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Questions got answered at SEC Media Days in Atlanta this week, but almost by design, those answers led to more questions. It’s the same with all teams, but it’s especially true with the Georgia Bulldogs.
They’ve climbed the mountain quickly under Kirby Smart, wining division and conference titles a year ago. But a loss to Alabama — still the team that casts the largest shadow in the SEC — in the National Championship Game leaves us here with the Bulldogs:
Just how good are they?
Media polls have the Bulldogs as heavy favorites this year in the SEC East, but it’s Alabama that still holds a huge edge as the best team in the conference — and the country. How good? Well, it’s not really a question that can get answered in July. We’ll have to wait until the games start in September, and will probably have to wait even longer than that — probably December and maybe even January — before we really know for sure.
So, for now, here’s 10 questions that we still have about the Bulldogs:
1. Can the Bulldogs handle prosperity?
Smart sort of dismissed this question during all his interviews this week, basically saying that all these questions were asked last year as well in the preseason. While that might be true, there is a huge difference. They were asked last year because the Bulldogs had failed many times in years prior as the top dog in the SEC East. They had something to prove last year, and they did it.
But this is different now. As heavy favorites, they still need to dismiss any and all challenges from their division rivals, none of whom are willing to roll over and go away. Heavy lies the crown.
“Those are things we embrace at the University of Georgia,” Smart said. “We can’t run from those things. We know that.”
2. Has the mindset changed in the locker room?
Taking that huge step in 2017 was memorable and unforgettable. But it was also done with a lot of veteran players who were not only talented on the field, but also great leaders in the locker room. Guys like Roquan Smith, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, among others, are all gone.
‘This season for us is going to be simple. It’s going to be the measure of potential versus effectiveness,” Smart said. “And when I say that, a lot of people are like, yeah, every team has a certain amount of potential. I think potential is dormant ability. And I think effectiveness is what we get out of our potential.”
3. Can the Bulldogs embrace that potential?
This remains to be seen, of course, but Smart is confident that his players are buying in to attacking a season with lofty goals.
“We talk to our players all of the time, that pressure is really a privilege,” he said. “You should feel privilege to have pressure to win games, to have expectations. You got to have a group of players who can embrace that change. And they certainly have embraced that. We would not have created that momentum without that embracement.”’
4. Is the QB situation the same in 2018 as it was a year ago?
The Bulldogs were supposed to make a move in 2017 behind the right arm of Jacob Eason, the 5-star quarterback recruit who got his feet wet as a freshman and was ready to emerge as one of the nation’s top QBs. But an early-season injury to Eason opened the door for Jake Fromm, who played so well the rest of the way that Eason never regained his job.
Eason decided to leave Athens and transfer back home to Washington, so it Fromm’s team now. Or is it?
Freshman Justin Fields (above), the No. 1 QB recruit in the nation a year ago, impressed during the spring and may have something to say about who plays quarterback.
“He’s going to come in and compete very similar to the way Jake Fromm came in and competed with Eason,” Smart said. “He’s coming in to compete and learn our system. He’s made the players around him better. He’s embraced the challenge of learning the offense, and he’s a very bright young man.
5. Will Smart have the strength to pull the trigger on Fields?
Sure. He could have given Eason his job back last year when he got healthy, but he stuck with Fromm and never looked back. Fromm is good — some even say really good — but there’s something special about Fields’ skill set.
“Justin is a kid whose got tremendous ability. He’s embraced and hungry, really came in wanting to learn right away,” Smart said. “He took on those 15 practices head on.”
Eason’s transfer forced Fields to take over the second team in the spring. He impressed everyone immediately.
“With our situation, we have two quarterbacks that are both really talented guys. I am really excited about watching these two guys come out and lead our program and lead their units. They both have grown. They’ve both done a tremendous job of embracing that role, not only in the locker room, but out in the field in spring practice. And I think Jake and Justin are tremendous assets for our program.”
“I’m excited about the things (Fields has) done. He gives us an element in our offense that we don’t have. Excited to see what he can do.”
6. Is a list of returning starters a fallacy with this team?
No doubt. Counting the two kickers, the Bulldogs have 15 starters returning. That’s a lot. But there’s also these back-to-back outstanding recruiting classes, and these young stars are ready and willing to play — and start. Maybe not from the first day, but certainly very soon.
“I know a lot of you guys have already predicted starters,” Smart told the assembled media in Atlanta. “You already know how many returning starters we have — but I don’t even know that.”
“Everybody talks about iron sharpens iron. That’s true. We’re are going to have some of the most epic battles we have for who is going to be the right guard, who is going to be the left guard, who is going to be the starting defensive tackle. That’s what drives us to have success, those battles that happen throughout camp.”
