re: The Players Respond...

You've given a few specific examples of where individuals screwed up and didn't do their job and it cost us big. You're blaming that on the individuals rather than the coaching and/or the defensive scheme itself in an attempt to defend CTG and the defensive staff.

That's fine, except the whole point here is that the individuals kept screwing up because they didn't know their assignments or were too slow to react because their assignments were confusing and complicated. That's the argument from the peanut gallery of which I don't see a valid rebuttal.

In addition, it appeared that our defensive players were not taking good angles and wrapping up very well. In other words, their fundamentals didn't appear to get better as the season went on.

The circumstantial evidence was visible during the gameplay, but it seems to have been confirmed by quotes from the players (from the OP) as well as from the new coaches. Pruitt has put a big emphasis on wanting to focus on fundamentals (why would he do that if fundamentals weren't a problem?) and simplifying the playbook to allow the players to react more quickly (again, a big complaint from the gallery around here).

What was evident from last season was that our defense was bad. You can blame it on youth all you want, but by the end of the season, the young players weren't playing much better than they were at the beginning, and a good coach should have had them playing better and better each game, especially with the talent that we had starting. What they lacked was experience, but that excuse got weaker and weaker every game.

Ultimately, if the players couldn't "pick up the system", the system was too complicated. The anecdotal evidence points to this being the biggest problem. Whether you like Grantham or not, he (apparently) did nothing to simplify it, and a complex system that the players can't grasp is worse than a simplified system that the players can execute.

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What was evident from last season was that our defense was bad. You can blame it on youth all you want, but by the end of the season, the young players weren't playing much better than they were at the beginning, and a good coach should have had them playing better and better each game, especially with the talent that we had starting. What they lacked was experience, but that excuse got weaker and weaker every game.

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They took Langley out after 4 games and put in Wiggins. So Game 8 was only Wiggin's 4th game.

Tray was in some games, and battling hamstring for other games. He basically split time with Mauger, and even Moore had some time in there.

By the end of the season, no one had more than 5 or 6 games under their belt in the secondary, except JHC and Swann.

In hindsight its really easy to say they should have been more patient with Langley, Richt addressed this in January on the radio. In hindsight, it's really easy to say Trey should have sat out a little longer in the beginning of the season to heal properly, but they thought he could go (and he was still a true freshmen so he still would have made freshman mistakes).


The linebackers and defensive line all played like bosses.

I saw Langley getting burned, straight up burned, vs LSU. He wasn't confused, he wasn't out of position, he was just a true freshman that still wasn't used to the other kids on the field being faster than him. It was sad.

There were definite problems in the secondary last year, I'm not denying that. I'm not denying the holocaust that was the Mizzou game.

I'm simply saying that too many people are too easily dismissing all of our problems to be Grantham's Scheme, and falsely assuming the problem is gone, and Pruitt is going to take us to the Promised Land... a land of Milk and of Honey.


I hope like hell one of you bumps this thread in January to say nanny nanny boo boo, stick your head in doo doo, and I'll be happy to say "I was a dumb frick! We have the best defense in the nation! Fire Richt! Hire Pruitt!"


It's simply not going to happen. Grantham is a good defensive coordinator. It's a shame how he is being thrown under the bus by simpletons.

Again, youth and inexperience in the secondary was a problem. No one was denying that. We lost a ton of talent from the year before so I think everyone expected a drop-off there.

However, others, like me, didn't think the drop-off would be as big was it turned out to be, because we had real talent on the field, even if it was inexperienced and raw. But what do you do with that situation? You simplify the process so those without experience can focus on making plays rather than thinking about what they are going to do next. The quotes from the OP clearly present a picture of a complicated system where the players were a step behind.

Even the quotes from the Wilson and Thornton appear to be praising the new way compared to the old way. If the seasoned guys who finally comprehended the old system are not favorable of it compared to what they are learning now, then do you think it was helpful for the younger guys?

There is a lot of blame to go around, but CTG had the onus to find the flaws and do his best to correct them. I think the lackluster defense we had in 2012 (with the amount of NFL players we had on the team, we should have been better than we were) and the lack of changes to accommodate the youth in our secondary in 2013, something needed to happen.

Pruitt might not be the answer, but I think Grantham proved that he didn't have what it takes to adapt to the changes that occurred with our team. Pruitt might not be better, but we had one of the worst defenses (if not the worst) in school history last year on Grantham's watch. Something needed to happen, and based on the quotes from the players that we've seen, it appears that the coaching changes may turn out to be very positive.

More players describing the Liberation of having the chains of Grantham's oppressive schemes shattered and removed from their ankles and wrists................ LINK.......................

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Communication breakdowns — particularly in the secondary — on a defense filled with young and inexperienced players last year contributed to those mistakes during a season in which Georgia gave up an average of 35.4 points in its five losses. "They were a big issue last year,” senior safety Corey Moore said

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“That’s the thing I like about the new defense, there ain’t 50 million calls,” Johnson said.

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Said fifth-year senior nose guard Mike Thornton: “It’s definitely slowed down a little for the defense because he’s simplifies it a little bit more than we have in the past. It helps guys out as far as flying around.”

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"Terminology is simplified, which means less thinking on the fly", Thornton said.

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"I feel like Todd Grantham cost us a national championship in 2012. My brain hurts every time I even think of the 2,000 page encyclopedia play book of his with all of the rocket-science calculus algorythms in it", said nobody. I made that one up.

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If we can get the board to agree with you will you stop posting those queer gifs?

We had 4 of our nfl players suspended for that game.


No more until Shawn weighs in.

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Which poster is supposed to be the cat??

I kind of feel like it's gatorhater9. Which has to be humiliating for deeprig........especially since PeterbBuck is watching.....

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That's an interesting paradox<

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Grantham is a good defensive coordinator

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Know how I know you're a troll...,