Jim Chaney talks what he's looking for in who wins Georgia's starting quarterback
Jim Chaney met with reporters for the first time, and quite possibly the only time, this season and had a lot to say about the quarterbacks.
Here's everything he had to say on the subject, with stories and additional reporting to follow.
Chaney on having three quarterbacks (Greyson Lambert, Brice Ramsey, Jacob Eason) competing for the starting job: “This is a little unique, I think, we have three kids who can go perform out there on the football field. Routinely, for me, I’ve not had three guys who can go out there and play quarterback. It’s a polarizing position. When you get the victories, you get told how great you are. When you get the losses, you get told how bad you are. It comes with it.
“This is a unique position, with the age groups of the kids we’re competing with right now, to find out who’s going to play. It’s been a lot of fun. We’re rotating them around, going from one group to the other. They’re competing hard. For me and my history, I’d say it’s unique. I like all three of these kids. On any given day, I like one a little bit more than the other. I told them yesterday, I got a little upset with them and said, ‘Somebody needs to start emerging a little bit or showing a little bit more.’ As the volume comes in, it gets a little tougher on some of them.
“Some can handle a little more volume than others. That doesn’t necessarily make you the best player or the one we’re going to choose but at the end of the day, everyone of us are human beings. Like quarterbacks, we have fleas. We’re not all perfect. They have to figure out what they do good and do it as best they can, and work on their weaknesses. I feel comfortable in saying they’re all doing that right now. The competition is hot and it’s alive. It’s very competitive. It's fun to watch. But it’s been unique to me to have three of them right now battling for the spot.”
Chaney on what he's looking for at the quarterback position: “It gets to who can score points and who can secure the football. Winning football games is so much about ball security – here comes to clichés, gang. Who can secure the ball, who throws it our guys and not the opponent, who shows that discipline to be able to make that decision if I call a downfield that isn’t there to check it down, who can show the discipline to learn a new game plan week to week, and ultimately, who can drive and lead 10 men down into the end zone.
“We’re putting them in those environments to see who can do that. Who can secure the ball and who can move a group of men and lead them to the end zone – who can effect others in a real positive way. That’s the best way to say it and that’s how we’ll judge it in the end. We quantify it as much as you can. This quarterback’s on target this much, he’s making this many good decisions. I can put all the numbers on everything they do.
“At the end of the day, it’ll come down to coach Smart making that decision on who he wants to go with, and some of my input some way or the other, and it’s not always about the math. Sometimes it’s about a gut feeling with what you’re going to do. At the end of the day, let them compete. It’ll sort out when it sorts out. There’s no timetable on this.”
Chaney on the challenge of Ramsey having three coordinators in three years: “I have no empathy. I’ve been at three different schools in three years. What’s the big deal? Grow up, kiddo. You want to go on and play, you’re forced to learn regardless of the coordinator or what style it is. Players play, coaches coach and administrators administrate. There is no overlap. Do your job, do it to the best of your ability, learn, work your butt off, strive to be the best of your ability and see where it goes.
“Does it harm him knowing more football in different systems? I’ve never got that feeling that’s a negative. I’ve always felt like that’s better. You have that ability to fall back upon. I’ll probably train him different than Mike (Bobo) or Brian (Schottenheimer) did but we have to do our things. Do I think he’s behind the 8-ball and it’s unique, not one bit. I think it’s a benefit to him.”
Chaney on meeting Eason for the first time and managing his development: “Flying down on a plane, throw the Pitt shirt off, put the Georgia shirt on and meet with him an hour later. That’s the world we live in. To everybody else that’s craziness. For us, it isn’t. You sell who you are. We’ve all, after 30-something years, develop resumes. Some of my resume is good, some of it’s not. It’s like you guys, we’re not different. I think some people look at us in a unique mode because our lives are so public. But we’re just employees, we’re just workers. We have the same type of things, the goods and the bads that everybody else does.
“So we get in here, we sat down and talked a lot. We got to know Jacob and his family, I enjoyed it a lot. I think he felt comfortable with what we’re going to try to do with him, as far as developmental and the program we’re going to try to pull up for him that will fit his needs. So he stuck with us. We’re tickled to have him with us. He’s an extremely talented young man that’s learning his way around to being a good quarterback.”
Chaney on if the health at the running back position will factor into the quarterback decision: “I think you’d be a fool if you didn’t consider that early on. But I don’t know how much it’ll be weighed in that decision. Inevitably, it’s going to get down to which one of those boys can move the team down the field and score enough points. That has to be considered, the health of any position – at tackle and running back. Nothing’s looked at in a vacuum. It’s the totality of what you’re dealing with.
“And the quarterback position doesn’t just affect our offense, it affects our football team. Coach is well aware of those issues and we’ll keep working our way through that. I also think it’s just one of the 11 positions. I tell the kids all the time at quarterback, your job is one job, you got to get the ball delivered to the play-makers – either hand it to them or throw it to them. That’s it. Don’t overthink this thing. Don’t think you got to do something outside the system or all that craziness. Just do your job and do it the best you can.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2016 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Jim Chaney talks what he's looking for in who wins Georgia's starting quarterback."