What we don’t know about the SEC East
Yes, I know that March Madness cranks up in full gear on Thursday. But by the end of next week, every team but two in the SEC (Kentucky) and ACC (Virginia Tech) will be into spring practice. So we’re going to spend the next four days talking about what we know and what we don’t know about each division of those two conferences.
Now I need your input here. There is a lot that we’d don’t know and spring practice is about finding some answers before things heat up in August. If there is something you don’t know about a team that you think is important, let’s hear it.
We’re going to start today with the SEC East. On Thursday we’ll discuss the SEC West. These teams are in alphabetical order. Then we’ll move to the ACC.
FLORIDA (13-1, practice starts March 25, ends April 18)
What we know: The defense is set. Of the top 22 players on defense in the BCS championship game against Oklahoma, 14 were freshmen, redshirt freshmen, and sophomores. Even the leadership returns as LB Brandon Spikes is back for his senior season. Talent will not be an issue for the Gators in 2009. Great expectations might be. Just ask Georgia. Also, that No. 15 guy at quarterback is pretty good.
What we don’t know: Will Florida really miss Percy Harvin? Don’t get me wrong. I believe Harvin was one of the most gifted players to come along in this generation. But rarely was he completely healthy. There is just so much speed on this team with Chris Rainey, Jeff Demps, Brandon James, Deonte Thompson etc., that I have to believe that new OC Steve Addazio will be able to get by without Harvin.
GEORGIA (10-3, practice started March 17, ends April 11)
What we know: The running game, and really the whole offense, is going to be just fine. Yes QB Matthew Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno are gone, but the offensive line, which had to be patched together for all of the 2008 season, is now solid and finally has some depth. Now cross your fingers that the injury bug does not hit. QB Joe Cox doesn’t have the pure talent of a D.J. Shockley, another Georgia quarterback who waited his turn behind a star, but he does have the leadership. That should give OC Mike Bobo the luxury of bringing his freshman quarterbacks along more slowly.
What we don’t know: Is there an elite athlete who will step forward at defensive end? While a lot of Georgia fans seem to be concerned about rebuilding the secondary, it won’t matter who plays defensive back if the Bulldogs can’t rush the passer. Georgia was eighth in the SEC in quarterback sacks with 24 last season. Kiante Tripp moves back to DE from OL. Three defensive ends will miss the spring. Somebody has to step up and be a difference maker at this position or the Georgia defense is going to struggle again.
KENTUCKY (7-6, practice starts April 1, ends April 25)
What we know: The defense is going to be good. CB Trevard Lindley of Hiram, DE Jeremy Jarmon and middle linebacker Michael Johnson would have all been reasonably high NFL draft picks had they chosen to pass up their senior seasons. All will be coming back and so coach Rich Brooks expects his defense to be strong in 2009. Kentucky’s defense was disappointing last season, finishing 11th in the SEC at 332.4 ypg.
What we don’t’ know: Who is going to play quarterback? Mike Hartline, a junior, started the season but then lost the job to freshman Randall Cobb. Cobb had knee surgery at the end of the season and not play in the Liberty Bowl. Kentucky also has a talented freshman coming in the fall in Morgan Newton. Kentucky averaged 22.6 points per game last season with a rebuilt offense. That unit must get better.
SOUTH CAROLINA (7-6, practice started March 3, ends April 11)
What we know: Ellis Johnson will have another good defense. Despite all the issues on offense, and there were many, South Carolina had a chance to win each week because of its defense. The Gamecocks got some bad news Tuesday when DT Ladi Ajiboye was suspended indefinitely. If he doesn’t return, that hurts their depth. But with OLB Eric Norwood (9 sacks) back this unit has a chance to be as good as the one that finished fourth in the SEC (291.9 ypg).
What we don’t know: Will Stephen Garcia make it through spring practice unscathed? Better hope so because he’s the only quarterback Steve Spurrier has right now. Garcia’s former competitors, Chris Smelley (transferred to Alabama to play football) and Tommy Beecher (transferred to Liberty), are gone and there is nobody else in camp who has taken a snap. Garcia was suspended the past two spring practices. Spurrier has hired a new quarterbacks coach in G.A. Mangus, hoping to accelerate Garcia’s improvement this spring.
