UGA’s Bobo looks to do ‘better job’ with quarterbacks
Mike Bobo thinks the 2006 QB battle went on too long. (Associated Press)
Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and some of the Georgia players chatted with the UGA beat writers on Thursday (among other places, you can find reports here and here and here), and while nothing really surprising was said, there were some things worth chewing over, particularly some of Bobo’s comments.
While the oft-criticized Bobo saying that losing five games last year was “not acceptable” and “lit a fire in everybody” was the marquee quote coming out of the session, that sort of statement is pretty well expected at this point. As was him saying that the main emphasis at quarterback this season will be “taking care of the football and not turning it over.”
But it’s notable that he seemed to put at least a bit of the onus for that on his own shoulders, saying, “We just have to do a better job of managing that position and managing those mistakes this year where [last] year we probably didn’t.”
As the Dogs enter the season with what Bobo called a “wide open” race between three quarterbacks with “not a clear No. 1 guy,” I thought it instructive that he thought the QB competition in 2006 went on too long. Back then, Joe T. wasn’t picked as the starter until less than two weeks before the first game and the position remained in flux until Matt Stafford took control midway through the season.
“We probably should have weeded it down a little bit sooner,” Bobo told the beat writers. “We went into two, two-and-a-half weeks of fall camp before we ranked them. It’s just tough to get that many guys reps and get them quality reps and get them ready for the season. I don’t see us going that far this year. Not to say it won’t go into the fall, but to wait until the second scrimmage, it’s a little bit difficult to get a guy ready to play for the first game. You’re trying to get them all an opportunity, but you’ve still got to get a guy ready for that first game.”
The former Georgia quarterback confirmed that Aaron Murray missing 21 practices with an injury last fall “sealed the deal” on him not playing. “It just hurt his progression of playing quarterback. It was not in his best interest or our best interest to play him based off of some potential we might have seen in the spring.”
The assumption made by many is that Murray, the presumptive starter in a lot of folks’ mind, has or quickly will make up the lost ground. But that’s no doubt one of the reasons the competition is still wide open.
As for howitzer-armed Zach Mettenberger and his much maligned “footwork,” Bobo said “he’s improved tremendously and a lot has to do with getting himself in good physical condition. … He’s never going to be the fastest or the quickest guy, but if he’s in good shape and good condition, he’ll be able to improve his foot quickness.”
Part of the problem with Mettenberger seems to be in his head, Bobo said. “People have told him all his life he’s slow and you’ve got to work on your feet. So a lot of times he overcompensates and tries to speed things up when he’s really in good timing and good balance, because in his mind, he’s thinking, I’m slow, I’m slow, I’m slow.”
A lot of fans will prick up their ears at the fact Bobo said he’d be comfortable playing more than one QB this season, but he also said that last year when he tantalized us with talk of Logan Gray and the “Wild Dawg” formation, which ended up being an isolated play here and there before being pretty much dropped.
From what Bobo said on Thursday, that might have been at least in part because Gray didn’t step up his level of play as had been expected. “We did hope to play him more last year going into the season and it just didn’t work out that way. Not that we had this game plan going into each game that we were going to play him X number of snaps. Certain games did not dictate that, and sometimes performance in practice did not dictate playing in games. He had a lot of opportunities to prove that you’re ready to play. He knows what he has to work on, he’s been working on it hard, and he’s excited about this spring.”
Bobo certainly has mastered talking the talk as an offensive coordinator. Now we’ll get to see how he manages a quarterback battle that doesn’t have a player of obvious star potential like Stafford in the mix.
Again, G-Day should be fun.
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78 comments Add your comment
AltamahaDawg
February 26th, 2010
11:22 pm
…….”Why do the turnovers keep re-occuring, season after season, year after year, under his leadershuip?”
We give up. What’s the answer?
