I had bitched all off season....well....several off seasons that Georgia has far too many non-scholarship players and too many slow guys on our kick coverage unit.
That's one of the primary reasons that directional kicking as executed by this program doesn't work. The physics of something slow catching something fast seem pretty obviously flawed to me. That and the geometry of kicking directionally makes little sense. But I digress.
I did like seeing more high end speed on the kickoff coverage unit last week. Richt promised to put more high-end personnel on that unit, and he delivered. I saw quite a few front line players out there, and I only saw two wedge buster walk-on types on the unit. Did that help them make the key tackle on the 78 yard return. No. And that's not a trivial thing. But the coverage was pretty good on the other two kicks.
It was nice to see players who have legit wheels on that unit.
Although, I still don't get why we have a 280 lb defensive end out there covering kicks. Why would we tire out a guy that size running down the field for 60 yards when we have so many faster linebackers, safeties, corners, tight ends and running backs on scholarship?
It's not 1989 any more. Is anyone other than Fabris still putting 280 pounders who run 4.8+ on kick coverage? Well, anyone with a good coverage unit?
People sometimes ask me, "Why doesn't Fabris or Richt go talk to Kevin Butler about kickoffs. There is only one kicker in the College Football Hall of Fame, and he's our guy. Why don't we ask him?" My retort....what's busted is so obvious, they could probably just ask Barbara Dooley and get the same answers.
I love me some Mark Richt. But on this one issue. Geez. I just scratch my head.
PWD
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