First, the basics:
You can peruse the post-spring depth chart here.
A couple of things immediately stand out: first, the Dawgs are going to have a need at receiver - while they have Massaquoi set as flanker, split-end at present is set to be filled by Kris Durham. The Dawgs have never really had a true step-up receiver in the Mark Richt era, and that may or may not change this year.
I say may for the following reasons: Massaquoi has shown flashes of brilliance (Georgia Tech 2006 comes to mind), but he also remains maddeningly inconsistent, with the ability to disappear from games at times. In addition, Georgia will certainly look to use AJ Green at some point during the season - and he has the ability to be really, really special. Freshman receivers are typically a big gamble - no one really knows how Green will perform next year, but everyone assumes he'll be really special by year 2 or year 3.
You need to look no further than Vidal Hazelton or Patrick Turner at USC to see that talented receivers can be a gamble - and often aren't all that productive in their first couple of years. Of course - you can also look at Reggie Wayne at Miami as an example of what truly talented receivers can do at the college level in their freshman year. Bottom line: it's a mixed picture. A lot of Green's development rides on how Eason utilizes him and develops his route running skills. Many Georgia partisans have a lot of questions about Eason's coaching ability, especially given Georgia's prior track record with supposedly 'special' wide receivers. If Green doesn't develop quickly, there's going to be a lot of folks scratching their heads trying to figure out why - and Eason is likely to get a lot of heat for that.
The second thing: does Georgia ever rebuild on defense? Wasn't it just last year we were really concerned about young linebackers and corners, especially once we learned Paul Oliver wouldn't be back in 2007? This year's defense looks absolutely stacked, even given the fact that we essentially lost our biggest pass rusher in Marcus Howard. A lot of folks are high on Jemery Lomax at DE for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that pretty much anyone Georgia has plugged into the spot over the last eight years has wound up All-SEC or better. Roderick Battle at the other DE is more the more obvious choice for All-SEC honors, but the point remains: despite losing Marcus Howard, Georgia's pretty much going to just plug in a replacement and be just fine.
The questions at linebacker? Gone. Last year we were all fretting over a very young linebacking corps, and this year...well, everyone's pretty much sold on them as All-SEC performers. Dannell Ellerbee and Rennie Curran are the two main components to the corps. Again, Georgia seems to just be able to clone random linebackers at will, place them in their scheme, and reap the rewards. It's almost scary how efficient it is.
As SMQ noted a couple of weeks back about the defense:
The stars on the defense are still more prospective than fulfilled, with the possible exception of scout favorite Jeff Owens in the middle of the line, but it’s very possible the defense will field a lineup made up entirely of guys rated in the top dozen at their position out of high school. This is exceptional recruiting, retention and development: at worst, there won’t be a regular on the defense who was ranked outside of his position class’ top 25 by Rivals, and even the feted units at USC and LSU can’t say that across the board. All the noobs in the secondary are now upperclassmen who ended last year by holding André Woodson and Colt Brennan to their worst games of the season.Yes, you read that right: a defense with potentially more talent than USC and LSU. We'll see how that pans out, of course - but there's nothing in Georgia's recent history that leads me to worry too much about the defense.
As for the offense, some of the key components that have been missing over the past couple of years are finally snapping in to place. A smart recruiting strategy and focus on the basics have finally led to a more efficient - and powerful - offensive unit for Georgia as a whole.
Obviously - the focus is on the two big stars from last year - Knowshon Moreno and Matt Stafford. There have been a lot of mock drafts early in the year that have Stafford pegged as a top-3 quarterback, which I find somewhat amusing. Stafford is perfect in the system in which he performs, but in my mind, he's got a lot of work to do to be Top-3 NFL draft potential. Stafford's cannon arm is the primary reason teams are so high on him - but his accuracy will always remain a concern. Georgia's typical offensive scheme in 2007 was pound the ball and throw it deep on occasion. There was nothing particularly fancy about it, but it worked. A typical Stafford game was something was saw from the Auburn game - 11 of 19 for 237 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Stafford is a 55% passer. That's not really going to change next year.
The big knock on Stafford? While he has those Auburn type games on a regular basis, he also has a pretty regular 2007 Kentucky line at least once a year - 12 of 22 for 99 yards with 2 interceptions. Oh, you forgot about that game, did you?
The reason you forgot about the game, of course - is Knowshon Moreno (Moreno ran for 136 yards on 22 carries in that Kentucky game, in case you were wondering). There was no doubt that following the Tennessee game, Moreno became the guy on Georgia's offense - and that would look to continue this year. Believe it or not - for those of you who don't follow Georgia football - Moreno's going to have a backup who potentially could be even better than Moreno himself. Yes, if there's one thing Georgia does really well, it's recruit 5-star running backs. This other guy - for those of you under a rock or suffering from dementia - is Caleb King. King will likely look to fill the Thomas Brown role of last year - namely, to spell Moreno and give him breathers during games so that he can remain fresh in the 4th quarter. No one really knows how both King and Moreno will be utilized on the field - the prospect of them lining up in the same backfield is so tantalizingly amazing that it's almost as though Mark Richt paid off some legion of running-back creating gods.
Offensive line was a huge concern coming in to last year, but Stacy Searls proved his weight in gold by developing the kids into one of the most solid run-blocking units in the SEC. The entire line basically returns, and Trinton Sturdivant is the one guys that everyone's looking at for really big things. What these guys did last year was pretty much just shy of a miracle. It looks to only get better this year.
You might think with all my optimism - I'd be predicting Georgia to go 37-0 this year or something. That's not likely to happen. First, Georgia lost some sort of bet with the scheduling gods, since instead of drawing - oh, let's say Ole Miss and Arkansas from the Western Division, they have the severe misfortune of drawing LSU and Alabama. This means our three SEC Western Division opponents this year are Auburn, LSU, and Alabama. Oh, gee. Thanks.
There's also a somewhat scary early season roadie at suddenly competent Arizona State, not to mention the usual games against Florida, Tennessee, and the rest of the Eastern Division, who - as it turns out - aren't as bad as they used to be - apparently. Stafford's probably due for at least one Kentucky-esque game, and you have to wonder if Moreno and King can carry the load in that game.
Let's just hope that 2008's version of Kentucky 2007 is also against Kentucky. My going assumption is that Georgia does indeed lose - somewhere (at LSU is probably the best bet), but that one loss season may still be enough to put them in the title game.
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4 months ago
All the talk I've heard out of spring practices has been that Israel Troupe is showing signs of brilliance at receiver. Honestly, I have no faith in Durham at all.
I somewhat agree with you on Stafford. He's never going to be amazingly accurate, but you have to admit he was much improved from his freshman year. We can only hope that he continues to improve and carries it into the upcoming year.
Definitely a good article though!
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