TENNESSEE (5-7, practice started March 10, ends April 18)
What we know: Every position is open, except Eric Berry’s. Every player starts with a clean slate and a chance to win a job under new coach Lane Kiffin. The most notable exception is Berry, who was a warrior every week while Tennessee was struggling at the end of the Phillip Fulmer era. The challenge for new DC Monte Kiffin will be finding a lot of different ways to put Berry in position to make plays. Defense was never the problem in 2008 (Tennessee led the SEC at 263.5 ypg). It won’t be in 2009.
What we don’t know: The Vols have running backs, but who is going to block? Tennessee has made headlines by grabbing two highly recruiting running backs in Bryce Brown and David Oku. There are a number of proven running backs in camp. But the offensive line was inconsistent a year ago, which is why the Vols were ninth in the SEC in rushing (122.9 ypg). Chris Scott (6-5, 346) from Riverdale needs step up and be a big time tackle. Unless somebody dramatically improves at quarterback, the Vols figure to be average at best at that position. So an effective running game will be essential.
VANDERBILT (7-6, practice starts March 10, ends March 28)
What we know: The Commodores are going to be better. With only 10 seniors, Vanderbilt was supposed to be rebuilding in 2008. Now they return 19 starters from a team that went to its first bowl in 26 years and won only the second bowl game in its history over Boston College in the Music City Bowl.
What we don’t know: Can quarterback Larry Smith keep it up? Vanderbilt shuffled quarterbacks Chris Nickson and Mackenzie Adams all of last season and both were ineffective. At the end of the season coach Bobby Johnson turned to redshirt freshman Larry Smith, who started his first game in the Music City Bowl (10 for 17, 121 yards). Vanderbilt was sixth in the SEC in scoring defense (19.6 ppg) in 2008. But the Commodores only scored 19.2 points per game. This spring will be about finding ways to score more points and take some of the pressure off the defense.
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178 comments Add your comment
Cuz
March 18th, 2009
4:58 pm
TW used my name in his comments so I just had to reply. I don’t think at 50 years old I am going to score 40 points on a Pop Warner team.
Cox is probably a more accurate passer but Shockley probably has the more powerful arm. And good Lord could DJ scramble. I hope that with a healthy deep O-line, Cox can sit in the pocket and pick a defense apart. If Cox starts running it could be the opposite of John Lastinger. Every time Lastinger dropped back to pass the crowd groaned.
G8R GRAD
March 18th, 2009
4:58 pm
JCMC:
Hear,hear!
Tebow personifies the evolution of the QB postion in college AND the next level.
Atlanta Jackets
March 18th, 2009
5:00 pm
G8TR, you’re forgetting one huge factor: its freaking easy to graduate from UF if you’re an athlete. No wonder 68% can do it.
If you are a student athlete at Tech – no matter the major – your requirements are quite a bit tougher.
Now shut your pie hole and pick out the jorts you plan on wearing to work tomorrow.
DawgGirl32
March 18th, 2009
5:04 pm
G8R GRAD- There was a post somewhere at the top explaining how UF athletes are pushed into majoring in the top 3 easiest majors offered at UF. That might expain why 68% actually graduate.
dawgystyle
March 18th, 2009
5:43 pm
one thing that i learned is that who ever is picked to win it hardly ever does. UGAs defense will be fine especially at DE, our defense is going to be intense and trust me we will tackle a lot better. OUR DEs were young and banged up last year it will be different this year. Dont give UF the east yet.
Barrie
March 18th, 2009
6:00 pm
Bama12,
When passing numbers are measured, they don’t take into account the distance the ball travels in the air…just total yds gained on the play. They don’t take into account the offensive system either. The point has been made that Tebow’s passes are to speedy WR’s and are mostly short. His yardage numbers are inflated because of that. As for passing efficiency, again, is inflated by this fact.
I’ve seen him play and I don’t think he will be great at the next level. What’s more important, football experts have seen him play too. Very few of them are projecting him as a big time NFL QB. This is not a biased UGA fan saying this stuff. If UF fans can’t see that, they certainly shouldn’t be calling anyone else “biased”.