…….”Bobo should have been fired along with the rest. If he was any good he would have been hired by someone by now.”
somebody? I guess I don’t get that. Are you saying that if “somebody” doesnt hire him as a head coach or what? If he is not ready to be somebodies HC he aint any good? Really? So that would have been Mark Richt for many years based on that criteria. Was he any good? and that list could goes on and on and on.
Or were you talking about somebody hiring him as an OC?
AltamahaDawg
February 26th, 2010
11:34 pm
What I cannot figure out is how Searels name is absent from practically every discussion on whats wrong with UGA football. Not trying to throw him under the bus, he has certainly had some issues to overcome, and in all fairness he hasnt had a graduating class yet, BUT in a forum where Blame seems to be the norm, and his squad has been the reason we lost most of the games recently……I’m just saying.
SOUTHGADAWG88
February 27th, 2010
12:34 am
Agree
Dawg 39
February 27th, 2010
12:41 am
When CMR, a coach who knows a ittle about being an OC, developing QBs, & calling plays , states that CMB is doing a good job, who am I to believe, CMR or the Bobo Bashers. No contest for me. I also tend to agree with the Mayor Of Dawgtown & AltamaDawg. Just Saying.
BuLLdawg
February 27th, 2010
12:59 am
by
RED DOG 77
February 15th, 2010 12:53 am
“CMR said it plain and clear, come 2010, he was going to get back to ‘hands on’ coaching of the QBs and O……”
“I believe CMR saw that Coach Bobo was not quite ready to handle the O all by himself.”
BuLLdawg
February 27th, 2010
1:20 am
Paul Harvey
February 26th, 2010 10:02 pm
“As far as Murray getting hurt, well I was at the game; he got flushed out of the pocket and was running to the sidelines
and a defensive player caught up and starting climbing up his back,
and Murray and the guy went to the ground and Murray’s
ankle twisted to the point that it dislocated and broke at the same time
everyone was watching the Doctors popping his ankle back into place
He threw out his arm running the scout team plays for Okl St game.
Murray to throw, and throw, and throw until he developed triceps tendinitis.
he wanted to start throwing again.”
END
So, if I have this right 6 feet tall no more, 198 lbs. and a 400 lbs. lineman in high school caught up with him, climbed up his back and he was DOWN, injured.
4.7 is not very fast.
He will always be known as small.
He never has taken a snap under center, not once, ever.
He came in here with his very serious injury from high school.
He then immediately threw his arm out.
He did not practice.
He never has taken a snap under center.
He is not fast.
He is not big.
Every other Quarterback has not missed practice.
They all have taken snaps under center.
They all are bigger.
Only 1 is slower.
We have led the nation in penalties, interceptions, fumbles and injuries.
We are 10-10 in just The SEC East the last 4 years.
We are 3 losses 1 win against Florida the last 4 years.
We are 3 losses 1 win against the vols the last 4 years.
We are 2 losses 2 wins against Kentucky the last 4 years.
We have 53 interceptions the last 4 years.
We have 82 fumbles the last 4 years.
We average Number 96 in the nation in penalties the last 4 years.
RED DOG 77 says that Coach Richt said that he is taking back over coaching the quarterbacks, calling the plays and running the offense that RED DOG 77 says that Coach Richt said that Mike Bobo is not ready to run the offense by himself, obviously
BuLLdawg
February 27th, 2010
2:34 am
Mike Bobo and the rest of the Offensive Coaching Staff does not evaluate talent well.
How in the hell did we wait until the 3rd quarter of the 5th game to rip the Redshirt off Washaun Ealey ?
When we did, why when he was our Leading Rusher was he the Starter only 2 games, and not even the last 2.
Our Offensive Line cannot block for the Run.
We have 2 tremendous Fullbacks, and with all the struggles running the ball last season, we never did hand the football to either one.
Shaun Chapas only 7 rushes for 45 yards.
Fred Munzenmaier only 10 rushes for 37 yards.
Brandon Boykin is the hardest person to tackle on the team, maybe in the nation. Does the Offensive Coaching Staff think about that ? Hell no.
