The Law of the SEC
I was thinking tonight during the final seconds of the UF-Auburn game about our team and SEC Football. What happened to Chris Leak tonight was an example of The Law of SEC football:
The law is simple and no matter the decade, it doesn't change:
"You hesitate, you die."
Chris Leak hesitated in crucial moments and he got blown up and it cost his team the game. Unfortunately, we as a team, as a coaching staff have hesitated in determine who we are. We've waited. And it's caught up with us.
The Plan
Name Matthew Stafford the starting quarterback. Get him the reps he needs in practice. Limit the playbook. Simplify. Whatever. Let's just get a direction and go with it on offense.
No, naming Stafford starting quarterback will not stop Jarvis Jackson from peeling away from a tackle to get a "better" angle on a qb scrambling 17 yards downfield. No, naming Stafford starting quarterback won't solidify our shaky safety play.
But it might begin to fill in some of these gaps.
I imagine this decision now is probably a foregone conclusion. Our hand has been forced and there will be a necessary change. Look, I love the passion and intelligence Joe T brings. I love his work ethic, his toughness, and what he and his family have given this program.
But the psychology experiment is over.
No more church league or T-ball substitution patterns. No more worrying over hurt feelings. Now, everyone's feelings are hurt. Losing to Vandy will do that.
In the handling of Greene and Shockley, CMR had the midas touch. But this situation and this year is hard to figure out. There was a report I remember reading before the season began CMR asked CVH who he thought he should start at QB.
I remember worrying then, "Why is CMR asking CVH?" "Are we that unclear at the position?" The fear then is the reality now; the question of who we are on offense as yet to be answered. Or worse, it has.
And Little Things Become Big Things
We do not have an identity on offense. And it shows up in ways big and small. The last offensive series was a case in point. So was the one before it.
The Milner drop in the endzone.
The Bryant drop on the post.
Would they have happened if #7 was getting more than 10-15% of the snaps in practice? If #7 had worked with the first team more and they had worked with him, would that connection that only comes through meaningful repetitions in game or game-like conditions have resulted in a catch?
Who knows?
You have to speculate and wonder. And unfortunately, that's what a loss to Vandy leaves you with--time to speculate and wonder.
A Mystery
But going back to after the South Carolina game, there seemed to be a very clear answer to the question of who was our quarterback.
And its hard to understand why #7 was given the chance to make plays downfield in that game, was protected with a strong running attack in that game, but since then we've wavered thinking that Joe T.'s ankle injury and extra time watching film would somehow make him physically more capable of throwing a deep out.
And this is the mystery I keep coming back to. Both in looking at our play calling against Colorado and in Stafford's first series today--
If Stafford is so fragile as a freshman than why do we come out in the gun and have #7 slinging the ball around?
And if Joe T. knows our 18 volume play-book by rote memory, then why do we go uber-conservative, and run the Screen Offense?
Unless, the answer is--there are throws that Joe T. cannot PHYSICALLY make.
A conclusion that may sound familiar. A conclusion that takes us all the way back to G-Day and the Florida game 05.
So Let's Go With What We Got and Become Who We Are
At some point, the only way a quarterback is ever going to learn is by doing. And at some point CMR staff have to let go and let #7 make plays or not make plays. But the experience is the thing. The more Stafford plays, the more he will be able to LEARN, GROW, and MATURE. And the more we’ll actually have a shot to make some plays downfield.
There was a small but telling moment in this game and it brings me back to the original point of this rambling post.
It was on a on a completion in the second half. Stafford threw a ball that was tipped by a defender but still had enough ZIP to get to the WR for a completion. You get the ball tipped without that ZIP against the Floridas and Auburns and its going to be six the other way.
There was no HESITATION on that ball. It hummed. No rainbow. No out route that hung in the air for hours. It was delivered with speed and purpose. Two things we desperately need now. In every area of the game. Every facet. Speed and purpose. And the quarterback, that most unique of all positions in sport, sets that tone.
Common Sense and a Middle Ground
One more thing. The next few days I am sure will be ugly. Hell, the next two weeks should. This is definitely the most adversity CMR and staff have seen yet. But there's no reason the conversation cannot be constructive, critical, and supportive at the same time. The thread started by yogi earlier should be a model for how to do this correctly.
It's often said there are only two or three types of Georgia Fans:
- 1.) The Eternal Optimists
2.) The Realists
3.) The World is Falling
There's a middle ground between the extremes. There's a balance between Pumping Sunshine (losing to Vandy will help us develop fortitude) and Scorched Earthers (fire Martinez, fire Eason, fire Janeck, fire, fire, fire).
My dad used to say there are really only two types of people in this world: those who do make silly generalizations and those who don't.
We can find a middle ground
We can support our team and still voice concerns about the play of the team. We can also complain about the play without calling for Coach X or Y to be fired. There's a world of space for improvement between being a top-rated defense before UT and suddenly firing Willie Martinez.
