How about this:
Apparently Arian is really balling out at the Senior Bowl, which has generated a general question:
Was it the receivers or was it somehow Beck?
Watching the replay of the Clemson game, I noted in the comments that the team looked more composed and confident in that game and something about the Kentucky game seemed to kill the offense’s confidence moving forward. Specifically, Arian looked sure-handed when compared to other situations.
What was the turning point?
Happy for Arian, that was great tracking of the ball and perfect hand placement. Hope he gets picked on Day 2, uses the jugs machine every day and catches every ball thrown to him. But the Senior Bowl practice is still just practice, where he’s always shined. And before anyone says that these practices are higher stakes, I’ll remind you that UGA practices are regularly attended by NFL scouts, and if you don’t perform well you don’t play as much in games.
As for when his drops started, that would be his first season getting significant playing time, 2021. He was a track guy who took a while to learn how to run routes and catch the ball. His skills still have room for improvement. But you can’t get much faster.
If/when he can learn to catch, he can be the next Cheetah in the league. Hopefully without the shitty attitude. Hell…he out-cheetahs Tyreek. Arian’s top speed recorded is just under 23 mph. Tyreek’s fastest on the field is just over 22 mph.
Hill has reached 23 mph but it’s been a while. He’s still the shiftiest though.
It seems when the bright lights come on, the drops start. This year I don’t think that was just for Smith. They dropped balls that couldn’t be thrown any better. They dropped catchable balls that weren’t placed perfectly but were well within a player’s catch radius. In some cases, players missed signals and ran the wrong route/did the wrong thing. They got beaten to the spot where the ball was to be thrown.
For whatever reason, something was off with the chemistry in the passing game for much of the year. Unless someone with true inside knowledge talks, we’ll never know.
Your assessment is spot on. I think that a lot of that is on Coley. I also think that Coley’s recruiting ability is why he is still around —- not his coaching ability.
Coley may not have done a great job, but I go back to see how he turned a high school QB turned defensive back into a wide receiver who is now playing in the Super Bowl … Mecole Hardman. There was a reason everyone leading into 2019 wanted Kirby to retain him. The problem was Kirby promoted him.
I mean maybe. Mecole was a 5 star recruit, recruited by the previous staff and was coached by Foley for one year. Cortez Hankton should probably get the credit for Mecole more than Foley as Cortez had a lot longer history of coaching the WRs than Foley.
I recall him having the dropsies in 22 and 23 too. Best wishes for the light to come on.
I made the joke amongst my friends (dudes who tolerate me more like it) that he must have watched Coach30 Tweets in reverse to get coached up. I do hate how kids get aired out in Social Media nowadays (I’m so Old School I was against player numbers being identified for penalties but with NIL it’s more acceptable to me), but dang drops murdered our Conference Championship Team this year. Then I saw multiple guys schemed open (Monken-style) and bad throws jacked things up. I just wonder if we need more coaching than recruiting in the Receivers Room because leading the Nation in drops is unacceptable to The Standard. I’m sure it’s driving Kirby worse than bonkers but if you asked any fan: what record would the team that led the nation in drops have? Very few would say 11-3 and the SEC Conference Championship…
Coley’s coaching…….
W/ Bobo’s guidance. 😂 I prefer my simpler takes.
The drops this year were inexplicable. The combination of all the practice, hand size for a lot of them, and the gloves that they all wear leads me to believe it is mental.
Best of luck to him. I hope he solves his drops issue and tears it up in the NFL. I’ll never forget the TD bomb he caught from Stet against the Suckeyes. It got us back in the game.
I don’t understand Arian’s problem. He catches the ball over the middle of the field but has problems on out routs and deep patterns.
Wish the best for him.
Arian is the definition of a DGD to me. Did he drop balls at inopportune moments and run not so good routes sometimes? Sure. But he always came back and gave maximum effort. Me made several big catches in games that he didn’t look great in. He blocked like a demon regardless of how his day was going. He didn’t complain. He didn’t moan about playing time. He didn’t seem to care about NIL. He didn’t get in trouble & wasn’t a distraction to his team. And that, in my eyes, makes him a Damn Good Dawg. Best of luck going forward in The League, Arian!
100%. He stepped up to be WR1 and probably had to be utilized in ways he wasn’t intended after Thomas and Young’s issues. He never seemed to air grievances and accepted his role and issues with poise. Can’t forget his special teams conversion for first down against Texas as well as his recovery of a potential game-ending fumble. DGD.
I wonder if Coach Kirby Smart, with a shit-eating and hungry as fuck grimace, has intensely circled Saturday, Oct 4th on his Bulldog calendar.