Mike Bobo has Knowshon Moreno 2008 and we are number 56 in the nation running the football with Knowshon Moreno. # 56.
Mike Bobo has Matthew Stafford 2007 and we are number 84 Passing offense in the nation and # 74 Total Offense.
8th worst in The SEC 2007 Passing Offense with Matthew Stafford.
8th SEC 2007 Passing.
Mike Bobo has Knowshon Moreno taken with the 7th pick and we are 5th in The SEC in rushing the football with Knowshon Moreno in 2008. Remember 2008 ?
2008 we gave up consecutive points of 31, 42 and 29 in 3 LOSSES.
Knowshon Moreno averaged 14 carries those 3 LOSSES.
5th best in The SEC in Rushing the Football in 2008 with Knowshon Moreno.
LSU, Alabama, and Florida were all BETTER than us Rushing the Football in 2008 and so even was Ole Miss. Yet, Mike Bobo had Knowshon Moreno and handed him the football a grand total of 14 times a game in our LOSSES.
My mother could figure out to hand the football more than 14 times to Knowshon Moreno against Alabama, Georgia tek and Florida.
How in the hell did we not Start Orson Charles ? Why did it take until the 12th game of a 13-game season, to make Orson Charles Starter ? I tell you it is because Aron White had 3 catches his Freshman year putting him higher on the Depth Chart than Orson Charles who in his Freshman Year in spite of that had 23.
Do you know how many passes we threw to Branden Smith all season long ? Do you ?
Branden Smith 2 catches for 7 yards. Seven yards 2 throws. 4 yard 3 yard.
Marlon Brown 2 catches a 9 yard gain and a 6 yard gain. 2.
You sit in here defending Mike Bobo when RED DOG 77 tells you that Coach Richt has lost confidence in Mike Bobo and is taking it all back over.
Mike Bobo and the rest of the Offensive Coaching Staff talks every year about cutting down on penalties, cutting down on interceptions and cutting down on turnovers.
Then, they put guys out there who are not our best players, playing favorites.
Then, they put the better guys deep on the Depth Chart and do not start them.
Even when they prove they are better than the favorites, they still are not made the Starter.
Not 1 year have we gotten our Quarterback ready, not 1 – except for DJ Shockley in 2005.
We have failed again to get our QB ready for 2010 and here we are Starting Spring Practice and the G-Day Game and we have nothing but issues all over the Offense.
Our players are injured and stay injured.
Our head coach is not paid the 4th best salary because he is better than the Coach at Florida, the Coach at Alabama and the Coach at LSU.
We are a 4th place team in The SEC over the last 4 years.
This crap about sans the mistakes…
Excuse me, that is the issue with the Offense.
Mistakes.
Can’t line up and run a play without a penalty.
When we do run a play, it’s to the wrong players.
When we do run a play, it’s a fumble
Or, an interception.
We lead the nation on offense for 4 years in a row now at 10-10 vs SEC East teams because we cannot even line-up and run a play without a penalty, and when we finally do, it is an interception or fumble.
You cannot say, sans the mistakes.
14 losses the last 4 years and most of those against The SEC East. 10 of the 14 losses.
National Stage ?
We cannot even get out of our own Division.
Let alone our Conference.
To get on any National Stage.
10 years now Coach Richt has not played 1 single solitary Top 10 Final AP Poll team in a bowl game.
It goes on and on and on and on and on, ad nauseam.
Ad infinitum.
No BIG BOWL GAME against a BIG OPPONENT on the NATIONAL STAGE
10 years now.
Coach Richt beat Not 1 Top 10 Final AP Poll team in any Bowl Game.
He has played 11 games against Top 10 Final AP Poll teams and has won 3 of them.
We sit here and make excuses for injuries but many of those too are preventable, such as allowing our Star Quarterback who is desperate to get under center and get some experience for the 1st time in his lifetime under center, to throw his arm out just exactly like we let Joe Cox do.
