Some Thoughts

5-0 is a great place to be, given our perennial penchant for disappointment. I mused, pre-season, that this year would hinge on whether CKS could coach (and also manage. ) It appears we have an answer

Now, I'm jaded enough to know that there is a great deal of football in front of us. I'm also seasoned enough to know that something is different in Athens, and by "different" I mean better.

We (apparently) have ourselves a quarterback controversy in the way that choosing between the Ferrari and the Porsche is a controversy. What struck me while musing on this was the question of how the B guy could become the usurper in such a short span. I think it simply comes down to attitude. Eason is, arguably, the more talented of the two (although a mouse could starve on the difference). What has caused the separation, however, is the fact that Fromm seems to believe that he can compete at this level, wheras Eason appears to lack a,certain measure of confidence in his abilities. I understand that Eason was sidelined by an injury, but when both are at 100%, I feel this fact will have more to say in who starts. It's not a bad place to be if you're a fan, but I'm sure theres another dynamic afoot in the locker room.

There really aren't any accolades I can add to the play of the defense at this point, except to say that play on that side of the ball is the stuff of fantasy. It's that good.

In the back of my mind, I fret about next year and the loss of NC and SM. Then I watched D SWIFT make that run, dragging defenders with him and chasing yards after contact. I think we're going to be okay at RB in the near term.

Jim Chaney is a wild card. At times the play calling is laughable. (Does Jim know about the talent we have at TE?) But then, the game progresses and we find ourselves up by three scores and, suddenly, I'm less concerned about "the game plan." I'm still not 100% sold on our OC because I feel we sqander talent. That said, I deliver mail for a living and he runs offenses in the SEC, so it's possible...he knows more than I do on the matter of scoring points.

Something is different in Athens, kids. Every new beginning, as the song goes, comes from some other beginning's end. I wanted to see a stong performance against UT, versus a typical nail-biter because good teams win convincingly regardless of precedence. Alabama is the litmus test here. If Georgia is gòod, it will begin to show in the margin of victory as much as any other aspect of the game. We passed the test against UT. The next few games will show if the "also ran" nag of Georgia's past has been replaced by a thoroughbred capable of triple crown petformances. (The wine is affecting my metaphors here.) Do we squeeze by Vandy, or do we have another dominant win like this week? Same with Auburn, Kentucky, Tech. I'm cautiously optimistic here.

At some point, we may have to deal with a hiccup. It's tough to keep kids grounded when the media sees you as a darling, ready to challenge Alabama for supremecy, and being ranked #6 has the potential to have you start believing in hype versus body of work. It goes back to my original point that the programs success is directly proportional to CKS's ability to coach/manage. We haven't faced adversity yet, but when it comes, my hope is that coach had the team prepared to bend, not break. If I know anything about college football, it's that falling is never the issue, it's how you rise after a fall.

Yeah, 5-0 feels great, and something is afoot in the Classic City. Somebody here said "In Kirby I Trust." I get it. Cant wait to see this program finally turn the corner from pretender to contender. Hang on. It's going to be one he'll of a ride.

Limey.... excellent read...thanks for taking the time to compose and share your thoughts.

I admit that I have posted during The Richt era I spoke about changes....Towel Toddy....then

The real change of Coach Pruitt...... as you correctly stated change has to be more than a

Feeling... results on the field are required.... looking at last year how we played and looked against

Assburn has been what we have seen the first five games...

One game at a time....back to work tomorrow...... yes 5-0 is a far better place to be then where we

Have been recently..... enjoy your day..... Go Dawgs

What it is with Fromm is that he has that “it” factor much like Murray did. He’s not the biggest, strongest, most talented... he’s just a born leader and winner.

What is different is this defense. It is good enough to take us to a playoff.. which leads us to..

Our O-line is still very inconsistent. We had 3 bad plays where we took losses and a penalty because
of very bad decisiona. (Two blown blocking assignments and a stupid and quite obvious penalty). Our blocking is also still questionable at times, yet we still put up 41 points... Imagine what we would be like if that line was where we wished it was.

Chaney is still Chaney... at one point yesterday he ran the same play 5 times in a row if I am not mistaken. We haven’t won or needed to win based on his play calling.

What’s important to remember is the part about not needing to win based on his play calling. We have the talent to just make things happen even when the other side knows what we are doing.

What this season will come down to is remaining relatively healthy, getting just enough out of that O-line, and having those kids not believe their own hype. We’ve got to come out next week against Vandy with the same focus we did this week.

Excellent thoughts and well stated Limey.