Tebow is a great college QB. That doesn’t make him NFL material. It is a simple fact.
Preston
March 18th, 2009
6:43 pm
The SEC will be as strong as ever this season. Can’t wait for the season to start!
FLDAWG
March 18th, 2009
6:46 pm
I don’t care what Tebow or Stafford or any other QB does in the pros. I follow college ball and don’t care for pro ball that much. With that in mind any UGA fan that can not give Tebow his props just makes their post that much less credible. Tebow is a fantastic person and one of the all time great college players along with the likes of Herschel and Bo. I can’t help but root for Tebow as a player and a person, except when he plays UGA.
I will go out on a limb and say Cox will have better stats than Stafford. Completion %, winning % and season yardage will all be higher for Cox than Stafford. UGA will have a better season than last year and will push UF for the East. UF is and should be the odds on favorite and like someone said they are not unbeatable. The key to beating them is just like any other team, control the line of scrimmage and score more points than they do. It ain’t rocket science, just a lot harder to do on UF than most others. UGA will have the same opportunity to do this as any other team and in the end the best team will win. GO DAWGS.
Dorsey Hill
March 18th, 2009
6:47 pm
If Tebow is to be a good NFL player, he will not revolutionize the QB position, but revolutionize his own game to fit what works in the NFL. If anyone is dumb enough to believe that anyone can play QB and run like a fullback in the NFL, he hasn’t seen Ray Lewis play defense. If Tebow knows what is good for him, he’ll try to become a pocket passer, rather than a slow, lumbering version of Mike Vick.
BTW: For the Gator idiots. When the GPOOE gets drafted in the 4th round next year, how many qb’s are going to sign up to play at UF? How good will UF be without a Chris Leak or Tim Tebow? Of course, Meyer will be in South Bend at that time in his “dream job” so maybe it won’t matter.
bama12titles
March 18th, 2009
7:55 pm
Barrie,
I never said Tebow would be a great pro qb because I don’t think he will. I also don’t think he will revolutionize the qb position as some people think. I was merely making the point that the guy is very accurate. You do have a point that he does throw a lot of short passes that his WRs can turn into long gainers. But you could say that about a lot of great qbs in the past, especially the ones like Steve Young who ran a west coast offense with a lot of passing to RBs out of the backfield, essentially a short passing game that is similar to a running game. I think Tebow is somewhere in between what people of all stripes think. He has a stronger arm and is more accurate than a lot of people give him credit for. On the other hand there is no way in my mind that this one guy is going to revolutionize the pros. They would eat him for lunch and bang him up week after week if he tried to run the same type of offense with the same relative number of carries in the pros as what he did in college. Plus the talent is a lot more evenly spread throughout the pros. At UF he has the added benefit of playing against very few teams who will line up with the same relative amount of talent that UF has. Some people think he’s the greatest qb ever that will revolutionize the position. Some people think he is vastly overrated and like a lot of pro scouts he would be lucky to be picked in the 3rd round as a qb. The truth is probably somewhere in between.
athensdawg
March 18th, 2009
8:04 pm
The only question is……Will the Dawgs take off the lace panties this year and become a real football team?
Based on the the excuses Im starting to hear from the coaching staff this spring, it looks like the lace panties will not only be on, but they will be monogramed with ‘finish the drill.”
Oh well….yet another season of being the 4th best program in the SEC…..Music City bowl, here we come!
JustCallMeChamp
March 18th, 2009
8:40 pm
Man, I knew this would be deja vu all over again…you same wise doubters are back. “Tebow will never make it against the fast, angry SEC defenses, he won’t last a game, he can’t throw long, he won’t be able to read defenses, he can’t do this he can’t do that. I would not bet against Tim Tebow because that is exactly what fuels his fire, you might as well go ahead and throw plutonion into a nuclear reactor! Of course he’s not going to run in the pros like he does in college, but he will if its there. I think this year you will see him a bit more in the pocket and evolve his game like he did last year. And for those people who say he can only throw the short ball to speedy receivers you better go roll that tape again! Besides, isn’t that about all they do in the pros anyway, I see A LOT MORE of the long ball in college! And as far as all of those NFL “experts” and pundits…well if you go back and check, it seems they’re predictions are about as good as yours!!
