Richard Samuel is a key player the team needs to look at from a position move standpoint.
Many coaches would look at a player who is big, strong, fast, relishes contact, was an elite high school linebacker, and who fumbles or bobbles the ball regularly and they would say...."That is a linebacker." If Samuel doesn't learn to hang on to the ball, he's not going to play. That's pretty evident by his decreasing minutes to bobbled balls ratio this season. Giving him a long look at LB in the spring makes enormous sense to me.
Having him at LB is particularly intriguing given the speed we're facing in Jacksonville. The idea of having a guy with Samuel's wheels going against Demps and Rainey is much more appealing than a guy with Gamble, Washington, or Dent's feet. Richard is blessed with great speed, but it won't do him any good on splinter patrol due to fumblitist. He's a kid to watch.
Richt told the Atlanta Touchdown Club that he's open to moving Samuel to linebacker after the season. (ht - Blutarsky) I applaud the opened mindedness.
I like Richard Samuel's athletic ability very much. In high school, he was a truly spectacular linebacker, and I hope that the move (if it happens) pans out the way other famous UGA position switches have such as:
1. Robert Edwards from scorched earth CB to 1st Round draft pick RB
2. Chris Terry from little used DL to 2nd Round draft pick OT
3. Bruce Thornton from visionless RB to 4th Round pick at CB
2. Chris Terry from little used DL to 2nd Round draft pick OT
3. Bruce Thornton from visionless RB to 4th Round pick at CB
See Also:
-- Saw Samuel - David Ching (Oct. 11, 2007)
PWD
43 comments:
Yes, yes, yes.
wasn't Pollack a fb that was moved?
"Robert Edwards from scotched earth CB to 1st round draft pick RB"
Was he a Glenmorangie CB or more of a Johnny Walker sort?
I kid.
I think it would be a good move. He could even use a redshirt if our depth at linebacker was too great plus he's only 18.
If he can keep up the speed he's shown, it could allow us to play a decent bit of Tampa 2 next year as well (with Samuel as the LB in coverage).
Sounds like it could work. Not sure if LB is where he needs to be, he has alot of the same tools as Thomas Davis.
To another point, it seems there has been alot of talk about CMR's "in the arena" comment after the UT game. There is a lot of truth to what he said. Being in the arena gives one a different and more informed perspective. While I'm sure the following comment will meet stiff disagreement, I feel many people are offended by the comment because of the truth it carries.
Many reporters and fans don't like being called out for their lack of experience in the area which they are discussing.
Just think...Darren McFadden was recruited as both a running back an athlete/safety. He came very close to crushing people on the other side of the ball. Interesting to think about position changes and the outcomes they may produce. I'm a Razorback fan, but would love to see Samuel on the other side. Might be perfect there.
PWD is outside the arena and he figured out last season that Samuels needed to be playing linebacker.
Richt is just now catching on.
Sometimes being outside the arena gives a better perspective than being inside the arena.
There are very, very, very few folks outside the arena who do not realize that Willie Martinez is not a defensive coordinator.
Being inside the arena carries with it a measure of blindness.
If Samuals was a LB in HS why were we playing him at RB in the first place?
My crew was talking at the Vandy game on Saturday that position changes would change our team dramatically. Unfortunately, they needed to be made before the season.
-Prince Miller should have never played defense. He's electric w/ the ball in his hands, but can't cover to save his life.
-Logan Gray should be our Anthony Gonzalez at receiver.
-Richard should be an All-SEC LB
-And here's the kicker: How much do you figure Brandon Boykin would change our tailback situation. Dude knows how to shed a block and take it to the house.
PatinDC: He was also a good running back in high school. Most of these 4- and 5-star recruits play both ways in high school.
Don't forget Jermaine Phillips from also-ran at WR to elite safety.
It's much easier to make cold decisions from the outside. However, your points don't really add up.
(1) UGA has not and should not ever fire a coordinator or position coach mid-season for on field performance. There was significant pre-season debate over Willie. The only consensus was that if there is not marked improvement over 2008, we need a new DC. CMR has done nothing to lead me to believe that a new DC will not be in place next year.