LimeyDawg wrote: What struck me while musing on this was the question of how the B guy could become the usurper in such a short span. I think it simply comes down to attitude. Eason is, arguably, the more talented of the two (although a mouse could starve on the difference). What has caused the separation, however, is the fact that Fromm seems to believe that he can compete at this level, wheras Eason appears to lack a,certain measure of confidence in his abilities. I understand that Eason was sidelined by an injury, but when both are at 100%, I feel this fact will have more to say in who starts. It's not a bad place to be if you're a fan, but I'm sure theres another dynamic afoot in the locker room.

You are more right here than you know Limey.

Let me say firstly that I love Eason and I am very glad he's on the team. That said, Fromm's attitude/ambitions are light years different from Eason's attitude/ambitions while being at UGA. Eason is very much like Stafford was, a guy that came to UGA to play for a school that is known for grooming excellent high draft pick NFL quarterbacks. He came to play for Mark Richt, until that plan fell apart. Eason is a managed product, and came to UGA with the understanding he would go pro in his Junior year. It was pretty clear from the outset that was the plan. Eason had the media drooling in adulation of his talent and his arm and made him out to be the next greatest thing. Recent reports indicate that gauging by Eason's enjoyment of the college atmosphere, maybe a little of that has gone to his head and there was a little sense of entitlement bubbling up. Let me make it clear that statement is pure speculation on my part, but listening to the podcasts and the reports from the ground in Athens says someone is enjoying himself quite a bit in Athens. Fromm on the other hand came to UGA because all he ever wanted to do was play for the Dawgs. That's a powerful motivation going forward when you get your chance to get under center. Fromm's confidence and excitement was as palpable on the field as the presence of the defense was, and everyone watching it could see it and feel it. Eason never has shown that level of confidence. That's not to say he doesn't have it, that's just to say we haven't really seen it. Eason has looked timid and uncomfortable out there, and has never settled in to any kind of groove. Fromm has been comfortable since his first ride on the saddle, behind the same spotty o-line as Eason had.

There's some musing that Eason might transfer if Fromm stays the #1. I don't see that happening. NFL scouts are still drooling over Eason's arm, and if he transferred, he'd have to sit a year and try to take over a program as a senior going in. I don't see that happening.

I think what we see happening in Athens is the solidification of a new coaching system and a level of expectation, intensity, and perfection that we haven't seen in Georgia in a long, long time. CKS is proving to be a chip off the ol' block, and that was the one thing that I was waiting to see was how the team responded to success. So far, he's passing with flying colors. After all, he did have an excellent mentor to show him how to control the hype.

There's more to the Nauta situation than is spilling over into public. Kirby gave a glimpse of it in his presser after the Miss State game where he barely acknowledged Nauta's TD catch. When your coach is asked about his starting Tight End's amazing TD catch and dragging defenders into the end zone for that touchdown and he replies "no comment," that tells me something is seriously wrong there. Nauta himself acknowledged that he's had to do better in practice lately to earn Kirby's respect. Message to all players from Smart is that nothing is given - you earn playing time with hard work, listening, and following your assignments in practice.

If Georgia keeps playing the way it is, the sky is the limit. Literally. We're now #5 in the nation. It's going to be an uphill battle to inch any higher until one of the top 4 loses. Georgia is now solidly in serious contention for playoff hopes, but let's worry about that in December. Right now, we have the meat of an SEC schedule to complete. Focus, discipline, and hard work are what are required now to keep this run going. But it is absolutely clear that Kirby Smart is the real deal. Games like Miss State and UT are why Kirby was brought to Athens. He was also brought here to win a national championship, and while it may not happen this year, after seeing what he's built in just 1 season, he will get one. Sooner rather than later.

SouthernDawg posted . . . .

There's some musing that Eason might transfer if Fromm stays the #1. I don't see that happening. NFL scouts are still drooling over Eason's arm, and if he transferred, he'd have to sit a year and try to take over a program as a senior going in. I don't see that happening.

Play or not, start or not, Jacob Eason will leave for the NFL when eligible. Cannot blame the young man.

Time was right for some semblance of concern for the University of Georgia to be recognized and played for the way Jake Fromm is playing.

Chances are strong that Fromm will travel the same path that AM did. NFL is a totally different game.

Say again, media will have a field day with this Fromm/Eason thingy. Smart has too many of the "old timers" backing him, the same "old timers" that let Mahogany Row know in no uncertain terms that a head coaching change "had" to be made.

Good read SouthernDawg.
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I am loving watching Jake Fromm play, theres more to come.