Dawg Tired
March 18th, 2009
8:52 pm
Tony – I’m with you on the offense being in good shape. The defense is a BIG question mark. Simply put, without a pass rush, it will be difficult to win more than 8 games. With a pass rush, we can compete with Florida for SEC East. However, someone must step up big time at defensive end, or else it will be a tough year. Plus, we must be more aggressive on defense in general.
Florida is the clear favorite. Tebow is not only a great QB, he is also a great leader. I don’t know where all this talk about him not being a good passer comes from. Every time I see him play, he passes very well. Any team with him at QB will be good, because he pulls the whole team up with him.
Tennessee needs a QB. Otherwise, they will struggle big time. Their defense will be good, as usual. If they find a decent QB, they could surprise.
SC obviously needs to pick it up on offense. Spurrier seems to have lost the magic touch.
Vandy is well coached and can beat you if things go their way on that particular day. Just not enough talent to be a consistent winner.
KY is hard to predict. Very inconsistent. Their defense is weak. At times, seem to be poorly coached.
Thanks for allowing for input.
What’s with all these comments on here that have absolutely nothing to do with what you discussed in your article? My guess is illiteracy.
CLIFFGATOR
March 18th, 2009
9:19 pm
THATS WHAT YOU HOPE BUT WE WILL NOT MISS P.H BANK ON THAT
superDAWG
March 18th, 2009
9:26 pm
i think if the o-line stays healthy cox might remind you of a right handed david green.he will stay in the pocket and pick receivers instead of moving around to much.uga has to much talent and depth offensivly unless the injuries plaque us again.
Thomas
March 18th, 2009
10:50 pm
What does it say about UGA when they have so many players drafted, yet don’t make a habit of winning the SEC, much less the MNC ?
Z.Itchy
March 18th, 2009
10:51 pm
I think Cox will be great. I’m sure the coaching staff is building plays around his strengths and weaknesses. He’s a gamer and will come out smelling like a rose.
Cuz
March 19th, 2009
12:32 am
In eight years CMR has had us in the SECC three times. Before CMR, no appearances in the SECC. I think we got it right. Go soak your shirt Thomas.
Miles
March 19th, 2009
12:39 am
Be honest people. Florida is the best team in the country. Tebow is the best player in the country. Urban Meyer may be the best coach in the country. On the other hand, Georgia, with the loss of Stafford and Moreno, certainly has a tremendous uphill climb. Stafford was the best pinpoint passer in the NCAA last year and Moreno was undoubtedly the best running back in the country. These two guys will certainly be missed. From a coaching standpoint, Richt will have a much tougher time than Meyer.
Nachos
March 19th, 2009
7:09 am
What we do know: Georgia will lose to Florida again in Jacksonville.
turkey
March 19th, 2009
8:36 am
We do know that CMR still has Willie “hardlick” Martinez as DC and that is really going to hurt.
BILLY JACK
March 19th, 2009
9:12 am
Bama 12 TITLES-You seem like a pretty smart guy unlike Bama Stan who is a stupid jackass.The thing Bama Stan forgets to mention in that game is UGA came right back and scored 30 points.We Georgia people could say Louisiana-Monroe-Utah embarrasing beatdown and humiliating the SEC in the sugar bowl-cronic probation a million other things.Bama Stan also seems to have gotten in bed with Tennesee and that rogue hillbilly coaching staff.If you are a really a Bama fan you would find it next to impossible to say anything nice about Tenn.Fulmer basically took a year off of coaching to make it a personal crusade to dig up all the dirt on Alabama himself and report it himself.Many SEC coaches knew what Bama was doing for years but Fulmer made it a point to stick it to BAMA and nearly got them the death penalty missing by one vote I am told.The thing Bama Stan always leaves out is that he is wrong about almost everything he has ever said.The funny thing about this is Alabama being a habitual violator in the eyes of the SEC it is Tennesee that will be the next SEC team on probation.The recruitment of Bryce Brown is just the tip of the ice-berg.NCAA are taking thier time with this one and could be around 10 months before the details emerge.Bama Stan seems to be obsessed with everything Georgia instead of being on a tide message board.He seems especially obsessed with Joe Cox who will be just fine instead of worrying about Alabamas QB.To be honest, besides Fla and Ole Miss all SEC QB’S are basically unproven.Bama Stan needs to let the people of the south forget about the sugar bowl game before he makes anymore predictions.To keep putting 31-0 at the half after Tides sugar bowl game is very ignorant.Bama Stan next time put the 2nd half score of the game also you always seem to forget that one.