(2) If Samuel were to have been switched, it needed to happen in the spring. However, in the spring, Samuel was injured, Ealey qualifying was a huge question mark, and we had one RB on the roster that could likely be an SEC starting back. If Samuel had been switched, we would have played the first two games of the year without a RB with a single meaningful career carry. Also, there remained significant debate over whether Samuel could be a great RB. Last year was not the time to switch him.
Sean Jones came in as QB, didn't he?
I said it on Blutarsky's blog, I'll say it here and I'll say it till I run out of breath: Get Samuel on kickoff coverage STAT. He gets down the field fast, he welcomes contact, and, having been on the receiving team, he knows what he's running into.
If we're not giving him the totes, then there's no reason Fabris can't use him, unless we just need to be "challenged" more.
Again, as asked above, why the heck was RS switched to RB when his natural position was LBer?
Anyone?
KingDawg,
RE: The Arena
It's a bullshit comment by Richt that was overblown by the media. I didn't pile on, but I was personally offended by it.
I don't know how to bake a cake, but I can tell you when one tastes like crap.
I'm not a plumber, but I can tell you when my toilet is broken.
I'm not an airline pilot, but I can tell you when one has crashed.
I'm not a football coach, but I can sure as hell tell you when all the other guy's WRs are open, we're suckers for the play action pass, our OL is underachieving, our RBs can't find a cut back lane with mapquest and a compass, and our kickoff strategy is intermittently retarded.
You don't have to be in the arena to know that. It's bullshit jock mentality to think we can't tell when something is broken.
I may not know the difference between a Cover 2 and a Cover 3, but I sure as hell know the difference between covered and uncovered.
I wasn't going to bring up my feelings on this topic. But you asked.
I love Richt. But it was a stupid thing to say. He's at his best when he admits to a problem and then tells you how he's going to fix it. See: Auburn 2001 Post-Game.
PWD
PWD you've proved my point.
It is very easy to diagnose a problem. It is often much more difficult to remedy the problem.
It is difficult to solve the problem from outside the arena.
Pollack from FB to All-time DE great . . .
I also agree that the "arena" comment has been blown out of proportion by "softie" fans. I don't think any offense was intended, and I see it as a way of CMR protecting his team, which I would expect him to do. Contrary to popular belief by many, this season is not over.
I'm not trying to convince anyone how they should feel about the comment, just giving my take from outside the arena.
He wasn't talking about solving the problem.
He was talking about the problem.
I didn't list Pollack from DT to DE because I think he would've been great at any position.
Sean Jones from QB to Safety. And Jermaine Phillips from WR to Safety are two excellent moves that I didn't mention.
PWD
King Dawg, CMR was insulating himself from criticism by saying that you cannot know something you have not experienced firsthand. The premise of that statement is empirically false. If Richt is correct, then he cannot believe in the moon, since he's never been there.
We intuitively know that you can offer quantitative and qualitative analysis of something you don't get paid to do professionally. See: Roger Ebert's career.
Likewise, I'm not Brother Bill Oliver, but I know an underachieving defense when I see one.
Hey guys,
STFU! You know NOTHING about coaching a division 1 defense and wouldn't know how to advise anyone.
Stick to your bullshit jobs and let the pros do the coaching.
I, for one, think Willie is doing a fine job. You "fans" should give him more time.
Sincerely,
Marion Campbell
Dawgnoxious,
CMR is not saying you cannot know something without experiencing it firsthand. His statement is likely better interpreted by saying you cannot fully understand something without experiencing it firsthand.
Further, I bet Neil Armstrong knows a whole lot more about the moon than you or I.
Additionally, I don't think anyone is debating the fact that the defense needs serious improvement and that the rest of the team is not grading out as high as we would like.
I can assure you that Samuel can tackle! Would love to see him play LB especially after last years Tech game? Ellerbe was great until the Bama game "knee injury". Curran can play with anybody however we still are not a great tackling team. The kid has all the tools to play LB and does not shy away from contact..IE Spikes at UF. Anyways we need speed at LB! Dewberry and Co. need to bring it against UF!
