So there’s a lot up in the air this weekend in the injury report, most specifically the prospect that Bobby Hill is pulling a page from Joey Freshwater’s injury playbook by leaving the status of Nico Wafer up in the air for this weekend’s contest:
Whether I believe this or not is one thing. More of my concern is how Georgia is doing in the injury front in Athens.
In one way, it sounds like we’re getting back healthy on defense:
Meanwhile, of greater concern:
If that’s the case, why haven’t these guards been popping up on weekly injury reports? It’s not like there are more guys there, or that help is on the way:
What’s curious to me, and I’ll put it out to yall to discuss, is where are the backups? Where did backup LBs, linemen, and especially Ellis Robinson, go? What’s the long game for our roster management?
Maybe Nico doesn’t play. But I don’t believe that for a second. If it was Friday and Chris Fallica tweeted that Nico wasn’t playing that would be one thing. But it was Tuesday evening. Smells of forcing Georgia to prepare for the probability of Nico playing and the unlikely scenario that Gaston Moore is the starter.
The past few seasons our backups got plenty of game experience because we were in control so often. With our struggles this season, we’ve been forced to keep the starters in longer. I wonder if Kirby just doesn’t trust putting in these younger players when we’re in a tough fight. But really, if the product that he’s putting out there is struggling like they did against Ole Miss, what more do we have to lose by putting in these younger pups?
I tend to agree. For example, the WRs haven’t been able to get separation all season consistently. Throw Sacovie White and Nitro Tuggle out there and see if they can go make a play on the outside. They have like, what, three or four catches this season between them? UT isn’t preparing for those guys. As you point out, what more do we have to lose at this point? And this isn’t the pre-portal era any longer. Saving a kid rather than burning a redshirt doesn’t mean shit now. A kid can be gone two weeks after the season ends whether or not he’s used a season of eligibility or not. Might as well find out if some of these young kids can play and see if they are kids that you are going to want to pay to stay.
The Vandy QB’s lawsuit is going to change the whole eligibility issue anyway if we go by the NCAA’s track record in court.
While I disagree with the premise of Pavia’s lawsuit, you’re probably right. At least the judge denied the TRO.
Adding to that, miltondawg, if some of these young kids aren’t seeing the field when the starters are tanking, then they’re probably already planning on going into the portal anyway. Kirby needs to give them meaningful snaps and if they do well, then they know they can contribute and he wants them to stay.
This is actually a continuation of the problem that started last year when we didn’t have as many blowouts. It’s a problem because Kirby recruits kids by selling early PT during blowouts. Kids also aren’t developing in general as well as before, but that’s a separate issue.
Dear Kirby,
Put some of the freshmen lineman in practice going 100%, then put the best in the game. They might even lose a year, but they are needed now. Green is a great LT
when healthy, but he is not helping the team when he can only go half speed. Please don’t hold back thinking about next year. Let’s finish this year on a high not.
We are the UGA BULLDAWGS.
IN KIRBY WE TRUST.
Please not a backup QB
THEIR backup or OUR backup?
I expect that UT will gladly play a kid with a concussion. That’s what the money is for. They are so thirsty for relevance that I will be shocked if he does not play Saturday.
For sure. They will use that kid up.
They’re doing it to their RB. He averages over 20 carries a game.
If CJH has his way Nico starts. It’s my understanding coaches no longer are allowed to override doctors call. Now who hires and fires that doctor at UT might be CJH. I expect we’ll see Nico.
OL High School kids just don’t yet have the physique and skill sets to take on the best SEC defenses. But they’ve had time now and should be as good as any of our injured starters. Of course the coaching staff knows far more and see what’s going on. If I’m Searles I’m probably thinking I’m fighting for my job so we’ll see what happens.
It definitely makes you wonder about the depth of the OL. Yes it’s hard to insert true freshman to play in the SEC, but what I’m wondering is where are the 2023 OL’s. Freeling (playing), Bo Hughley, Kelton Smith, Meriweather?
Here’s the 22 and 23 OL classes-
2022
4* Greene
3* Bah (transfer)
3* Hood (transfer)
3* Bobo
3* Scroggs (transfer)
2023
4* Freeling
4* Hughley
4* Smith (medical retire)
3* Meriweather
3* Miller
Not much experienced depth in that group
I hope Nico plays. If he is in the concussion protocol it would probably be better for him if he didn’t play. But hell, Tua is playing in the NFL and if he can play at this point I think Nico could. Prep for Nico and have a Plan B if you ask me.
We don’t do Plan Bs when it comes to backups. Just look at last week for the most recent example of that. It must be something in the water at B-M. Richt’s teams never did well against backups. Kirby’s been burned several times by Bama’s, even those backups that had previously been starters. I can’t remember all the way back to the Goff and Donnan days thanks to excessive alcohol consumption in college and old age now.
How have we gone from not being worried (at least us fans who don’t know as much) on the roster management front to feeling like we have glaring holes teetering on a rebuild of sorts ? Sure, the 247 composite talent rankings are imperfect but it’s at least the same standard all other teams are measured by and something with us isn’t adding up compared to our peers.
Evaluation misses ? Not being coached up ? Injuries ? Roster management had never been a worry and then just seemingly popped up.
I think when Kirby says that he does not have any guards in this situation, he means that he doesn’t have any guards good enough to rotate in as 1s.