The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OC Coley owns up to Dogs'struggles
Injuries, lost starters hurt, but offense’s leader shoulders blame.
Being an offen
NEW ORLEANS — sive coordinator on the college or pro level is a thankless job. Every play called has a 50-50 chance of working, and that’s if it doesn’t get changed at the line of scrimmage.
And then, of course, there is the human factor. That is, if everything works, the pass has to be delivered on target and on time, and it has to be caught; or, if the hole is there, the back has to see it and be able to accelerate through it.
If the outcome is good, the offensive coordinator and/or quarterback are feted. If not, they’re vilified.
Georgia offensive coordinator James Coley knows this as well as anybody. While he has done the job for the Bulldogs for only the last two years, and has been
dedicated solely to this role in only this season, he also coordinated offenses at Florida State and Miami, to varying degrees of control.
Never, however, has he had to deal with the level of attrition he experienced this year at UGA. Nevertheless, the 46-year-old Miami native was careful to accept all of the blame for Georgia’s offensive struggles this season.
“I’ve got to do a better job, first and foremost,” Coley said at the Sugar Bowl’s offensive coaches and players news conference Sunday. “Starts with me, right?”
Georgia lost its leading receiver, Lawrence Cager, to a shoulder injury in the first quarter of the South Carolina game. He was able to play only in fits and starts after that, and then was finally lost for good the week of the Bulldogs’ regular-season finale against Georgia Tech.
That was after the Bulldogs lost four of their top five receivers to the NFL and transfer. That represented 67% of Jake Fromm’s receptions from the previous season and more than 70% of the yards.
Coley defended his junior signal-caller, who completed just 47% of his passes through the last five games, on that front. But he also took responsibility for developing the players available to him as well as designing ways to get the most out of what he has.
Sunday’s 15-minute Q&A session with reporters and television cameras was Coley’s first since early August. Some highlights:
Q. What kind of energy has new line coach Matt Luke brought to the team?
A. “Man, I thought I had a lot. It’s fun coaching with him. It’s a lot of fun because he really enjoys it. I mean, you can tell it’s his passion. And, of course, he was a head coach and he’s done this for a while. He’s running up and down the field, celebrating with the players. He’s coaching them hard. He’s always teaching. We can be in a staff room and he’s teaching the staff. So he loves the game.”
Q. What’s the offensive line going to look like without tackles Andrew Thomas and Isaiah Wilson and others?
A. “We have got guys who are working in that rotation. You got Cade Mays, you got Jamaree Salyer, you got (Warren) McClendon, freshman, who’s been practicing really hard. So those guys played great for us this year. But Cade and Jamaree also played in those spots. So we’re excited to see them get their opportunity. And I’ll tell you what, they’ve really had fun and they’ve really worked really hard these last several practices.
“It’s been fun watching those two guys. And Warren has gotten a lot better. … Yeah, it’s a challenge, but I know those guys are going to go out there and play their butts off for Georgia.”
Q. How much of what Georgia is doing is your system, as opposed to Jim Chaney’s system or doing what Kirby Smart wants?
A. “I don’t really see it as the system that Kirby wants to run or we’re forced to run this certain system. As a staff, we sat down and we said, ‘What gives us the best chance to beat certain teams with the players we have?’ And that’s the plays we’ve called to put our players in place. We’re still a pro-style offense, and that just gives us the flexibility to do a bunch of things.
“And, again, it’s who you have out there and who you’re trying to feature. So what gives you the best chance: Giving the ball to the tailback who’s a really good player, or throwing the ball to a young guy who may not be ready for that moment yet? I don’t think what I want to do has been held back. What I want to do, I’ve done.”
Q. How much of a challenge has it been with the turnover at wideout?
A. “I think we were very different from last year to this year because of the departure of the receivers we had that are now playing in the NFL. And I think we’re different from, I would say, the first quarter of the South Carolina game till now because of injuries to a player like Lawrence Cager. I think that all affects the quarterback sometimes, right?
“You’re moving your pieces around to give yourself the best chance to win. And when you do have injuries — for example, the SEC Championship game, we’ve got two of the three starters out in the first quarter — and you’re already a little bit low, now you’ve got to figure out: What’s the emergency plan from the emergency plan? ... You have to deal with the elements of the game ... how you’re going to respond with guys that are new at those spots. It’s tough. It’s our job, though. It’s my job.”
Q. How would you assess the play of quarterback Jake Fromm this season?
A. “I think Jake is still the same Jake. I think he’s done a great job with his attitude, how he comes to work every day. He’s not fazed by stats. He’s not fazed by production in a game. He probably knows he did all he could do to give us a shot. Coaching him for two years now, I’m very proud of the kid.”
Q. What level of participation do you expect from D’Andre Swift and how might his availability affect the way you call the game?
A. “You guys know he hasn’t been healthy 100%. … We’re all supporting him through this because it’s tough.
“If he is unable to go, we’ve got a good stable of running backs there. James Cook and Zamir White and Kenny McIntosh have all practiced really hard and embraced the role of ‘I’m the next guy in.’ And those guys are embracing bigger roles than just playing the backfield. As you guys saw in our game at SEC Championship game, they played in the slot . ... They did a bunch of stuff.”