And, Caleb King with his hamstring.
12 points vs 6-loss no bowl South Carolina 2007 Knowshon Stafford Bobo.
14 points vs 4-loss vols 2007 Knowshon Moreno Matt Stafford Bobo.
20 points vs 7-loss Vandie 2007 Knowshon Matt Stafford Bobo.
24 points vs 5-loss Kentucky 2007 Knowshon Stafford Bobo.
14 points vs 5-loss South Carolina 2008 Knowshon Matt & AJ Bobo
10 points vs Florida 2008 AJ Green Knowshon & Stafford. Bobo.
17 points vs 7-loss Auburn 2008 AJ Knowshon Stafford. Bobo.
24 points vs 4-loss Michigan State 2008 AJ Knowshon Matt Bobo
27 points vs 7-loss Arizona St 2008 AJ Knowshon Matt. Bobo.
26 points vs 7-loss vols 2008 AJ Knowshon Matt. Mike Bobo OC
24 points vs 6-loss Vandie 2008 AJ Knowshon Matt. Mike Bobo.
10 points vs Oklahoma St not ranked Top 25 Final AP 2009. Bobo.
20 points vs 8-loss Arizona State 2009. Mike Bobo Off Coord.
13 points vs LSU who beat not 1 Top 25 team 2009. Mike Bobo.
19 points vs 6-loss vols 2009. Mike Bobo Offensive Coordinator
27 points vs 6-loss Kentucky 2009. Mike Bobo Off Coordinator
17 points vs Florida 2009 Mike Bobo Offensive Coordinator.
They interviewed Coach Richt at half time and asked how Mike Bobo could get AJ Green more into the game, and Coach Richt glibly fired back, throw him the football.
NO FUN OFFENSE.
Worst of all, now 2010 with all the All-Stars on OFFENSE in this great state, and we get NONE OF THEM.
None.
What does that tell you that the recruits in this state want to play Defense here but NOT OFFENSE.
Don't care for BoBo
February 27th, 2010
2:43 am
I’m not a big BooBoo supporter … in fact, I’m not a supporter of him at all. If things don’t improve drastically on the O side of the ball… BoBo will be long gone. The O shows the ability of the coach and last year was horrific. I really don’t expect a lot of improvement on the O side this year. I don’t believe BB has it in him. He don’t have the smarts, the killer instinct or the game planning ability to hang with the Meyers, Spurriers, Miles and other coaches in the SEC. We were out coached and not just outplayed in most of our games last year. BoBo is so predictable and so unimanginative. I’m sick and tired of the same old same old at Georgia.
The program seems dead and lifeless. I would love to see some life, passion, fire and killer instinct come back into the Georgia program. I’m beginning to think that CMR is just too laid back and too at ease to take Georgia much farther. The SEC has drastically changed and CMR and Georgia just haven’t kept pace with the rest.
Sanford Drive
February 27th, 2010
7:23 am
BuLLdog,
Nobody reads your epic novels.
Old Coach
February 27th, 2010
8:06 am
Bulldawg
You win!! Once again as I saw the topic for this article you were the first thing to come to my mind!!!! What book will the moron BuLLdawg write this time. I just dread seeing your same old crap. Maybe you could be a supporter of, oh say Ga. State I’m sure Coach Curry needs a little help, especially from such a genius as yourself. In any case give the real supporters of the Bulldogs a break and just go away we have seen your books!! And everybody thinks you are the BIGGEST jerk in the land!!!!
Paul Harvey
February 27th, 2010
8:47 am
BuLLdawg…400 lbs…Murray was probably around 190 at the time and the defensive player was over 200…so, I added both people together, sorry about the confusion…he was stepping forward to pass, had foot planted, DE chasing him was coming full speed heading to the sidelines..OK, Murray stepping forward with foot planted, defensive guy hits him, thus twisting Murray’s upper body while his foot remained planted, so something had to give as he was twisted…has noting to do w/ his size, but more to do w/ Newton’s, First and Second Laws of Motion. Remeber what happened to Joe Theismann.
