re: Tell me about Lambert's performance...I didn't see the game

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GREYSON LAMBERT’S DAY

– Yeah, Lambert was bitingly accurate. There was only one pass where it looked like the receiver saved him: Michael Chigbu’s catch in the fourth quarter. (It was behind him.) Otherwise every pass was on the money, slants hitting the receiver in stride, short passes and downfield passes hitting the receiver right in the hands.

– I counted twice, just twice, that Lambert was even hit, at least on screen. The quick-passing strategy was part of it, as does great blocking. Lambert also clearly has confidence in his line now, and in the play calls. There were several downfield passes where Lambert stood and waited for the play to develop, and it paid off.

– How many times did Lambert check down? More as the game went on. For instance, on a 15-yard downfield pass to Malcolm Mitchell in the second quarter, Lambert either looked off from a shorter receiver or checked off him before seeing Mitchell streaking open. Later he rolled right and looked up to see Jackson Harris open, and hit him for a 15-yard gain. And as Lambert got comfortable there were a lot more instances of looking away from his intended receiver until the last second: For instance, the first two plays of the second half, passes to Malcolm Mitchell.

But don’t obsess about checking down; sometimes the play is designed well enough not to doo that. On the 17-yard pass to Terry Godwin to finish the first quarter, Godwin actually stutter-stepped upon the snap while four other receivers spread across the field. It was an intentional hesitation by Godwin, who then was wide open in the middle of the field for Lambert to nail him in stride.

The pass to Jay Rome was similar to that: Sony Michel looked to be the obvious check-down guy, but Lambert kept his eyes downfield, waiting for Rome to get open, which he did, and the ball got there when he did.

It’s almost like, yes, Lambert was staring down his mark, but to the defense there wasn’t anything there, but it turns out there was.

– Yes, a lot of high-percentage passes at the start to establish confidence. But as the game went on there were a lot of tougher throws, including a couple where the timing was remarkable considering the little time Lambert has had with his receivers: The 19-yard sideline pass to Reggie Davis in the first quarter, splitting two defenders, and the 25-yarder to Mitchell in the fourth quarter, when Mitchell turned around for the ball at the last moment.

Yes, Malcolm Mitchell had open field.
Yes, Malcolm Mitchell had open field.
The drive near the end of the first half to score – 78 yards in an efficient 8 plays and 2:03 – was reminiscent of the machine that was Georgia’s offense during the Aaron Murray-Mike Bobo yaers. Murray, in the house watching his replacement as the No. 11 quarterback, probably recognized it.

– By now the only incompletion of the game, ending the first drive with 7:18 left in the first quarter, has already been analyzed ad nauseum. Mitchell was indeed running open in the middle of the field, and Lambert should have checked down to him, in which case it almost certainly would have been a touchdown. Certainly a first down. But Lambert was locked in on Blazevich in the end zone, and at least saw there was too much coverage and threw it away. We’d seen a lot of that from him the first two weeks, reading the coverage well and placing it where only his receiver could make a great catch. (With the exception of the dropped interception at Vanderbilt.)

– Remember last week when it seemed Lambert (and Brice Ramsey) had their feet even before every shotgun play that was a run, and offset when it was a pass? That wasn’t as evident this time.

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