7. Can the young running backs replace Chubb and Michel?
Georgia’s running back room is loaded with talent, starting with D’Andre Swift (below). The others — juniors Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien and freshmen phenoms Zamir White and James Cook — might all start at other schools. They’ll have to learn to share, but they have great examples in Michel and Chubb.
“They can’t get jealous of each other. Who better to model that, than the two they learned under? Those two guys (Chubb and Michel) are as good pair of backs of you will ever see. Herrien, Holyfield and Swift have had model people to model themselves after.
“It’s important to think back how would Nick have handled it, how would Sony have handled it, and use that to develop leadership for themselves. I have seen enough to know they have ability. They have a lot of carries this spring. I’ve seen what they can do. It’s a matter of can they put it all together with pass protection and leadership and help with the offensive line the same way Sony and Nick did.”
8. Is Swift too good to come off the field?
He might be. Even with Chubb and Michel around last year, Swift was crazy impressive. He rushed for 618 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 7.6 yards per carry. His 64-yard run in the SEC Championship Game was highlight-reel-forever stuff.
If he has some huge games early and becomes a serious Heisman Trophy contender, it might be hard to share too many carries.
9. How serious are the linebacker concerns?
It’s the position group that’s taken the biggest hit and Roquan Smith, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy will be missed. It was an interesting group to watch in the spring, and the battles for starting spots in the fall are going to be very interesting.
There’s no question there is plenty of talent there, but it will be interesting to see how quickly they come together as a unit.
10. Back to the beginning: Just how good are they?
There is legitimate concern over the having to play at South Carolina so early (Sept. 8) because, let’s be honest, winning SEC road games isn’t easy. Still, there’s a big gap in talent levels and the Bulldogs should be favored in every SEC East game they play this year.
Win a division, that’s the first step. Winning the conference — and a national title — those are the bigger goals to follow. Are they good enough? There’s certainly enough talent there to say yes. But, like every football season, we’ll have to wait to see. Still, there’s no doubt that everyone is all-in in Athens.
“Last year was easier to coach because I felt like some of the players took on that culture and that ownership, and they demanded,” Smart said. “And now more and more of those guys are being more demanding, and they can understand the expectations of what a Georgia practice should look like.”
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/g...-about-georgia-football-after-sec-media-days/
They’ve climbed the mountain quickly under Kirby Smart, wining division and conference titles a year ago. But a loss to Alabama — still the team that casts the largest shadow in the SEC — in the National Championship Game leaves us here with the Bulldogs:
Just how good are they?
Media polls have the Bulldogs as heavy favorites this year in the SEC East, but it’s Alabama that still holds a huge edge as the best team in the conference — and the country. How good? Well, it’s not really a question that can get answered in July. We’ll have to wait until the games start in September, and will probably have to wait even longer than that — probably December and maybe even January — before we really know for sure.
So, for now, here’s 10 questions that we still have about the Bulldogs:
1. Can the Bulldogs handle prosperity?
Smart sort of dismissed this question during all his interviews this week, basically saying that all these questions were asked last year as well in the preseason. While that might be true, there is a huge difference. They were asked last year because the Bulldogs had failed many times in years prior as the top dog in the SEC East. They had something to prove last year, and they did it.
But this is different now. As heavy favorites, they still need to dismiss any and all challenges from their division rivals, none of whom are willing to roll over and go away. Heavy lies the crown.
“Those are things we embrace at the University of Georgia,” Smart said. “We can’t run from those things. We know that.”
2. Has the mindset changed in the locker room?
Taking that huge step in 2017 was memorable and unforgettable. But it was also done with a lot of veteran players who were not only talented on the field, but also great leaders in the locker room. Guys like Roquan Smith, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, among others, are all gone.
‘This season for us is going to be simple. It’s going to be the measure of potential versus effectiveness,” Smart said. “And when I say that, a lot of people are like, yeah, every team has a certain amount of potential. I think potential is dormant ability. And I think effectiveness is what we get out of our potential.”
3. Can the Bulldogs embrace that potential?
This remains to be seen, of course, but Smart is confident that his players are buying in to attacking a season with lofty goals.
“We talk to our players all of the time, that pressure is really a privilege,” he said. “You should feel privilege to have pressure to win games, to have expectations. You got to have a group of players who can embrace that change. And they certainly have embraced that. We would not have created that momentum without that embracement.”’
