Is Georgia ever going to be an offensive power again?

When Mark Richt was first hired as head coach at Georgia, your first question was probably “Who?” Then, when told he was the Offensive Coordinator at score-happy Florida State, you probably kicked up your heels and said “WOOOOHOOOOO! Fifty point games, HERE WE COME!!!!” I mean, after all, the Seminoles were putting up some serious numbers on offense while he was calling the shots.

So in the six years since he’s been here, what has been rock solid for the Dawgs? Uh, defense?

Other than the offensive line from the 2001 & 2002 teams, the majority of the standouts have been on the defensive side of the ball. And even THOSE defensive teams had seven or eight future NFL players. Not that the offense has been sluggish from 2001-2006 mind you, but the defense has been above average every single year in that stretch.

But a quick glance at the depth chart this year gives a slight nod to the offense as being “the savior”. With all due respect to cornerback Paul Oliver, who shall hereby be referred to as “Calvin Johnson’s Daddy”, the best player on the field for us in 2007 will be Matt Stafford. His maturation last year as a quarterback was a thing of beauty, albeit a slow one. He has the gun, and Richt is giving him the smarts. And remember when we first saw him on signing day in 2006? He was drawing comparisons to John Elway, but that’s because he looked like he ATE the two-time Superbowl winner from Denver. We’re talking fat ass. Turns out………….he can run if he HAS to. To the tune of 194 net yards on the ground (not bad for a pro style QB, huh?) After Stafford, I would have to say that kicker Brandon Coutu is the other weapon. He went out on an injury right before the UT game. Our record after he went out? 3-4. This guy is MONEY from 55 and in. The running game is more than solid. So much so that Mr New Jersey and Mr. Georgia from the 2006 and 2007 classes may not even see the field. Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown are superb backs who could each carry the load on their own. The thing is, they won’t have to. Throw in fullback Brannan Southerland, who led the team in TD’s last year and seems to have been on campus now for six years, and we’re going to move the ball on the ground. Though the wide receivers have had some dropped balls in the last couple of years, look at the depth and see how many of those guys have made some clutch catches - the talent is just SICK. Oh, and deep threat Sean Bailey is back from his knee injury.

You might counter with “yeah, but our offensive line is brand new”. Ok, I’ll give you that. But other than 2003, when we had to start a few freshman, the assistant trainer and two high school cheerleaders, the offensive line has been serviceable. That’s right, I said serviceable. You don’t get to 10 wins with a piss-poor line. The only unknown on offense this coming year is the tight end position. And let’s be honest, we’ve seen teams win with a crappy tight end.

So in conclusion, your honor, I believe that the Dawgs will be dominant on offense this year. I’ll show love for the defense next time around.