how2fish
March 19th, 2009
11:59 am
Tebow is the best college QB or football player I’ve ever seen..and yes I’ve met Hershal. Florida is the team to beat in the SEC period..and I pray we do..but that is long odds this year. However any Gator puke that has to go by a screen name of a Georgia player or coach..is a moron and everything you post is trash…if your a Gator act like a Gator or STFU. If you can’t be proud of your school stay home in your parents basement and watch some more gay porn…losers
BD
March 19th, 2009
3:19 pm
If your not a GATOR your a HATER .
Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
7:37 am
“Steering”—-I have tangled with you on this subject before. If you are going to bang this drum, at least be accurate: there are virtually NO political science majors among the Gators’ current roster of players. To the extent there are unusually high numbers of any particular major, it’s anthropology and sociology, not the others cited by you. Do your homework—-it’s all posted on the players’ profiles on Gatorzone.com.
For the record, the Gators also have the second highest graduation rate for football players in the SEC, and the second highest NCAA academic progress rate (APR) in the SEC, with more all-academic SEC athletes than any other conference school.
BTW, while anthropology, sociology, and political science are not under a single department”—-they are all under the College of Liberal Arts, but that is hardly evidence of a conspiracy. So, are the departments of mathematics, chemistry, statistics, physics and astronomy. And this is true for every other major university in America—-if you had actually set foot on a university campus on any day other than a Saturday, you would know this.
But, feel free to keep banging your drum.
Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
8:00 am
G8R GRAD—-The graduation rate stats that you posted from USA Today only reflected the graduation rates among the top 25 teams in the Coaches Poll for that particular week. The Gators 68% graduation rate actually places them in the to 25% of all 117 Division I football schools. Georgia Tech’s 48% graduation rate places them in the bottom third of all Division I schools, and dead last in the ACC.
Atlanta Jackets—-Thanks for playing, but for a predominantly engineering school, there seem to be damn few engineering majors among the Tech football team’s scholarship athletes, and an awfully high number of liberal arts and so-called “business” majors. And anyway you slice it, your football team’s graduation rate is an embarrassment to an otherwise outstanding academic institution. Furthermore, if Tech does not improve its APR soon, it is likely to begin feeling the pain of NCAA scholarship reductions soon, and suffer the ridicule of your fellow ACC schools. Get informed, son, before you hurt someone with your ignorance.
Atlanta Gator
March 20th, 2009
8:16 am
Now, back on topic . . . .
Here’s the downside of the Gators’ 2009 schedule: because their out-of-conference schedule is so darn weak (Charleston Southern?!), if they lose any one game, by any margin, they will be out of the running for the MNC, with absolutely no chance to climb back into contention. The Gators will start the season at number one and as the preseason favorites, but anything less than a perfect season will not get them back to the BCS title game.
Tide4u2c
March 22nd, 2009
2:55 pm
Ole Dawg you say Bama has an unproven QB but explain to us how LSU does since you imply they will beat Bama – since Saban has been at Bama it has always been a close game even when Bama has less depth and talent than LSU in 07 LSU wins by a touchdown and in 08 Bama wins in OT by a touchdown.Jefferson(LSU’s QB) does not have alot of SEC QB experiance.McElroy has been the back-up QB and has been in Saban’s system for 2 years and can run the offense.LSU does not have a proven SEC QB yet.Did you miss McElroy’s beautiful touchdown pass in the Iron Bowl against Auburn? Roll Tide!