Bye Week Grades

Defensive Backs: Been very solid and consistent. Branden Smith has gotten better and he's not even starting. Shawn Williams has been one of, if not the biggest surprises on the team, Boykin is great, and Rambo learned how to cover at some point. A+

Linebackers: Jarvis Jones and Mike Gilliard are competing for MVP in this group. Robinson is underrated in that he does a lot of things that don't show up in the stats. More surprising than maybe even Gilliard is the play of Herrera. Not much has been said about this kid but he has done a great job filling in and hes going to be a solid player for a long time. Vasser has been good filling in as well. Ray Drew figured to be a starter on signing day, yet he hasn't done much of anything until the Vandy game. Things can only get better with this group when TreeWash returns. A

Defensive Line: Jenkins and Geathers have been solid but have yet to reach game changer status. Abry Jones and Tyson are kind of what we thought they were. Solid players but not great. Still waiting for a Garrison Smith or a Lott, who got a lot of press in the spring, to emerge as a contributor. B-

Offensive Line: To cut them a break, the attrition prior to the season was amazing. Lack of depth, a right tackle who was a defensive lineman, and two guards who had no experience, have all contributed to an average at best O-line. Glynn and Ben Jones seem to have played well but the line as a whole have had their problems. Running up the gut has been difficult but the ability of Crowell and Thomas to bounce outside effectively has saved the running game. Murray has taken a beating and has become noticeably less comfortable in the pocket, and more eager to get out of it. The problem here is that its not going to get better anytime soon, and any injury is obviously going to make it worse. C-

Running Backs: Crowell's talent is undeniable. He's better than I thought he'd be ability wise. However, his endurance has been a problem and his output is very inconsistent throughout games. 2nd half at Ole Miss he was flat out exhausted. Tennessee had a mix of injuries that kept him fresh for the 2nd half in which he was good. Would like to see the kid be good for all four quarters (preferably in the next game) and a little bit tougher. Thomas has been better than expected and Samuel is lost in the universe, though he did an okay job in Nashville. Figgins and little Tree appear to have been solid but to this point haven't been a huge factor in a good or bad way. B-

Quarterbacks: I'll be the first to admit that AM is not as good as he was last year. He's inconsistent with deep passes and his decision making has left a lot to be desired. However, his best receiver is a true freshman, his O-line is not SEC good, and we still play action waaaaaay to much when it doesn't suit him a whole lot. Still, he's #1 in the SEC in total offense, #2 in passing yards per game, and #3 in passing efficiency. He's still as good as he was last year in using his legs. And I guarantee you he's as tough as any QB in the league. We were just spoiled with his play last year when he benefited a tad with AJ. A-

Receivers/TE's: T. King has shown glimmers but I think its obvious he isn't a #1. Brown exploded in Nashville and I didn't see that coming. Bennentt has been huge and I don't think many people saw him as a big threat coming into the year but has established himself as a top 4 threat in the passing game. Mitchell has been unbelievable and hes only going to get better. He's raw in almost every aspect of the position, yet he's still getting open and making catches. That will change as the season goes on as more attention will be sent his way. Wooten is a guy who I pegged as a breakout player prior to the season. He has been hurt recently, but my previous belief no longer exists with him. Meanwhile, Troupe has been told practice is optional.

The tight ends are really good. But somehow we can't find a way to make them superstars. I could be wrong but I believe the coaches are not exhausting every option in making them all-american type players. I'm sure other teams play a hand in it and other options are good ones. I just see the Patriots using two TE's to go up and down the field every week, without resorting to their running game or having a vicious threat on the outside. Yet, a normal combined output from Charles and White reads like 4 catches for 40 yards. B-

Special Teams: There's the obvious with Walsh but then there's everything else. Our kickoff coverage and return teams are below average. Our punt returns are 3rd in the SEC but nothing big play wise. Butler is #1 in the SEC in yards per punt, but we are almost at the bottom in net yardage. But more so than anything, is the continuous battle we face in not being able to stop any sort of fake whatsoever. I don't understand and I don't want to understand. It cost us one game when a D-lineman ran 99 yards and it almost did in Nashville with a 98 yard fake. D-

* Georgia is better than last year, but by how much I don't know. Boise is really good but Carolina is not that great. The rest of our schedule has been ponies and pig tails. We play Florida's SEC schedule and we have a minimum of 4 losses and the search is on. The season is just beginning however, and as it has so many times before, the program, team, and CMR, have so much riding on the Cocktail party. 2011 will be remembered for what takes place in the next 5 games.

When was the last time Florida lost 4 in a row?
When was the last time Georgia won a truly meaningful game?

And I'm on board with CMR needing to wear all black from now on.

Go Dawgs!