Not Sure 'Dogs are Top 10 in 2012
Hearing a lot of talk about the 'Dogs being a Top 10 rated team heading into the 2012 season. Let me just say that I'm not on board yet. A Top 25? Sure. Top 10? Nope.
We've got some work to do up front, on both sides of the ball. Until then, we are hanging around the same spot...somewhere between 15 & 25.
On the O-Line, we lose 3 senior starters. So, we are looking for a center and 2 OTs. Question: What are the 3 most important spots on the OL? Answer: Center and both tackles. Question: Do we have experienced upperclassmen ready to step in, in those 3 spots? Answer: Maybe in 2 of the 3.
Chris Burnette looks like the best option at center. Best I can tell, he played guard out of necessity this season. But he would take over the center spot as a junior, with starting experience. The other option is to go with an unproven, redshirt freshman in David Andrews.
At tackle, junior Kenarious Gates is expected to grab one spot. He did come on strong late this season at guard, but it remains to be seen if he can deliver at tackle. The other spot is wide open. It looks like one of the young pups will have to play. That's not a situation Top 10 teams typically deal with.
On the D-Line, who are the impact players? Jenkins is legit, but he's taking on double teams. I don't see "difference-makers" at DE. Top 10 teams have impact players at those spots. I over-valued Geathers. Garrison Smith could emerge. Abry Jones wasn't that impressive. There are question marks.
We are loaded at WR and LB. Set at QB. Solid in the secondary. It's on the LOS where we have issues. And the best I can tell, you can't beat Top 10 teams, when you're not winning up front. But what's new? This has been the same story for years now.
Buck agree with you again-I do feel a little better about potential depth on D line--but no doubt we need help on off line--I know he is young but as I said before I have a good feeling about Chester Brown
Reply to this
You are an idiot nothing more nothing less!
Reply to this
Buck
You are so correct with your post. When does CMR see that you also need a top O line and D line. There not sexy positions but who cares. We can no longer scrape by on C level players. At Georgia of all places.
Go Dawgs
Reply to this
Buck:
When 80-90 % of your running game focuses on the zero hole, you will never successfully run the football, especially if you don't engage the short middle with the pass. It makes the job of running a defense too simple and gives the defense a decided edge in numbers and positioning. We must diversify our running attack. Our approach is shear lunacy. Look no further than the game film of the bowl game.
I would even go further to say that not only is our approach a futile one, but it is further, demoralizing and more prone to get our running backs injured.
Reply to this
Good post, Buck. I have been preaching the same message for quite a while. Back in your day, when we were kicking arse, our OL and DL were exceptional. We don't have that level of domination right now.
We have a lot of fine skilled players that are stifled. We are not going to get to that top tier level until we make our lines of scrimmage truly elite.
Reply to this
If you take the best O-line in pro or college and match them up against a fair to good defense that knows the ball will be run up the middle,the defense will win every time.
We don't have an o-line personnel problem, at least as far as the run, we have a running strategy problem.
We as fans will be sorely disappointed if we think that some new offensive line recruits are going to fix our running game. Make no mistake, we are asking the impossible of our linemen and our backs with our current approach.
Ask yourself the question,if you were a defensive coordinator, where would you prefer the other team to run the football and would you prefer them to run there more often than not?
Our running game is a defensive coordinators dream come true. He just tells his tackles to pursue the QB straight ahead, in their assigned gaps and his defensive ends not to worry about their inside gaps. All three LB's are positionally able to be in the play unless they have an obvious coverage responsibility.
Please tell me why I am wrong. Watch film. Watch LSU or MSU. Look at their linebacker positioning. Do they seem hesitant or on their heels? Do they seem confused about a play's direction?
Reply to this
I can't understand why Keith Marshall is coming to UGA to run behind that OL. The OL is terrible and has been for 4-5 years. Was it last year UGA was preseason #1 with the strength of the team supposed to be the OL? The OL sucked, UGA dropped quickly out of the rankings, and Searels left for Texas.
The OL can make a great back look bad or a good back look great. It all starts upfront and UGA don't have it.
Reply to this
Buck, you mentioned that the 3 most important positions on the offensive line is the center & 2 tackle. That was just one reason the backs had such a tough time this year. These 3 guys & the other 2 CANNOT BLOCK period. Murray was running for his life time & time again. Coach Dooley always believed that the most important unit on the field was his OL. The OL is by far the weakest link to this team. We will never have a championship team without a strong OL.
Reply to this