We, as fans, have a responsibility to get through this first significant bump in the road with the class and toughness exhibited by our head coach.
JeromeFromDecatur
Guest Columnist
15 comments:
My dad used to say there are really only two types of people in this world: those who do make silly generalizations and those who don't.
Now that's the funniest thing I've heard all day.
it has been tough to be a dawg fan these past few weeks but you could not be more right on with your assesment of the situation. Where we are reminds me of where Arkansas was after week 1's destruction at the hands of USC. It was then the H_Nutt said Mitch is our man, and for better or for worse we are going to stick with him. 4 weeks later they beat auburn and have the inside track to atlanta. not saying that is going to happen here but the point is every year i watch qb controversies lead to the demise of the team. For God sakes lets pick a qb and go. even if it leads to 8-4 or 7-5.
"No out route that hung in the air for hours."
Seriously, I cring when I see that play with Joe T because the corner has time for a cup of coffee, a danish and a trip to the can before the ball gets there. That cannot be coached up.
Stafford hummed one across the entire field to Bryant against SC and he had time to turn it up for about ten yards because no corner can get there that fast. If we can get our timing and passcatching right, we should be able to ruin a defense with those passes.
So I understand that CMR is "Coach Mark Richt" but who the F is CVH? Your post is sufficiently long that the use of such acronyms doesn't save you much time and muddles the meaning you are trying to get across. At least you're not using MS for Matthew Stafford in a post about an Ole Miss game.
"In the handling of Greene and Shockley, CMR had the midas touch."
Did he? From what I remember Richt was about 50/50. I can remember countless times Greene was red hot and got benched so Shockley could toss an INT or go 3 and out for us. I remember other times when Greene was doing OK and Shockley came in and started launching completion after completion. If you think those substitutions were Midas material, then your rose-colored glasses are preventing you from remembering the whole picture.
"Would they have happened if #7 was getting more than 10-15% of the snaps in practice? If #7 had worked with the first team more and they had worked with him, would that connection that only comes through meaningful repetitions in game or game-like conditions have resulted in a catch?"
It didn't help before the Colorado game. Why would it help now? The most consistent receiver we've had so far this year is a FB and I don't see that changing any time soon. Now the receivers are spooked and they will self-fulfill their own dropped ball prophecies. I would say it will get worse before it gets better, but I just don't see how it can get worse.
Well said JeromeFromDecatur - I loved your post when I saw it over the weekend as well.
I think the biggest issue with this team right now is that we don't do anything (offensively or defensively) that makes the other team uncomfortable right now. In other words, there is nothing currently in our game plan that makes an opposing OC or DC say "wow, we better take THAT away this weekend or we've got no shot".
Starting Stafford - and giving him the reps he needs - may be the first step in rectifying that problem. That and having Q. Moses show up and show off one of these weekends....
Go Dawgs!!
While I hate to be thrown into the "scortched earth" group, I'll also stand by my observations after Saturday's game that at some point accountability should be demanded from the WR position. This isn't a new problem, Jerome. We've been dropping balls for 5+ years. Exactly how much leeway should be expected before a demand that Eason be called on to the carpet doesn't categorize one as a "scorthed earth" sort of fan?
Otherwise, you make some great observations. I agree.
CVH - COACH VAN HALANGER, I PRESUME
A nice but cliched bit of self promotion if you ask me. I think we are more in love with the legend of MS than the reality. This is the statistical trade we are making: A qb who completes nearly 60% of his passes and has three tds and 2 ints (both of which came in the same game) is being taken out in favor of a guy who completes 50% of his passes and has 1 td but FOUR ints. I am a fan who will support whoever wears red and black, butI am not optimistic.
Oh, please. Stafford's completion % is so low because of all the drops. Sure, that still counts as an incompletion, but it's the kind of thing you hope will be fixed with practice, time to "gel", etc.
I also was all for JTIII at the start of the season. If Richt thought his knowledge of the offense and grit were what gave us the best chance to win, then so be it. But now we lost to Vanderbilt, so you know. Let Stafford play to get experience for next year. This is a no-brainer to me, even if JT were still better in the coaches' minds. I'm not really going to be all that disappointed at this point if we crap out against the 3 good teams we have left, so just let 'er rip with Stafford and see what he can do. What's the point of being worried at this point? Just sit back and watch the show. Maybe Stafford will bloom right at the end (like Eli Manning did in 2000, or somesuch?), and give us something exciting to watch for next year.
You can't burn Stafford's redshirt and then keep him in part time work for the entire year when you've already lost to Vandy.
We lost to Vandy. Did I mention that?
