Jason Butt: With season over, Greyson Lambert's journey as Georgia's QB begins all over again

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It's quite possible that Greyson Lambert has made his final start at Georgia, despite the fact he'll return for his final season of eligibility.

That thought probably excites many Georgia fans, knowing the quarterback who failed to record 2,000 yards in a season could possibly be replaced behind center.

But don't forget that Lambert, despite his shortcomings through the year, was the quarterback of a 10-win team who threw 12 touchdowns to only two interceptions. It's like the old adage coaches say -- it's never as good or bad as it seems. Lambert's season can be chalked up to that narrative.

The good came toward the end of the year, following Georgia's embarrassing 27-3 loss to Florida, when the Bulldogs went with Faton Bauta as a starter. Georgia decided to slow the tempo down and allow Lambert to act in a more controlled environment offensively.

As a result, Lambert went without an interception in Georgia's final five games. He didn't have the kind of head-scratching throws that were present against Alabama or Missouri. He relied on the running game to use time and help the defense stay fresh.

In the Bulldogs' 24-17 TaxSlayer Bowl victory over Penn State, Lambert completed 10-of-20 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. No, those aren't gaudy numbers, but his 17-yard touchdown throw to freshman receiver Terry Godwin was one of the best passes of his season.

In hindsight, Georgia would have been better off slowing the tempo down earlier, perhaps after the Alabama game after it became apparent the offense couldn't run at that kind of speed against a top-notch defense.

No one is confusing Lambert for the second coming of Matthew Stafford or Aaron Murray, either. And perhaps that's why there has been plenty of vitriol thrown his way from those who have never remotely been in a similar position to Lambert's.

What happened with Lambert this season can't be pinned on him. Lambert transferred to Georgia from Virginia in July after losing the starting quarterback job to teammate and close friend Matt Johns. Lambert went on to compete and win the quarterback job over Brice Ramsey, the presumed leader entering preseason practice.

If you want to overly criticize Lambert as the source of Georgia's problems in 2015, that's fine. But you have to look at the previous coaching staff, which didn't have a starter ready on the roster. You also have to look at an offensive line that went from being regarded as one of the best in the nation to an above-average unit, despite returning four starters. You have to look at the lack of veteran receiving depth behind Malcolm Mitchell. You have to look at how Georgia's offense became a shell of itself following Nick Chubb's season-ending knee injury.

Way too many variables were involved in the offense's struggles. It wasn't Lambert alone. Lambert, the 10-win quarterback, will enter 2016 where he entered 2015. He won't be the favorite to win Georgia's starting quarterback. Five-star recruit and high-prized quarterback Jacob Eason, the early enrollee the Georgia faithful can't get enough of, could be the Bulldogs' starter from day one under the leadership of incoming head coach Kirby Smart.

If Eason is every bit as talented as the recruiting experts and pundits say, then it probably makes sense to let him learn on the job from the start and work through his early mistakes. But what if Eason needs time to develop? What if he isn't ready for the big stage, despite the national attention he has garnered the past two years?

Would folks be OK with Lambert getting the nod to start the 2016 season, especially if it's a call Smart and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney elect to go with?

The Georgia student section chanted Lambert's name during his NCAA record-breaking performance when he completed 96 percent of his throws in a blowout win over South Carolina. But it didn't take long for the Internet's anonymous to throw mud on his name once the struggles began. And for some, the mistakes forever will be more magnified than any accomplishments Lambert puts forth.

To Lambert's credit, he knows the nature of the game. When a player is on top of the world -- such as the South Carolina game - he is everyone's hero. When it gets tough, people are quick to turn away. This season, no one on Georgia's roster looked the other way. During bowl practices, senior offensive lineman Kolton Houston was asked about any improvement Lambert had put forward since the regular-season finale against Georgia Tech.

Houston dubbed it a "weird question," most likely in defense of Lambert.

It's quite possible Lambert is Georgia's backup next season, behind Washington state's golden boy. If Lambert is to retake the position -- and anger his critics in the process -- he certainly will have to earn it.

"It's the same every year. I'm a competitor," Lambert said. "I'm ready to compete no matter who's there -- with Brice, with Jacob. I'm excited about it. I came here looking and searching for that competition. I've been doing it since I got to college."

Contact Jason Butt at jbutt@macon.com

This story was originally published January 3, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Jason Butt: With season over, Greyson Lambert's journey as Georgia's QB begins all over again ."