4. Is the QB situation the same in 2018 as it was a year ago?
The Bulldogs were supposed to make a move in 2017 behind the right arm of Jacob Eason, the 5-star quarterback recruit who got his feet wet as a freshman and was ready to emerge as one of the nation’s top QBs. But an early-season injury to Eason opened the door for Jake Fromm, who played so well the rest of the way that Eason never regained his job.
Eason decided to leave Athens and transfer back home to Washington, so it Fromm’s team now. Or is it?
Freshman Justin Fields (above), the No. 1 QB recruit in the nation a year ago, impressed during the spring and may have something to say about who plays quarterback.
“He’s going to come in and compete very similar to the way Jake Fromm came in and competed with Eason,” Smart said. “He’s coming in to compete and learn our system. He’s made the players around him better. He’s embraced the challenge of learning the offense, and he’s a very bright young man.
5. Will Smart have the strength to pull the trigger on Fields?
Sure. He could have given Eason his job back last year when he got healthy, but he stuck with Fromm and never looked back. Fromm is good — some even say really good — but there’s something special about Fields’ skill set.
“Justin is a kid whose got tremendous ability. He’s embraced and hungry, really came in wanting to learn right away,” Smart said. “He took on those 15 practices head on.”
Eason’s transfer forced Fields to take over the second team in the spring. He impressed everyone immediately.
“With our situation, we have two quarterbacks that are both really talented guys. I am really excited about watching these two guys come out and lead our program and lead their units. They both have grown. They’ve both done a tremendous job of embracing that role, not only in the locker room, but out in the field in spring practice. And I think Jake and Justin are tremendous assets for our program.”
“I’m excited about the things (Fields has) done. He gives us an element in our offense that we don’t have. Excited to see what he can do.”
6. Is a list of returning starters a fallacy with this team?
No doubt. Counting the two kickers, the Bulldogs have 15 starters returning. That’s a lot. But there’s also these back-to-back outstanding recruiting classes, and these young stars are ready and willing to play — and start. Maybe not from the first day, but certainly very soon.
“I know a lot of you guys have already predicted starters,” Smart told the assembled media in Atlanta. “You already know how many returning starters we have — but I don’t even know that.”
“Everybody talks about iron sharpens iron. That’s true. We’re are going to have some of the most epic battles we have for who is going to be the right guard, who is going to be the left guard, who is going to be the starting defensive tackle. That’s what drives us to have success, those battles that happen throughout camp.”
7. Can the young running backs replace Chubb and Michel?
Georgia’s running back room is loaded with talent, starting with D’Andre Swift (below). The others — juniors Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien and freshmen phenoms Zamir White and James Cook — might all start at other schools. They’ll have to learn to share, but they have great examples in Michel and Chubb.
“They can’t get jealous of each other. Who better to model that, than the two they learned under? Those two guys (Chubb and Michel) are as good pair of backs of you will ever see. Herrien, Holyfield and Swift have had model people to model themselves after.
“It’s important to think back how would Nick have handled it, how would Sony have handled it, and use that to develop leadership for themselves. I have seen enough to know they have ability. They have a lot of carries this spring. I’ve seen what they can do. It’s a matter of can they put it all together with pass protection and leadership and help with the offensive line the same way Sony and Nick did.”
8. Is Swift too good to come off the field?
He might be. Even with Chubb and Michel around last year, Swift was crazy impressive. He rushed for 618 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 7.6 yards per carry. His 64-yard run in the SEC Championship Game was highlight-reel-forever stuff.
If he has some huge games early and becomes a serious Heisman Trophy contender, it might be hard to share too many carries.
9. How serious are the linebacker concerns?
It’s the position group that’s taken the biggest hit and Roquan Smith, Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy will be missed. It was an interesting group to watch in the spring, and the battles for starting spots in the fall are going to be very interesting.
There’s no question there is plenty of talent there, but it will be interesting to see how quickly they come together as a unit.
10. Back to the beginning: Just how good are they?
There is legitimate concern over the having to play at South Carolina so early (Sept. 8) because, let’s be honest, winning SEC road games isn’t easy. Still, there’s a big gap in talent levels and the Bulldogs should be favored in every SEC East game they play this year.
Win a division, that’s the first step. Winning the conference — and a national title — those are the bigger goals to follow. Are they good enough? There’s certainly enough talent there to say yes. But, like every football season, we’ll have to wait to see. Still, there’s no doubt that everyone is all-in in Athens.
“Last year was easier to coach because I felt like some of the players took on that culture and that ownership, and they demanded,” Smart said. “And now more and more of those guys are being more demanding, and they can understand the expectations of what a Georgia practice should look like.”
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/g...-about-georgia-football-after-sec-media-days/