It's time for Matthew Stafford to start learning and we have to take the good with the bad. Let's be realistic, right now we are playing for nothing more than a trip to Shreveport or Nashville. Let's get Stafford some game reps against the ferocious Defenses of Florida and Auburn. It's isn't like we are going to win with Joe T. anyway. Don't get me wrong Joe is a great kid and the epitome of a team player, but if we are going to get our asses handed to us then lets get something positive out of it and let Stafford start his growing process.
I don't think I'm any more qualified to judge who's the better quarterback than anyone else, but I do agree wit the sentiments of most of the other people here -- just pick a quarterback and go with him, whoever that is. I think what's been more frustrating to me (and a lot of other fans), much more so than the actual play of the QBs themselves, is the fact that our coaches had the cautionary tale of Tennessee in 2005 right in front of them and still kept spinning the wheel o' QBs through the middle of October. I've been a big Tereshinski supporter all along and still think he's been treated abominably by many of our so-called fans, but nevertheless, I have to wonder how much different things would look right now if the SC game had been a "Stafford, the offense is yours" situation rather than "The offense is yours until you f$#! up royally, or until Joe T comes back, or until I get a funny feeling in my gut, etc."
I hope Stafford being selected as the starter against MSU is a thinly veiled message that Stafford has the keys to the offense from here on out. Not that I don't like and appreciate Joe T a lot, but still, the time has come to [poop] or get off the pot.
This post has been the most calming thing I've read in the past two week and I agree with all of Jerome's sentiments. We have been spoiled with five years of success and now it's time to take our lumps. Like it or not, we are the 2006 version of the 2005 Vols.
That being said, we have the players to pull off an upset or two before the season ends. I have no grand illusions that we are going to end up anywhere beyond Atlanta, Shrevport, or Nashville for our bowl game, but it would sure be nice take care of MSU this weekend and then throw ourselves into the water against UF and AU to see if we will sink or swim.
As a student, the pulse around campus is pretty dreary when it comes to football (might also be due to the rain this week).
However, I will definately be showing up this Saturday to see how the Dawgs finish the season. In my mind, we are 0-0 and are playing with a "nothing to lose" mentality. Like it or not, putting Stafford in for the rest of the season will give us the best chance for the rest of the season and will put the Dawgs on the fast track for 2007.
I understand all that is said in this post, we need to stick with #7, remember greens first year? It will help us build for next season...not saying that this season is a "give up and wait till next fall" year. I still belive that we can pull a 9-3 or a 8-4, not what I expected but as long as we dont end up like TENN did last year. Our Defense needs to wake up and We need to see that CMR offensive genius that I have heard about...I am a full beliver that we would be a TOP 5 team every year if he would hire a damn offensive corrdinator, look what it did for ARK! I am ready to face the losses to FLA and Auburn but I am in no way ready to lose to MissState,kentucky, or Tech.. lets just pray that the nerds don't get the best of us.
If you've read this far then you might as well read on...the last comment was to first one to mention anything about CMR needing an offensive coordinator...THIS IS KEY! and I will expand...
I live in Columbus, GA which sadly is in the heart of Auburn territory; so, you can imagine my disdain when I hear the phrase "WAR EAGLE" more often than you can shake a stick at. But, there's one thing that I admire about Auburn and it's their style of offense headed by Al Borgess. When is the last time we've run a misdirection naked bootleg the way Auburn runs it? CMR simply doesn't have the imagination to run an offense in the SEC...What worked for him in the ACC worked because FSU simply outmanned their opponents...well, that, obviously, is not going to work in this league unless you've got loads of talent and experience to overcome your mistakes...and, this year, it's catching up to us.
CMR is a great coach and a class act, and I'm in no way calling for his head on a chopping block...I went to Georgia during the Ray Goof years (who was a nice guy but was overwhelmed), so I've appreciated these last 5 years very much.
But, CMR needs to realize that he can't do it all; he needs someone to call the plays, manage the clock, get the PAT team on the field and not waste a timeout for a 5 yard penalty, etc...
The only other thing that realy chaps my ass is the dropped passes...and this (as someone else already stated) has been prevalent since CMR took over the reigns. Complaining that the QB throws the ball too hard is like complaining that your girl friend's tits are too big...even though he wouldn't state it like that, I think CMR is in agreement with that statement, but what have we done about it?
TREZ Milner, just as an example, has just about made me pull all of my hair out. Can we not come up with a drill that will remedy his case of the drops. CMR needs to hire a coach who's sole responsibility is to throw random passes to this guy when he's not expecting them...i.e. during running drills, when he's walking to class, whatever it takes!
Those are my thoughts...sure wish CMR could see this...as he should...that's why he makes the big bucks!
I'll leave with a prediction. We will win at Auburn this year...that would go a long way towards righting the ship.
You know Georgia football is looking bad when Georgia fans are selling their tickets below face value for games. Georgia-Florida... the price of scalped tickets is at an all time low! Things are looking so bad that I saw some of those "professional" scalpers that you would typically see on Sanford Bridge inside Sanford Stadium @ the Vandy game.
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