Don't forget Charles Grant moving from RB (!) to DE.
Tommy- Samuel is being used (at least at times) on kickoff coverage. He picked up the facemask penalty in the Tennessee game. I agree that he's the type athlete we need on that unit, though.
I was at that UK game that Grant put on a show at TB.
Yes he did. He put on a show against Tech with that cumbersome end-around. It was great until that little Tech shit cut him low and destroyed his knee.
We lost our best defensive player to a stupid playcall. Typical Donnan trickery.
Leave your guys where they are best suited. Never risk them where they are quasi-qualified.
Whoever mentioned that samuel needs to be on kickoff coverage, I did see him on there 2 or 3 times vs vandy.. As well as more backup skill players as opposed to the normal set of guys.. I'm surprised PWD hasn't blogged on that yet, he has been screaming about that for awhile.. Guess richt and co finally heard him...
SLOW DOESN'T COVER FAST!
Anon 3:30 and Fuelk2,
Thanks for catching that. I live in Texas and have missed the last two games because Time Warner doesn't carry SEC TV in Austin.
I saw no need to mention the GT/Grant nightmare...why do some folks just like to torture yourself?
I think Samuel would also be an excellent safety.
I would put Samuel at any defensive position where you have to get from point A to point B in a straight line real fast. He doesn't have any lateral quickness (have you seen him on a sweep try to cut back up the field? The Three Stooges come to mind as he hops on the outside foot about four times before he can change momentum). He is tall and rangy and could easily put on another 20 pounds. And, he is only 13 years old, so a redshirt year is a good idea.
Why would you refer to your earlier post?
If anything the reason you highlighted in that post is the least of the worries now. The bigger reason he might be moved are a lack of vision and an all too common propensity to fall after first contact.
I like moving him to defense but you still have to replace him with someone. Carlton Thomas sure ain't the answer.
The only problem with moving him to LB is that Jancek is his position coach. Guys, Jancek is awful. Our LB's, Rennie included, can't cover a back to save their lives, are many times out of position, and are slow to the ball. Curren succeeds because he's just that good. Jancek will take all Samuels skills and turn him into a dud. Jancek was a huge mistake by Richt. Our HC doesn't have the balls to rectify that mistake, or his mistake with Willie, either.
Tommy:
To see all SEC games from this year, go here:
http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/default.aspx
u can also watch on yer compooter at espn 360
Arena comment was bush league. Reminds me of the standard response to a consultant.
CMR needs to be concerned w/ winning & forgot about the rest. If he carefully looks at program, he'll see the issues.
JaxDawg said...
"Again, as asked above, why the heck was RS switched to RB when his natural position was LBer?"
Because he is Herschel size with Herschel speed. It was a no-brainer to try it.
I linked it because its true. When I wrote it, I didn't throw him under the bus and go into the vision thing. Although I did on a message board. Which was harsh.
He has Bruce Thornton's vision and Tyson Browning's ball security.
and he's young and trying very hard.
I also love that he's helping on kick coverage. That might help for next year. He's a good kid.
PWD has triggered a Backpedaling Alert!!
Rick - Now see...that was funny.
I was just trying not to be so negative. The second comment there about him being a good kid does read like a Wuss comment. I had that shot coming.
Honestly, it is incredibly frustrating and un-motivating trying to find ways to blog about this team that don't have me end up unloading on what I think about things.
Because what good does that do? Nothing is going to change midseason. I'm a pragmatic guy. I'm not a bitcher. I'm not a sunshine pumper. We are where we are. And I'm just looking for rays of hope and sunshine. But there aren't any until Richt decides what he's going to do with the program on or before Jan. 2nd.
I'm not going to be the guy that runs the blog that just takes a huge shit on Georgia everyday. But I get comments and emails from people who are mad because I won't do it.
My problems are with the coaches. Not the kids that are playing at the wrong position. So I tried to serve up some sugar with my comment above.
And you're right. It does sound like wuss backpeddling.
PWD
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