re: Alabama At Full Health

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But you don't expect production from someone who isn't a part of your team by their choice. Your expectations end when the player chooses to leave. You may miss them emotionally, wish they hadn't left, but you don't expect anything from them as the expectations ended when they were no longer a part of the team.

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The expectation is prior to their departure, not after. The reason why the expectation is prior to the departure is because that's when the planning and preparations have begun, as well as the formation of the team chemistry. A player leaving during the season doesn't happen in a vacuum, but it can affect the outcome of games, and the reason why the player left doesn't change that impact.

Take my example of Jamie Newman transferring to UGA in 2020. He transferred in after our 3-year starting QB declared for the draft early and unexpectedly, and Newman was expected to be the starting QB for the following season based on his skillset and experience. He was developing chemistry with the offense, taking snaps in practice with the #1s, and had a skillset that allowed for certain offensive game planning to occur by our OC. Shortly before the season began, he quit. He was expected to be our starting QB and his absence was "missed" due to the investment put into him and the expectations of our offense working around him as the QB. When he left, we put in D'Wan Mathis, and he simply wasn't ready. In this situation, Newman was missed by the UGA team, and Bennett had to step up and fill the gap in order for us to beat Arkansas in the season opener.

Again, the issue is around expectations. Expectations will be different based on what happens and when. Players leaving early for the draft may sting, but there is plenty of time to figure out a plan for the next season when those players leave. It's different when a player is expected to play for your team, has time and planning invested in them, and they stop playing before the season is over. The expectation is that the player will be productive in helping the team win, and when they aren't there, they are missed, regardless of the reason. This is true for stars that get injured early on as well as stars that are suspended or even quit a team when they are expected to contribute during the season.