Again sorry for the confusion from my write-up.
BTW…4.7 is damn fast for a QB…BTW, Knowshon Moreno ran a 4.62 at the NFL Combine, but he has run faster…I think the best Murray ever ran was a 4.67, so where Knowshon surely can run faster than a 4.62, I doubt that Murray will ever run faster than his best time…
1eyedJack
February 27th, 2010
9:13 am
BuLLdawg, dude, a candle burning twice as bright burns half as long. Stay away from fried food and take a baby aspirin every day. Take a vacation ’til April.
JB
February 27th, 2010
10:04 am
BuLLdawg,
Orson Charles played many minutes throughout the year. What diiference does it make that he did not actually start. He is also much smaller than White.
Branden Smith is a defensive player 1st and is a fumbler.
I would pick apart your epic more but I’m not gonna waste my time.
You are a whiney pathetic idiot and there’s a huge difference between what you think you understand about football and what you actually understand …. you would fit right in on a tech blog.
kydawg
February 27th, 2010
11:12 am
1eyedjack…that was too funny!!! Maybe it is time for BuLLdawg to become a fan of another team…geez…I’ve seen less hate from Tech, Gator, and Vol fans!!!
Dawg Tired
February 27th, 2010
11:23 am
Once again I must ask: Why we have not yet hired BuLLdawg to be our Head Football Coach? I do believe that it is possible that JB may have given me the answer in his post at 10:04 am today. Thanks JB, I was thinking BuLLdawg was a football genius.
AltamahaDawg
February 27th, 2010
11:34 am
Come on guys, If a fellow can’t demand attention in an anonymous sports blog in the middle of the night, where is he to go?
Dawg Tired
February 27th, 2010
11:56 am
Enter your comments here
Dawg Tired
February 27th, 2010
11:57 am
AltamahaDawg – Good point!
Sorry about the double post.
savannadawg
February 27th, 2010
4:28 pm
My question. Why does Mike Bobo sound like a politician. Why do always have to read between the lines? Does he not have enough confidence in his own ability as a QB coach to say, I promise ya’ll by the end of spring practice you and I both will have a much clearer picture of who may be the starting QB at the start of the 2010 football season. IT AIN”T BRAIN SURGERY MIKE.
DC
February 28th, 2010
1:07 am
Please, David Green was a freshman and was terrific for his entire career at UGA. Murray spent an entire season learning and practicing as did Mett and Logan has little experience just like Cox, and we all know how that turned out.
I literally could not stand another season with a good guy who deserves his shot to lead the offense when it is very clear we have two potentially great QBs in Murray and Mett–let them fight it out and give them the reps they need to get ready — please, please do not waste the last year of AJ Green, M. Brown and Charles — Murray has all the talent in the world throwing the football and can scramble to create plays –he is the real deal — Mett might surprise us, but he is a drop back QB — Murray is the man –let’s get on with it and get him ready so maybe we could win some big games for a change. Murray should have played last year-period–Coach Richt and Bobo made a mistake last year going with Cox – let’s not make the same mistake again Coach! Let Logan, a good athlete work at receiver and give him a chance to contribute there with his hands and speed —
This is a crucial year for the Dawgs to get back in contention for the SEC — right now we have lost the respect we once had as a first tier program — let not mess around — get an agressive defense going and give the reins to Murray to lead the offense–he is a natural.
RED DOG 77
February 28th, 2010
1:55 am
I’m looking for BuLLdawg to clear up this whole QB matter………..I hear he will walk on in August……………….Should be our clear cut starter by the first game in September, if not surely by the time we head out west to play the Colorado Buffs………Go BuLLdawg GATA !!!!
