Last year
When Pruitt and this staff came in last year we as a fanbase wondered "How good are our current players now that they have real coaching, developing and S&C?" We found out game 1 last year that our players just were nowhere close to talented, fast or strong enough. We had 2 good wins, we had blow outs, we had let downs against Vandy, Mizzou and SC Jr. Pruitt had growing pains.
This year
This year we felt we were going to better. As a whole we are. Much better on the OL, WR is better with a healthier Jennings, TE better with Pope playing well, RB better with Gray. DL probably a push without last years SRs but with much better depth and defend run better, LBs better, DBs push? Have our first good kicker in what feels like 10 years, punter solid, kick off man really good. Returners are average.
The unfathomable is how JG can go from somewhat playable last year to a flat out liability this year. He is around Chris Weinke (Heisman, National Title and 8 years in NFL), Tee and Cheney everyday and he looks like a JV HS QB. Incredible to think about. Those are 3 guys who have spent years playing and coaching the position at a high level.
Having terrible QB play doesn't excuse the Ga State game. That falls directly on the coaches.
But having consistently terrible QB play means you aren't beating anyone, period. I am actually surprised we outplayed BYU like we did the entire game without having a threat of a passing game. And again our OL is not to the level of being able to run it down your throat when you know its coming.
If you have a good QB you are going to be a solid football team. If you have a bad one or in our case a total liability you are not going to score points. Our OL is not at the point of being able to pound the rock when a defense can sell out to stop it because the QB. A DC knows how easily he can confuse JG into a mistake that turns the game. Has happened consistently this year.
Our QB play is not allowing us to show the areas we are better in.
Pruitt isn't getting fired Year 2 no matter how it goes. This year may put pressure on year 3 but isn't getting fired. We need to settle in and stop the talk of him being let go. All it does is give recruits something to worry about. He may not be the guy but he also isn't being fired in year 2 of a major rebuild. If this was 09 or 2010 maybe you blow it up. But financial reasons aside we suck and can't beat the lower mid level SEC teams because of lack of development. Those teams aren't good and certainly aren't very talented but they get their guys better and they get experience and they beat us. Firing him sets development back even further.
They need to develop Maurer or Shrout, hope they hit on Bailey or actively be in the transfer or grad transfer market like so many teams are today at the QB spot. We can put this at Pruitt's feet if we want to but the reality is with JG cratering we would have to rely on a true freshman QB to win this year which is a tall task for any QB. Not sure we can ding him for Maurer not being ready. He had 4 weeks to land Shrout after all over QBs were already gone.
I wish the defense was better. They get put in terrible positions consistently due to turnovers but regardless they weren't good against Florida. A good to average QB helps that greatly though.
Success in 2020 comes down to the QB spot. Without a good one you are dead in the water.
This program has to beat the Kentuck's, SC Jr's, Vandy's, Miss State's, Arkansas's and Missouri's to take a step. We start beating those guys and we can slowly chip away at the big boys. But we have to develop our players in order to beat them. Nobody is getting fired.
When Pruitt and this staff came in last year we as a fanbase wondered "How good are our current players now that they have real coaching, developing and S&C?" We found out game 1 last year that our players just were nowhere close to talented, fast or strong enough. We had 2 good wins, we had blow outs, we had let downs against Vandy, Mizzou and SC Jr. Pruitt had growing pains.
This year
This year we felt we were going to better. As a whole we are. Much better on the OL, WR is better with a healthier Jennings, TE better with Pope playing well, RB better with Gray. DL probably a push without last years SRs but with much better depth and defend run better, LBs better, DBs push? Have our first good kicker in what feels like 10 years, punter solid, kick off man really good. Returners are average.
The unfathomable is how JG can go from somewhat playable last year to a flat out liability this year. He is around Chris Weinke (Heisman, National Title and 8 years in NFL), Tee and Cheney everyday and he looks like a JV HS QB. Incredible to think about. Those are 3 guys who have spent years playing and coaching the position at a high level.
Having terrible QB play doesn't excuse the Ga State game. That falls directly on the coaches.
But having consistently terrible QB play means you aren't beating anyone, period. I am actually surprised we outplayed BYU like we did the entire game without having a threat of a passing game. And again our OL is not to the level of being able to run it down your throat when you know its coming.
If you have a good QB you are going to be a solid football team. If you have a bad one or in our case a total liability you are not going to score points. Our OL is not at the point of being able to pound the rock when a defense can sell out to stop it because the QB. A DC knows how easily he can confuse JG into a mistake that turns the game. Has happened consistently this year.
Our QB play is not allowing us to show the areas we are better in.
Pruitt isn't getting fired Year 2 no matter how it goes. This year may put pressure on year 3 but isn't getting fired. We need to settle in and stop the talk of him being let go. All it does is give recruits something to worry about. He may not be the guy but he also isn't being fired in year 2 of a major rebuild. If this was 09 or 2010 maybe you blow it up. But financial reasons aside we suck and can't beat the lower mid level SEC teams because of lack of development. Those teams aren't good and certainly aren't very talented but they get their guys better and they get experience and they beat us. Firing him sets development back even further.
They need to develop Maurer or Shrout, hope they hit on Bailey or actively be in the transfer or grad transfer market like so many teams are today at the QB spot. We can put this at Pruitt's feet if we want to but the reality is with JG cratering we would have to rely on a true freshman QB to win this year which is a tall task for any QB. Not sure we can ding him for Maurer not being ready. He had 4 weeks to land Shrout after all over QBs were already gone.
I wish the defense was better. They get put in terrible positions consistently due to turnovers but regardless they weren't good against Florida. A good to average QB helps that greatly though.
Success in 2020 comes down to the QB spot. Without a good one you are dead in the water.
This program has to beat the Kentuck's, SC Jr's, Vandy's, Miss State's, Arkansas's and Missouri's to take a step. We start beating those guys and we can slowly chip away at the big boys. But we have to develop our players in order to beat them. Nobody is getting fired.
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