I find exciting about the second clip is Fitzpatrick AND Washington are open. Stetson has the option of throwing short or to the middle. The trailing linebacker can’t play both and in this situation is too slow for both. LEVELS!
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Maybe someone already brought it up…but,
Major Attaboys to Milton for having the savvy and presence of mind to sneak up on that “fumble”… saved the possession and the touchdown we got shortly after… Dam Good Play…
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