I agree with DC
February 28th, 2010
11:31 am
I agree that Murray should have been playing last year, and never been allowed to throw to the extent that he developed an injury because of over-use (ever play baseball and have a coach limit your pitching count? Maybe Murray is a knothead and needs someone to tell him to dial it back, because he was/is young and wanted to make an impression, nah he’s probably a knot head
)…Cox was a backup all through college and did a good job coming off the bench and making things happen…ever wonder why the 2nd string guy usually looks so good coming into a game, well it’s because the DC’s prepare his team for the starting QB and game time adjustments are hard to make…you prepare for a QB the style of Stafford and all of a sudden he is out, and a QB with a different set of strengths comes in…maybe he dinks and dunks, hands the ball off more, more play action is thrown in…sure, some back-ups will put the defense back on the heels for that week, however if this QB is named the starter then, there is film to be reviewed, the tendencies are evaluated, a package is put in place to counter this QB…some QB’s are single threaded and will have to take what the D gives them, and in here lies the problem…last year the running game wasn’t there in the beginning, so they challenged Cox to go deep, he won a few, but also threw up quite a few interceptions…the best move of the year was when Bobo went back to the sidelines so he could settle down Cox between series and talk to him face to face (hey, some QB’s need this interaction)…just wondering why UGA doesn’t have a dedicated QB coach, at least to talk to the QB and keep him from beating himself up…ever see a FG kicker miss an easy one, and a coach goes over and provides encouragement, because they may need him later in the game…just a thought
Rampdawg
February 28th, 2010
6:45 pm
Me thinks BuLLdawg needs some poon tang, and needs most chop,chop
Mike Bobo Fan
March 1st, 2010
3:10 pm
Bobo can really coach QB’s. Bobo did excellent as a QB at UGA, and still leads a lot of categories. Bobo’s QB’s Green, Shockley, and Stafford were all productive and winners.
A bad season and people start looking closer, but at 28 points to 32 points a game average over the last 3 seasons, not a lot to complain about when it comes to the offense. sure, less interceptions, but Bobo’s aware of that.
Bobo’s a great QB coach–ask Stafford, who landed a $40 million contract.
Mike Bobo Fan
March 1st, 2010
3:12 pm
Bill-
“BuLLdawg” is a waste of time. Please block him from his 5000 word ph d dissertations. He simply does not respect blog protocol.
How many people have to complain about this guy to get him banned?
why read him...
March 1st, 2010
7:58 pm
If you don’t like BuLLdawg’s post’s…hit the PgDn Key…easy enough to do…
monty
March 2nd, 2010
11:45 am
IMHO (and I’m a diehard GA fan, always have been, always will be), but I believe GA has suffered an identity crisis especially on offense the past few years. Are we a running team that opens up the play action or are we a passing team that uses the run to keep the defense honest? I’d have to say we have been too much finesse offensively and not enough we are going to dominate the line of scrimmage. The GA Tech game was the 1st game in (I can’t remember when) that we came out and tried to make a statement that we’re going to beat you physically. ANd guess what? It worked. It was the 1st game where I saw the O-Line get a real attitude, they were shouting and screaming at each other. WHy because they knew going into that game that was their mission, not just to pass block, but to dominate and control the game. I get sick to my stomach everytime GA has opened a game on offense throwing the deep ball on the 1st play of the game or going 3 and out passing. Why? Because it sends a statement to the other team that we are going to try to finesse you with the passing game instead of “we’re going to run the ball and you better have come to play, we’re going to be here all day kicking your butt! I believe we will see a return to that type mindset this year. It will be good to not have seasoned QB because it will force us to rely more on the play in the trenches. WHo have we really beaten(good SEC team) in the “trenches” in the last few years. You could probably count them on a couple of fingers.
Ed
March 2nd, 2010
5:27 pm
BuLLdawg, I actually enjoy reading your rants, at least you have passion and lay it all out there. Your logic doesn’t always hold but at least you use stats to back up your opinions. Your detractors are just jealous because no one looks forward to their boring drivel if they even bother to read their inane comments at all. Keep up the good work.