College Playoffs - Dawgs Seed #3

Prefatory Comments

I am not using this thread to vent about the SEC Championship game. That's in the history books and it is yet another ugly stain on the history of this program. Georgia is a program that carries a unique legacy of pissing talent away and showing up strong in every game but those that matter most. But it is what it is. I'm a Georgia fan - I'm numb to losing the big ones. It's like living in an abusive relationship with the woman that you dearly love. You trust her each time she says "I'll never do it again." You love her, and you love her and you love her, and you hope that deep down somewhere inside her heart of ice, she loves you back. You live this relationship year in and year out, but in the times you need her the most, she lets you down, but you can't imagine life without her. That's where I am at as a Georgia fan. I have watched for decades talent beyond talent pissed away, quarterbacks trashed, great defenses that melt down, poor game planning, teams that did not get off the bus, and on and on and on. This is why dear friends, if you go back to my posts all year, I told ya'll that I refused to "smoke the hopium." I'm just not buying it anymore, and I still won't. I kept saying "they're gonna have to prove it to me." I don't trust my girl anymore. I want to, but I've been burned too many times to believe her anymore. That's where I'm at with this program. Now...I have a few things to say, and I think I've earned the right to say it. I know you don't want to hear anymore about the quarterback situation but you're going to hear it. If you don't want to hear it, then quit reading now.

Quarterbacks at Georgia

Stetson Bennett didn't lose the game for us yesterday - but he didn't win it either. What we needed in that game was a quarterback. We didn't need a mobile game manager. We needed a steely assassin who - in the face of great pressure - found receivers and sliced their defense apart. We had one of those quarterbacks. He's been watching the game from the sideline most of the season. So why? Why would Kirby Smart continue to bench JT Daniels, for Stetson Bennett. I will tell you why, but first, a little history. We have seen the immense talent of Jacob Eason and Justin Fields tossed aside for Jake Fromm. Now we see the immense talent of JT Daniels tossed away for Stetson Bennett. Why? I believe the answer lies in Kirby's philosophy on practicing. Kirby believes that the hardest working player in practice, the one that buys in most to his coaching program, the one who demonstrates "relentless effort" is going to be the one who gets the job, not the player with the most talent and impressive skillset. This is a fatal error, and one that if it doesn't change, is going to cost us both recruits & championships.

It will ultimately be the undoing of Kirby Smart if it doesn't change.

Hard work, good attitude, and devotion to a program does not and never will replace natural talent, innate abilities, and acquired skillsets. We sign players with star ratings for a reason. It is the equivalent of catching lightning in a bottle to have a walk-on QB outperform a proven 4 or 5 star QB. It didn't happen this year and it won't happen next year. The reason why the media and the fans continually pounded Kirby Smart all season on this QB situation is because it is so egregiously absurd that it defies all reason - so the question had to be asked. And I'm glad it was. I'm glad it was asked last night with Stetson present. This is about championship gents. This isn't about who can lead us to a 10-2 record. I'm not saying Stetson isn't a serviceable quarterback. I'm sure he would be the best QB Vanderbilt has seen in years. But he is not the stud that a program like Georgia commands - or used to command. I say used to because if I'm a stud recruit (insert Arch Manning), why in the hell would I bring my talents to Georgia if this is the type of dysfunctional system I'm going to be placed into? Answer - I wouldn't. The recruits are going to stop coming, at least at QB if their talents are shelved for a guy that just works hard.

During the Kirby Smart era, we've seen both Jacob Eason and Justin Fields - both who were light years beyond the talent of Jake Fromm - walk away from UGA. We're about to see JT Daniels do the same. Who is next? Brock? Carson? Who?

This silliness and stupidity has to end.

