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[maddogxlt]

I am concerned...

I have never seen so many position changes in the off season as we are seeing on the UGA team this spring.

For those of you not keeping up here is the short list:

Alec Ogletree moves from Safety to Inside LB

Richard Samuel Changes Positions...Again

Cordy Glenn Moves to Tackle from Left Guard

Sanders Comings moves from CB to Safety

Jarvis Jones, Weakside LB to Strongside LB

DeAngelo Tyson, Nose Tackle to DE

Bruce Figgins, TE to FB

Justin Anderson, Nose  Tackle to OG

Brandon Burrows, DE to Inside LB

Cornelius Washington, Strongside LB to Weakside LB


Is this normal? Are any of you other SEC fans seeing similar things on your own teams?

In my opinion, this shows a disturbing lack of planning. Wtf has CMR been doing in Recuiting the past 3-4 years? Yes, we had the dream team this year, and thats great. But the impact of that class is 2-3 years away

It's not like we just lost bunch of juniors to the draft, just AJ Green and Justin Houston.

I can already see the excuses for when when we lose our 5th game next year:

“Well, the defense moved so many players around last spring that are still settling into their new positions. Coach Mark Richt says even though the game against Vanderbilt was lost, players are making progress adjusting to their new positions”

I hope I'll be proven wrong. Maybe, come November, we will have only one loss and the defense will be spectacular. But lets be realistic, its not like these players are scientists. They are creatures of habit, teach them one thing and over time they become exceptional at it.  We saw how well they adjust to change last year, with implementation of the new 3-4 defense. In the first half of the season most players (especially the secondary) just looked lost.

I’ve been a supporter of Mark Richt his whole career but another .500ish season is inexcusable, Mark Richt would have to go. Lets just hope he doesn’t land somewhere else in the SEC.

[JSHD]

That is definitely not normal. It is probably not the big deal you think it is though. Defensive players tend to understand the different responsibilities of their teammates and can be moved around easier than offensive players. Teams have achieved success in the past by moving defensive linemen around and moving defensive backs to linebacker spots.

[HobnailedBoots]

maddogxlt said:

I am concerned...

DeAngelo Tyson, Nose Tackle to DE

End was his natural position to begin with. He played nose last year because we lacked a pure nose tackle. It's not like he's learning anything new.

Quote

Bruce Figgins, TE to FB

Really the only radical position change.

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Justin Anderson, Nose  Tackle to OG

Another player moving back to his natural position. Anderson filled in on the DL last year because we needed help. Guard is where he's more comfortable.

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Brandon Burrows, DE to Inside LB

4-3 DE moves to 3-4 LB.

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Cornelius Washington, Strongside LB to Weakside LB

That isn't really a position change.

Quote

Alec Ogletree moves from Safety to Inside LB

Where he can make more plays.

Quote

Richard Samuel Changes Positions...Again

Again, that really isn't a position change.

Quote

Cordy Glenn Moves to Tackle from Left Guard

This is common.

Quote

Sanders Comings moves from CB to Safety

A DB is a DB.

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Jarvis Jones, Weakside LB to Strongside LB

Not a position change.

Quote

Is this normal? Are any of you other SEC fans seeing similar things on your own teams?

In my opinion, this shows a disturbing lack of planning. Wtf has CMR been doing in Recuiting the past 3-4 years?

Recruiting players to run a 4-3 defense. You might have noticed we hired a coordinator last year whose installing a 3-4 defense, that requires a different type of player than we were recruiting the past 4 years. Are you going ot rip him for not recruiting for a 3-4 defense in 2008?

Quote

Yes, we had the dream team this year, and thats great. But the impact of that class is 2-3 years away

It's not like we just lost bunch of juniors to the draft, just AJ Green and Justin Houston.

I can already see the excuses for when when we lose our 5th game next year:

“Well, the defense moved so many players around last spring that are still settling into their new positions. Coach Mark Richt says even though the game against Vanderbilt was lost, players are making progress adjusting to their new positions”

I hope I'll be proven wrong. Maybe, come November, we will have only one loss and the defense will be spectacular. But lets be realistic, its not like these players are scientists. They are creatures of habit, teach them one thing and over time they become exceptional at it.  We saw how well they adjust to change last year, with implementation of the new 3-4 defense. In the first half of the season most players (especially the secondary) just looked lost.

I’ve been a supporter of Mark Richt his whole career but another .500ish season is inexcusable, Mark Richt would have to go. Lets just hope he doesn’t land somewhere else in the SEC.

Can you wait until we've at least lost a game before you start up the "fire Richt" bandwagon again?

Edited by HobnailedBoots, 08 April 2011 - 12:08 AM.

[MCD]

The only change I'm worried about is Ogletree to linebacker.  And that's not because I think he can't succeed there, it's just that most of the time last season, he and Boykin seemed to be the only ones who knew what they were doing in the secondary.

[timNem]

Alabama does a lot of this, especially during the spring.

[bulldawg28]

Spring is the perfect time to make changes, if it doesn't work they usually go back to their original position.

[SECorBust]

I agree with Boots.  They are getting the best players on the field and installing the 3-4.  I would actually be excited about the position changes if I were you.  Power running is headed your way.  Congrats to Crowell.

[HFS]

Think of it as them finally moving to their correct positions.

[Robzilla]

timNem said:

Alabama does a lot of this, especially during the spring.

Yup. Hell last spring they even tried Julio out in the secondary if I'm not mistaken.  It's just trying to get a feel for getting the most out of what you have.  Besides, it's just the spring.  No need to hit the panic button until AFTER you've lost to Vandy.

[TrueGCFan]

When you are trying to save your job you'll do anything.

[carwwest]

nothing to eye popping there besides the amount of changes...hell, our back up DT might be our starting LT this year...

[LSU PRIDE]

most of them changes seem minor shouldnt be nothin to worry about im sure the coaches did it for  a reason

[UAdan]

We had to do a lot of this when we switched  to a 3-4 defense, too. A lot of DE's became LB's, DT's became DE's, some LB's even became safeties. The 3-4 defense requires a lot more size in your front seven because the linemen and linebackers need to have the bulk to take on the blockers. One prototype DE in a 4-3 is probably undersized as a DE in the 3-4. I wouldn't worry too much.

[76]

Auburn also has a lot of position changes. Some out of need, some out experimenting and trying to find the best fit for a position.

[maddogxlt]

Thanks for the replys fellas, I'm still not crazy about it, and I always take the rhetoric that "They are moving to there natural positions" or "They are going to move closer to the ball so they can make plays"  with a grain of salt. I'll come back to this thread in November and evaluate the changes... See ya then!