#3 Ranking in the Playoffs

Yes, we deserve a spot in the CFP. No question. But every member of this team, right down to Kirby's secretary, needs to do some serious soul searching in these next few weeks leading up to Michigan. And part of that soul searching better be figuring out real fast why our TEAM didn't show up to Atlanta. What happened on December 4th was a team loss, and a coaching collapse. I'm just a fan - I'm not a coach or a player. I'm not at practices or team meetings. I'm not sitting in film study with the coaches. I have no idea what the absolute breakdown was on this game, but they had better damned well figure it out, or Michigan certainly will. And Kirby better stop the charade and start getting his QB some real reps today. Not tomorrow - today. And tomorrow. And every day until December 31st. And even with that, I'm not even sure that will be enough for him to play at full potential. He needed game speed and game experience hitting receivers against real defenders. He was put in against GT and wasn't even given one passing down to work with. Brilliant coaching.

I can go on but this has already gone way too long. I'll have more thoughts soon. Until then, we're alive. We're #3 and playing for a national championship. It's time to act like it.

SB didn't lose it, but during that 2nd qtr collapse he was abysmal and the offense was only on the field for a very small number of plays. We needed them to do something to help the gassed D out. We needed them to control the ball and keep 'Bama's O off the field. As we feared though... when the D faltered and we needed them the most, they were no where to be found.

Let's also not downplay the QB performance... there should have been a pick 6 on the first drive, but the 'Bama safety just dropped it. I've looked at it closely and outside of 1 drive and maybe 3 or 4 other plays, our QB play was abysmal.

I'm also still pissed that we didn't even try calling just a simple timeout to get Jordan Davis off the field and others a chance to catch their breath, but when we go south in the big moments, we don't hold back... we go south everywhere in every way.

Last note on SBIV (and Fromm before him). It's not just the guy who practices the hardest. Look at Kirby as a player... he was called too small.. too slow.. but he had "grit". He was the over-achieving underdog.
Kirby sees that in these QB's and that's what he falls in love with. Then once he's made that call he is too stubborn to admit he might have made a mistake. (Sound like another UGA coach?)

Maybe we can do something in the playoffs, but I don't see it. Maybe we can make the NCCG, but I don't see us beating Alabama. Saban can coach rings around Kirby and he would bench his mom if he thought some other mom was better... Really though.. even with JT, I still think Kirby spits the bit in the big moment.

Maybe it's just the disappointment talking, and maybe I'll get excited yet again... but this is how I feel at the moment.

There was one more thing that didn't sit well with me.

After the game, Kirby said this game didn't do anything to upend our goal for the season; All it did was wake us up and make us refocus. (paraphrased)

Seems to me that was a bit dismissive of being humiliated on the biggest stage with the biggest recruits watching. It also saddens me that we now apparently have the attitude that the SEC Championship no longer means anything.

It still does to me.

Saban cares more about the result of the game than he does the story behind the game.

That's why he owns Kirby

Clarification that although I am of a strong opinion that SBIV's performance was actually worse than the stat line; there were many factors in the loss.

My point about SBIV is to point out what I see as the flaw in our thought processes that probably affect more than we know, and certainly affects the results of big games.

There is however a big contingent of fans who still believe the "we are not at practice so we don't know..." narrative, but honestly they can talk to the hand. This scenario has played out too many times for me to continue to fall for that story. If others want to continue to believe that and smoke the hopium as SD says, the that is their right.. but I will not.

So Kirby has already announced that the answer is not a change in QB, but the need for everyone else around him to play better.
So okay... maybe we have the talent to do that, but it basically means everyone else has to play to a standard of perfection probably greater than the one we set for the QB position.

If that is how it is, then so be it. Our O-line must be much better.. Our receivers must be better.. our generational defense must be better... our preparation must be better... and for darn sure our guys on the sidelines must be better... we have a lot of work to do. We apparently have a 100 pieces that must all work like a Swiss time piece in order to be successful against the truly elite competition. That's fine, but it sure would be nice if we could just have a player or two that could put the team on their back and take over a big game.

Yet another narrative I have seen bantered about is that the reason Kirby has rolled with SBIV is because either physically or mentally, JT is not fit to play.

If true, then I still feel that our HC is responsible for having us in the situation that for 2 seasons, we have depended on portal transfers and former walk-ons at the most critical position on the team.

That is unacceptable at this level.

I am so passionate about this because if not this year; when?

Beck hasn't looked ready and that puts us right back to our current guys IF they came back using the COVID eligibility rules. Plus we lose a fair amount of other talent next season.